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Seven Secrets To Make Your eBook A Bestseller

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www.ConvertABook.com

At Convert A Book we work with hundreds of self-published indie authors as well as best selling authors like James Rollins and Steve Harvey. Some authors rise quickly to the top of the charts and sell hundreds to thousands of e-books and others struggle to sell just a few copies of their eBook. Working with so many authors has given us a lot of insight into the digital publishing process.

There is no magic button that turns your book into a best seller, but after working with hundreds of authors for several years we have found some very clear commonalities between authors that sell a lot of books. There are important things that every top-selling author seems to be particularly good at. We want to share these simple truths about e-book publishing success. The fact is, many of the traditional promotion techniques like bookstore signings just don’t work anymore—unless you happen to be particular famous like Bill Clinton or Martha Stewart.

1. A QUALITY PRODUCT

The importance of quality cannot be over emphasized. Too many people think about writing a book as some sort of get rich scheme. Good authors know that attempting to publish a book with an attitude like that is a recipe for disaster. Writing quality content is a lot of work! And readers know good writing when they see it because ideas are interesting and important, and the organization is logical and effective. Good authors spend a lot of time revising and editing their content to make sure it is clear and effectively communicates the message. If your book is well written, professionally edited, and well designed, it will stand out and your readers will recognize the quality of your work.

Last fall, a formatting error made J.K. Rowling’s eBook, The Casual Vacancy, unreadable on the Kindle. Off to market they went, lacking quality and design standards that readers rightfully expect. This turned out to be a very embarrassing and costly mistake!

Readers appreciate eBook titles that function correctly and intuitively. Broken links, poor formatting, and bad design all harm the user experience. Satisfied customers will recommend your eBook to their friends, while unhappy readers will more likely tell hundreds about the faulty product!

2. “PACKAGING” YOUR EBOOK

If you want your eBook to stand out from the thousands of other eBooks on those crowded eBook retail sites, you need a smart cover image. Despite the cliché, your prospective eBook buyers will judge your book by its cover, and a great eBook cover is one of your best sales tools. Your cover image should be interesting and captivating, but most importantly it should match the content and theme of your book. Make sure your cover image is professional and that it conveys the right message.

The description you write for your book is also extremely important. This small blurb about your book gives readers a quick look at the content and quality of your book. Make sure your description is well written and concise.

3. PRICING YOUR EBOOK FOR THE MARKET

At Convert A Book, we often get asked questions like, "How much should I sell my eBook for?" Believe it or not the price you set for your book can have a huge impact on your success.

Most people price their eBooks for just a few dollars less than the printed version. This only makes sense if you consider the absence of printing and shipping costs.

We highly recommend that you look up some other well-known eBooks in your industry and price yours accordingly. Recognize that in online purchases, a few cents can make the difference between a customer buying your book or your competitor's.

Every eBook retailer will take a percentage of your profit. The Amazon Bookstore, which has 80% of the market share, will pay you 70% of the sale price as long as your book is priced between 2.99 and 9.99. Anything above or below that range, and you're payout gets cut in half to 35%. The main takeaway here--, keep your price below 9.99 unless you have done the forecasting to know the ideal balance of pricing, fees and sales volume that will reap you the most profits.

The Apple iBookstore, as well as Copia, eBookPie, and Kobo pay 70%. With Kobo however, any sales outside the US, UK, Canada, or Australia will only get you 45%.

The Barnes and Noble and Sony stores pay 50%, while Gardners and Baker & Taylor pay 60%.

If you have a book that retails for a relatively substantial amount, remember that the maximum possible price for most online stores is $39.99.

(These numbers are offered as a general guide--we strongly recommend checking with each retailer for their full guidelines and pricing structure.Here is the Amazon Pricing Page)

4. DISTRIBUTION OF YOUR EBOOK

It’s difficult to sell an eBook without setting up the right channels for distribution. We recommend making your book available on every major online store, including Amazon (Kindle and Kindle Fire), Apple (iPad and iPhone), Barnes and Noble (Nook), Sony (Reader), and others. People tend to purchase most of their eBooks from the store where their device originates (iPad users buy from iBooks, Kindle users buy from Amazon etc.). Making your book available on each of these stores helps you to get your content in front of the right market.

Studies also show that eBook customers are more inclined to trust the established eBook retailers than they are a blog or author’s personal website. Particularly because the retailers have established means of delivery for the digital downloads when they are purchased.

Another benefit to selling your eBook through these popular stores is the option to add DRM to your eBook. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management and is the file protection system used by eBook retailers to protect your content from illegal copying.

The numbers don’t lie: Amazon now sells more eBooks than printed books. Kindle sales topped 1 million per week by the end of last year. More than 20% of publishing giant Random House’s revenues last year were from digital sales.

Tim Farris (Author of The 4-Hour Workweek) gives some more great tips in his article How to (Really) Make $1,000,000 Selling E-Books – Real-World Case Studies.

5. A WRITTEN MARKETING PLAN

It is extremely important that you spend time planning how you will promote your eBook after it is published. Consider every aspect of your marketing goals, and then write your plan down.

Here are a few important things to consider when you are writing your marketing plan:

• Budget – How much are you willing to spend on marketing your eBook?• Time – How much time are you willing to put in, and when will you be

able to devote that time. • Social Media-- How much time will be devoted to promoting your

eBook on FaceBook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media sites? • Book Reviews – Will you be sending your book to any bloggers or

reviewers? Which ones? • Speaking & Events • Book Signing• Paid Advertising with Google, FaceBook or others. • Freebies/Samples• Media Appearances/Interviews• Network Outreach/Email Blasts• Guest Post On Relevant Blogs

Here are some more great tips to Create A Killer Marketing Plan For Your Book Launch.

6. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

Think about your target market and consider whom you are trying to reach. Marketing is a form of communication where both parties stand to gain from the process. Who will benefit from your product, and why?

When you have a clear understanding of who you aim to reach and why you can benefit them, your marketing plan can become much more effective.

Try creating a few personas when you are writing your marketing plan (a personas is a fictional character that you create to represent someone who might be interested in your book. This tool helps you to determine different personality types within your targeted demographic.).

7. DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

Social media is a great way to engage with your potential customers.

Here are a few social media tips to get you started:

1. Start Talking!

A FaceBook page is a great place, if not the best place, to communicate with your fans. Ask questions, make comments, and post frequent updates. Your fans want to get to know you! Not only should you post updates on your own wall, but reach out to other authors or communities in your niche and join their conversations. The more you “talk” the more recognition you will get.

2. Free Stuff Is Awesome!

Everyone loves getting something for free! Hold competitions and offer free giveaways from your FaceBook page to attract more fans. You will be amazed how many people are willing to “like” a page for the chance to win

small prizes. You might even offer free signed copies of your latest book – or a free eBook!

3. Create a website or write a blog

Your own website or blog can act as a landing page and the “hub” of your marketing efforts. Blogging is a great way to establish yourself as an expert and you can gain followers who are interested in your content.

4. Add social media “Like” buttons to your website or blog

Do you have a blog or website? If you do, social media “Like” buttons are a great idea to capitalize on the visitors you already have. There are lots of options available, so find one that fits the look and style of your website.

5. NO SPAM

Gaining fans is all about gaining the trust of your community. Social media sites like FaceBook and Twitter are not a place to post all of your promotional advertisements and links to buy your book. People will not follow you if they are afraid you will try to spam them. Make sure your posts are entertaining and fun. As a rule of thumb, only one in 10 posts should be promotional.

We want to help you share your content on every device!

For a free consultation:

Visit: www.ConvertABook.comEmail: info@convertabook.com

Call: 1.801.657.5833