#How to Create and Sell eBooks Online in 8 Simple Steps

The internet has changed our world in so many ways. We replaced snail mail letters with email—we Skype instead of making long-distance phone calls that drain our wallets. Instead of fighting for parking spaces at the mall, we shop on Amazon.

In contrast, as internet entrepreneurs, we can earn a living by selling on Amazon.com, sharing our products and services via email, and conducting meetings via Skype.

Thanks to the internet, we've experienced so many disruptions, and that's just a taste. For an individual entrepreneur, one of the most disrupted industries and one that offers a solid way to make money online is book publishing. Specifically, publishing and selling ebooks online.

The big publishing houses have large offices with editors, writers, and administrative personnel, then large printing presses and distribution centers that distribute their books to bookstores across the nation, hoping to get their books into the hands of consumers. Nowadays, you can do the same thing using only your computer.

As a result of red tape, "play to pay" tactics, and low royalties offered by the big publishing houses, many people are discovering that self-publishing is a much more profitable option.

This self-publishing process (which, by the way, doesn't have the negative connotations it once did) differs significantly from traditional publishing. First, there will be no printed books to deal with. It eliminates the expense and hassle of creating, storing, and delivering books that may never sell. Everything is going to be digital. Ebooks are accessible on many different devices, including Amazon's Kindle, a tablet or smartphone, or even a computer.

Despite humble beginnings, ebooks sell in the millions yearly, with a global market worth $18.13 billion in 2020. From brainstorming to writing to marketing and selling and more. In this article, we'll look at ways to earn money through ebooks.

Why Ebooks Are Good For Passive Income?

Today, passive income is one of the most sought-after types of income. It means making money with minimal effort. In other words, you work less and earn more. Who wouldn't want that?

Once your ebook is shared and marketed, it can become an integral component of your passive income strategy. The fact is, writing valuable content takes some time and effort. Building a solid brand to carry your ebook to success takes even longer.

But you can make money from ebooks for a long time if you set everything up right. It is true that the more evergreen your content is, and the more you promote it and update it, the longer and more valuable your ebook will last.

How to Write and Design eBooks?

1. Set a budget

If you want to write, publish, and launch your eBook, you must decide how much you will spend. It can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.

If you decide on your budget, there are two expenses you should prioritize: editing and cover design. Once you have covered those expenses, you can spend the rest on other things.

It's a good idea to find an editor who will proofread your work if you're on a tight budget. For a 50,000-word manuscript, you'll need between $300 and $1,000.

You'll also need a high-quality book cover if you've written an original, creative book with a perfect copy. A rudimentary or unattractive cover may lead readers to assume the content is of poor quality as well. The cost to hire a graphic designer to design your book cover should be between $50 and $300.

Spend the remaining budget on things like advertising, formatting, and other book-related expenses.

2. Choose the Topic of Your Ebook

Choosing the right ebook topic involves meeting a few criteria. The first is that the topic must interest your audience. The second is that you must be enthusiastic and willing to write about it. You can choose the right topic by following these tips:

Themes between your work and common questions/concerns you encounter can help you uncover your Ebook idea. Save time by leveraging your existing content.

You should consider your subscribers' journey. Which content are they likely to begin with, and which product would be most beneficial to them? Ask your readers the kind of book they'd like to read, and then include tags for subscribers who are interested so that you can easily send them ebook launch emails.

3. Outline each chapter of your ebook

Your ebook should begin with an engaging introduction that sets the scene for the book's content.

Many ebook creators say an ebook is just a collection of blog posts stitched together. While I agree with this approach, the chapters of your ebook should also flow fluidly from one to another.

It would be best if you thought of your ebook as a crash course on your selected sales-relevant topic.

Keeping your ebook short is also important. Here's a golden rule regarding ebook length: Write what is needed to educate your audience.

Whether five or thirty pages, your ebook doesn't need to be lengthy. Just don't waste words, thinking you have to write more.

4. Write the book

Creating content for your ebook can be accomplished in two ways. You can either repurpose published content or write something completely new.

Whatever you choose, make sure it is relevant to your clients and potential clients. The main goal is to solve a problem and bring value to your customers.

Content creation is also easier when you know your audience. Write for your ideal client and use their language so they can understand the content.

Stay away from too much technical jargon, and keep your writing concise. You're on the right track if you can visualize your readers nodding their heads as they read.

At last, be sure to Fact check everything and cite any sources you may have to provide your readers with the best information.

5. Organize your content

Organizing your ebook content in an easy-to-read and understandable manner can give the reader an extra incentive to continue reading. To do this effectively, you must consider all ebook sections carefully.

To be more specific, decide what goes in the Introduction, Main Body, and Conclusion - as if you were writing an essay, but also include some key chapters in between.

Introduction: This section helps set the scene, welcome the reader, and prepare him for what follows.

You will explore the topic further in the in-between main body chapters. In a yoga practice essay, for example, you must explain what yoga is, its benefits, how the reader can practice it, and which styles are available.

Chapter 1: What is Yoga? Chapter 2: The Philosophy & Benefits of Yoga Chapter 3: How to Practice Yoga Chapter 4: The Different Styles of Yoga

Assign each chapter to a separate blog post so that you can focus on them appropriately in context. Ensure that each chapter connects well to the next and that the flow is smooth.

