You’ve probably heard that one of the best ways to make money online is by writing an ebook. It’s true. Ebooks are a GREAT product to sell online. All you really need to create an ebook is expertise in a subject AND the ability to write well.
(Trust me, ebook buyers aren’t any more forgiving of poor grammar or mispellings than traditional book buyers – and ebook buyers may actually be more vocal about any typos they find!)
The mechanics of creating an ebook are very similar to the mechanics of writing a traditionally published book with a few exceptions – all of which make ebooks a MUCH better choice for most authors.
- Ebooks are shorter than traditional books. A good length for an ebook is 40 pages – while many traditional book publishers won’t accept a book less than 188 pages.
- Ebooks cost less than traditional books to distribute. While a buyer needs to pay for shipping and handling, an ebook is delivered instantly.
- Ebooks cost less to PRODUCE than traditional books. There are no printing costs or paper costs when you publish an ebook.
As a final “kicker” ebooks take about the same amount of effort to market and sell as traditional books – however, because of the reduced costs, the profit margins definitely are higher!
While ebooks are indeed cheaper and easier to produce than a traditional book – there is one way that they differ from traditional book publishing.
With a traditional book, it’s a commonly accepted fact in the publishing world that book covers sell books. Publishers have to include a protective cover for the books they publish, so designing a book cover is a natural part of the process.
However, many ebook authors think that because their books aren’t printed – that perhaps they don’t need to spend a lot of time or energy on the design of their ebook cover.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
If anything, the ebook cover design is even MORE important to an ebook than it is to a traditionally published book.
See, with a traditionally published book, the buyer can pick the book up and thumb through the pages. When he or she purchases an ebook – that tactile sensation is lost.
While it may not seem fair, it’s true that ebook buyers will judge the quality of your ebook by the quality of the cover – more than any other element.
Ebook publishing isn’t easy – but if you’re a writer who wants to make a living writing – writing and selling ebooks provide a lot more ” bang for the buck” from an income perspective.
