If you’re selling eBooks on your blog or website and not making any money you may be wondering what other bloggers are doing. Do they have a formula they use? Is it luck? Or do they actually have a set of carefully planned out strategies and techniques?
The answer is the latter and today you will learn exactly what you need to do to start selling eBooks on your blog. It does not matter whether you are just starting out or have an established blog and want to start making money through eBooks. Keep reading to learn more!
First things first
You can’t promote and sell a product you don’t have. You need an actual product, in this case, an eBook to start selling. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to create one. The key is to write something that resonates with your audience.
Now let’s take a look at how to actually create the right kind of eBook.
Create your book
As mentioned above, creating an eBook is fairly easy. It starts will pulling together a number of ideas and then finding the right one for your audience. You want your eBook to be engaging and interesting. If you don’t yet have a blogyou can always find interesting ideas through Google Trends, looking at competitor blogs, or even joining Facebook groups. Try any of these and you will find a plethora of ideas to write about.
The steps below will guide you with the creation process so you know exactly what you need to do.
Choose a topic
Don’t just pick a topic because you find it interesting. Make sure you take the time to do the research. Go beyond the obvious and come up with a topic that really excites your audience. That way, your eBook will stand out fromthe crowd. Keep in mind that you are not the only one publishing eBooks. So, do everything possible to be unique.
Write about it
How you write and put together your eBook matters a lot. If you do it correctly your prospects will keep coming back for more, whereas if it’s done haphazardly you will not only lose sales but may lose some of your followers as well. However, before you can even consider writing you need to first understand who you are writing to. Who is your audience? What do they like? What types of information are they looking for? Is there a problem they have that you can help solve? Get to know your audience first before doing anything else. And if you are not very good are writing engaging content then consider getting someone to help.
Come up with a title
Your title is the first thing that your potential readers will see. It needs to stand out. Think of some of the titles of books that you have recently read. Why did you like them? A great title will help to get you the results you want so take the time to craft the perfect one for your eBook. The title should clearly capture the essence of what your eBook is all about. Something like “How I Lost 40 Pounds in a Year and Regained My Self Confidence” would definitely appeal to an audience looking to lose weight. It solves a problem and gives them hope.
Format the content
How you format your eBook is an important step. Formatting it correctly will make it easy for people to read and consume the information. Consider using legible fonts, relevant images, spacing out your paragraphs, using headings and subheadings, and so on.
Proofread it
Always check your work for any grammatical or spelling errors. This is best done once you have finished writing a chapter or section. You can also use tools like Grammarly or WhiteSmoke to improve the quality of your writing. This way, you will be sure to deliver a high quality product to your readers. Check out our article on the best proofreading software you can use.
Design a cover
An attractive and visually appealing cover not only looks good, but it also sells more books. Give your audience a reason to buy and download your eBook by designing a professional cover. Keep in mind that you only have one chance to make a great first impression and it is what will determine the authority and credibility of your eBook.
Convert it to a digital format
Once your eBook is ready, the next step is converting it to multiple formats. By converting (via various websites online), you allow people to read your eBook on different devices. These formats include:
- Epub – for most e-readers, including Kobi and iBooks
- Mobi – for Amazon Kindle
- PDF – to make it easily accessible
Set your eBook up for sale
Assuming your eBook is ready, setting it up for sale either on your website or other platforms it a breeze.
On your website
If you are going to sell your eBook on your website (we recommend this approach because you keep 100% of the profits), upload it, set up the payment method, and get ready to start promoting.
You can use a service like Selz or set up a PayPal link that allows your visitors to buy directly from your website. It is fairly easy to create an account on Selz and you can always upgrade to Pro if you want extra features. Click here to sign up for your account.
After creating your account, upload your eBook to Selz. Then fill in the price, description, etc. and embed the widget on your blog. You can also set up a full page for your book if that is something you prefer instead. Plus, it is very easy to sell several books on one page with no technical knowledge needed at all. It is that simple.
Selz handles all transactions. None take place on your site, so no need to set up a shopping cart on your end or even manage any technical stuff. Selz will deposit money into your account once a week.
You can sell as many eBooks as you like on Selz. There is no limitation.
Here are some of thepros and cons of using Selz:
Pros
- Quick to setup. It only takes a few minutes.
- Simple and easy to use with a modern interface.
- Quick payments. You get paid every 2 weeks.
- Your fees are only 5% plus 25 cents per transaction, with no additional costs. Leaving you with around 95% instead of less than 40% when compared to Amazon.
- You can get paid online by PayPal or into your bank account.
- You can sell on your Facebook page with a free Facebook page app.
- Clients don’t have to leave your site to purchase.
- You can build an email list of customers that purchase your first book (remember those that like your first book are more likely to purchase your second as well).
Cons
- There is no affiliate system yet (although Selz says it is on its way).
- You have to build your own traffic to your blog to sell.
Sell via platform
You may also want to consider selling on platforms like Amazon, ClickBank or PayHip. With each one make sure to follow the instructions and know the associated fees.
Market and promote your eBooks
Your eBook is now online and ready for download, but you still have one more thing to do. It’s time to promote it.
You can promote your eBook on your blog via articles, newsletters, banners, by creating a buzz on social media, or even by partnering with other bloggers. Whichever approach works for you, make sure to get the most out of it. If you are persistent in promoting, you will continue to get sales. So, don’t give up.
If you are just getting started you will not see instant results as you do not yet have a following. Instead of focusing on sales in the beginning spend more time building a market for your eBook. Try guest posting, engaging with groups and individuals on social media, maybe even a podcast. The key initially is to get some recognition. That way, you will build a following that will help you to earn more with all of your eBooks.
Other ways to market your eBook include:
- Create a dedicated landing page
- Promote it on your website
- Use supporting content formats
- Go all-out on social media
- Explore other content sharing platforms
- Leverage free tools to make your eBook go viral
- Try guest blogging on authority sites
- Invest time in traditional email outreach
What is the correct length for an eBook?
Honestly, it is a bit tricky to answer this question. But to help you get started, we recommend that you consider the category of your eBook and compare it with your competitors. Keep in mind that you want to stand out from the competition. So, be one step ahead of them.
But don’t get so caught up on the length of your book, instead focus on the quality. For example, don’t use fewer words where more words are required to explain something or vice versa. In a nutshell, your eBook should be as long as needed to provide the information required. Find the right balance and that will reveal the correct length of your book.
Wrapping up
Creating an eBook and selling it is not an easy task. Let’s not deny that. You need to be patient to see some good results. The best thing is that you get to share your expertise with your audience, and most importantly, you begin the path to earning a living online. So, if you are thinking about a good source for creating passive income, why not try selling eBooks on your blog or other platforms!
