People write e-books for many reasons: to share what they know with the world; engage in a new hobby of which writing is a fantastic choice, or simply because they are in need of a new source of income. Whatever your reason might be, you can earn money writing e-books with the right knowledge, tools, and mindset. 

The process of writing an e-book can be quite challenging. There is a lot to consider – what to write, how to write, who would buy it, how to market it, and other factors. Thinking about all these things can be very daunting, but don’t let them discourage you.

In this article, we’ll take you through everything you need to know to successfully navigate the e-book creation process. You’ll learn how to select the right topic for your e-book, how to build an audience, and how to sell your e-book.

Ready to become a master e-book seller? Let’s dive in! 

1. Choose the right topic

The first step in the e-book creation process is to choose a topic you can teach to an audience of readers. It can be any topic of your choice, from extremely technical and complex topics, to more practical and easy to understand topics. For example, your topic could be 10 Steps To Starting a Food Delivery Business, 7 Weight Loss Tips You Should Know, or How to Start an Online Coaching Business. You’re fine as long as you have a working knowledge of the topic so that you can explain it to people looking to learn.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t understand the topic well enough to explain it to other people. With proper study, research, and experience, you can gain the understanding you need to provide value to your readers.

You can also contact experts in the field or topic of your choice to ask them questions. While experts tend to be busy people, if you are persistent, there will be someone willing to teach you what they know. From what you learn from them, you can quote them in your e-book to add a layer of authority and credibility to your work. You can also find sources from the internet. Just remember to cite them, or ask for their permission first!

2. Build an audience around your topic

Contrary to what you may expect, all your attention shouldn’t be on writing and releasing your book, after selecting the topic to write about. If people are not interested in the topic, your ebook will not sell. This is why building an audience of people around the topic of your book is so important.

But you may say, “I don’t have a large following. There’s no way I can build an audience around my topic.” But you don’t need a large social media following from the get-go. All you need to do is start creating content around your topic on the social media platform of your choice, and the right audience will find you. 

Let’s use YouTube for example. Suppose you want to teach people how to successfully launch an online course with your e-book. In that case, you can record and upload videos about the experience you’ve gained over the years with launching online courses, and there are many ways to do this. “What I Wish I Knew Before Launching My First Online Course.” “The Truth about Launching Your First Online Course,” and “The Tools You’ll Need to Launch Your First Online Course,” are just some of the many video ideas you could use. 

As you consistently put out content around your topic of interest, people who share your interests will come along for the ride. Your YouTube channel will grow, and you’ll gain more followers on the social media platform of your choice. With this strategy, you will begin to frame yourself as a qualified individual or authority on the subject you teach. People will start coming to you for answers. They’ll start asking you questions, and that’s when you can direct them to your ebook.

READ: How Nigerians Are Making Money Selling Ebooks On Selar

3. Create the e-book

We’ve looked at choosing the right topic and we have explored some ways one can build an audience around the topic of choice, but what about writing the ebook? The process Well, as daunting as it may seem, writing can be exceedingly easy if you create a workflow and stay disciplined. If you haven’t been writing it already, here are some of the things you’ll need to do:

1. Choose a word processor
2. Develop an outline and write the ebook
3. Leave a call to action

1. Choose a word processor

A word processor is any device, software or program that allows for the manipulation of text. Whether by input, output, editing, or formatting, a good word processor handles these processes and is what makes creating your ebook possible.

There are many word processors out there, but people generally stick to either Microsoft Word or Google Docs. So, which one should you pick? Anyone is fine as long as you consider your needs and what you want to achieve. 

For instance, if you have plans of eventually printing your ebook, Microsoft Word may be the better option. This is not to say that Google Docs doesn’t allow you to print, because it does, but Microsoft Word has more features that cater to the layout and format of the printed document. Hence, choosing Microsoft Word may be more relevant. However, Google Docs is preferred by most people seeking ease and accessibility since it is hosted on the cloud. This way, you can write everywhere you go, and across multiple devices. 

2. Develop an outline and write the e-book

The next step is to develop an outline for your ebook. Creating an outline is very important. It helps you organize the themes, and topics properly. You don’t want your ebook to be all over the place, as this can confuse your readers and deter potential readers from buying.

