Why Some Ebooks Don’t Sell, And What You Must Do To Sell Effectively
While printed books are still among the most important commodities in both the avenue of education and commerce, the total number of published ebooks is now surpassing the total number of their printed counterparts if we talk about the number of releases for each year.
We have the internet to thank or blame for this. But since the technologies of the world wide web will certainly remain to be here for the next generations to come, you as someone with a deep passion for writing should consider writing ebooks and selling them online.
What you’ll learn here:
We’re here to talk about the rise of ebooks, so let’s examine this data provided by statista.com, about their marketability.
Although the data only shows the increase in ebooks’ existence, it is solid-enough proof that digital books are more in-demand these days compared to the previous years.
What are the advantages of digital publishing?
Every day, more and more writers and publishers are opting to choose digital publishing over traditional publishing because:
It has very low production costs – By choosing to write within the digital platform, time is almost only your needed investment. Real paper, real cardboard is completely off the production list, so there’s no need to invest in them.
It has a wider reach and higher marketing potential – Promoting digital reading materials is a lot easier, again, thanks to the internet. By paying very small amounts for social media or search engine promotion, your writings can be easily found and bought.
It has lesser restrictions – In order to get your books published on popular publishing companies, your creation needs to undergo a lot of revisions and curating processes so they can fit into some “standards and guidelines.” With digital publishing, you can bypass this easily.
Manufacturing a product without knowing first if people would want to buy it would be unwise, if not outright foolish. Before you plan to sell your ebook, let alone start to create one, you have to ask first…
What makes an ebook highly salable?
As experts may put it, a book, whether it has on “e” on it or not, must really have the following traits:
A topic that addresses a reader’s needs – To get entertained, to learn, to solve problems: these are the most common reasons why people read books. Before choosing a topic for your planned ebook, you have to ask yourself, “Is the main subject that my book talks about able to address a certain reader’s needs?”
An expert quality set of writings – Why do most writings fail to get attention and love from readers? “Because the writer doesn’t know what he or she is talking about,” that would be the best answer. If you can’t create paragraphs, pages, and chapters that can reach “expert level,” don’t expect to make good sales with your ebooks.
Does this mean you have to be really intelligent and have spent many years in academics so you can make a high-quality ebook? No. The best way to reach that expert level thing is this: write about something that you’re very passionate about, so you can learn about what to write quickly and seamlessly.
A compelling title, cover, and blurb – Yes, the old adage that goes, “A book must not be judged by its cover” is still among the most important of all universal truths. But here’s another indisputable truth: no book lover, no matter how young or old would bother picking your book and checking it out if your cover, as well as that short description on its back (the blurb) is not compelling enough.
So to increase your ebook’s appeal, you have to somehow, make it physically attractive on the outside.
Now, let’s talk about some tips that are more suited for the question that goes…
Why does an ebook fail to make sales?
The following would be the most likely reasons:
It’s too short
Isn’t quality better than quantity? The latter word is of course, more important than the former. But here’s the thing, making a very short ebook would also spell laziness, amateurism, and non-professionalism.
Most of the “short-type” ebooks nowadays fall within the 4000-6000 word count range. Which makes them a bit unattractive for those who want to engage in some serious reading. An ebook that reaches the 10,000-word count would be ideal, although still for the short-type ones.
Its topic is very generic
Why buy an ebook if its contents can be easily found in blogs that flock to the web? This would be a good question for an aspiring ebook publisher. With search engines getting better every day, people can just search for almost anything that comes to mind.
You have to concede that there are tons of websites out there that might have already discussed the topic you’re trying to cover in your planned upcoming ebook. If it’s not going to bring in a fresh set of ideas that can’t be easily found on the web, would people be interested in buying it?
During your initial brainstorming stages, do your very best to pick a topic that’s not well-covered yet by many writers, or those topics that you’re sure you can provide a better writing of, compared to your competitors.
It’s not proofread and edited well
Because most ebooks are singlehandedly written and published by lone writers, the process of editing and proofreading them is also done by one person alone. Truth to be told, having a flawless book in terms of spelling and grammar is a very hard thing to accomplish. That’s why a great number of ebooks are shamefully bad compared to printed books.
To get around to this problem, use advanced proofreading tools like Grammarly, it can greatly improve your writing to unimaginably high levels!
Also, there are solid reasons why you should choose to publish your writings as an ebook, instead of as a paper book.
Are ebooks really better than paper books?
Giving a quick “yes” to this question would be outright foolish. Paper books are timelessly important as they have been around for centuries already and are still very much highly manufactured and purchased by people.
But by putting the argument into perspective, ebooks have the following advantages:
They’re more portable – You can put them on your laptop, on your tablet, or on your phone. And not just one, but many books. With ebooks, you can practically carry a library with you wherever you go.
They can do the reading for you – By employing speech recognition technology, you can choose to listen to the book instead of reading it.
They can be easily shared – In situations where others are interested in what you’re reading, you can easily share the content with them, or give them a copy of your ebook.
They’re more interactive – Of course, since they are presented via a computer screen, there is more interactivity as you read. You can just click on items and links and you will be easily transported into sections of the book in seconds.
They’re environment-friendly – Since no paper is ever needed to make ebooks, no tree or plant is ever harmed during their production.
Now that you’re convinced that digital book publishing has some great advantages over its traditional counterpart, you may consider browsing through this list of sites where you can submit your ebooks, and make money from your writing efforts.
Publishing books has never been easier due to the existence of ebooks. Are you an aspiring author who’s yet to make an income with your writings? Take advantage of these methods I just gave about selling ebooks properly and experience the power of words and letters as they revolutionize the way you live.
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