Before we get started, let me remind you of two things:
First, no income whatsoever is guaranteed from using this method.
Second, this is the exact method others have used to earn, literally, $100 a day on average from each ebook.
Or more. Take Deni Sahaya earned $171,000 in the past 18 months with ebook sales, and she only has 7 ebooks.
Ready? First let’s get started with what can go wrong so we can get that out of the way…
For example, you’ve got a hot topic for an ebook.
In fact, it’s fantastic and guaranteed to make a mint, right?
Not so fast.
While good ideas are a dime a dozen, truly great ideas can prove themselves to be profitable before you write a single word.
Here’s a down and dirty list of mistakes new ebook writers make. Mind you, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but you’ll get the idea:
- Choosing the wrong topic
- Choosing the right topic with the wrong angle
- Targeting and selling to the wrong people
- Pricing books too high or too low
- Choosing the wrong platforms to promote your book on
- Lousy promotion, the wrong promotion or an entire lack of promotion
There are a hundred things you can do wrong, any one of which can result in a massive waste of your time and resources.
That said, you can make plenty of mistakes along the way and still come out with profit, leads and an entire business, if you correct your mistakes as you go.
Or better still, avoid the mistakes altogether.
Today I’ll show you everything you need to make a successful start, while the rest of your ebook education will come to you over time as you gain experience.
Step 1: Getting The RIGHT Idea
Notice you’re not looking for just a great idea – you want the right idea that affords you the highest chance for success.
Ideally your topic is going to be something you already know a lot about. Can you coach kids on how to excel at their sport? Can you teach programming or how to pick stocks or how to take the perfect vacation on a tiny budget?
While you consider what you’re passionate about and what expertise you possess, look for intersections between your knowledge and potential reader interests.
Research what’s popular by checking out best-selling ebook categories on platforms like Amazon (https://support.visme.co/how-to-create-ebooks-with-visme/).
Tools like Google Trends, SEMrush, Answer the Public, Quora and Reddit can also reveal what people are searching for related to your niche (https://answerthepublic.com/).
Talk to people in your niche, browse online forums, and see what questions or challenges keep coming up. Your ebook could provide solutions or address knowledge gaps.
More Tips on Choosing a Topic
Focus on evergreen topics: Perennial themes like personal development, health, finance, and relationships tend to hold steady interest.
Solve a specific problem: Your ebook should offer a clear benefit to the reader. What will they learn or achieve by reading your book?
Become the answer: If you can establish yourself as a knowledgeable source on a particular topic, people will be more likely to pay for your insights.
See what others are doing: Look at successful ebooks in your niche for ideas, but don’t simply copy them. Find a unique angle or approach.
Test the waters: Share your ebook idea with potential readers in online communities or through social media to gauge their interest.
Remember, a profitable ebook combines your passion and expertise with a clear value proposition that resonates with a targeted audience.
Bonus: If you can write a book that promises a large result for a minimum of effort, you’ve almost certainly got a winner. Just make sure you can back up your promise.
Two Examples: ‘How To Lose A Pound A Day For 30 Days Without Going Hungry,’ or ‘How To Write One Book And Earn $100 A Day For Life.’ Those are big promises, but if you can deliver then you’ve struck gold.
Step 2: Validate Your Idea
There isn’t a foolproof way to guarantee your ebook’s profitability, but there are strong validation techniques to significantly increase your chances of success. Here are some key steps to take:
Pre-Launch Validation
Talk to your target audience: Conduct interviews, surveys, or focus groups to gauge their interest in your ebook topic. Ask about their reading habits, what pain points your book could address, and their willingness to pay.
Pre-sell your book: Offer pre-orders at a discounted rate to see if there’s early traction. Platforms like Kickstarter or Patreon can help validate demand while potentially generating some initial funding (https://www.kickstarter.com/ & https://www.patreon.com/).
Competitor analysis: Research successful ebooks in your niche. Analyze their titles, descriptions, and reviews to understand what resonated with readers. Look for gaps you can fill by offering a different perspective or deeper dive into a subtopic.