To prevent this, develop an outline first before jumping into the writing. Let’s say you’re writing an ebook on the “21 Steps to Digital Marketing Mastery.” Here’s where you’d list out all the steps you’d like to cover in your digital marketing ebook with any sections or subsections that may be included. 

Once you’ve developed your outline, you’re free to actually start writing your ebook! A table of contents is a good place to start with this, as it organizes your ebook while giving readers an idea of where to find answers to the questions they may have. E-books are typically separated in chapters, with each chapter offering a new angle to the topic being discussed. It’s also advisable to have an About Me section because not everyone who will read your ebook may know you or know anything about your content. This section tells them who you are and why you’re qualified to teach them your topic. 

READ: 10 Best Places To Sell eBooks Online For Free In Nigeria

From there, you generally want to expand on the chapters you’ve outlined, with relevant knowledge and examples. So, for the digital marketing ebook, you could have a lead magnet chapter in your outline and expand on it with some of the best lead magnet ideas you can think of. There’s no limit to how much you can write, so let the creativity and knowledge flow. 

Your goal is to ensure that you deliver as promised by teaching the reader what the ebook topic is about. At the end of the e-book, you can also link them up to a course or membership community that will give them more support as they navigate the process of applying what they have learned. Ensuring that your readers get the comprehensive resources they were promised is crucial.

3. Leave a call to action

Your ebook is nearly ready, at this stage! You’ve written in a clear, organized format that delivers on the promises you made. But what about the people who more? This is where having a call to action comes in. 

A call to action is a phrase that stimulates action on the part of the reader, listener, or viewer. It takes the form of an instruction or directive and is mostly used in marketing. “Click the link!” “Buy now!” “Sign up today!” are popular examples and having something like this in your ebook is crucial. 

In your e-book, you want to provide a way for readers to keep in touch with you. You can provide a link to your website, encourage them to follow you on social media or sign up for further coaching. You don’t want to end the relationship there, as some readers may want to learn more or have more questions to ask.

With your ebook now complete, all that’s left is for you to apply the finishing touches like design. On Canva, there are a variety of free ebook templates to choose from. You can paste your text directly into one of them and start customizing to suit your preferences. Canva allows for everything from ebook cover design to layout and font selection, and when you’re done, you can export your ebook as a PDF.

4. Selling the Ebook

Now, we can finally talk about the most exciting part: selling your ebook! There are many ways to go about doing this. You could upload your ebook to an online store, or build your own website if you so choose. The method you choose is up to you, but you should generally go for an option that satisfies your needs and prioritizes ease.

Selar is a great option to use that meets these two standards. Selar is an e-commerce store builder that allows you to sell any kind of digital product or service to anyone, anywhere in the world. It’s very easy to use. You can upload your e-book in any format and start selling. You also get access to lots of features, like analytics, sales pages, and automated follow-ups.

You also don’t have to be worried about Intellectual property (IP) theft as Selar has system that protects creatives from getting their work plagiarised and stolen. Selar gives you the option of making it read-online or downloadable after purchase, and has also integrated multiple payment gateways such as Paypal, Stripe, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Klarna, Flutterwave, WeChat, Alipay, etc. to enable you to receive payments from anywhere in the world. So you can accept payment in over 8 different currencies including USD and GBP.

READ: 4 Surefire Ways to Prevent Your Ebook From Being Stolen

Once you have uploaded your book, you are ready to sell! You can promote it on social media by using marketing and promotion strategies that will get people to see your book and buy it.

For instance, you could go live on Instagram and share your book, create content around the book, give discounts and freebies, use testimonials of people who have read the book, and so much more.

Final Thoughts

Earning money by writing e-books is a lot easier than may people realize. By choosing the right topic, finding the right market for it, staying disciplined to the creation process, and implementing great sales tactics, you can earn from your ebooks even in your sleep!

However, you need to stay commited because although the process is easier than what most people realize, success does not just happen overnight. You’ll need to put in the work, create content, strategize and sometimes change your strategies. You’ll need to fall in love with the process of teaching and sharing your knowledge with people. And as you do so, you will grow.

Selar can help you sell your e-books and grow as a creator.