A Guide to Selling Your eBook Online

October 6, 2022

Are you interested in self-publishing your novel as an ebook online? The painful and expensive path of formal publishing can discourage brilliant new authors from getting started. With self-publishing, you can begin your journey as an author without the hassle and fees of publishers and editors. Here is a look at the five steps needed to start selling your ebook today.  

Step 1: Find a Compatible e-Commerce Platform

sell ebooks online with samcart

Start by finding an e-commerce platform that supports ebook sales. Here are some things to consider when looking for a platform for your book:

     
  • Physical and digital product sales: Do you hope to also sell your book as a hard copy one day? Perhaps you are interested in launching your own writing class? Rather than starting over with a new e-commerce platform, look for one that supports digital product sales, online course sales, and physical product sales, all in the same platform, as SamCart does.
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  • Royalties: The benefit of selling your ebook online is the opportunity to skip the publisher royalty system. However, some e-commerce sites still distribute low author royalties for online book sales. For example, at the time of publication, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing only pays authors 35% - 70% of their ebook profits. SamCart, on the other hand, gives authors 100% of their ebook royalties.
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  • Automatic ebook delivery: When customers buy your book, they will likely want to start reading right away. Rather than manually sending each reader your ebook, look for a platform with automatic delivery. This feature offers less work for you and more instant convenience for your readers.
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  • No transaction fees: Transaction fees and unnecessary charges are all designed to tax an author’s success. You can make the most of each sale by finding an e-commerce platform without unnecessary fees.

Once you partner with an e-commerce site that is right for your ebook, you can start building your sales page.  

Step 2: Build Your Sales Page

You do not need an intricate website to start selling your book, since SamCart helps authors get started with an ebook-specific sales page. You can choose your layout from our library of professionally-designed templates—each crafted to help your ebook sell. Finishing your page takes only a matter of minutes with our Drag and Drop builder. Then, polish it off with a custom domain.  What if you already have an author website? You can easily embed your sales page into your existing site for a seamless selling experience. Simply direct readers to your sales page using embedded pop-ups, links, buttons, and more.   Once you have your page built, you can start sorting through the finer details of your ebook sales.  

Step 3: Configure Your Pricing

How much do you want to charge for your ebook? Which payment options would you like to accept? Nailing down these answers is the next step in selling your ebook online.   SamCart can help by offering a variety of payment options and structures, including:

     
  • Apple Pay
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  • Google Pay
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  • Credit Card Payments
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  • Debit Card Payments
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  • Pay What You Want Pricing
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  • Subscription Pricing
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  • Membership-Based Pricing
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  • SamPay

While it can seem intimidating, it is essential not to let uncertainty stop you from selling your book. SamCart makes it easy to try a few different configurations to find what works best for you.  

Step 4: Start Selling Your eBook Online

After you have finalized your page, you can launch your ebook and start selling. Jump to the top of the bestseller list in no time! SamCart will automatically deliver your ebook to readers, taking the weight off your shoulders and giving you more time to write.  

Step 5: Continue Growing as an Author

SamCart lets you create unlimited sales pages without any additional costs. You can publish your ebook in different languages to reach a wider audience. Or, create a series and keep your story going. You can also sell physical copies of your book, merchandise, or digital products to grow your business in different directions. Make the most of each transaction with upsells and add-ons. As you continue growing as an author, SamCart can support you every step of the way.  

SamCart for Authors: Sell Your eBook Online Here

You can start selling your ebook for free today with a SamCart trial. Our e-commerce platform supports authors, creators, and online sellers seeking affordable, reliable solutions for online sales. We invite you to sign up or view our demo for more information!

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