Selling e-books/books on a large scale

[testuser]

I've created an e-book about a problem that many people are facing: anxiety and panic attacks. I suffered from this myself for decades. The actual root cause of the problem is something that no one ever tells you. At least, that is my experience. I never found this solution in any book and all the psychologists I talked to never told me this.

I think the product is pretty good. And every customer I ask is telling me they learned something new and even some customers have completely resolved their anxiety and panic attacks they have been suffering from for years. And because I actually suffered from it myself I know this stuff works. This also works for depression, burnout, and basically any mental problem. I'm currently selling through my own website.

But it's still a little bit rough around the edges. Although I'm an IT guy I'm not a developer or designer so my website / landing page might be improved a lot. I'm not leveraging platforms like Amazon yet. I'm using FB and Google ads advertising.

I'm currently only selling in my country. I do have an English version of my book. Trying to promote this in the UK with some success. The US seems to be saturated regarding FB ads. The CPM is like 5 times higher vs my country.

I'm looking for someone who has experience with selling e-books or books in general on a large scale to help take this to the next level. I might need an entire new theme for my website but I'm not sure what works best. I was looking at some online courses but I always find I already know most of the stuff. I just need someone that looks over the shoulder. I can execute most things myself.

In return, I can help with anything related to an internet business, marketing, writing books and other stuff. I can also pay for help.

If you're interested and serious I can send you a free copy of my book, talking numbers, show the site etc.

Thanks!

 

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[MRiabov]

Just ask. You need to know how to create a better sales page? I or @Fox can probably help with that. Need to know how to do Google ads incredibly? Read posts from @Andy Black, and also read books on copywriting. Need to know how to do advertising mass-scale? I bet @Johnny boy is the most experienced man on the whole forum.

But asking for a mentor here is kinda marking yourself for death. So bad, that MJ even mentioned those selling "looking for mentor" as those who are looking for "easy way out".

One thing I'd personally advice is "don't let the 'I don't know' stop you". I didn't know how to do websites yet I learned it and now am growing my business on it. You say you are "no designer" and I say "go take a course on Udemy, read a couple of copywriting books and you'll be a designer with sales skills.

 

[Fox]

What’s your total audience size and how are you growing it?

For something like this (at least initially) your books success is going to be down to your own reach.

Some examples:
Dan Koes new book coming out
Hormozis books
Pat Flynn’s Book
Sean Cannell YouTube book

I think the question here is how to now grow a much bigger audience. The book sounds solid so that would be the next logical step.

And then maybe down the line the book starts to create enough momentum it promotes itself.

 

[Andy Black]

Tell us more about the Google Ads campaign.

Is it profitable?

Is it search, performance max, or ... ?

If search, what's your impression share metrics and how close are your search terms to what you intended?

Do you capture email addresses as part of the sales process? Is it before the sale as an opt-in and you have some sort of newsletter or auto responder series, or is it part of the sale?

Check out threads by other people who've sold books. Ones that spring to mind are @Fox, @Cameraman, @MTF. Obviously MJ has too.

I did this video for Cameraman a while back:

View: https://youtu.be/KIOpiji1xXM?si=HSIRxorRp58qkGz9

 

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[testuser]

Just ask. You need to know how to create a better sales page? I or @Fox can probably help with that. Need to know how to do Google ads incredibly? Read posts from @Andy Black, and also read books on copywriting. Need to know how to do advertising mass-scale? I bet @Johnny boy is the most experienced man on the whole forum.

But asking for a mentor here is kinda marking yourself for death. So bad, that MJ even mentioned those selling "looking for mentor" as those who are looking for "easy way out".

One thing I'd personally advice is "don't let the 'I don't know' stop you". I didn't know how to do websites yet I learned it and now am growing my business on it. You say you are "no designer" and I say "go take a course on Udemy, read a couple of copywriting books and you'll be a designer with sales skills.

Ohh yea, that's exactly what I'm looking for! Mentor is the wrong word. I actually changed that word from help to mentor at the last second before posting. I just need someone to spar with, having a look at what I currently have and what I can or should change for the better.

I did everything myself so far so if nobody can help me that won't stop me at all. I know what you mean, I already bought some books on copywriting, and watching hours of YT videos on all kinds of topics. So if you can help me with taking a look at my theme/sales page(s) that would be much appreciated!

