If you鈥檝e managed your business for any length of time, you鈥檝e probably picked up a helpful hint or two along your way. And depending on how helpful those hints actually are, your customers might even be willing to pay for them.
Ebooks are a simple way for online merchants to monetize their knowledge and experiences by creating a digital product that can be easily purchased and downloaded from their online stores.
If you鈥檙e just starting out with digital products, you might not know exactly how to approach selling ebooks. In this post, we鈥檒l walk you through how to create an ebook, connect you with helpful resources to simplify the process, and get you started down the path to offering your very first ebook product in your online store.
Related: 11 Digital Product Ideas That Fit Almost Every Storefront
Five steps to selling an ebook:
How to Select a Topic for Your Ebook
The first step to creating a successful ebook is to decide what your ebook will be about.
Generally, ebooks teach a reader how to do something. Unless you鈥檙e a novelist or a poet, you鈥檒l want to consider how your skills and personal experiences could be used to provide actionable value to your readers and how that value can relate back to your store鈥檚 main product offerings.
For example, if you sell paper crafts, a relevant ebook to sell online might be something like: “Affordable DIY home decor with paper crafts.”
www.favecrafts.com
Tie in personal examples from your own life or projects to add a human element to the actionable advice you鈥檙e sharing in your ebook. Using our paper crafts example again, you could show some of the ways you鈥檝e personally used paper products to decorate your home. This adds relevant context to your ebook and offers opportunities for interesting visuals to help illustrate your content.
Before you start writing, be sure to review what types of ebooks — if any
to understand readers鈥� preferences — that will help you to start selling ebooks that will actually get read.
How to Write an Ebook that Sells
Once you鈥檝e found the perfect topic for your ebook, use these tips to guide you through the writing process and create an ebook that sells.
Focus on a how-to
People often buy ebooks because they want to learn something. So a
Think of a compelling title
The title will play a large part in whether or not a shopper is interested in purchasing your ebook — so it鈥檚 important that you take the time to write a title that鈥檚 both interesting and attractive for your target audience. Use concepts like the , a , or a desirable outcome to make your ebook feel like a
For example: If you鈥檙e writing an ebook about canning fruits and vegetables, “How to Save $500 A Year on Groceries” would be a much more compelling title than “The Guide to Canning” because it tempts the reader with a more desirable outcome.
As writers ourselves here at the 黑料门 Blog, we鈥檝e learned that titles beginning with “How to” resonate best with our readers.
Other ways to make your ebook title more compelling:
- Provoke: “You鈥檙e Not Listening: What You鈥檙e Missing and Why It Matters”
- Intrigue: “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat”
- Use repetitive phrases: “Fitter, Happier, Healthier: The Ultimate 4 Week Body Transformation Plan.”
Use simple words
Unless you鈥檙e writing your ebook on nuclear physics, your writing should probably be fairly easy to understand.
Ever find yourself
One universal rule of writing to educate is: the more simply you can state your points, the better. Unless you鈥檙e a poet or acclaimed novelist (and if you are, that鈥檚 awesome) it鈥檚 unlikely customers will be buying your ebook to find out how many big words you know. More than likely, they鈥檙e buying based on the positive outcome promised in your title. And they鈥檒l want to understand and attain that outcome as quickly and efficiently as possible. (for example, the use of “on condition that” instead of “if”.)
To make sure your writing is understandable, avoid the use of jargon, acronyms, and any industry speak that might be unfamiliar to your audience. If you鈥檙e still not sure whether your writing is simple enough, check out the . This handy tool will run your writing through a checker and automatically highlight words that are too big, sentences that are too long, passive voice, and unnecessary adverbs.
www.fastcocreate.com
Use your intro pages wisely
Most ebooks offer the first
Because the preview can play a large part in whether or not a shopper chooses to buy your ebook, it鈥檚 important to use these pages wisely. In the first
Take it slow
It鈥檚 easy to want to sprint to the finish line when you鈥檙e writing your first ebook. But don鈥檛 rush the writing process. Instead, try setting an attainable daily/weekly goal for the number of pages or chapters you鈥檙e going to write, then stick to your goal. And using a tool like the or the will help you minimize distractions while you write.
www.fractuslearning.com
If you find yourself struggling with , don鈥檛 linger there. Move on to the next chapter to keep the process moving, and come back to that spot later once you鈥檝e had some time away.
If you鈥檙e not sure how to organize your thoughts, a tool like can help you break down key thoughts into digital notecards that you can visually organize and arrange until you鈥檙e satisfied with the structure and ready to dive in.
If you鈥檙e looking for more tips on writing your ebook, check out:
- from WikiHow
- by Sellfy
How to Format Your Ebook
Up next: formatting. When creating ebooks, there are a few design elements to keep in mind to make your content more
Select a good ebook file format
Different
The PDF is by far the most common file format for ebooks. PDFs open seamlessly across a variety of different operating systems, and they allow readers to easily access, download, and print their ebooks from their various devices. And because PDFs don鈥檛 require any special software to create, they鈥檙e great for ebook authors too. All you need is a word processor that lets you save PDFs, and you鈥檙e good to go.
