Do you want to make money writing an eBook?
Want to cash in on the eBook frenzy and become a published author to boot?
You’re in the right place!
As a professional content writing service we've published several eBooks for clients, and know a thing or two about writing eBooks.
Today, we’ll be looking at how you can make money writing eBooks.
Grab a fresh cup of coffee, and be sure to bookmark this page as it’s jam-packed with fantastic tips and secrets for eBook success.
Make money online by writing an eBook
Statista recently revealed that in 2020 more than 191 million eBooks were sold in the United States alone.
The ebook market is enormous.
It’s even more impressive if you think that it doesn’t include sales statistics from Amazon and other smaller retailers.
Today, the eBook market is growing, and it’s currently valued at over a billion dollars.
There are some big bucks to be made with eBooks.
Sadly, contrary to what quick-witted marketers tell you, writing an eBook to make money isn’t an instant, quick-fire cash cow.
Luckily, we’ve been in the eBook writing business for years.
Today, we want to help you.
We’ve developed an easy 5-step program to help you make money with your new eBook.
Step 1: Write content like a boss
While anyone can write an eBook, we find that the best eBooks are written by people that are passionate about the topic.
When you write with enthusiasm and love for the subject, it will translate across to readers.
Yes, readers are savvy, and they’ll quickly tell if you aren’t honest.
So, this brings us to our first tip for eBook success.
Know your topic well, and love it
You may not know this, but you’ve probably already got several eBooks worth of content.
Think about writing something that you’re genuinely interested in.
Are you a marketing expert? Write about clever marketing tactics and draw from your practical experience.
If you love baking, and you’ve been itching to share your fabulous, out-of-this-world recipes, why not write an eBook about it?
The best way to tell if your eBook is a winner, or a loser, is to think about this honestly.
Would you buy this eBook if you saw it in a shop?
If the answer is a resounding yes, then you are onto a best-seller idea.
Other content ideas for a best-selling eBook
If you still feel a bit stumped and looking for inspiration, we’ve gathered some of the best content ideas from our expert writing team.
They advise that if you need inspiration for your eBook, try to:
- Write a practical guide, such as a travel guide, a how-to budget for millennials, or even the ten best home-brewed craft beer recipes.
- Write an original novel, some classy poetry, or short stories.
- Can you illustrate? Write a how-to guide or try your hand at a children’s book.
Step 2: Do a professional job
If you’ve followed our guides on how to write an eBook, how to create an eBook, and you’ve even read our guide on eBook cover design ideas, then you'll probably do a very professional job.
Unsurprisingly, a professional-looking eBook sells better than one that’s filled with amateur mistakes.
To ensure that your eBook is professional and thereby easy to sell, remember to:
- Plan the content from start to finish.
- Edit and proofread every single line.
- Design a cover that grabs attention in a matter of seconds.
- Use eBook writing software to iron out basic errors and speed up the publishing process.
As long as your eBook is professional and has well-written content, it would be much easier to make money with it.
Here are some final tips for writing and creating a quality eBook that sells:
- Shorter is better. Don’t write a 500-page eBook if you haven’t written an eBook before.
- Research the competition. Who has had success selling eBooks? What did they do differently? Did you miss anything?
- Don’t be afraid to collaborate with other experts or ghostwriters.
- Repurpose content from your blog or website.
Step 3: Get the price right
So, you’ve created the best-looking, master-crafted eBook, and you’re about to sell it on one of the popular eBook publishing platforms.
Before you do that, did you price it right?
Today, eBooks owe there popularity to how cheap they are.
If you have a quick look on Amazon, you’ll find that most eBooks average around $4.99.
eBooks are cheap because it doesn’t cost much to reproduce them. With no printing costs or publishers to pay, companies can churn out thousands of eBooks with almost no costs over and above the content.
It’s only famous authors that get to sell their eBooks for the big bucks. So, for you to make money with your eBook, you need to price it right.
Most eBook authors price very low or sometimes for free.
Why?
They use their eBook to get people into a marketing funnel and can then sell them more expensive products or services.
Some eBook authors use eBooks to:
- Sell their consultancy services,
- Sell premium courses,
- Market a product.
- Market a website.
If you're planning to use your eBook to make money upselling a product, service or course, then it's best to give your eBook away for free.
If the sale of your eBook is your primary money making strategy then we recommend you price around the $6.99-$9.99 mark. This pricing is a sweet spot that implies higher quality, higher value eBook.
Step 4: It’s time to create a buzz
No eBook will make money without some well-planned marketing.
Putting effort into marketing your eBook is well worth it.
Once the eBook starts selling and word of mouth spreads, you can take it down a notch or two.
Let’s look at what you can do to create an exciting buzz around your new eBook.