What’s your total audience size and how are you growing it?

For something like this (at least initially) your books success is going to be down to your own reach.

Some examples:
Dan Koes new book coming out
Hormozis books
Pat Flynn’s Book
Sean Cannell YouTube book

I think the question here is how to now grow a much bigger audience. The book sounds solid so that would be the next logical step.

And then maybe down the line the book starts to create enough momentum it promotes itself.

I'm trying to reach them through SEO and SEA. Currently, I'm reaching a few 100.000's of people with my ads. People started to follow my social page etc. But it's basically zero at this point. Got like 500 followers. I basically offered the book first without a following.

I see what you mean but I think they did it the other way around, they first build a name/following and then released their books. I'm releasing the book without a following. But along the way, people are following me. Not sure if this is the right or best way but it seems to work at least at the scale I'm at right now.

Tell us more about the Google Ads campaign.

Is it profitable?

Is it search, performance max, or ... ?

If search, what's your impression share metrics and how close are your search terms to what you intended?

Do you capture email addresses as part of the sales process? Is it before the sale as an opt-in and you have some sort of newsletter or auto responder series, or is it part of the sale?

Check out threads by other people who've sold books. Ones that spring to mind are @Fox, @Cameraman, @MTF. Obviously MJ has too.

I did this video for Cameraman a while back:

View: https://youtu.be/KIOpiji1xXM?si=HSIRxorRp58qkGz9

I've been trying some things over the last few months. But in general, it's a very basic campaign. I tried search with manual cpc and target CPA. Target CPA didn't get me many results. Manual cpc seems to work. I've spent about €700 this year with a ROAS of about 1.5. I would like to spend a lot more to reach more people but there is not enough search volume it seems for the keywords I use and I can't really find new ones.

I did one world campaign based on the English language but that didn't work at all So now I just created a new search campaign only focussing on UK and maybe US later if UK works out. There is simply a lot more volume in keyword searches compared to my local language. The reason I focus on the UK is because there is a zero tax rate on e-books so I have some more headroom on advertising. And if it works in the UK then it will prob work in the US.

My search terms are pretty good, at least I think it's related to what I'm offering. I had 42k impressions and a CTR of 14%

Was hoping to scale Google Ads a lot more. FB ads seem to do much better. Currently spending 5k a month.

Currently, I only capture email when there is a sale. I don't have any opt-ins, news letters etc.

What would be the best step for now? I'll check those resources out, thanks!

 

[Andy Black]

Ohh yea, that's exactly what I'm looking for! Mentor is the wrong word. I actually changed that word from help to mentor at the last second before posting. I just need someone to spar with, having a look at what I currently have and what I can or should change for the better.

I did everything myself so far so if nobody can help me that won't stop me at all. I know what you mean, I already bought some books on copywriting, and watching hours of YT videos on all kinds of topics. So if you can help me with taking a look at my theme/sales page(s) that would be much appreciated!


I'm trying to reach them through SEO and SEA. Currently, I'm reaching a few 100.000's of people with my ads. People started to follow my social page etc. But it's basically zero at this point. Got like 500 followers. I basically offered the book first without a following.

I see what you mean but I think they did it the other way around, they first build a name/following and then released their books. I'm releasing the book without a following. But along the way, people are following me. Not sure if this is the right or best way but it seems to work at least at the scale I'm at right now.


I've been trying some things over the last few months. But in general, it's a very basic campaign. I tried search with manual cpc and target CPA. Target CPA didn't get me many results. Manual cpc seems to work. I've spent about €700 this year with a ROAS of about 1.5. I would like to spend a lot more to reach more people but there is not enough search volume it seems for the keywords I use and I can't really find new ones.

I did one world campaign based on the English language but that didn't work at all So now I just created a new search campaign only focussing on UK and maybe US later if UK works out. There is simply a lot more volume in keyword searches compared to my local language. The reason I focus on the UK is because there is a zero tax rate on e-books so I have some more headroom on advertising. And if it works in the UK then it will prob work in the US.

My search terms are pretty good, at least I think it's related to what I'm offering. I had 42k impressions and a CTR of 14%

Was hoping to scale Google Ads a lot more. FB ads seem to do much better. Currently spending 5k a month.

