The Internet has really made things easier for avid writers and bloggers to make money online by selling eBooks.
The best thing about the eBook is you don’t have to go to a publisher for publishing your book. Everything is online, you create a digital book (a PDF file) and sell it online by yourself on a website.
Yes, it’s that simple. It has made it possible for hobbyists to write an eBook and sell it for profit. A traveler, a musician, a teacher, a dancer, a day trader, a doctor, a therapist, a trainer, etc can compile their own eBook, sell it online and make money.
Therefore if you have a hobby then you could put it together on an eBook and share it with the world for a few bucks.
Table of Contents
A Guide On How To Write A eBook And Make Money By Selling It?
In this article, we tell exactly how you can write an eBook from scratch and sell it online.
So here we go.
Writing an eBook
Writing a complete eBook with over 40 to 50 pages needs patience and some writing talent. It is not that hard, I am sure you can do it if you have a passion for a particular thing.
Writing an eBook would take some time from conceiving an idea to fully materializing it on a word document. In this article, we tell you how exactly you can do that.
So muster some patience and perseverance.
1. Choose a Niche for your eBook
A niche is very important here. It is going to decide two things i.e. what you will be writing and for whom?
Hence be specific about your niche, trim it down and make it as targeted as possible.
For example, if your eBook is about music then be specific, is it about classical music, jazz, hip hop, rock ‘n’ roll, or others?
You cannot write on a vogue niche like Music, it has to be specific like Jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, etc.
2. Design and Content of Your eBook
Once you have decided on the overall niche of your eBook then it is time to start writing. In this part, we discuss how you can design your eBook and write some unique content for it.
If you are new to writing eBooks then designing an eBook could take some time however writing good content would be a breeze. Designing and content both are important.
3. Cover Design and Title of the eBook
Cover design for your eBook would be a challenge. If I speak honestly it would not be possible for you to design an attractive cover so either you could outsource to someone or leave it.
Creating a title for the eBook can make or break your sales. It must be attractive and you need to do a lot of research before creating a perfect title for the eBook. Avoid using words like “Free”.
Research before you choose a title.
4. Designing Graphics for the eBook
As I said earlier designing graphics would not be easy for beginners like you. Designing graphics for your eBook can consume a lot of time and money. You need an expert graphic designer for designing your book cover and it could cost you huge money.
So you can go for ordinary graphics and do not waste your time on one particular area.
5. A Description for the eBook
If you are done with the title of the book then the next thing to tackle is writing a perfect description for your eBook. It is the title and the description that would decide whether people are going to buy your eBook or not.
Write a description that captures the whole essence of your book in just a few words. Include everything like Genre, word count, bio, etc. Please check the description of other popular eBooks before you write for yourself.
6. Creating an Outline
After you are through with graphics, title and description now you need to focus on creating content. And for that, you have to create an outline.
You can use software like Evernote to make your important points and put down your ideas. Here you will draw the skeleton of the entire content with bullet-listed points.
I recommend you go through other published eBooks and take ideas from them.
7. The Front Part
You need to focus on the front part. Here are a few things in brief that you need to take care of.
- Title Page: Focus on the quality of graphics, if do not have graphics designers then go for a simple one.
- Introduction: Your title of the book and description must catch the eyeballs of the readers.
- Preface: Write a short and simple preface that readers could relate to.
- Credits: Give all the credits
8. Body of the eBook
Here you are going to decide about chapters and the entire content in it. First, you have to decide how chapters are going to be laid out.
After that, you have to elaborate on each of these chapters. You have to work on how many paragraphs to write for sub-chapters.
Break your content as much as possible. You also need to incorporate images, charts, videos, etc into the content.
9. The End Part
Once you have written the entire content of the book you need to take care of the end part. Do not neglect the back because it really matters.
You need to write an afterword or conclusion very carefully. Do not forget to give all due credits at last. Your eBooks should contain a Bibliography or Reference section.
Finally, I would say do consult other eBooks that have already been published.
10. Formatting and Editing
Now, most part of writing an eBook is over. You are done with the cover design, graphics, tile, content, and epilogue then it is time for formatting and editing.
Usually, formatting, editing, and proofreading are done by others, not by the authors. However, here you have to do it yourself.
The content of your eBooks should be properly divided into paragraphs and indented. Any Inconsistency in writing must be removed.
11. Proofreading and Making Final Changes
As I said you have to do proofreading by yourself. Things like spelling errors, grammar mistakes, hyphens, and broken hyperlinks. Wrongly captioned images could turn your readers off.
You need to get rid of all these errors before you publish your eBook. Do not compromise on the quality of the content and make all the necessary final changes.
Promoting & Selling the eBook
Creating an eBook is just half of the story, the second half is all about promoting and selling it online to your visitors.
You can promote your eBook on the Internet through different mediums for free and sell it as much as you can.
