Ebook publishing is an endeavour in which one can make passive income for years, either as an author or publisher.
Ebook, a short for ‘Electronic Book’ is a digital form of a printed book designed to be read on devices like computers, tablets, or smartphones. These days, just like with paperbacks, many authors now write and publish the books they want with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), including novels, children’s books, comics, cookbooks, journals, poetry, and textbooks.
Besides publishing books and magazines that have a digital equivalent, there are also digital textbooks that are intended to serve as the text for a class and help in technology-based education.
In Nigeria today, just as it is in the world, hardcopy and softcopy publications go hand in hand. Even recently, the Lagos State government, through the ministry of education, reviewed the scheme of work and introduced specialised e-books for major subjects for secondary school students in the state to enhance the quality of learning.
A student in one of the higher institutions of learning said, at the moment, they are using e-books the most, and this is because their lecturers recommend e-books for us.
Another student said: “I use and prefer e-books because our lecturers give us slides or pdf copies of their materials, which shows they also use e-books.”
A site that sells ebooks, Selar, says ebook publishing can be profitable and making money from ebooks is possible. However, it largely depends on the quality of your ebook. If you have a poorly written ebook, nobody will buy it.
Early in 2010, the number of e-books published in the U.S. began to surpass that of hardcover books.
The best part about selling ebooks is that it is a digital products that you can sell to anyone in any part of the world. You are not limited by your country or location. With an ebook platform, you can set up your account, upload your product, and watch it reach thousands of people in different countries.
Corroborating the above is a bookseller, Babafemi Oladele, who believes the main factors driving people to purchase e-books are probably lower costs, increased comfort, and a wider range of book options. For instance, a Christian book at Amazon is sold as a “paperback” for $9.56 while an ebook is sold for $5.43.
He said that after having the manuscript of one’s work, the next thing to do when thinking about how to best monetize your ebook is to locate a publishing platform where you could make the most money from.
Sales
A trainer in ebook publishing said there will be patronage if your ebook is valuable and targets the right audience when marketing on social media. One also receives royalties, and your royalties can last a lifetime as long as your book is listed for sale. You will be making money off every book sold as long as people are still buying your books, and you will still be getting a cut from those sales.
Pricing
Pricing depends on your book’s length, reviews, and competition. You can sell your book for whatever price you like, and you can alter the price to test different tactics.
Markets
There are markets for ebooks even though sales are not automatic. You have to put in the work and be consistent. You might also need to add other things to the e-book publishing, like running ads to reach many people who might need it, so your budget for ads depends on your pocket. You can start with a small amount of money between N1,000 and 2,000 per day.