Currently, I only capture email when there is a sale. I don't have any opt-ins, news letters etc.

What would be the best step for now? I'll check those resources out, thanks!

Check the resources then come back and ask questions.

 

[Andy Black]

I changed your thread title and removed a word or two from your opening post.

 

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[Dome]

Do you have an affiliate system? You could add your ebook for example to clickbank or digistore24 both come with many affiliates. But read a little bit into it and set some rules for affiliates. Do not auto accept them! I have learned this the hard way. I have one product that is spammed on cheap review sites, sometimes with a complete wrong description of the product. So whenever someone now googles the brand name he sees 100 of cheap spam blogs promoting/reviewing the product. Not so nice .

But you could try to find/win your own affiliates. Maybe there are some review sites/bloggers/influencers/email list guys in your niche.

 

[Tulio De Silva]

Criei um e-book sobre um problema que muitas pessoas enfrentam: ansiedade e ataques de pânico. Eu mesmo sofri com isso por décadas. A verdadeira causa raiz do problema é algo que ninguém conta. Ao menos essa é minha experiência. Nunca encontrei essa solução em nenhum livro e todos os psicólogos com quem conversaram nunca me disseram isso.

Acho que o produto é muito bom. E cada cliente a quem está me argumentando dizendo que aprendeu algo novo e até mesmo alguns clientes resolveram completamente a ansiedade e os ataques de pânico que vinham sofrendo há anos. E porque eu mesmo sofri com isso, sei que essa coisa funciona. Isso também funciona para depressão, esgotamento e basicamente qualquer problema mental. Atualmente estou vendendo pelo meu próprio site.

Mas ainda é um pouco áspero nas bordas. Embora eu seja um cara de TI, não sou desenvolvedor ou designer, então meu site/página de destino pode ser muito melhorado. Ainda não estou aproveitando plataformas como a Amazon. Estou usando publicidade de anúncios do FB e do Google.

Atualmente estou vendendo apenas no meu país. Eu tenho uma versão em inglês do meu livro. Tentando promover isso no Reino Unido com algum sucesso. Os EUA parecem estar saturados em relação aos anúncios do FB. O CPM é 5 vezes maior em relação ao meu país.

Procure alguém que tenha experiência na venda de e-books ou livros em geral em grande escala para ajudar a levar isso para o próximo nível. Posso precisar de um tema totalmente novo para meu site, mas não tenho certeza de que funciona melhor. Estava procurando alguns cursos online, mas sempre descobri que já sei a maior parte do assunto. Só preciso de alguém que olhe por cima do ombro. Posso executar a maioria das coisas sozinho.

Em troca, posso ajudar em qualquer coisa relacionada a negócios na Internet, marketing, redação de livros e outras coisas. Também posso pagar por ajuda.

Se você estiver interessado e sério, posso enviar uma cópia gratuita do meu livro, falando sobre números, mostrar o site etc.

Obrigado!

 

[Tulio De Silva]

Friend, can you send me a copy of your book and your website to look at, I've already released some ebooks too
if you can send it to my email
tuliodaslv95@hotmail.com
Maybe I have some ideas that could help you scale your sales.

 

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[Bence Ur]

People are generating books with ChatGPT like there's no tomorrow. For example, check out this video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irEi7DVBHdA


Because of this, I think nowadays it's hard to make good money just from one ebook. Your competition is using automation like ChatGPT. By the time you finished your ebook, your competition had already generated 1,000 other books with the same subject.

If you want to make money solely from ebooks, then you need volume and automation, but of course quality at the same time.

There is another way, treat your book as a lead magnet and build your authority and personal brand with it. So you might use the book to showcase your expertise, build trust, then sell things like coaching, online courses, private membership by solving your target audience's problems and creating value.

 

[StrikingViper69]

People are generating books with ChatGPT like there's no tomorrow. For example, check out this video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irEi7DVBHdA


Because of this, I think nowadays it's hard to make good money just from one ebook. Your competition is using automation like ChatGPT. By the time you finished your ebook, your competition had already generated 1,000 other books with the same subject.

If you want to make money solely from ebooks, then you need volume and automation, but of course quality at the same time.

There is another way, treat your book as a lead magnet and build your authority and personal brand with it. So you might use the book to showcase your expertise, build trust, then sell things like coaching, online courses, private membership by solving your target audience's problems and creating value.

