2021 Guide & Tips To create & sell ebooks on your website/blog

***Quick disclaimer: This article does contain affiliate links so if you were to make a purchase through one of them, I would earn a small commission at no extra cost to you*** Happy Reading!

One of the most effective ways to turn your passions into a business and monetize your skills is by selling eBooks online.

Everyone has areas of expertise that can help you create eBooks. There are people out there who value your knowledge and want to learn more. You can help them if you start selling eBooks.

Creating your own eBook is surprisingly simple, and this article will walk you through the essential steps as you learn how to sell eBooks.

There’s never been a better time to self-publish and sell eBooks online.

Big publishing houses are losing steam, and self-publishing is rising to the top. In fact, 1.68 million books were self-published in 2018 according to the latest research.

Note: While you can absolutely sell your eBooks on a marketplace like Amazon, there are serious upsides to selling your work directly from your own site.

Selling eBooks direct gives you the greatest control, independence, and percentage of sales. It also helps to build your authority and engagement with your audience and create that all-important email list of people who want to hear more from you.

Want to learn more about the benefits of selling direct? Check out this eye-opening article.

Publishing an eBook can be both daunting and exciting, so we’ve put together a guide to creating and selling an eBook on your site.

1. Create your ebook

Sqribble...

...is a cloud based eBook creator tool. It allows you to create professional looking eBooks, based on templates inside the tool, with a few clicks, saving you a huge amount of time and money.

Unlike other eBook creators, Sqribble immediately caught my attention because it has some really useful features I haven’t seen anywhere else.

Here’s a few features that really blew me away:

Automatic content — yep, you can actually use Sqribble to fill your book with expert content, so you don’t have to write a word. This is content from around the web, based on the URL you provide. You can pull content from any URL, paste it directly, extract from a Word doc or from their own library of niche articles. Total game changer.

This is a HUGE time saver and a major plus for anyone who hates writing or doesn’t have time to do it.

Gorgeous eCovers — a lot of eBook tools might save time, but they turn out terrible eCovers for your books. Sqribble is different here. The covers are seriously impressive. They wouldn’t look out of place on Kindle or Amazon, and they instantly look like you’re a professional who commands trust and authority.

Create Flipbooks — this is one of my favorite things about Sqribble. You can turn your “flat” books into interactive flipbooks. This makes your digital book look and feel much more like a real book — with pages that turn (animated like a real book page turning) and make the book look like something you can reach out and grab.

Why does this matter?

It’s about standing out and grabbing attention. Plus, it’s a way to engage your readers better. If they enjoy the experience of reading your book (“flipping” the pages) they’re more likely to get value from your content and keep reading until the end where your pitch or call to action is! Another thing about flip books is that you can embed them on your website with a simple piece of code that Sqribble provides once you publish your book. Awesome!

what else can sqribble do?

Sqribble is versatile tool, with tons more features I found useful. For example, here’s what else Sqribble can do:

— Automatic table of contents

— Automatic headers and footers

— Automatic pagination

— Drag and drop design

— Add or delete pages

— Add your own media

— 300+ Google Fonts

— 50 eBook templates (covering 15 different niches)

— 10 different eBook themes (1 click changes color scheme of book)

— Import content from a URL

— Manually add content

And that’s just the stuff I saw inside the dashboard!

There’s tons of features packed into this tool, making it one of the best eBook creators I’ve seen, but there is one slight negative point which I’ll cover down below.

Who is it for?

Sqribble is most suited for freelancers, independent internet marketers, small marketing agencies and small business owners who want to create lead magnets, publish Kindle books, create and sell eBooks, or publish whitepapers.

If you’re also looking to create an additional income you’ll be pleased to know that also included is a commercial agency license to use Sqribble for client work, offering eBook creation services, with the ability to create unlimited eBooks which you can sell and keep all the profits!

They also give you a ready built agency website with pre-filled portfolio that you can upload to any domain for instant authority, so that you can show it off to any new potential clients to get work. (Professional websites like this would cost you at least $600 alone, so it’s really good value.)

Also included is an in-built “Client feedback tool” to collaborate with clients on eBook projects more easily (I love this feature).

What does it cost?

Normally $197, but the special launch price is a one-time $47.

