Make a Living Writing Ebooks   by Muyen Peng

in Publishing / EBooks    (submitted 2011-02-07)

It's doubtful you stumbled upon this article by chance. If you found your way here, it's probably because you would like to know a thing or two about writing an e-book and having it published and sold through a chain of online outlets.

The digital era is a godsend for anyone who has always wanted to author a book. As recent as just a decade ago, would-be authors would have to go through the traditional road of getting a book published. This means finding an agent that would be willing to put his name behind your work. This usually only happens after several disappointing rejections.

Even if your book reaches a publisher, you'll still have many thorns getting in your way. The cost of getting your book printed and copied by the hundreds and even thousands can be astronomical. If your book does poorly in sales, this could result in minus profits for you. In addition, seeing a copy of your book in the bargain bin can be a crushing feeling.

To add to the woes of traditional publishing, you'll be signing over the rights of your book to your agent in most cases. Give your agent too much control and he'll be helping himself to a generous chunk of the commissions, and you'll be earning just a few measly cents for every copy of your book sold.

The benefits of writing an e-book eliminates all the aforementioned problems associated with traditional publishing, and you don't even need an agent.

To get started, just do a Google search for the phrase "how to publish an e-book." This should give you a list of online publishing companies. For an affordable fee, these companies will convert your e-book to the appropriate format and distribute them to online stores. A lot of these companies also provide additional services, such as customizing a cover for your book and providing an ISBN number.

When choosing which online company to go with, don't just select one randomly. Look at what the site offers and then look for reviews of the company. If the company is named "Sam's Publishing," then google the words "Sam's Publishing reviews." Often, you'll find feedback from previous clients who had published with the company.

Another thing with e-books is that it doesn't need to be published at all. If you have no interest in having your e-book sold through online retails, then you could simply create your own website and sell your e-book there.

Once your e-book is written and released, you will need to promote it. With traditional books, this use to require tons of traveling. With e-books, news of your book could spread easily through blogs and social networks. This can all be done behind your desk. No needless traveling required.

So you've decided you wanted to write an e-book. The next question then is what do you write? You could write on just about anything. If you happen to be an expert on a particular subject, such as dating or making money, then you could write a how-to book.

You could also write on topics you have a keen interest in and offer your own views. If you're a UFO enthusiast, for example, then you could share your own theories about the Roswell crash in New Mexico or offer what you think is really going on behind Area 51.

Of course, there is always fiction, in which you have scores of genres to choose from. This is a good option if you got some wild story in your head that you want to share with the rest of the world. For fiction, a highly marketable audience to consider targeting are tweens. Think about what is popular among tweens. Do the Twilight movies come into mind? Use that idea to write a series of novels consisting of a blend of teen romance and horror.

These are all just ideas to give you a sense of what is possible. E-books have made writing a much more obtainable career. If you feel this is for you, then take advantage of this and start writing your first book!

About the Author

If you want a no nonsense manuel to writing and selling your own ebooks, look no further. This guide will explain in vivid detail everything you need to know about writing your first ebook and getting it sold like hotcakes on the web.