Reviews are a must
Even before you kick your eBook marketing efforts into gear, it’s best to get some positive reviews going.
One of the more straightforward ways to do it is to ask friends, family, and even colleagues to buy your eBook and leave a positive review.
These reviews will go a long way to establishing trust with prospective readers. It’s actual, social proof that your eBook is worth the money.
Not only do the positive reviews help convince prospective readers to part with their hard-earned cash, but they also improve the hidden algorithms running behind Amazon’s shop.
The more reviews you have, the more positive those reviews are, the higher your book will rank, and soon Amazon will start advertising your eBook for you.
Aim to get at least 10-15 positive reviews pre-launch.
Be social and use social media
Now is not the time to be shy.
You need to use the power of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram, to tell the world about your new eBook.
If you have a marketing budget, use it to buy a couple of paid adverts on Amazon and Facebook. Doing this will tremendously improve the odds of your eBook being seen by possible readers and getting the required traction to take off.
Even if you don’t have a cent to spare, you can still do social media marketing.
Here are some easy tips to market your eBook on social media:
- Create a fan page for your eBook and build a tribe of followers.
- Share your eBook on your personal social media pages.
- Ask friends and family members, or colleagues to share your eBook on social media.
- Ask influencers to endorse your eBook. This latter strategy can be a game-changer, but you need to think what's in it for the influencer.
Don’t be afraid to tell people about your eBook. Make them curious and excited to read it. Soon you’ll start making money with your eBook.
Enter eBook competitions
Another clever marketing tactic is to enter your eBook into a writing competition.
Entry is for free most of the time, and you can gain quite some fame for your eBook.
While you can make some money winning a writing competition, the real benefit lies in being a winner. You can include your new title and fame in your eBook’s description.
People will be more willing to buy an eBook that has won some accolades.
You should also share your achievements across your social media platforms. Tell people your eBook is a winner.
Step 5: Rinse and repeat
Marketing your eBook can be quite a daunting experience.
This is especially true if you aren’t a savvy, sleek salesman.
However, before you spend thousands on marketing your eBook, did you consider that a smaller marketing budget can be just as good?
Smaller is better
You can spend $5,000 on marketing an eBook that only brings in $1,000. Or, instead, you could spend $1,000 on selling five eBooks that each bring in $500.
Most successful eBook authors do the latter.
They rinse and repeat the eBook publishing process. Doing this allows them to create several small income streams that quickly turn into a rushing torrent of money.
Don’t spend all of your time and effort on pushing that one $6.99 eBook. Instead, get started on the following eBook, and the next, and so on.
Several are better
When you have several published titles, it’ll increase your reputation.
Not only do old readers get to experience new content from their favorite author, but there’s also more opportunity to attract new readers.
You could also sell several eBooks as a bundle, which opens up a whole new revenue stream for you.
Writing an ebook for money FAQ
What should I do after getting my eBook published?
Congratulations, you’ve just successfully launched your first eBook.
However, if you genuinely want to start making money writing eBooks, you aren’t done just yet.
While you rinse and repeat our 5-step program for making money with eBooks, here’s a couple of things you still need to do:
- Update your author page. Tell the world and your adoring fans who you are and why you are such a reliable and trusted author.
- Refresh or update older eBooks to keep them relevant.
- Collaborate with other eBook authors for increased exposure and experience.
- If you don’t have a blog yet, start writing one. Make sure you first learn the basics of SEO as you'll want to get search traffic.
If you do these things, you’ll ensure that you and your eBook gain the maximum exposure possible.
Other than making money, why should I write an eBook?
Here are some other exciting benefits of writing and self-publishing your eBook.
- Instant publication: Skip publishing houses and go directly to an online platform where you can start selling your eBook. There’s no need to wait to be accepted or approved before publishing your eBook.
- It can boost your career: Imagine being able to put "published author" on your resume or CV? An eBook shows that you’ve got experience and deserve that excellent career.
- eBooks are a passive income: You may not become a millionaire, but having several eBooks on a popular platform such as Amazon can have you enjoying a slow but steady passive income for years.
- Absolutely everybody can do it: You don’t need to be a creative master wordsmith to write and publish an eBook. All you need is an idea and the right bunch of ghostwriters to help you out.
Can I get my eBook ghostwritten and still make money?
Did you know that you can publish several eBooks without ever lifting a single finger?
That’s right.
You don’t need to put in the effort to make money writing eBooks. All you have to do is find the perfect eBook writing service.
Alternatively, hire a ghostwriter, or several, to take your awesome eBook ideas and turn them into catchy, snazzy words.
The right team will even do the eBook cover designs for you.
Life’s really become that easy.
While your writing team is busy churning out one best-seller after another, you can sit back and relax, knowing that your eBooks will be making money for you.
So, what’s your best-seller going to be about?