How to create an ebook to sell

Creating an eBook is a great way to dive into selling digital products. And, it doesn’t take as much technical expertise as building a course.

If you’re a blogger who creates written content, think of it as creating a little more of that content and putting it together as a nicely packaged PDF.

By creating and selling my Physiology Study Guide, I’ve been able to add a nice source of revenue to my blog.

But how do you create a high-quality eBook? Keep reading.

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Writing Your Ebook Content

The content of your eBook is the most important part. This is where you deliver the value.

If you’re trying to teach your audience something with your eBook (like I’m doing with my study guide), you want to start off by asking the following questions:

• Who is my ideal target person?
• What EXACTLY is my audience trying to accomplish and how is the content of my eBook related to their goals?
• What struggles will they encounter as they try to reach their goal(s)?
• How can you best create content that helps your ideal target people accomplish their goals and overcome their struggles?

Once you’re very clear on the answers to the above questions, start writing.

Software Options for Creating Your Ebook

When it comes to creating an eBook, the software part is very simple. You can use WHICHEVER Word Processing program you are familiar using.

Some options are:

• Microsoft Word (PC/Mac)
• Microsoft Word Online (PC/Mac. FREE)
• Pages (Mac only)
• Open Office (PC/Mac. FREE)
• Google Docs (PC/Mac. FREE)

The programs listed above have similar functions that allow for the basic Word Processing tools necessary to create an awesome eBook.

I’m partial to Pages on the Mac because I think it’s the sexiest Word Processor in existence. It makes me look like an expert when it comes to design.

How to Format your Ebook

Formatting is important when it comes to your eBook; it can help you deliver your message in a clearer way.

If you were to lump the entire eBook together as one long continuous paragraph (one extreme), it would be absolutely ridiculous to read.

On the other hand, if every sentence has bolded, italicized and underlined words (another extreme), this too is a bit much.

Finding the perfect balance of bold, italics, and callouts can lead the reader to important concepts, making your eBook easier to read.

Here are some tips to help make your eBook more of a joy to read:

• Keep your paragraphs relatively short.
• Use bold and italics strategically to emphasize key phrases and words that will help portray your message well.
• If there’s a certain statement or quote that you REALLY want the reader to focus on, use a callout (shown in the image below) to highlight that statement/quote.

When it comes to formatting, remember to KISS your book: Keep It Super Simple. When looking at an entire page, consider whether your choice of elements helps deliver a clear picture of your message, be mindful of distracting elements.

How to Link to Content in Your Ebook

One of the great features of eBooks is that you can insert links to relevant content. In my case, I have over 100 videos on my biology blog, most of which relate directly to content in the eBook.

In fact, my eBook is basically the content that’s available for free on my blog, packaged into an eBook that makes it more convenient for readers to consume.

So to enhance my eBook, I have links throughout the entire document pointing to relevant videos on my site. It’s my way of going above and beyond what you can do with a regular book.

Where to Find Images for Your Ebook

The beauty of an eBook is that you aren’t limited by the use of images. Paper texts are a financial challenge because of the cost of printing color photos. With eBooks, you can use images to enhance your eBook without the added financial burden.

Colorful images were EXTREMELY useful for me since my eBook covers complex topics like the function of the brain, and it’s individual neurons, how muscle contractions happen and how blood flows through the heart.

It’s much easier to understand these concepts if you can actually see pictures illustrating the topics I cover.

When choosing images, you want to make sure you have appropriate permissions to use each photo. The last thing you want is a lawsuit for copyright infringement.

The best way to make sure you are getting high-quality images and have the rights needed to use those pictures is to invest in, and purchase, Royalty-Free Images from a trusted Royalty-free image site.

The site that I currently recommend is 123rf.com, this site offers awesome images for $1. However, if budget is an issue, you can always use some Free Image Sites.

Choosing Your Ebook Format

Your eBook should be delivered as a PDF file; PDFs are great ways to keep the formatting consistent, regardless of the device used to consume content because the file type is universally accepted.

Most Word Processing programs can convert a file to PDF by going to “File” > “Export” (please note: the wording may be slightly different depending on which program you’re using) and then select that you want to export as a PDF.

Save the file to your hard drive and you are good to go.

How to Sell Your eBook

There are MANY ways to sell your eBook, and I won’t cover them all here. However, I will talk about the one that I use, and, which in my opinion, is one of the EASIEST ways to sell an eBook.

The site that I use is Gumroad. I use it because it takes the headache out of EVERY step.

You simply upload the file to the site, give it a title and description, set a price and upload a cover image. Gumroad then takes care of EVERYTHING else and gives you a URL that you can use to sell the eBook.

Once you link your bank account, it will direct deposit the money from all sales to your bank within two days.

It’s a beautiful thing.

Your eBook

So there you have it. With these instructions, you can go ahead and create an awesome eBook. Questions for you: Have you ever created an eBook? If so, what’s it about (feel free to link it below). And if you haven’t, do you plan on creating one?

Let me know in the comments below.

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