The bad

— 3D cover is locked behind an upsell

the good

— Easy to use

— Glitch free

— Unlimited use (one-time payment)

the awesome

— Tons of beautiful templates

— Professional page layouts

— Automatic content (saves time)

— Flipbook creator (available through 3rd upsell)

conclusion

There have been plenty of eBook creator tools in the past, but I haven’t seen any that make the entire process as smooth and quick as Sqribble. It’s surprisingly glitch free (most low-priced tools like this are buggy as hell) and it’s packed with some really cool features.

The templates are very nice looking, the layouts are professional and the fact you can automatically add content makes this a must have for anyone who’s tired of spending hours slaving over book design, writing content and screwing around with formatting.

The icing on the cake is the commercial license which is included. Normally vendors charge extra for this, so it’s a huge value added bonus. The additional provided done-for-you agency website is just over delivery.

Sqribble has been developed by Adeel Chowdhry, who is a well-known internet entrepreneur and best seller, with over ten years of experience and has previously created worldwide hits such as Pixel Studio FX which sold tens of thousands of units all around the world. He’s known for creating high quality professional solutions and I expect no less from Sqribble.

If you’re planning to create eBooks, reports or Kindle books in the near future, you owe it to yourself — and your sanity — to pick this up as it’s a tool that you’ll definitely need in your business...

...or you can simply create & design your ebooks manually by scratch so continue reading the article to see the best tips!

decide on your topic

Think about what you’re passionate about and what content would help your target audience. You also need an original edge. The best eBooks share a personal story or experiences. Why? A personal story is engaging, builds authority, and creates empathy with the reader.

Tip: a great way to gauge what your audience responds to is to look at which of your blog posts and social media updates currently get the most comments or shares.

Before finalizing your topic, do some research on the existing market. Look at potential competitors already selling eBooks in similar categories on Amazon or their own site.

Consider ways in which your story and unique perspective can help you to stand out. Get creative.

come up with a killer title

When selling eBooks, the title can be a game changer. Be specific.

Ramsey, from Blog Tyrant, talks about a successful post he wrote called “How I Sold a Blog for $20,000 in 8 Months” that could have easily been called the less interesting “How to Sell a Blog”.

Joanna Penn, of The Creative Penn, had a similar experience. When she switched the title of her book from “How To Enjoy Your Job” to “Career Change” sales suddenly took off.

Try some of these handy tools collected by Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson to help generate your very own killer title.

write your ebook

The key to selling eBooks is to write simply and clearly. People will buy your eBook because they want to learn how to do something. Start with the desired result (teaching an idea, skill, or process) and then work backward.

Create a structure and then organize your writing around it. Remember that you don’t have to write your whole eBook in one sitting.

Some of the world’s most respected authors write a little bit each day. Set yourself deadlines and focus on one chapter at a time.

overcoming writers block

At some stage, this is going to happen. You’ll sit down to write, your brain will go blank, and you’ll have no idea what to do next. There are two ways to get unstuck that work for me.

Think about who you are writing for. Is it someone you know? How old are they? What do they do for a living? Think of your eBook as a challenge or an escape for that person.

Another way to get back to writing is to set an end goal for word count or the number of pages for your book. This will ebb and flow as you write, but aim for 250-300 words per page. An eBook is usually at around 35 pages or 11,000 words.

2. format your ebook

One key to selling eBooks is readability. Make it easy to digest the information you’re putting forward by keeping your formatting consistent and using a sans-serif font like Ariel or Verdana at size 11 or 12.

Less is more here, so don’t go overboard on your formatting. Stick to a simple color scheme. Try to maintain two or three types of headers and use lots of short paragraphs and lists.

use great images

Our brains prefer stories to lists of facts. It’s one of the reasons that books are so powerful. At the same time, 65% of people are visual learners, and they respond to visual content. (Source)

Feeling creative? Enjoy photography? It’s absolutely possible to take your own photos with your smartphone or a DSLR camera. If you’re like me, though, and don’t trust your photography skills, you can buy them from an image library.

Make sure to pay attention to the license on each image. There are also a ton of sites offering free images that don’t require attribution- check out Gratisography, Unsplash, PicJumbo or DeathToStockPhoto.

This simple guide explains how to avoid common formatting mistakes. Formatting is essential for readability, so you’ll want to ensure that you’ve got this step down when selling eBooks online.

3. proofreading

Before getting another set of eyes on your eBook, check for spelling mistakes and do a round of editing on your own. Remember that fixing minor errors can distract your proofreader from bigger tasks, like checking how well you’ve communicated your ideas.

Reading aloud is a fantastic way to catch things that you might otherwise miss. Your brain automatically fills in gaps, corrects typos, and ignores incorrect words. You’ll also get a better sense of the flow of longer sections.