Huge assumptions here.

Yes the competition may be using ChatGPT to create tons of books... but they'll all be crap.

When it comes to non-fiction, ChatGPT will regurgitate common sense... if it's correct. What people want is insights. Insights can't be generated from ChatGPT, they will come from someone with experience.

Sure these AI written books will make a few dollars, and some people will make a nice amount of zeros on that dollar, but eventually it'll go the way of every other scammy "biz op", and people will be selling courses on how to make and sell AI books.

There will always be a market for real experts that can help real people.

 

[Bence Ur]

Huge assumptions here.

Yes the competition may be using ChatGPT to create tons of books... but they'll all be crap.

When it comes to non-fiction, ChatGPT will regurgitate common sense... if it's correct. What people want is insights. Insights can't be generated from ChatGPT, they will come from someone with experience.

Sure these AI written books will make a few dollars, and some people will make a nice amount of zeros on that dollar, but eventually it'll go the way of every other scammy "biz op", and people will be selling courses on how to make and sell AI books.

There will always be a market for real experts that can help real people.

It's also an assumption that ChatGPT-generated books are crap. For example in the linked video the guy claims that a human proofreader goes through each AI-generated book before publishing (fact-checking, proofreading). And a lot depends on the prompt, the more detailed and better the prompt is, the better the quality will be.

My point is that if you write a book manually, by the time you finished it, other people had already generated 1,000 or more books on the same subject by the AI. I don't know about the quality, but it is still competition. You still need to prove that your human-written book is better than those other 1,000 AI-generated book. A human writer isn't a guarantee that the book content is good and fact-checked. Even a human ghostwriter might scam you and use pure AI-generated content. ChatGPT might write a better book than an "expert". Even human writers "regurgitate common sense" often. Even a human writer might write down false facts.

people will be selling courses on how to make and sell AI books

Yes and now there are courses which teach you how to make money with AI-generated books. So it increases the competition even more.

That's why my point is that you need to use your book as a lead magnet and to build your authority.

Or else if you want to make good money selling books then be aware of the fact that your competition is generating AI books like there's no tomorrow, the competition is fierce.

 

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[StrikingViper69]

It's also an assumption that ChatGPT-generated books are crap. For example in the linked video the guy claims that a human proofreader goes through each AI-generated book before publishing (fact-checking, proofreading). And a lot depends on the prompt, the more detailed and better the prompt is, the better the quality will be.

My point is that if you write a book manually, by the time you finished it, other people had already generated 1,000 or more books on the same subject by the AI. I don't know about the quality, but it is still competition. You still need to prove that your human-written book is better than those other 1,000 AI-generated book. A human writer isn't a guarantee that the book content is good and fact-checked. Even a human ghostwriter might scam you and use pure AI-generated content. ChatGPT might write a better book than an "expert". Even human writers "regurgitate common sense" often. Even a human writer might write down false facts.



Yes and now there are courses which teach you how to make money with AI-generated books. So it increases the competition even more.

That's why my point is that you need to use your book as a lead magnet and to build your authority.

Or else if you want to make good money selling books then be aware of the fact that your competition is generating AI books like there's no tomorrow, the competition is fierce.

If you deliver real insight and value, your competition drops to zero.

Let everyone pollute the world with AI books, it'll make a well written book shine brighter when it's found.

 

[Dome]

People are generating books with ChatGPT like there's no tomorrow. For example, check out this video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irEi7DVBHdA


Because of this, I think nowadays it's hard to make good money just from one ebook. Your competition is using automation like ChatGPT. By the time you finished your ebook, your competition had already generated 1,000 other books with the same subject.

If you want to make money solely from ebooks, then you need volume and automation, but of course quality at the same time.

There is another way, treat your book as a lead magnet and build your authority and personal brand with it. So you might use the book to showcase your expertise, build trust, then sell things like coaching, online courses, private membership by solving your target audience's problems and creating value.

Dude is just marketing his courses on how to make money with AI Books. I doubt he even made that sum he is talking about from AI eBooks maybe he will in future but from the course earnings.

But yeah AI books are also flooding Amazon KDP. Amazon just made new rules that you have to tell if you used AI in your process. But I think that is nothing to fear from when you are a quality writer.