Fifteen thousand, four hundred and twenty eight, that is the number of listings that resulted from the search “ebook� on eBay this morning. Wow, talk about a vibrant marketplace, why would people list over 15,000 e-books if they weren’t selling? The answer is they wouldn’t, of course these puppies are selling, and you could be cashing in on this phenomenon. When publishing online it is best to keep a diverse group of outlets pitching your e-book. Just as it is important to keep a diverse portfolio in regards to investing, it’s similarly important to keep your eggs in several baskets. The more ways you offer your e-book the more opportunities one will have to read it. Thus, it is important to get your piece of the big pie known as eBay online. The key to this equation is that you author your own e-book, and then retain the rights to resell it if you choose to publish with an online publisher. If you forfeit your right to resell your own publication, go back and write another e-book, get a lawyer, and sign a better deal. Once you have your autonomy as an author under control, look at selling on eBay as a 4 step process, defined below.

Price is the most important element in selling your e-book. If you keep it cheap, as in a few cents, you won’t be able to spice up your listing with upgrades, or frankly, make any money. If you mark up your sale too high, you will price most of your customers out of the game, thus not allowing for maximized profits. How to find the magic price for your e-book, it’s as simple as doing one search. Simply login to eBay, and search for your topic or theme, combined with the word e-book. The results that you receive will give you the best idea of how to price your e-book. If you have written an e-book on baking the perfect cake, and you notice most e-books on cakes sell for a $3 on eBay, then sell yours for $2.99 and be done with it. The market will never lie to you; it always will show you exactly how much you can expect to claim for your efforts.

Content is the second most important aspect of selling your e-book. If the e-book is fluff, full of nothing but misinformation, or worse, advertisements, you can expect a short career as a reseller of e-books. Users won’t hesitate to leave you negative feedback, and even demand a refund, even if it’s for a $2 dollars. The key to avoiding this situation is to provide valuable content to others that they will truly benefit from. Also keep it short, readers prefer accurate, up to date information, not a novel on how to bake a cake.

Value added extras will always help keep the buyer happy. Come up with a list or two that you can offer the buyer for purchasing your e-book. Even if it’s just a few websites, or phone numbers of contacts in the industry, this will help readers justify their purchase. Don’t be afraid to offer a supplement to your e-book pushing your upcoming effort. Keep them coming back to you for e-books by offering them the latest and greatest information on what you will be doing next. Do this thematically, and you will be in great shape. The more you give, the less you charge, the better deal your consumers will obtain, and the more money you will make in the long run.

Nicolas Gremion is President of Paradise Publishers Inc (http://www.ParadisePublishers.com), an online based publishing firm. The company’s flagship website, http://www.Free-eBooks.net, is considered the internet’s top resource for free e-books. Through http://www.Free-eBooks.net visitors can instantly download thousands of title at no charge.