So you’ve poured in your blood, sweat, and tears and have a finished draft. Don’t make the mistake of giving it to your romantic partner or mom for edits. Find an objective outside party that isn’t overly concerned about hurting your feelings. Don’t be offended if they suggest deleting paragraphs of your book.

Remember: simplicity and clarity are what matters as you create your eBook.

4. get a cover that sells your ebook

Prospective buyers will judge your eBook by its cover. It may be cliché, but it’s a fact. Check out this example of an attention-grabbing book cover:

A good book cover suggests professionalism and gives customers a sense that work has gone into the product. Look at book covers in a similar niche to yours to get some ideas. Here are a few elements of a good eBook cover:

• Make the title a different color than the background

• Set your title in a large, easy to read font

• Visual elements should be 300 dpi

• Beware of copyright – don’t use images or design elements that you don’t have permission to use

• Use good images – avoid cheap standard stock photography

Unless you are proficient in graphic design, I would suggest finding someone to create the eBook cover for you. You could try a service, or you could try a freelance designer on Fiverr, where prices start at $5. Remember: once you start selling eBooks, you’ll be able to quickly recoup these costs.

If you really want to give it a go yourself, I’d recommend a tool such as Canva’s Free Online Book Cover Maker, or Adobe Spark’s Book Cover Maker (also free).

You may want to draft a short description of your eBook at this stage in the process. Your book description copy is a teaser that entices readers to buy your eBook. Creating a great headline is like writing a best-selling product description. It shares the benefit of your product, so think about what you want your eBook to deliver to your readers!

5. convert your ebook

Correctly formatting your digital product is vital for selling eBooks online. For Amazon Kindle, the file format is MOBI. For other readers, the universal eBook format is ePub, which is accepted by Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, and Kobo. EPub is also a good option for selling it directly from your own store.

If convenient for your readers, you can also sell your eBook in PDF format. When you are selling from your own store you can easily have all three formats available for the customer to choose between.

If you choose to do the conversion yourself, check out this good introduction by Kobo books on Converting a Word or OpenOffice Document to Epub format PDF.

Alternately, you can pay someone on Fiverr to do the formatting it for you.

6. add your ebook to a website

Now it’s time to create a website and add your eBooks.

There's so many suitable website builders, store builders and marketplaces that can facilitate in having your own ebook storefront online up & running such as:

Payhip, Selz, Wix, Fiverr, Amazon, Feiyr, Blurb and E-Junkie are just a suitable few among many to get you started. Just check each of them out and see what they offer to make sure they'll be the right fit for you.

7. promote your ebook

It’s time to tell the world about your new eBook. Prepare to dedicate serious time to your marketing both before and after your eBook launch. Build a buzz within your audience and use that to drive sales.

Many writers think that traditionally published authors have it easy when it comes to marketing, but that isn’t the case. Another benefit to self-publishing is that you have complete control over the way you market and sell eBooks.

One way to do this is to do ten to twenty guest posts for sites that your niche read. You can find these readers by looking at popular keywords for your niche. You can also look at other authors in your niche on Google and see what blogs are most popular for them.

This isn’t for the purpose of SEO links, but to generate interest. You don’t have to directly mention your eBook, but the subject of the post should relate to the subject of your book. The aim is to get someone interested enough to land on your website and to then consider buying your book.

Consider giving away some copies to bloggers in your niche and request that they share it with their network if they enjoy it. Don’t bombard people with requests for reviews or shares without getting to know them first.

Try some live streaming to create a buzz around your work. Use visual content channels like Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest to get traction with your audience, and of course, don’t forget your email list as an invaluable resource.

Check out this excellent source of practical tips on how to promote your eBook on social media from the Content Marketing Institute. Another great source of tips is how to make your eBook stand out by Mary Jaksch and Jim Kukral.

8. keep track of your sales

Most of the website/store builders & ebook marketplaces have their own Analytics tools to track your success and it's important to regularly tap in to their analytics. They provide you with all the knowledge and data so you can make changes to your strategies and to stick to what works best.

wrapping up

Creating your own eBook absolutely takes work, but it’s also a really rewarding way to explore your passions and share your expertise, not to mention increase your passive income. Ready to get started, but not sure you want to do it on your own? We certainly recommend Sqribble as the all-in-one ebook creation software! So...

...start building your online store today and make your ebook design and creation a breeze with sqribble