Once you have finished your eBook (or self published book), it is time to decide where and how you will sell and/or distribute you work. There are several great options for you, and I will try and tell you the most popular one’s in this chapter.
The most popular ways to sell and distribute your eBook or self published book include: Your own website, eBay.com, Createspace.com (and Amazon.com), Lulu.com, Mobipocket.com, and other miscellaneous sites.
How to Sell an eBook on Your Own Website or Blog
Selling and/or distributing your eBook on your own website or blog is highly recommended. Even if you do not actually sell the book yourself (and you have it on Amazon.com or something), you can promote it on your own site as well. So this is a great way to increase the “marketing” of your book, and drive sales and build a web presence.
I have sold many eBooks via my own websites, as well as having sold them on other sites. You don’t necessarily just have to do one or the other, you can sell it on all of the above!
If you do not have a website, it is easier than ever to set one up these days! You can go to Godaddy.com and register a domain name (that is you .com) for less than $10/year. You can get a .com address that matches the title of your book, or it can be something related to your book.
You will also need website hosting, which Godaddy.com can also provide you with for as little as $4.99 a month or so. Once you have these, you can develop your site.
At this point, you must decide whether you want a blog or static website. If you want a blog, then head on over to Wordpress.org and download the latest version to install on your hosting plan. You can then get a free theme, and off you are to blogging and promoting your eBook or self published real book!
If you want a static website, then you can still use wordpress.org, or another free platform such as drupal.org (a content management software application). Again, both of these come with themes, and the installation is easy (there are instructions with both sites).
Once you get past that point, you can proceed to build a “sales page.” It is important to make a nice long sales page that really “sales” the book or eBook. You must stress the reasons why a person may want or need your guide. This is crucial, and if you aren’t “up to the challenge,” don’t hesistate to get someone (a marketer or copyrighter) to do this part for you!
You can also use digital delivery to accept payments via Paypal.com, Clickbank.net, or another payment processor so you can allow for easy payments and download. I will have a later chapter on digital delivery to help you distribute your guide electronically and automatically!
So again, I would highly recommend you consider promoting your eBook or self published book on you website and/or blog regardless of whether or not you sell it on the other sites I will cover below.
Selling Your eBook or Self Published Book on eBay.com
eBay no longer allows you to sell eBooks via digital download (which is a huge bummer). Your only options are to either take out a classified ad and drive traffic to your own website, or, you can simply burn the eBook to a blank CD and ship it.
I have sold many eBooks on CD, and it is really quite simple once you get everything set up. Granted, it does take up a little more time than just having them download, but it is a great way to increase your overall income with your eBook.
Keep in mind that you will have to deal with eBay selling fees, so you will need to be conscious of those and ensure it will be profitable to sell on there. You will also have to pay for shipping if you distribute it on CD. You can usually ship via first class mail for less than $2 (cd, shipping, and envelope included).
Also, you will be collecting payments via some type of payment processor (most likely paypal.com). So if you are unfamiliar with Paypal, you may want to learn more about how it works. I have used both eBay and Paypal for years, and they work great!
So you should really consider eBay as a way to sell your eBook as well. It isn’t what it used to be. However, eBay does still get a decent amount of traffic, and it can be a great way to sell your eBook or self published book.
Selling Your eBook or Self Published Work on Createspace.com (and Amazon.com)
Createspace.com is another great site you can use to sell your eBook or self published work. They will allow you to distribute your work as an eBook, or you can also turn it into an actual real book.
Createspace.com is becoming very popular among self-published authors. The great thing about createspace.com is that they can help you get your eBook or self-published work onto Amazon.com.
If you get your work on Amazon.com, you greatly increase your chances of making more sales, and perhaps even being picked up by a distribution or book publishing company (especially if you book grabs someone’s attention). They also have distributor relations that can get you a chance to get your foot in the door to major bookstores around the world.
Createspace.com also has great instructions and tutorials to help you upload you work and get everything set up. So I definitely recommend checking out this site as a possible method to sell and distribute your work!
Selling Your eBook or Self Published Work on Lulu.com
Lulu.com is another site similar to createspace.com. They allow you to both upload a PDF, and also you have the option of turning that PDF into an actual real book (or both).
It is not a bad idea to have both a PDF and real “hard copy” available just in case. That way, you can satisfy both types of buyers. Lulu.com also allows you to promote your book on their site, which is visible world-wide. So this can be great exposure for your eBook or self published book.
Again, you can never market your eBook or self published guide “too much.” Having it on as many sites as possible helps you to increase your chances of making sales (which equals more money)!
So I would also check this site out as well. Both createspace.com and Lulu.com will charge various fees (usually only when you sell an item). But they handle all of the “work” and you just collect a royalty check.
Selling Your eBook on MobiPocket.com
Mobipocket.com is a side company of Amazon.com. They also work with other publishers such as Createspace.com, and others. So if you use one of the publishing partners in Mobipocket.com’s, you could already be on there.
If not, you can request to have your material added. You will have to ensure your eBook is in mobi format, but this is really simple and you can convert the PDF to mobi format quickly and easily using their website.
Using Other Miscellaneous Selling Sites To Sell or Promote Your eBook
The sites I mentioned above are the most obvious and “biggies” you don’t want to over-look. If you sold or marketed your eBook only in on your site and those listed above, you can easily be successful.
However, it is worth mentioning that there are a plethora of other small selling sites that you may consider using if you have the time (and you feel it would be worth the effort).
Sites such as Ioffer.com, onlineauction.com, tradebit.com, bonanzle.com, payloadz.com, craigslist.org, and more.
There are always new sites popping up that allow you to list your eBooks or self published books for sale! Just make sure to have a plan in place, and consider all of your options for selling and distributing your eBook!
Also, don’t forget that so far you have written your eBook, and listed it for sale (or are preparing to list for sale). That, believe it or not, is the easy part! Marketing your eBook, making sales, and customer service are the hard parts! I will cover all of these topics in future chapters, as well has how to digitally deliver your eBook or self published work!
How to Market and Sell Your eBook and Self Published Book
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Posted under Write an eBook, eBooks
This post was written by Ben on July 5, 2009