Conclusion: the final section of your ebook should conclude with a conclusion or result and should always prompt the reader to take action, e.g., visiting your website (more on this later on).

As ebooks are immediately accessible, people who wish to read your ebook will likely want to get the most out of it as quickly as possible.

Make sure your ebook is well-structured using the following guidelines: Write an outline Create an ebook cover Have a Table of Contents Write small paragraphs Use bullet points Add clear headings

If you are planning to produce content or give it structure, we recommend using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. It is the easiest and most cost-effective way to do so.

Last but not least, although an ebook doesn't have a limit on its length, ensure it doesn't exceed it. Readers on digital devices usually have shorter attention spans.

Consider your ebook as a collection of blog posts bundled together. It should convey whatever needs to be said without adding unnecessary details.

6. Design Your Ebook

You can use tools like Canva, InDesign, or Visme to design your ebook. Each tool offers free ebook templates you can customize according to your preferences and needs.

Let's see how you can use Canva to design an ebook.

The Canva website specializes in ebook covers and has several eye-catching templates that can be easily customized, so let us walk you through the process:

1. Open Canva Launch Canva and type "Ebook" in the search bar to get started.

2. Search for a template In Canva's eBook template library, you'll find layouts for every theme and style. You'll see the cover and inside pages, and you can decide which pages to keep or delete.

3. Experiment with features Try out different colour schemes, backgrounds and font styles, apply photo effects to add filters, and use the collaboration tool to collaborate with others as you browse high-quality stock photos, images, illustrations, icons, and other graphics.

4. Keep customizing Add your photos and images, add your branding elements or mix and match elements from different templates. Use the drag-and-drop tool to move icons and graphics.

Don't forget to check if your fonts and images are suitable for commercial use to avoid copyright issues.

7. Format the book

There are several formats your book will need to be in for various platforms. A PDF is the bare minimum; it works perfectly for free eBooks and eBooks sold on your website. If you want readers to access it on an eReader, you'll need a Kindle version in Mobi format and an ePub format in ePub format.

If you plan to write many books, you may find it more helpful to invest in formatting software such as Scrivener or Vellum.

8. Publish and Share

It's easy to jump on the eBook publishing wagon with many platforms to choose from!

These sites allow you to advertise and sell copies of your eBook. Each works differently, taking a small piece of the action.

Below are some of the best publishing sites reviewed and ranked.

1. Kindle Direct Publishing (CreateSpace) Amazon's CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing (both owned by Amazon) have recently combined their services to form Kindle Direct Publishing, one of the most popular eBook publishers for independent authors. With their combined services, KDP can publish your book as an ebook and a physical paperback copy.

Your book can be published on Kindle within 24 to 48 hours with KDP in five minutes. In addition, there are no fees associated with publishing your book. This platform allows you to earn 70% royalty on your ebook sales (a significant amount when compared to traditionally published authors).

The customer service and support at Kindle Direct Publishing are excellent 24/7. They are more than capable of guiding you and lending a helping hand, whether you have questions about the publishing process itself, formatting, earnings, or royalties.

2. iBooks With 10% of sales in the top five countries, Apple's iBooks is the second-largest ebook retailer after Amazon. Authors have access to over 40 country-specific ebook stores, which gives them unique advantages: They can adjust prices based on comparable books' prices and even set prices in local currencies for each country. Moreover, authors can schedule free books and discount offers at any time, and there is no exclusive distribution contract.

It is necessary to have a Mac device to publish directly to iBooks; otherwise, you will have to use an ebook aggregator. In terms of royalty rates, Apple offers a flat 70% rate.

3. Barnes & Noble Press The Barnes & Noble eBook publishing platform allows you to publish your eBooks online easily. Get set up and add your eBook in less than twenty minutes, and your book will be available for purchase within three days. Publish your book on any eBook publishing site, and you get 70% of the royalties.

4. Kobo Writing Life In 2011, Kobo, the manufacturer of the Kobo eReader, was acquired by the Japanese electronics major Rakuten for $315 million. Kobo is still used to self-publish your books. It is an easy process to self-publish your books on Kobo. Your manuscript will be converted to an ePUB file through an automated process once you add your details and upload it. Depending on how much your book costs on the Kobo store, you will earn a royalty of 45% or 70%.

In addition to the US & UK, Kobo offers access to 190 countries through their reach in the Asian region.

5. Smashwords Besides being an eBook aggregator and distributor for almost all top retailers, such as Apple Bookstore, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble, Smashwords also offers extensive eBook formatting guidelines so that authors can convert books to any format required by their retail partners.

It is perhaps the oldest aggregator site with a broad reach, allowing you to distribute your titles to small eBook retailers like Baker and Taylor and library networks like OverDrive.

In 2008, Smashwords began operating for the purpose of self-publishing eBooks, with operations starting in Los Gatos, California. In addition to the retailer's fees, it charges a 10% cut on books sold through its retail channel and 15% on books sold by other partner retailers.

- Final thoughts: The information in this article will hopefully assist you in learning how you can make money selling ebooks online, whether you're an aspiring author or a business looking to monetize your site traffic.