Landing Page and Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Create a landing page: Before the full book is complete, build a landing page with a clear description of your ebook’s value proposition and target audience. Offer potential readers a chance to sign up for email updates or pre-order notifications. Track website traffic and signups to gauge initial interest.
Develop a sample chapter or excerpt: Offer a free sample chapter or excerpt of your ebook to build interest and showcase your writing style. This can be included on your landing page or distributed through email marketing.
Once you think you have your idea, dig even deeper. Here’s just a few questions you might want to answer:
- What is it about your topic that makes it a profitable idea?
- How is your reader going to benefit from knowing this information?
- Are you solving your audience’s pain?
- Can you find and reach your audience without spending a fortune? How?
- Will they pay for your solution? How do you know?
- Can you come up with 5 or 10 truly strong bullet points for your ebook that will sell it all on their own?
- Can you create an ebook title for this topic that makes people want the book based on the title alone?
- Is there anything viral in nature about your topic, content and title that will have people talking about it?
The point is to do as much work ahead of time to be sure you’re on the right track before you create your ebook. This will save you a lot of time later, as well as giving you key insights on how and where you will market your book.
Step 3: Does Your eBook Concept Hold Awesome Upsell Potential?
While you can certainly make money selling your ebook (and we’ll go over that in a moment) it’s even better if you can use it as a steppingstone to selling even more products and services.
Look at what you can offer people who purchase your book. Perhaps you can give personal coaching on how to implement what’s in the book, or take it to the next level. Maybe there are tools you can offer as an affiliate. Or perhaps you can offer a done-for-you solution.
You don’t necessarily need to know all the things you will promote to your readers, but you do need to have a good idea of what’s available as an affiliate as well as the products or services you want to offer.
Be sure to capture email addresses with the offer of bonus material or a bonus course available only through email.
Then as appropriate, you might offer affiliate products, your own products or services, coaching, consulting, additional books, courses and products in the series.
The idea is to nurture your ebook buyers and encourage them to invest in your higher-priced products and services as appropriate for them. You’re not selling for the sake of selling here, but rather offering options to get an even better result in achieving their goals or solution to their problems.
A Few Ideas On How To Upsell
Offer bonus content: Include sections in your ebook that tease in-depth information available through your paid courses or consultations. This could be a sneak peek at the next chapter, a case study exclusive to paying members, or access to downloadable templates.
Limited-time discounts: Provide a discount code within the ebook for a limited time on your premium programs or services. This creates a sense of urgency and incentivizes immediate action.
Problem and solution approach: Frame your ebook as the first step in a larger solution. Clearly identify the limitations of the free content and showcase how your paid offerings provide a more comprehensive solution or deeper dive into the topic.
Case studies and success stories: Showcase real-life examples of how your paid services helped clients achieve the results the ebook promises. This builds trust and demonstrates the value proposition of your premium offerings.
Strategic placement: Embed strategic calls to action (CTAs) throughout your ebook, directing readers to your premium offers. These CTAs should be placed at natural transition points, like the end of chapters or after addressing a specific pain point.
Multiple CTA formats: Use a variety of CTA formats to keep your approach fresh. This could include text links, buttons, QR codes directing to landing pages, or even video teasers for your paid programs.
Exclusive online communities: Create a private online community (forum, Facebook group etc.) accessible only to paying customers. This fosters a sense of exclusivity and positions your paid offerings as the gateway to a valuable peer network.
Always focus on value. You don’t want to just promote; you want to provide genuine value throughout your customer relationship. This builds trust and positions you as an authority in your field.
By strategically using your ebook, you can effectively guide readers towards your premium offerings and unlock a new level of revenue generation.
Step 4: Targeting Your Ebook
Many new authors make the mistake of trying to write for everyone. This “scatter-shot” approach rarely works. Just like successful businesses, effective ebooks need a laser focus on a specific audience.
Instead of writing for a general audience, define the exact person your ebook will help. Who is struggling with the problem your book solves?
How old are they? Where do they live? What are their hobbies and what challenges do they face?
