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Selling short eBooks

by rodpap
6 replies
Hello

I have recently been gaining some interest in publishing short eBooks on various platforms to try to make some extra money.(Note the extra in here, it isn't about making full-time income).

I was thinking about writing on things that I like such as short horror stories and short fiction stories. I am full of ideas, but I have no idea how the eBook market works when it comes to short eBooks. I mean, I have a lot of ideas, but they could be easily executed in around 5,000-25,000 words. Is there a market for such small eBooks? Obviously, I would be selling these short eBooks at low prices.

Regarding self-publishing, all I need to do is get a cover, the content of the book itself, a copyright page and that's it right?
#ebooks #selling #short
  • Profile picture of the author research
    Originally Posted by rodpap View Post

    Hello

    I have recently been gaining some interest in publishing short eBooks on various platforms to try to make some extra money.(Note the extra in here, it isn't about making full-time income).

    I was thinking about writing on things that I like such as short horror stories and short fiction stories. I am full of ideas, but I have no idea how the eBook market works when it comes to short eBooks. I mean, I have a lot of ideas, but they could be easily executed in around 5,000-25,000 words. Is there a market for such small eBooks? Obviously, I would be selling these short eBooks at low prices.

    Regarding self-publishing, all I need to do is get a cover, the content of the book itself, a copyright page and that's it right?
    It would seem I am against what you have in mind.

    I suggest you focus on non-fiction short ebooks and reports. I believe you will discover more outlets for short "HOW TO" ebooks and reports if you are hoping to earn a little extra cash,

    But you must take the path you choose.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      We've had "point" and now for "counterpoint" - does anyone else remember that segment?

      Shorter fiction, especially things like horror and romance, can sell very well.

      At the short end, you might want to bundle a few stories together into a collection. I'm not familiar with most of the other platforms, but on Kindle this would let you get away with pricing in the $2.99+ area and get the 70% royalty. Promote them with your affiliate link where it makes sense, and that goes to 74-78%.

      Find your audience, get them to volunteer their emails so you can announce new efforts, and you could build a nice side income if your stories resonate with them. They'll wait for your next effort to come out, buy it, and give you the initial push to get Amazon's attention. If/when that happens, it'll be like getting extra gravy on your biscuit.
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  • Profile picture of the author rodpap
    I believe that, on Amazon, short books don't get a lot of love so a collection would be a pretty great idea. On the other hand, I think that platforms such as Google Play get a little more love with short books (correct if I'm wrong). So it could be a good idea to sell chapter separately on Google Play and the whole collection on Amazon?
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Originally Posted by rodpap View Post

    Hello

    I have recently been gaining some interest in publishing short eBooks on various platforms to try to make some extra money.(Note the extra in here, it isn't about making full-time income).

    I was thinking about writing on things that I like such as short horror stories and short fiction stories. I am full of ideas, but I have no idea how the eBook market works when it comes to short eBooks. I mean, I have a lot of ideas, but they could be easily executed in around 5,000-25,000 words. Is there a market for such small eBooks? Obviously, I would be selling these short eBooks at low prices.

    Regarding self-publishing, all I need to do is get a cover, the content of the book itself, a copyright page and that's it right?
    You could sell these short ebooks all over the place:

    - Your own site
    - A marketplace site specializing in short fiction books
    - Kindle
    - Smashwords
    - Nook
    - ebookbase (mobipocket)
    - barnes and nobles
    - Lulu

    What price are you looking to sell them for? You said you were looking for some "extra money".
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  • Profile picture of the author ron200
    I read a lot of Non-Fiction books and I like them on the shorter side where I can read them quickly and gain whatever new knowledge. With the new Kindle Unlimited plan where authors get paid per page read, you will get hurt a little on the short books but can still make your sales at $2.99 or whatever.

    As far as the cover, unless you are graphic artist, just head over to Fiverr and there are plenty of talented people for $5.
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  • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
    Actually, with the advent of Amazon's Short Reads categorization, shorter books have opportunities that they've never ever had ;-)

    Do write and pubb strategically... Identify a genre/sub-sub-sub-genre, identify and then meet the readers expectations... provide genre/sub-sub-sub-genre appropriate professional quality covers and good fiction blurbs... Hint - for fiction blurbs, provide a tease, not a synopsis ;-)

    Do price and bundle strategically, according to your genre/sub-sub-sub-genre

    Best of luck!
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