Getting your book out there for people to read is a difficult thing to do, but can be very rewarding. If you have only one person that really likes your book, then it was worth the effort.
Before you start looking into how to sell and promote eBooks, take a look at what makes a good eBook.
The next section details some of these things, which should help form a basis for your own efforts in getting attention from readers.
What Makes An eBook?
There are many things that make up an eBook. These include the cover page, the content inside, and other factors such as cost and delivery method (eBook reader vs traditional paper).
But if you want to get interested from prospective readers, it’s best not to overload them with too many things to consider.
This is why it’s important that you get your eBook up to snuff so that it can compete in the market of today.
What Makes an eBook Stand out From The Rest?
There are a number of factors involved in making an eBook that will be able to stand out from the crowd of other books on offer – at least enough for readers to want to read it! These include:
- Cover page design
- Title selection
- Price point (competitive but not too cheap!)
Cover Page Design
The cover page is the first thing that people see (and one of the most important). It’s wise not only to hire someone who knows what they’re doing but can also get your book noticed among the millions of others that are out there.
Title Selection
A poor title or a misleading one can kill off any chances of being successful with your eBook. This is especially true if you’re a first-time author – new writers tend to make silly mistakes like this more often than not! Be sure to keep it short and descriptive enough for people to want to know more.
Price Point
Your price point should be set at a point where you’ll get some money back from your work but isn’t too high that people won’t buy it.
Likewise, don’t sell yourself short on the price either – this will annoy readers who might feel cheated when they read what they paid for.
Other Factors
There are other factors involved with eBook marketing that may be worth considering, such as using an ‘exclusive’ delivery method (such as Amazon’s Kindle) or selling it exclusively to a particular site/company so you can enjoy things like regular promotions, etc.
This is by no means necessary, but if you have money to burn then go for it! You might also want to distribute your eBook through sites not normally associated with books – this will again help your chances of getting noticed.
Ways To Sell and Promote eBooks?
Now that you have your eBook all sorted out, it’s time to work on how to sell and promote eBooks. Fortunately, there are many ways for you to get your name out there. Here are some of the more popular ones:
1. Social Media Sites
Social media sites can be a great help when trying to sell and promote eBooks, particularly if you’re newish around them.
Try not to use these sites as an advertising platform – people hate spammers! You should also bear in mind that some social media websites charge money for certain features, so do your homework before diving in too far.
2. Writing A Blog Or Website
Although not everyone has the time or talent to write a blog or website, this can be one of the best ways to sell and promote eBooks – especially if you’re looking for extra methods outside of social media sites.
The last thing you want is to seem spammy (see above) so stick to what works best for your situation (for example, writing about eBook marketing might not go down too well with followers that don’t care for reading).
3. Forums And Discussion Boards
Forums and discussion boards are always good places to get help when it comes to selling and promoting eBooks.
You’ll also find like-minded people who can give advice on various topics, so don’t be afraid of asking questions either! Just remember to check out what you’re saying beforehand – there’s no point being helpful if the moderators have banned you for something stupid.
4. Advertising
You can also advertise your eBook on more traditional forms of advertising, including newspapers, magazines, and television. If you choose this method, be sure to keep it simple so people know what they’re looking at – complicated designs are typically overlooked or forgotten.
Also bear in mind that TV adverts are expensive (a lot more than other methods) so consider using them sparingly.
5. Promotion Tools
Promotion tools are useful ways for selling and promoting eBooks. These include things like splash pages which tell people about your book before it goes live, for example.
Splash pages can also be used as a way to promote your eBook, by having a button that leads to where it is being sold or provided directly.
Likewise, you can provide a preview of the book if people sign up with you, but this might annoy those who hate spoilers!
6. Selling And Promoting eBooks To A Specific Group
Finally, don’t forget about selling and promoting eBooks to a specific group. This could be as simple as choosing which genre your eBook falls under (romance etc) or it could be more complicated such as targeting certain age groups.
Either way, do some research first before going on a spending spree on specialized marketing tools – even free ones! You should also keep in mind that some companies will only offer you assistance if they think your eBook has a chance of becoming profitable – this means it should be worth their while to help you.
7. Distribution
If you’re looking for alternative ways of selling and promoting eBooks, then distribution could be one of them. Once your eBook is finished, don’t just stick it on the first website that offers free publishing (you might want to try out more than one though).
Instead, look around for reviews of each company before deciding who gets your business. Although choosing an author’s service over another generally comes down to personal preference, here are some things to consider:
- What’s their review rating on Google+?
- Do they have a fair pricing policy?
- How many books do they sell per day on average?
Also bear in mind that you can always use more than one author’s service if you start to get lots of views or sales. Some people will list your eBook on bulk listing sites, so if yours is popular then this could pay off! You should also spread the word about your eBook as much as possible online and offline (leave business cards at book shops for example).
8. Distribution And Listing Sites To Try
Consider using some of these distribution and listing sites to try: iWriter, Lulu, Smashwords, Booktango, eBookPie.
Although you may find yourself spending hours of your day trying to sell and promote eBooks, it’s important to keep things in proportion.
There’s no point working on something until the early hours of the morning if it isn’t going to help! Things usually develop over time so be patient and focus on getting as much done as possible without burning yourself out.
Quick Links:
- How to Be A Good Reader And Read More Books
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- Rich Dad Poor Dad Review: Personal Finance Book? WHY
Takeaway: How To Sell And Promote eBooks
There are plenty of ways to market and promote eBooks out there, especially in the online world where services exist just for this purpose.
However, even though they’re great tools to use, they usually need a bit of work before they can be used to their fullest extent.
As a result, it’s best to have your eBook up-to-snuff so that it can compete in the world of other books – this is where most readers will make their decision.