1. Identify your Audience/Demographics
The first thing you have to do is identify your target audience. Who exactly your readers are?
You need to know who all are going to read your eBook like their age, gender, the language they speak, monthly income, etc. If you know your audience then you make more sales.
2. Set a Price
Here you need to control your greed. If you want to sell your eBook then your target price must be low.
Your target price for an eBook with 30 to 50 pages should be around $4 to $5, not more than that. The price should be less so that more visitors can buy it.
3. Create an Attractive Landing page
You need to create a website or a blog with huge traffic coming in.
For selling an eBook or any product online you have to have a sales page or landing page where you can pitch the product to the visitors.
A visitor to your landing page must be converted into a potential customer.
4. Explore all of the Available Online Platform
Selling things online is not an easy task, even experienced affiliate marketers can’t do it. You need to explore all the platforms if you want to reach out to a wider audience.
You can use Google AdWords for instant traffic, social media marketing, email marketing, SEO for long-term traffic, guest blogging on popular sites, etc. You can also refer to these 50 ways to promote online.
Generating traffic would be the biggest challenge for selling your eBook. So create a perfect sales page with an excellent sales pitch.
5. Offer Free Stuff with Your eBook
The best way to entice your readers is to offer them free stuff with your eBook. Like another eBook or a small report with your eBook.
Offering free things along with your eBook could help in increasing sales.
6. Give Exclusive Offers
Well, this is another tip for increasing your sales. You need to give exclusive offers to sell your eBook.
Like if you buy 10 eBooks then you will get a 50% discount. You can come up with such schemes to lure your visitors.
7. Affiliate Marketing
If you want to sell then you need to learn the tricks of successful affiliate marketers.
Creating an eBook could be easier than selling it. It is because selling online is a vast area and you need experience before you sell products.
Therefore I recommend you learn everything about affiliate marketing like creating landing pages, pitching, a perfect sales page, etc.
So I conclude by saying you can divide this article into two parts. The first one is about creating an eBook and the second is what goes behind selling it.
FAQ
How much money can you make from writing an ebook?
The amount of money that can be made from writing an ebook varies greatly depending on the niche or topic, quality, length, and marketing efforts of the author. Self-published ebooks typically earn less than traditionally published ebooks, with an average income of $1,500 per year. However, some self-published authors have been able to earn six or seven-figure incomes from their ebooks by focusing on quality, targeting a specific niche, and pricing their books correctly.
What type of ebooks sells the most?
Fiction ebooks, specifically in the genres of romance, mystery/thriller, and fantasy/sci-fi, are the most popular among consumers. They offer a wide appeal and are easily accessible on various devices making them a popular choice among readers. Non-fiction ebooks also sell well, but not as much as fiction ebooks.
How do you create an ebook and sell it?
Creating and selling an ebook requires choosing a topic you are knowledgeable and passionate about, researching the topic, creating an outline, writing the book, editing, and proofreading, formatting the book, designing an appealing cover, and promoting the book on different platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo Writing Life, and Google Play Books. It's an excellent way to share your knowledge and expertise while generating income.
How long should an ebook be to sell?
The length of an ebook can vary depending on the genre and the type of content it contains. In general, non-fiction ebooks tend to be longer than fiction ebooks. For fiction ebooks, the sweet spot for novels is between 70,000 and 90,000 words. However, shorter novels can also be successful if they are well-written and engaging. It's important to also consider the minimum word count of the platform you plan to publish on, such as Kindle Direct Publishing which has a minimum word count of 3,000 words.
Is it hard to self-publish an ebook?
Self-publishing an ebook can be a bit challenging but with the right tools and resources, it is not impossible. It requires some effort and preparation on the part of the author, such as editing, formatting, and design work. Additionally, self-published authors are responsible for their own marketing and promotion, which can be difficult for some. The platform used to self-publish can also affect the difficulty of the process, some platforms are more straightforward than others. Overall, it's not a hard process if the author is well-prepared and well-informed about the process and the platforms.
Is writing ebooks profitable?
Writing ebooks can be a profitable endeavor for authors and publishers. Ebook sales have been growing over the past years, reaching $3.2 billion in 2024. The advantage of writing ebooks is the potential for a global audience, it has lower cost of production, and authors can easily update and republish their work. However, it's important to keep in mind that the market for ebooks is highly competitive and it could be hard for new authors to gain visibility and attract readers, also the price of ebooks may be lower than print books which can affect the revenue potential for authors and publishers.
Pritam Nagrale, a digital marketer and Generative AI enthusiast, embarked on his journey with affiliate marketing in 2004. With over 14 years of blogging, he has turned his passion into a fortune, profoundly impacting the digital landscape. Through his expertise, Pritam has guided thousands to monetize online and achieve their dreams, establishing himself as a beacon for aspiring digital entrepreneurs.