Most importantly, where do they spend time online? By understanding your ideal reader, you can tailor your message and find them online.
Once you know this, you can target your marketing efforts on platforms where your ideal reader is active.
And you can create blog posts or articles relevant to their interests and that showcase your expertise.
It’s important to be realistic about your ebook’s promises. Define two key outcomes:
Dream Outcome: The ideal scenario if the reader follows your advice perfectly.
Perceived Outcome: The realistic results achievable with consistent effort on the reader’s part.
When you know who your buyers are, you can find their communities online. Look for where they hang out in forums, online communities, social media and so forth. This research will inform your marketing strategy, allowing you to reach your ideal readers directly.
Don’t waste effort marketing your book to people with no interest. Tailor your message to those actively seeking solutions related to your book. This targeted approach will significantly increase your chances of selling bucketloads of ebooks.
Find out who they follow on social media and make those people your allies. This will get you seen, heard and followed.
By focusing on a specific audience and their needs, you can create a targeted marketing strategy and craft an ebook that resonates with the right readers, maximizing your sales potential.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, you’ve got to create the book.
Step 5: Creating Your Book
Writing a book about a topic you know and love isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think. You can use AI to help you create the outline, and then you just get busy filling in that outline.
If need be, you can also hire someone to help you or even write the book for you. Be sure the book fulfills its promises and delivers the value you offer.
If you need help putting your book together, search for tutorials on YouTube.
Right now, let’s cover a few details that you might not find elsewhere, important things that can make all the difference between selling a few hundred copies and selling thousands of copies.
In fact, the things I’m about to cover might be more important than you content, since if no one buys the book, then no will be able to benefit from your knowledge or purchase your upsells.
The Book’s Title
First, your title must grab attention and make people want to know more. If you can’t make some sales based on the title alone, then you need a better title.
I cannot stress enough how important your title is going to be in your effort to make sales. A great book with a lousy title might not sell at all. Change the title to something with a strategic blend of intrigue, clarity, and benefit and you might sell a million copies.
Writing the Ultimate Book Title
- Keep it Short and Sweet: Aim for 5-8 words for maximum impact and memorability.
- Spark Curiosity: Use strong verbs, evocative language, and intriguing questions to pique the reader’s interest.
- Highlight the Benefit: Telegraph the core value proposition of your book and how it improves the reader’s life.
- Genre Specificity: Consider incorporating keywords relevant to your genre to help readers find your book.
Adding a Tagline
- Expand on the Title: Briefly elaborate on the title’s core concept or benefit.
- Focus on the Outcome: Emphasize the positive transformation your book offers readers.
- Action-Oriented: Use strong verbs to encourage interaction and a sense of urgency.
- Keep it Punchy: Aim for 2-4 words for memorability and impact.
Bonus Tips
- Test and Refine: Get feedback from potential readers on your title and tagline options.
- Consider Alliteration and Rhyme: Strategic use of alliteration or rhyme can enhance memorability. (“Effortless Email Marketing”)
- Research Bestsellers: Analyze titles and taglines of successful books in your genre for inspiration.
The ideal title and tagline work together to create a powerful first impression. They should leave the reader with a clear understanding of what your book offers and a strong desire to learn more.
The Book Cover
Second, your cover graphics and layout must look like they belong on the NY Times bestseller list. Like it or not, people truly do judge a book by its cover. Unless you’re a seasoned professional graphic artist who’s already done numerous professional book covers, it might be best to outsource this to a pro.
Have them do 3 to 5 covers, and then do some polling of your prospects to find out which one they would choose.
The Table of Contents
Third, your table of contents needs to absolutely rock. Think of it as a bullet point list to what’s in the book. Ideally anyone who reads your table of contents needs no further convincing to purchase the book.
Be sure not to give away your contents in your chapter titles, but instead use those titles to tease the prospect into wanting to know more.
For example, if your book is on haircare, instead of titling your chapter, “Egg Yolks Create Incredible Shine in Your Hair” you’ll write something like, “The 50-cent Kitchen Item that Beats $100 Salon Shampoos Every Time.”
