Have an idea for an eBook and looking to make some passive income? Here’s how to create an eBook the easy way, market it effectively and make money.
I wrote my first eBook early last year and still make sales every single week. It’s a short, 34-page guide on blogging for beginners. It only sells for $12, but each sale adds up and it’s a nice form of passive income.
While I’m by no means an expert on creating eBooks, I do know the steps to create one. And, it’s really a lot easier than it seems. If you have an idea for an eBook but feel overwhelmed by the process, keep reading as I’m here to simplify this for you.
If you’re interested in how to create an eBook, I am going to cover:
- Topics to write about
- How to turn your eBook into a PDF
- How to create a cover page
- Platforms to sell your eBook on
- How to market your eBook
- How to continually make sales month after month
How to Create an eBook: What Should I Write About?
Deciding what to write about is easy! What are you good at? What information do you want to share with the world? Do you currently have a blog? If so, what topic do you write about?
Your own blog is one of the best ways to market your eBook (more on that later). If you already have a blog, choose a topic that relates to your blog so you can sell your book to the audience you already have.
I’ve found that the most successful eBooks are quick “how to” guides. If you want to create something more in depth that covers an extensive amount of sub-topics within your main topic, I suggest either creating a course (and selling it for a higher price) or creating a series of eBooks.
Here are a few eBook topic ideas to get you thinking:
- The Grill-Masters Guide to Seasoning Meats
- 25 Pasta Salad Recipes You Must Make This Summer
- How to Quit Your Job and Work for Yourself in a Year
- How to Potty Train Your Toddler in Two Days
- 12 Secrets of a Fabulously Designed Home
- Simplify Your Finances in Five Easy Steps
How to Create an eBook: Turn Your Book into a PDF
Writing an eBook seems daunting at first. Make it simple by writing the doc in Microsoft Word and saving as a PDF. Yes, it’s that simple. Please be aware that when saving as a PDF, images and links might get messed up. Spend some time going over your book in detail to make sure the file saved correctly. (My images and links didn’t get messed up at all when saving to a PDF, but I’ve heard that this can happen.)
When writing your book, write clearly and eliminate fluff. You’re not writing a novel. This is especially true for those creating a “how to” guide. My book, for example, could have been well over 100 pages, but I wanted it to be straight to the point. The reality is most everything can be found online and for free these days. People are willing to pay for topics to avoid doing extensive research themselves. Time is money; be concise when writing!
How to Create an eBook: Create a Cover Page
You have two options for creating your cover page:
- Create it yourself
- Hire someone
I went with the first option and created my cover page on Canva.com. This program is completely free and even has a design type called “eBook.” You can then choose one of their pre-made templates (some do cost $1) or upload your own image and create your own cover page from scratch.
I recommend playing around with Canva (or another similar program such as PicMonkey or Photoshop) and if you aren’t having any luck creating an eye-catching cover, go ahead and hire this task out.
How to Create an eBook: Platforms to Sell Your eBook On
If you are marketing your eBook completely yourself, I would go with a platform that charges the lowest fees. I’ve had a really good experience with Gumroad. My book sells for $12, and I make $11.15. Money I make from sales are directly deposited into my bank account every Friday.
You can also use Amazon’s self publishing service, Kindle Direct Publishing. It’s easy to use, allows you to reach millions of readers, and you can earn up to 70% of sales.
How to Create an eBook: Market Your eBook Effectively
Marketing your eBook is key to making sales. After all, if no one knows about your book and isn’t able to find it, you won’t make a dime.
In my opinion, one of the best way to share your eBook is through your own platform, or blog. If you don’t currently have a blog, don’t fret. You can easily start a blog and write a few articles that advertise your book.
Here is my tutorial on how to start a profitable blog >>
If you are creating a blog strictly to advertise your eBook (though there are many ways to make money blogging), use your own name as your domain name. Write 3-5 articles that revolve around your book and link to it multiple times throughout each article. Then, create high quality images for each article (using Canva) and share the images on Pinterest. You can also share your articles on other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.
Other ways of marketing your eBook include:
- Share your eBook directly on social media (this is best when done in addition to articles you write)
- Create an email list and advertise to them (email lists are a fantastic way of making money online; here are my three tips on growing an email list)
- Create Facebook ads
- Ask friends and family members to write reviews and share your eBook with their followers
Start a blog for a discount here >>
How to Create an eBook: Make Sales Month After Month
Your eBook is launched and you’re ready to go! But, how do you keep up the momentum of advertising? For me, this is where my blog comes in handy. Since I mention my eBook throughout my blog, all I have to do is maintain my marketing and sharing strategy (which is roughly 15 minutes per week of my time).
If you have an active blog that attracts new readers every month, you will continue to make sales.
If you notice sales have slowed down or simply want to make extra money for the holidays, for example, take your book off of the web and re-launch it. You can update it, make it longer, offer a discount, etc., but the point is to re-create urgency with your readers. Start mentioning your re-launch plan weeks before you re-release the book. Then, when the day comes, promote across all social media channels, email your list, tell your friends and family, and create Facebook ads to target your specific audience.
A Final Note
If this is your first eBook, do not worry about making sure everything is perfect. Just go for it and learn from the experience. Perfection should never stand in your way of doing things. Even if you make zero sales, I can guarantee you will learn and grow from the process. Challenging yourself and learning from your mistakes is how you will eventually see success.
Questions? Leave a comment!