How to Sell eBooks on Shopify and Build Your Legacy as an Author

Digital marketplaces like Shopify come with several advantages, unlike traditional publishing set-ups or self-publishing book houses. Here’s a rundown of four major benefits that digital brings to the table!

24/7 Customer Support

The internet never sleeps. A customer might be trying to buy your book at midnight, or you might be trying to launch one overnight.

If you or your customers run into difficulties, an accessible platform such as Shopify offers a robust customer service function that can respond to your issues in real-time. That’s the benefit of any tech-enabled business.  

A Do-It-Yourself Approach 

You don’t need any design or coding skills to get your eBook store up and running on an eCommerce marketplace. The Shopify platform interface is extremely user-friendly and self-sufficient.

You can choose from over 70 responsive themes that work well across all devices. The platform’s mobile-first approach also makes shopping and engagement an intimate and convenient experience.

So, you can sell eBooks, and your readers can download books on the go. 

Leverage In-Built Seo and Social Tools

Shopify’s platform is well-integrated with a number of social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. It also has built-in SEO tools that let you optimize traffic to your store via content marketing tools such as blogs and articles.

Another valuable idea is to launch a referral program to incentivize your readers to share your content and eBooks with their friends, families, and communities. 

Get Access to Valuable Analytics 

Shopify’s unified dashboard gives you access to valuable data analytics that can be segmented into reports.

You can review customer order history and behavior and tailor your marketing campaigns to their interests. You can also track additional aspects such as sales, visits to your eStore, and responses to your referral program. 

Ready to Monetize Your Talent?

A couple of decades ago, publishing was an elite world that was extremely difficult to break into. However, in today’s world, eCommerce marketplaces such as Shopify have democratized publishing, making it an equal access opportunity for all.

This is a great way to monetize your storytelling talent and build an additional income pipeline. eCommerce marketplaces such as Shopify make it easy to accept payments and monetize your eBook store.  

Now, Choose Your Genre 

As a writer, it’s important to identify a niche that you connect with. It could be fiction or non-fiction. Within these segments, there’s a whole range of subjects and genres.

For instance, if you are a corporate business coach, you could write non-fiction books about how to excel in the workplace or business.

Whether you are a data scientist, a fitness expert, or a photographer, you can leverage eBooks to build visibility for your profile, showcase your knowledge, and evangelize ideas you are passionate about.

If you have a vivid imagination and a passion for mythology, you could specialize in this genre. It’s important to pick a genre that you genuinely enjoy writing in so that your audience connects with it and you get to sell eBooks.

Start Writing Your First eBook

This can be the hardest or the most exciting part, based on how you approach it.

You can start small. For instance, you can launch a brief book of your signature cocktail recipes or a guide for women consumers on managing their finances.

It could be just five to six pages. Ensure that the design and layout are well-crafted and that you use illustrations or photographs that make it eye-catching and engaging.

Once your first book is ready for publishing, the next step is to set up your online eBook store on Shopify. 

Now, Create Your Shopify eBook Store 

You can launch your store in a few simple steps:

• Visit the Shopify website and create an account.
• You can get started with the “start free trial” option in the eBooks section. This gives you access to a 14-day free trial period.
• Choose a store name that resonates with your signature writing style, and create your store!
• You will need to also set up a few additional details, such as the theme, payment methods, and the various sales channels, as well as streamline the checkout process.
• You can leverage an automated process to deliver the eBook to customers. 

Now, it’s time to sell eBooks! 

Build a Marketing Plan

It’s not enough to just write and sell eBooks. You also need to conceptualize and plan the marketing of your book.

You can leverage social media, communities that will connect to its theme, blogs, and newsletters to spread the word. You can also contribute content to various publications to build visibility for yourself as an author.

This creates buzz and will drive more traffic to your eBook store on Shopify. It’s a good idea to build a plug-and-play list of activities that help you market your eBooks optimally.