In the first example the person doesn’t need to buy the book to find out what you’re talking about. In the second example they might buy the book just to find out what the 50-cent item is.
Physical Copies
We’re talking mainly about ebooks, but it’s also a good idea to get some physical copies of your book made. Use one when you do videos, even if you just have it behind you on the bookcase for viewers to spot.
Get photos of yourself made with the book and use them in your sales material and on social media. This lets your prospect subconsciously imagine holding your book, too.
Send your physical books out to people you partner with, such as influencers and JV partners. This gives them a real-world reminder to promote your book, plus it increases the odds they’ll look through it and hopefully read it.
If possible, also offer physical books for sale. You can charge more, of course, but this is easy to do with the many services available today for print-on-demand or through Amazon.
Step 6: Selling Your Ebook and Maximizing Profits
Selling your ebook is where your hard work pays off. Here’s a breakdown of key strategies to increase your chances of success:
Crafting a Compelling Offer
Your offer needs to balance the perceived value of your ebook with the price point. If you’re selling an exclusive system that generates substantial profits, or a method for getting a ridiculous number of dates for young men or finding the perfect spouse for women in their late 30’s desperate to have a family, then you can charge a great deal more than if you’re selling, say, cooking tips.
Consider also what your reader needs to invest (time, effort, money) to achieve the results your book promises. This might guide your pricing strategy.
Set clear expectations about the effort required for success. While everyone loves a quick fix, promising unrealistic results can hurt your credibility.
Use your table of contents to entice buyers, and make your book sound utterly irresistible in your offer.
Choosing the Right Platform
Distribution Channels: Select platforms that cater to your target audience and genre. Popular options include Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Apple iBooks Store, Kobo Writing Life, and Smashwords.
Direct Sales: Platforms like Gumroad allow you to sell directly to your audience and often offer more control over pricing and marketing.
Strategic Timing
Seasonal Trends: Capitalize on seasonal trends or relevant events to boost sales. For instance, a productivity ebook might sell better around New Year’s resolutions.
Pre-Launch Hype: Build anticipation with a pre-order campaign or early bird discounts.
Market Research: Use tools like Google Trends to identify search spikes related to your ebook’s topic.
Building an Audience (Optional but Powerful)
The Power of Community: Having an established audience significantly increases sales potential. However, it’s not essential for initial success.
Content Marketing: Create blog posts, articles, or social media content that showcase your expertise and establish you as a thought leader in your niche. Utilize platforms like Pinterest, Substack, Medium, or LinkedIn, focusing on SEO-optimized content to drive traffic to your book’s landing page.
Leverage Existing Platforms: If you have an existing following on social media or an email list, leverage those channels to promote your ebook.
Time to Profitability
The timeframe for achieving consistent sales depends heavily on your pre-launch preparation. Here’s a breakdown:
Without Prior Marketing: Starting from scratch with no audience, blog posts, or optimized product page, it could take several months to gain traction, even with active promotion on Pinterest.
With Pre-Launch Strategy: Implementing the strategies above before launch can significantly accelerate your sales timeline.
Remember, selling ebooks is a marathon, not a sprint. While there are techniques to jumpstart sales, consistent marketing and audience engagement are crucial for long-term success.
Perhaps My Favorite Tip
Once you’ve written your book, you have a ton of content from the book that you can break up and use on various platforms.
For example, you might start a YouTube channel with multiple videos that each break down one idea or concept in the book. You can actually give away your entire book’s content over the course of multiple videos, promoting your book each time, and make a surprising number of sales.
Not to mention all of this content can be used to continually build your audience, grow your email list and drive sales of related items even from people who haven’t yet purchased the book.
It’s a fact that the more great information you give away, the more people trust you as an authority and the more they want to purchase your recommendations.
You can even become an influencer in your own right, with other people offering you deals to promote them via social media.
Keep in mind that your own book is the key to opening more doors than you can even imagine right now. And all you need do is get busy choosing the perfect topic for the right audience, and then create that book of yours.