How to Sell eBooks Online

I love youtube. I recently received the following email from Doug, who recently watched one of my youtube videos for internet entrepreneurs.

I saw your site www.webtechgurl.com while looking for a website designer. I also saw your Youtube presentation on “How to make Money on the Web.” After watching that I knew you could help me. I am an instructor … I have written an [I removed this part, I don’t want to share his good idea] book that I would like to publish as an Ebook. This is one of ten that I intend to do. The book is finished and is in PDF pages. I need an ecommerce website that will sell my product without having to go the traditional publishing route (I will do that later, once I have made some money). I would like your help in making my dream come true. Please contact me with your rates and conditions.

Doug needs a website, but more importantly, he needs to know how to Sell eBooks Online. He already sent me a list of things that he KNOWS he needs, he just doesn’t know where to start, which is why I decided to write this post.

Doug Says:
I have secured a website domain from Godaddy.com.

My response: Godaddy is a great website to get low cost domain names. However, you will need both a domain and a web host. I suggest using Hostmonter.com Web Hosting because the hosting is inexpensive and the quality is great. I have half of my websites hosted on Hostmonster and I recommend it to all my clients. You can actually get a free domain name registration when you signup for Hostmonster, but you already bought your domain so that’s ok. Your website should share information about your eBook, maybe an excerpt, reviews, contact info, etc.

Doug Says:
I need An eBook delivery system and customer counter

My response: I suggest e-junkie, which is the ecommerce website that I use to sell my ebooks and you can signup for as little as $5. E-Junkie allows you to sell your digital content quickly and easily. You track customers, setup discounts, and set the download time period for your products. For example: One of my biggest issues as far as selling eBooks was that people could download the eBook whenever they wanted and share the link with others. Via e-junkie your downloads are set and secure. If you say the download expires in 72 hours, that is the timeframe buyers have to get your product. You can recommend your other products to customers as an upsell before they check out and you can send your customers updates or newsletters via e-junkie’s mail service. Plus you can easily setup your own affiliate links with e-junkie, as an incentive to get others to promote your products on commission. If people like your eBook, the might like the idea of earning a commission by promoting it to others, which is what affiliate marketing is all about.

Extra Point: I know Doug’s eBook is done, but I also recommend istockphoto if you are looking for eBook Cover Photos or Images to include inside your ebook. I get all my banner images and eBook cover images from istockphoto.

Doug Says:
I need a check-out and pay system.

My response: I recommend paypal.com. You can easily integrate paypal with your e-junkie account so that you can sell your ebooks and process credit or debit card payments. You can also use paypal to sell other products or services. I use paypal for everything: my buy-now buttons, my invoices, shopping carts, and membership subscription websites. Paypal is free to use, however there is a small fee per transaction. I love that I can easily track all payments, refund payments if needed, and document my sales for important things like doing my taxes. As a solo entrepreneur, paypal is the ecommerce service that I choose to handle all my sales online.

Doug Says:
I need a system that will collect the customer’s contact information

My response: Collecting customer information is a great idea because you want to build your list of customers and stay in contact with them on a regular basis. If people like your first eBook then might like your second one too! The easiest eBook sales you will get, will be from your previous customers. In addition to being able to track your customers via e-junkie, I suggest using an email Marketing service. I use iContact, which allows people to sign up to your newsletter or get updates from you. Read my iContact review. For example, you could offer a free preview of your ebook to people who signup for your newsletter.

Doug Says:
I need a monster website with eye-catching colors

My response: You can sell your eBooks directly from your own eJunkie shop, but I agree that I website would be a good idea. I do design websites (on the side, so I limit myself to only 3 websites per month). If I can’t work on your site, I suggest checking out Homestead Web Hosting, because they provide templates that you can use. Templates are useful if you want to build a website on your own. If you want to get a custom look, then you get a web designer, like me.

Doug Says:
I would like to use Google Adsense to increase revenue.

My response: I love Adsense, because it is one of my added streams of income. Here is the thing. You need a few things to generate Adsense sales. You need a website with a decent amount of keyword specific text content and you need to generate traffic to yourself so people will see and be interested in clicking on your ads. If you have a website and you want to tap into Affiliate or Adsense Revenue I recommend taking my online course in Affiliate Marketing and Sales. However, if you are just starting out, I say create your content and website first. Work on getting customers and sales second. Then try tapping into additional streams of income when you have steady sales.

Good luck Doug and Good luck to you (my reader) if you were also interested in selling eBooks Online!

One more thing… I almost forgot. I have an e-course entitled, Information Marketing and Sales and the first video tutorial is How to create an eBook. If you want to learn more about selling information products online, feel free to check out the course: Information Marketing and Sales.

Here is my Video Tutorial on How to Create eBooks:

Related Article by SistaSense: How to Create eBooks that Sell

Additional Tip: Use E-Junkie for ebook delivery and your affiliate program. It all ties into PayPal (or other payment processors) and it’s only $5 a month.