Sell Information Online. The How To. The Pitfalls. The Possibilities To Do It Right.

If you want to sell information online don't think that the process is hard.

There are certain assumptions though that should be thought about:

Do you have access to:

1. a computer
2. the Internet

How bizarre the questions is but really that is all that you need.

There is also the assumption that you can type a little bit- even if it is one finger typing. If you dont like typing there are software out there that can convert what you say into words.

An ebook is an electronic book, which can be read online, downloaded onto a computer or mobile device (like a Pad). These ebooks are created in certain formats. So if you create a document in Word you can save it as .Doc or .Docx. Some readers can actually read this, many can't. Also it can be edited, which we don't want. The following are the most common formats:

.epub- one of the main standards that can be viewed by many readers but might not be able to be viewed on a computer unless software is installed
.ibooks- from Apple and is based upon the epub format. Typically utilized by Apple products
.azw or .azw3- Amazons Kindle format
.mobi- used with the Mobipocket. Can be read by Kindle and many smartphones
.pdf- a standard that has been around for a very long time and can be utilised by the computer and by mobile devices. The good thing about this is that it "freeze frames" your work so whenever you save off your work the PDF will usually look like that.

As you can see there are many formats to think of. But in reality you only need to think of a few- pdf, epub and mobi. Even then, where ever you want to sell your information they usually convert your text for free into their own format. If you want to go by yourself, then pdf is a good standard bet.

If I sell information online, does it cost?

It can and it doesnt have to.

People have sold pieces of text that are only a few pages long with very limited graphics. However the information contained within those pages were valuable to that audience. This has been seen with certain Real Estate and Financial email subscriptions where they can charge a minimum $100/ subscriber but the value of the newsletter is worth it.

Amazon doesn't ask you to pay anything to be on their store. They don't ask for payment when you convert your text to their preferred format. They just take a percentage of your sales.

This free-but-take-a-percentage is a common payment method and nothing to shy away from.

Where cost can come into it is:

1- Time. Time is important. If you spend a long time on your book and only sell if for mere cents then your hard work might not be rewarded.
2- If you are good at graphics then that is a bonus. If you are not good at drawing then sometimes selling information online can get expensive. Only because graphics add engagement and sharing.

They also allow people to like your book cover- which unfortunately is still one thing that drives sales. However we are talking around $100 to get you front cover professionally made. But again, you have to remember how many sales would you need to recoup those costs?

If you didn't want to go through Amazon or some other third party company to sell information online then you need to host your information which can be a monthly fee which can total around $100-$200 per year. Again, you need to think then of your cost of ebook selling.

Also, remember that people will pay for what they deem is the price. Price is always based upon perception and what the product can do for them. For example:

If I sold an ebook that got guaranteed top rankings in Google- 100% of the time, with videos and the boss of Google saying how cool the book is and sold it for $2- would you buy it? Maybe. Maybe you would think there is something wrong with it. Maybe I was going to upsell you on something else?
How about that same book was priced at $97. It would be steep, but if I convinced you that top placement was guaranteed for any site you had, then $97 would seem to be a bit or a bargain. If I could show what the book gave back, then why couldn't it sell for $197?

Create something...

We have all been told to create something that we enjoy or like but to sell information online is actually about trying to sell information online that people will want to pay for. For example.

I might not get very far if I sell an ebook that shows you how to click a mouse button. It is information that we believe people already know- and if they are searching online for it then they know how to use a mouse.

But how about if I knew certain software topics inside and out and it made me:

more productive
gave better results
made more money

Then that would be a good idea to think of. However that is what I think and not really what other people would buy.

Have a look around Amazon, your local bookshop or library and see if there are any books similar to your topic.

how much are they
what do they contain (videos, links, free items etc)
are they too long
can people leave comments on the books selling page- are they positive or negative. If negative, why- what are the issues?

So I would have to look around where my target audience would hang out. Most software companies have forums, groups and Facebook pages where like minded people discuss that one software piece.

Now you look around, see what people are reading, writing and what are the questions being asked.

Start to become known, start to answer questions and start to build up a reputation of someone who knows about the product. If you give and if you help then eventaully you will reap those rewards back.

If you find that people are looking for something like your topic then start to write it. The more pictures the better. If you can add video it increases the value of your information. It automatically displays an air of knowledge and trust.

Write it in Word (what I use) and then save it off as a pdf. You then upload to Amazon Kindle. Or you can have an ebook creator make the ebook for you with templates (making it look nice) with text from a word processor pasted into the template. They get saved off as pdf.

Understandably Amazon doesn't allow you to have videos on their site, but links within your ebook to a video page is not frowned upon. Therefore you can use Amazons selling trust power and their "free ebook services".

What to sell information online...here's the small print.

What most people get struggling with is, why their info product is not selling. Ultimately there are only a handful of reasons which are always known but hardly ever followed:

Low Barrier To Entry. You just seen how easy it is to create an ebook. That ease is also its failing. Too many people are just creating ebooks and not really putting too much effort into its looks or design. They don't care too much about usability or if the text is truthful. Then a flood of iffy ebooks gets sent out. If you copy their format then you get washed away in a sea of poor ebooks. The only way to override this issue is to be better, offer more and back up what you say with additional content (like free ebooks, videos)
Make Before Research. Most people have an idea, write about it and then sell it. This is not the right way. The right way is to have an idea, look to the community and see if there is a need for your product. If no need then no product.
You Need An Audience. The most successful launches always have a certain amount of people who you can contact and tell them that a product is coming out. So you need fans/ subscribers anyone who has shown a constant interest in your work. This then starts the ball rolling- increases your placement in various sales charts, introduces you to more audience members and increases the likeliness that your products will be commented on
Your Idea Of To Sell Information Online Is Flawed. Now don't get annoyed ;) This just means that what you might think is awesome- might not be. So many people get stuck on novels and stories. There are tons of these online and they dont sell a huge amount at high prices. To make money with these you need to sell many, many different titles with a similar theme/ linked together. Or you build out the world and allow people to be drawn in, essentially creating your own world with now followers.

If you are selling on Amazon then you need to check out how to rank better than your competition or you will be lost in a sea of products. Check out how to rank high in Amazon search here.