Ebook Writing: “How Much Experience Do I Need to Write an Ebook?”

This is a common concern for many wannabe ebook writers. And, the answer is, you don’t need any experience; at least not formalized training.

What You Need to Write Ebooks That Sell

There are basically three ingredients: (i) good writing skills; (ii) a subject that interests people; and (iii) some marketing skill.

In fact, writing an ebook is relatively easy; it’s the marketing that requires the real effort. And don’t worry if you don’t. Marketing is a skill that can be learned, so don’t let this deter you.

Writing an Ebook: “How Do I Decide What to Write About?”

This will depend a lot on your interests and your experience. For example, I’m passion about entrepreneurship. I’ve owned several businesses – online and off – and also have experience in several disciplines (eg, recruiting, real estate and mortgages), to name three.

Hence, I can write ebooks on any of these subjects, eg, how to recruit qualified freelancers for your business, how to qualify for a home loan with bad credit and what to expect when you buy your first house.

My advice to new ebook writers is to write what you know and/or have a burning passion to write about. For example, if you love sci-fi fiction and have an idea for a book floating around your head, why not give it a go. Just knuckle down and write your ebook! You never know what could happen.

How to Price an Ebook to Sell: “How Do I Figure Out What to Charge for My Ebook?”

Even seasoned ebook authors have a hard time with this. Places like Amazon have made it easier. You can literally look at your genre and see what other ebook authors are selling their books for.

Also, read the forums on sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble to see what the writers are saying, then go from there.

In my experience, learning how to price an ebook to sell is an ongoing learning curve. I tweak my ebook prices. I don’t do it too much though because: (i) I have a large library (over 50 tiles) at different price points; and (ii) I publish within a niche and have a good feel for what my readers will pay. But, this is after years of being in this field.

The bottom line if you’re a new ebook author is that you’re going to have to do some research first, set a price and watch sales. Then, tweak accordingly.

If you want to write an ebook, then by all means do it. There’s never been a better time to be an ebook author. With self-publishing, you retain control and keep the bulk of the profits. It just doesn’t get much better than this for writers!

Want to write an ebook in 3 days, market it, and start getting sales within a week? I’ve taught others how to — and I can show you how as well. Get full details at http://inkwelleditorial.com/how-to-write-an-ebook-fast-and-start-getting-sales-fast.

Why I Never Used a Pen Name Early in My Career as a Self-Publisher to Sell Ebooks Online

As mentioned above, I self-published my first ebook in 2004. Back then, it never occurred to me to use a pen name because I was writing career-oriented material (freelance writing, “how to” small business ebooks) that was building the brand of my freelance writing company. Hence, I wanted my publications to be associated with me / my firm.

Why Not Using a Pen Name Paid Off Handsomely for Me for Years as a Self-Publisher

Until 2011, all of my ebooks were on/about freelancing, internet marketing and small business, so I never had a need to “hide” my identity, so to speak. As I published more titles in these niches, I branded myself. My name and the titles I’ve published could (can) found all over the web. A simple Google search is all you need to find them.

The fact that I’ve been around so long and have published a ton of ebooks in tightly focused niches is paying off in spades almost 20 years later. Hence, I’m glad that it never occurred to me to use a pen name early in my career. Branding — this is a major factor to keep in mind if you want to consistently make money selling ebooks years down the line.

Writing and Selling Ebooks Online Advice: When You Might Want to Consider Using a Pen Name

In 2011, I wrote a relationship ebook which I published under a pen name. The main reason I decided to do so is that I didn’t want who I’ve come to be known as an ebook author (ie, a freelance writing/small business/SEO writing “guru/teacher”) to be mixed in any way with a different genre.

As an aside, this little relationship ebook is consistently one of my best sellers on Amazon. I don’t sell it from my site or any other outlet (as of this writing). This was refreshing to see because it proves that even without “name brand” recognition, an ebook can do well if it’s well written and on a topic people want to know about.

Selling Ebooks Online? How to Determine When to Use a Pen Name

If you decide to start writing and selling ebooks online, only you can decide what is right for you. The one piece of advice I’d give is to have a long-range plan for your self-publishing career, eg, what niche(s)/genre(s) do you want to write in/on; how many ebooks do you want to publish, for example, in a year; how will you market them; what are your sales projections; etc.

Like any other business, writing and selling ebooks online is just that – a business. If you treat it like one from day one – making every decision with a long-range view in mind — you’ll vastly increase your chance of self-publishing success.

Did you know that you can write and ebook, publish it and start getting sales within a week? You can. Learn how at http://inkwelleditorial.com/how-to-write-an-ebook-fast-and-start-getting-sales-fast.

I receive questions all the time from other freelancer writers self-publishing, eg, marketing ebooks, how to sell ebooks online, how to write an ebook, etc. If writing and selling ebooks online interests you, following are three things you absolutely must do in order to be successful.

I. To Write to Sell, You Must Create a Writing Schedule

Many freelance writers want to make money selling ebooks online. But, one of the things I hear a lot of them say is that they just can never seem to find the time to do so. And, if you’re a busy freelance writer working on client projects, this can be a big problem.

In 2011, I self-published 50 ebooks – yes, in one year! The reason I was able to do so is that I created a writing schedule. Without a writing schedule, I know that I never would have reached my goal.

Self-Publishing Tip: When you create your ebook writing schedule, put it where you can see it every day. This is critical because it will remind you of your goal. There will be no editor or publisher or agent to push you when you go the self-publishing route; all motivation must come from you, so this tip will help a lot.

II. When You Write to Sell, You Must Timeblock Your Days

Once you create your writing schedule, then the next step is to timeblock your days so that you don’t keep pushing back your ebook publishing goals.

When I wrote those 50 ebooks in one year – even though I time-blocked my days – I still fell behind because client projects and other stuff would get in the way. But, timeblocking allowed me to not only see in black and white how severely I was falling behind, it allowed me to rearrange my schedule to make up time.

III. Marketing Ebooks: If You Write to “Sell”, Then That Means You Must Have a Plan

Writing your ebook will be the easy part; the hard part when you write to sell is the ongoing marketing. A lot of ebook writers (including myself) fall down on their sword here. Personally, I’m usually so exhausted and tired of looking at the material after I write an ebook that I used to just upload it to my website’s store and that was it.

But marketing ebooks takes more than this. In order to make money selling ebooks online, you must have a sales plan. This can be article marketing (my favorite method because it’s free and effective); pay per click; or selling via sites like Clickbank and Amazon, etc.

Why I Love Writing and Selling Ebooks Online – and You Will Too!

To be honest, I think I’ll always create informational products to sell. It’s autonomous, you can write about what you want, when you want, from where you want, and the income is evergreen.

Retire on Income from Writing and Selling Your Own Ebooks

Just imagine building up cache of 20, 30 or 40 products; it can provide some nice “retirement income.” If Social Security is still around when you retire, great! If not, you won’t have to worry about financial security in your old age.

Want to Write to “Sell?” The Only Thing You Really Need to Do

And the great thing about writing ebooks (ie, in the “how to” genre) is they don’t have to be long; 30 or 40 pages is an ideal length. Most of mine tend to be a bit longer, but the point is, you don’t have to write a Moby Dick-length novel to be successful as a self-published ebook author. All you need to do to “write to sell” successfully is provide products that solve a problem for people – and market them consistently.

Read to “write to sell?” Learn how to “How to Write an Ebook in 3 Days, Market It & Start Getting Sales within a Week — Really!” at http://inkwelleditorial.com/how-to-write-an-ebook-fast-and-start-getting-sales-fast.