Internet Marketplaces Where You Can Sell Your E-Book
Web Commerce Today, Issue 66, January 15, 2003
Selling e-books is not easy, so you ought to explore multiple approaches to getting traffic. Consider placing your e-books at various marketplaces where potential buyers might visit and search. Some of these require you to be an already recognized author, some have listing fees, but be careful of what are effectively self-publishing or vanity publishing prices of several hundred to several thousand dollars.
The marketplaces that work for you will vary due to the topics of your e-books. But explore the possibilities with the following.
A Word about ISBN Numbers
The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) system is managed by agencies in each country or area (www.isbn.spk-berlin.de/html/adgroup.htm). The US National ISBN Agency is run by R.R. Bowker (www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/secureapp.asp). US publishers pay a $75 charge to obtain an ISBN Publisher Prefix. After that, a block of 10 ISBNs cost $225, 100 for $800, etc. ISBNs aren't essential for self-published e-books. However, if you wish to distribute your e-book through larger online bookstores, an ISBN will be needed since they use an ISBN as a SKU or product number.
Amazon.com
Amazon.com carries both e-books (in Adobe eBook, MS Reader formats) and e-documents (mostly in PDF format). To give you an idea of what is selling, here are top ranking e-documents as of February 1, 2003:
- The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome , Jean-Francois Manzoni (Harvard Business School, $7, 16 pp., PDF)
- Really Bad PowerPoint (and How to Avoid It), by Seth Godin (Do You Zoom, Inc., $1.99, 11 pp., PDF)
- Getting Everybody on Board: Four "Rules" to Achieve Employee Buy-In , by Oren Harari (BrownHerron Publishing, $2.95, 6 pp., PDF)
- The Art of War , Sun Tzu (Amazon Press, $1.99, unstated: probably 80 to 150 pages, Microsoft Reader)
- The Bootstrapper's Bible , Seth Godin (Do You Zoom, Inc., $2.95, 65 pp., PDF)
- A Better Way to Deliver Bad News , Jean-Francois Manzoni (Harvard Business School, $7, 8 pp., PDF)
- Turning Goals into Results , James C. Collins (Harvard Business School, $7, 16 pp., PDF)
- What Is Strategy? Michael E. Porter (Harvard Business School, $7, 21 pp., PDF)
- Teaching Smart People How to Learn , Chris Argyris (Harvard Business School, $7, 14 pp., PDF)
- Tracing and Logging with .Net , Dan Appleman (self-published, $9.95, 62 pp., PDF)
(Note: Be aware that Amazon top 10 lists may be influenced by paid placement.) I see a pattern in the documents listed above. They are short and focused on business information for prices that people will purchase without batting an eye, even though they comprise just a few pages of key information. The Art of War by Sun Tzu is out-of-copyright and popular in print. Amazon has published this e-book edition, though other publishers have published hardback and paperback print editions. Seth Godin is self-publishing e-books (and donating the proceeds to charity) under Do You Zoom, Inc. (http://www.zoometry.com/zoom/), after success with an e-book first edition of his Ideavirus. I talked to Seth about his experience with selling e-books on Amazon. The bottom line: don't expect to make a living on selling your e-book on Amazon. Yes, it'll help, but it could be substantially improved as a place to sell e-books.
You might look into having your e-books listed at Amazon under the Amazon Advantage program (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/partners/direct/faq/advantage-faq-books-about.html). An ISBN number is required; self-publishers get 45% of the list price of books sold each month.
Barnes and Noble
Barnes & Noble.com. Will talk with e-book publishers about including their books. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/help/pub_ebooks.asp Barnes & Noble Digital, the eBook publishing division of Barnes & Noble, publishes original and reprinted eBooks by established authors in all genres. http://ebooks.barnesandnoble.com/bn_digital/
The Woes of E-Book Publishing
E-Book FAQ from a small print publisher, James Russell Publishing. Gives a pretty cynical (and misspelled) view of the chances of authors to succeed by self-publishing e-books. But there's some truth in what he says. http://www.todancewithangels.com/ebookvsprintpage.html
E-Book Promotion for a Fee
"The Pros and Cons of Amazon.com," We-Publish.com www.we-publish.com/amazon.htm Explains how to get higher ranking within your category at Amazon.com by paying for premium placement, listing the book at zShops, etc. Primarily focused on print books. A vanity press.
CyberRead (http://www.cyberread.com). For a fee will aggregate (resell) authors' and publishers' eBooks into Amazon.com's eBook Bookstore, BN.com's eBook Bookstore, Mobipocket's eBook Bookstore, Powells.com, eLibrion.com, Booksamillion.com, eBookhome.com, etc. Converts e-books into various formats, secures ISBN numbers, etc.
"The E-Book as Print-Edition Ad," by M.J. Rose, Wired News, 4/1/01. Discusses incessant promotion of print books, even through ads in e-books. http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,42751,00.html
Selected Bookstores that Carry E-Books
Powells.com (www.powells.com). Portland bookstore carries e-books in four formats: Adobe eBook, MS Reader, Gemstar, and Palm Reader. Might be contacted about carrying an author's e-book, but does not carry PDF format books.
There are many other e-bookstores, but few have the prominence of Powells, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. However, it doesn't hurt to see if they'll carry your e-book.
eBay as an E-Book Marketplace
Don't overlook eBay (www.ebay.com) as a place to list your e-books. eBay specializes in unique, hard-to-find collectible and hobby items, but there's a little bit of everything out there. Yes, they have listing fees and final value fees, but they've also accumulated a huge number of members who regularly search eBay for things that interest them.
eBay is no longer an auction-only site. You can set up an eBay store and sell goods at a fixed price, if you like. http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/seller-landing.html
What sells on eBay? A wide variety. Here are a few I found that are suggestive of the wide range of possibilities. The great majority of what I found could be described as "incredible marketing offers," "awesome," "ultimate," "wealth-building." [Note: The word "incredible" means, literally, "unbelievable," which describes some of these claims.] But there are many other topics. Some are sold as CDs but could just as easily be sold as downloadable e-books:
- Air Defenses in Nazi Germany CD, 595 p. eBook
- Royal Child ...Historical Romance Ebook
- What No One Else Will Tell About eBay, eBook.
- Alternator Secrets
- Clock designs PDF
- EZ tree house plans PDF
- US Navy Seal Physical Fitness Manual, 300 pages PDF
- Beginner's Guides to Hacking Software Ebook
- Atlantic Salmon Fly Tying eBook
- 1999 eBook: History of Aircraft Ejections CD
- Celtic Warfare in Ireland CD, 110 pg. eBook:
- Bodybuilding and Muscle Building Ebook
- Think and Grow Rich eBook -- Napoleon Hill
- Wholesale & Drop Shipping Source 2002 eBook
- Assembly Language Basics
- The Secrets of Credit Repair
