Selling Ebooks - Putting Together Your First Successful Ebook
Stick to your Motivation
An eBook is usually written for a purpose, and it's important to keep that purpose in mind when drafting your first copy. Too often newbie writers put together a junk eBook that offers no real value to their readers. They think that any old text will do, or that PLR content is their ticket to big online profits.
First of all a badly written eBook isn't going to impress anybody and will fail dismally in a competitive market. The same goes for rewritten PLR ebooks. There are thousands of other people selling the exact same eBook as you are - and honestly, this will drive your business name into the ground, especially if you deceptively alter the name of the eBook and try to pass it off as a new product.
Sticking to your motivation means deciding why you are selling this ebook, and working towards that goal. If you aim to make money, and a lot of it, you better sell something well above the usual online drivel or it simply won't work.
You'll sell a few initial copies and then word will get around that your eBook is terrible. Social media will take care of that. Sales will dry up and you'll be left with the continuous costs of your digital products provider.
If your goal is to get people to sign up for your newsletter, then your eBook has to be something that will interest your main target demographic. If it's to inform people about your business or to promote your hobby, then it also has to be specific and unique among its competitors.
Don't make the mistake of believing that people will want your eBook if it's cheap or free. They will need the motivation to download it, so the content better be up to scratch.
Choosing your Subject
The subject you are going to write about should be something you've researched extensively to gain additional perspectives on its saleability. Don't write on an eBook subject that a million other people have written about.
This flooded market is difficult to break into and you can only really succeed here if your eBook is better than the rest. If you're an expert in a specific field, concentrate on that. Chances are your unique opinions on the topic will add real value to your ebook.
Choosing your Title
Here's a tip and I can't stress this enough - do a draft title before you write your eBook and then once the content is written, make your title fit in perfectly with what your eBook is about.
Often a writer will start with a subject in mind but the eBook will take on new dimensions as the content progresses. If you neglect to change your title then your clients will be buying a whole lot of information they didn't want in the first place. Bad business mojo. Make sure that your title is catchy, clever or direct, and always ensure that it describes your content well.
Choosing your Design
A rubbish eBook design will make many people question the content of your ebook. What you need is a bold, simple cover that when scaled down still makes a statement about your copy. Many novice eBook writers don't include a cover design at all, or they make them too busy.
As a result, the small eBook cover is so complex that you can hardly read the title or the author's name. Make sure that your design looks good big, but looks even better when scaled down.
Choosing your Images
If you want to get into trouble then take random images off Google and use them in your ebook. All it takes is one person who owns the copyright of that image to sue you, and your dreams of eBook wealth will fly out the window. Always put money aside to buy royalty-free stock images for your ebook. Most of them are of a better quality anyway, which means that your eBook will have that professional finish.
Formatting your Ebook
A well-formatted eBook is easy to read and difficult to copy. Expand your readership by including different versions of your eBook in PDF, Kindle, HTML, and Txt formats. If you don't want to format your eBook manually, there are programs that will do it for you, but these are unnecessary for the novice writer.
Package Deals
Over the years I have found that a single eBook on its own can't stand up to package eBook deals. People love free stuff, and they become more inclined to buy your eBook if they think they're getting a real bargain.
When you are drafting your ebook, you should have at least three other short ebooks, mini-courses or webinars to include, for free, in your eBook package. These bonus texts become real selling points in your sales letter. If you plan on selling big, then include these free items with your main product for a massive boost in sales.
Selling your Complete Product
So how in the world do you sell an eBook on the internet anyway? I like to use a complete shopping cart where you can integrate your digital products and manage them from your dashboard.
Often you will need to include additional security to make sure that people don't hack your product for free. You can also use a digital products host like E-Junkie or a service like Clickbank which will help sell your eBook for you.
Your Sales Letter
Once you have your domain all set up with your ecommerce shopping cart implemented you'll need to write a killer sales letter to sell your eBook for you. When people click to your eBook sales page they should be immediately engaged so that they don't click away to someone else's page.
Please don't make your sale letter cheesy and try to force people to buy your products using bold language and intrusive sales talk. It doesn't work anymore and you'll be wasting your time. It all comes down to this single sales letter to make the sales that you want.
Be friendly but don't come across like you're desperate to sell or people will be put off. A polite, comprehensive sales letter explaining how your eBook will benefit your reader is all you need to make a real impact.
Once you have these main points down, you'll be able to create and market your first eBook successfully. Remember that it's one thing to keep your costs low, and another to do things cheaply. A solid initial layout will boost the credibility of your product and it will end up selling more.
