Looking for a way to share and monetize your knowledge and ideas? Selling ebooks online could be just the way to do it.
It’s super easy to make money selling ebooks, and there are tons of options for distributing and marketing the content you create.
In this post, you will find a full guide on how to make money selling ebooks online.
You’ll learn how to sell ebooks from your own website, or on marketplaces like Amazon. And you’ll find tips on how to market your ebooks so you can maximize sales.
Why sell ebooks online?
Ebooks are extremely popular, and it’s estimated that around 21% of all books sales come from digital downloads. The great thing about ebooks is that you don’t have to be a bestselling novelist to turn your ebook into a success.
The ebook market is diverse, so there is space for books of all shapes and sizes and just about any topic. The key to selling your ebook successfully is all in the marketing (we’ll talk more about this later) and you don’t have to rely on a well-known publishing house to do the marketing for you.
Selling ebooks online is a true solopreneur venture, and you can manage all aspects of the process yourself from writing to self-publishing and promotions.
This is what makes ebook creation such a great option for ecommerce businesses.
Selling ebooks vs print book
Even today, print books are still the most popular format for readers, however, this doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of benefits to selling ebooks instead of print books.
The main benefit of course is the cost. It’s much cheaper and more simple to create an ebook for self-publishing than it is to get a print book published.
Similarly, you don’t have to pay overhead costs such as printing and storage like you do with print books.
Also, the process of creating a book for print is lengthy and complicated, and outside of the scope of many amateur writers and small businesses. However, it’s more than possible to create your own ebook quickly and cheaply, and you can start making sales and seeing returns right away.
Sound interesting? Keep reading to learn exactly how to create an ebook that sells.
Creating an ebook that sells
Before we can get onto how to distribute your ebooks, and start making money, you first need to create your product. Here’s how to create an ebook that sells online.
Choose an interesting topic
The key to creating an ebook that sells is choosing a topic that will inspire readers to take notice, and purchase your book. You should think long and hard about the topic of your ebook before getting started.
Try to choose a topic that hasn’t already been written about by other writers or businesses. If you’re writing a non-fiction ebook, the aim should be to add value or teach the readers something they don’t already know. To achieve this, it’s a good idea to draw upon personal experiences that set you apart from other writers.
For example, if you are writing a book related to starting a blog, you should avoid focusing on generalized tips that can be found using a quick Google search. Instead, go into detail about your own blogging journey and things you’ve learned as well as pitfalls you experienced.
If you’re going down the fiction route for your ebook, consider looking at sites like Amazon Kindle to see what types of books sell well.
For example, dystopian teen fiction is extremely popular, so you might want to choose this as the starting point for your novel. However, if you want to stand out from the crowd, you should try your best to come up with fresh and unique plot ideas, and avoid copycatting bestsellers.
Come up with an awesome title
Next, you should try to think of a title that will grab the reader’s attention and inspire them to download your book. If you’re writing books about business, then titles that include financial figures tend to perform well.
For example, if your book is related to growing your blog, then something along the lines of ‘How I Made $100,000 From My Blog’ is likely to attract more attention than something like ‘A Step-by-Step Guide to Blogging’. If you’re stuck on title ideas, check out our guide to headline writing for beginners.
If you’re writing fiction then you should try to make your titles catchy and intriguing. There are also tools available to help you to create titles for different genres, such as Fantasy Name Generators and Adzing Book Title Generator.
Draft the content
Probably one of the hardest parts about selling ebooks online is writing the actual content. It can be time-consuming and if you’re not an experienced writer it can sometimes be a struggle. However, don’t let this dissuade you from the idea.
If you want to go down the route of writing the book yourself, create a detailed plan for each section of your book and a timeline for when you want to complete it.
Also if it’s your first time writing a book, don’t over-face yourself by planning for the book to be super long. Ebooks can be as long or as short as you like, so for your first attempt, you should choose a more manageable length.
Also, if you don’t see yourself as a writer, you can also hire a ghostwriter to draft the content for you.
It’s very easy and quite affordable to hire a ghostwriter. Check out freelancing sites like Fiverr or Upwork to connect with writers that have experience working in your niche.
Add high-quality images and visual elements
If your ebook is a non-fiction title and you’re delving into detail about complicated topics, it’s a really good idea to make use of images where possible.
Images and other visual elements like graphs and tables can help to break up your text and make the information more digestible for the reader. It’s also a great way to add value to your ebook and make it seem more professional.
For fiction books, including images is not really that common, and aside from adding illustrations that enhance your story you can probably forgo this step.
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Preparing your ebook for sale
Once you’ve created your ebook, there are a few things you’ll need to do to get it ready for selling. Here’s everything you need to know.
Format you ebook
Ebook formats vary based on book types but you should always format your ebook in a way that is easy to read and digestible for your buyers. It’s always a good idea to stick with font sizes of 11 or larger. Any smaller than this and readers may struggle to see the words properly.
Select an easy-to-read san serif font such as Veranda or Ariel for the main prose and stick with it. Alternatively, you can also use sites like Fontjoy to select professional font pairings that can be used for prose and headings. This way your text is consistent and clear throughout.
Where possible, break down large blocks of text into smaller paragraphs and add lists and headers that break up the text to make life easier for the reader.
Edit and Proofread
Before you think about finalizing your book and publishing it, be sure to edit and proofread it. You should do this at least once, but it’s a good idea to have more than one person look over it if possible. You can use tools like Grammarly to help you to pick up on spelling and grammar errors too.
Remember, you are selling this product, so it should be high-quality and free from errors. If your book is rife with spelling and grammar issues, this could lead to bad reviews further down the line which could heavily impact your marketing strategy.
Add branding elements
When getting your book ready to publish, be sure to add some branding elements so that people know more about your business and work.
Consider adding an author page at the beginning or end of the book, and place your business name and logo at strategic places throughout your books such as on chapter title pages, or in headers and footers.
Design an eye-catching cover
I know they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but most people still do, which is why it’s important to nail your cover design. Your cover should be eye-catching and professional and feature salient information such as the title, author name, and your business name if your ebook is affiliated with an existing business.
You can use online graphic design software like Canva to design your book cover and select from a range of free and professional templates.
Alternatively, you can hire a graphic designer. Whichever route you choose, make sure your cover features:
- High-quality images