Choose a font that鈥檚 easy to read
It鈥檚 not just the words you use that make your ebook easier to read. Your font style also plays a critical role in creating an ebook that鈥檚 easy for readers to understand. According to , san serif fonts are the best for reading online (simple fonts that don鈥檛 include “feet” or flourishes), with Arial, Courier, and Verdana among the most legible. Surprisingly, while Times New Roman was historically the default font for word processors, it鈥檚 actually the least preferred
You may be tempted to express your creativity through your font choice, but decorating your ebook with
A bad font choice can ruin a reader鈥檚 experience
Finally, your ebook should be responsive to fit your reader鈥檚 screen size. This means that your reader will always have an optimal reading experience, regardless of what screen size your reader is viewing your ebook on.
Use a consistent color scheme for your ebook
Whatever color scheme you choose, you鈥檒l want to make sure it鈥檚 consistent throughout your ebook. Select a palette of
Format your ebook for easy scanning
show that when people are reading on a computer or mobile device, they typically scan the content in an
www.nngroup.com
You can format your ebook to accommodate this behavior by
Use images in your ebook
It鈥檚 always easier to sell something when it looks good. So do your best to add value to your digital product with exciting graphics and illustrations.
If you already have your own
Design a beautiful cover for your ebook
As the first thing your audience will see, a good cover design is important. Not only will your cover design help sell your ebook, but it鈥檚 also a representation of your brand. Free tools like Canva let you easily design professional ebook covers using their
www.canva.com
Other ebook cover design tools include:
Don鈥檛 forget to ask a friend or colleague to give your cover a quick look for a fresh perspective before settling on a final version. Fresh eyes can spot mistakes you might have missed and might even offer an insight to turn your good cover design into a great one.
Proofreading
Before you can start selling your ebook, you鈥檒l need to have someone proofread it for spelling and grammar mistakes. Dropping your text into a free tool like is great for a first pass and can usually catch most major mistakes, but nothing beats a set of human eyes reviewing your work (at least for the time being). Because the last thing you want to do is send out your first ebook with a bunch of misplaced commas and apostrophes.
en.wikipedia.org
How to Sell an Ebook Online
Ebooks can be sold on any number of online platforms, including Amazon, iBooks, your own online store, Google Play, Fiverr鈥� the list goes on.
If you鈥檙e planning to make a living selling ebooks online, you鈥檒l probably want to list your books anywhere you can. In this article, we鈥檒l focus on two common ways to sell your ebooks: Amazon Kindle and your own online store (using 黑料门
Sell ebooks on Amazon
If you鈥檙e a
If you plan to sell ebooks to attract shoppers to your other products and services, consider offering your first ebook for free for a period of time. This will help you garner some early attention from readers who might otherwise be hesitant to pay for a book from an unknown author, and can be instrumental in securing those
Selling ebooks on Amazon can be fairly nuanced, so take some time to study this topic before launching your first ebook. For example, check out this practical guide from Joseph Hogue: .
Sell ebooks in your online store
If your
With 黑料门, there鈥檚 no limit to the number ebooks you can sell or their respective downloads. Every file can be up to 25 GB.
If you鈥檙e ready to start selling ebooks with 黑料门, simply follow the steps below:
- and go to the “Catalog” page.
- Click any product to edit it or create a new one.
- Open the “Files” tab.
- Upload the files you want to sell.
Need more info? Visit for complete details and FAQs on selling digital goods through 黑料门.
With 黑料门, you can sell digital products like ebooks AND physical products and services from a single storefront. Use your 黑料门 account to sell in your online store, a shop on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, eBay, Snapchat, Pinterest, and more, all while keeping your sales synced in your 黑料门 dashboard.
How to Promote Your Ebook
When you鈥檙e finally ready to start selling your ebook, you鈥檒l need some smart tactics to get the word out. Here鈥檚 a couple great ways to begin promoting your first ebook:
Use social media. Schedule several posts across your social media channels to let your followers know that your new ebook is available for purchase. And if you鈥檙e offering it free for a limited time, don鈥檛 forget to mention that as well!
Guest post. Try to find some relevant,
Do a podcast tour. See if a few podcasts would be willing to have you on as a guest to share a lesson or two from your new ebook (without giving too much away, of course). This will help build interest with new audiences and offers another chance to share the link in your bio.
Partner with influencers. If you鈥檙e connected with bloggers or influencers in a niche that鈥檚 relevant to your ebook鈥檚 subject matter, ask if you can team up to give away a few free copies.
Selling ebooks is just like selling anything else: it鈥檚 all about finding effective ways to get your product in front of your audiences. And once you鈥檝e found them, keep it going. Don鈥檛 let your promotional plan fizzle out after the first week — put together a strategy that will keep sales rolling in month after month through new channels and opportunities.
The main thing to remember is to keep finding new, creative ways to get your ebook in front of new audiences. Don鈥檛 let your promotion plan fizzle out the week after release — put together a strategy that will keep sales rolling in month after month through continuous new opportunities.
Selling Ebooks: Teach What You Know
From teaching others about your industry and products, to sharing your experiences as an entrepreneur, writing ebooks is an opportunity to turn your story into a product you can sell.
Does it require time and planning? Of course. What good
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