Self-Publishing Profits: 3 Reasons to Write Short Ebooks and Sell Them Online

March 6, 2013 - PRLog -- I've been writing and selling ebooks online since 2004. Now that biggies like Amazon and Barnes and Noble have made self-publishing so easy (and profitable!) for many novice writers, there's no better time to "write to sell," so to speak.

The Growth of Self-Publishing: Just How Fast Is It Taking Off

Want proof that now's a good time to write an ebook and publish it yourself? Consider this. According to stats in the article, Mark Coker's 2013 Book Publishing Industry Predictions - Indie Ebook Authors Take Charge, on the Smashwords blog:

"... in the US, ebooks as a percentage of the overall trade book market will probably reach about 45% in 2013, up from approximately 30% in 2012, 19% in 2011, 8% in 2010, 3% in 2009, and 1% in 2008... In 2012, all the major ebook retailers expanded their global operations. Amazon is now in about 10 countries. The Apple iBookstore is operating stores in 50 countries. Barnes & Noble entered the U.K. in 2012, and will probably make 2013 the year it goes completely global."

In case you don't know, Mark Coker is the founder of Smashwords, the largest distributor of indie ebooks. Via the site, any writer can format, publish and distribute ebooks to all major retailers.

3 Reasons Writing and Self-Publishing Short Ebooklets Can be So Profitable

Now that you know how fast self-publishing is growing, let's look at three reasons every wannabe writer should put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and bang out short works to sell.

I. Short Attention Spans: My shortest ebook is 18 pages. It was written in a day and retails for about $5 on Amazon and approximately $7 on my site. It sells relatively well - even several years after it was written.

How/why?

One reason is, people have short attention spans these days. And, when they look for information - especially online - they want specific info as it pertains to specific problems. This benefits you as an ebook writer because you don't have to cover a broad topic in comprehensive detail. Break it down into individual questions - and answer those.

For example, my ebooks cover freelance writing (http://inkwelleditorial.com/start-a-freelance-writing-career) mostly. I have a multitude of them but they're different because they cover specifics of the freelance writing trade, eg, some are about marketing; some are about how to price freelance writing jobs; some are about how to deal with freelance writing clients.

See what I mean?

II. People are Buying More Ebooks: As the statistics above illustrate, readers are buying more ebooks. Why shouldn't one of them be yours?

III. Make Good Money: Writing and selling your own ebooks online can be very lucrative. How lucrative? Consider the following, which is a true story.

Is Self-Publishing Profitable? You Decide

How One Self-Published Author Earned Over $1,000 in One Month - from One Ebook

A friend of mine wrote a short love story - only about 60 pages. It took her about a week to write (she's been a closet writer for most of her life). She put it on Amazon for $2.99. In one month, she sold over 500 copies. She NETTED $2.06 per copy. That's over $1,000 for one ebook - in just one month.

Imagine if you wrote and self-published 5, or 10 or 15 ebooks - and they sold only a quarter of this. You'd be making a very good living.

As you can see, self-publishing ebooks can be very profitable. And it's fun - especially if you like to write (think how many do it JUST for fun). If you treat it like a business though, you can actually turn it into a highly successful career option.
___________________________

About the Author: Yuwanda has written and self-published over 50 ebooks, which can be found on major sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in addition to her freelance writing website, InkwellEditorial.com. If you found the info here insightful, get more in the complete self-publishing package on selling ebooks online (http://inkwelleditorial.com/ebook-publishing-package-get-...). It will not only teach you how to write an ebook (in just a few days!), but also tell you exactly how to market it and start getting sales within a week - really!