In a Publishers Weekly article final fall, tech entrepreneur and creator Uri Levine says “writing, publishing, advertising, and selling the ebook… are considerably just like constructing a startup.”
That’s no shock. Entrepreneurs and authors have loads in widespread: They consider in an concept and need to attain folks prepared to pay for it. Writing a ebook, like constructing an ecommerce enterprise, is dangerous, requiring imaginative and prescient, dedication, administration, and a focus to element. Most startups fold inside 5 years, and solely about 4% of books promote greater than 1,000 copies.
Even so, a ebook might attain a big viewers, have a long-lasting impression, and create alternatives akin to consulting, talking, instructing, and new partnerships. Invoice Morrison, an actual property salesman turned bestselling creator, informed Forbes, “I’m the identical man with the identical tie, however now everyone seems to be paying consideration.”
Concerns
Should you’ve thought-about writing a ebook, listed below are a couple of questions to think about earlier than taking the (time-consuming) plunge.
- What’s your goal? Are you trying to improve your repute, make an impression, generate leads, seem on podcasts, launch a talking profession, or set up your self as an influencer and thought chief? Is your aim lifelike?
- Who’re your goal prospects? Do you will have a transparent image of an “ultimate reader” to your ebook? You may’t write for everybody the identical means, or market your ebook successfully, till you’ve recognized the prospects and the place to search out them.
- How will your ebook be completely different? Are there different profitable books in your subject? What’s going to make your ebook stand out? What makes your perspective distinctive and precious?
- How will your ebook profit readers? What downside will your ebook resolve? Will it change how readers assume, or empower them to do one thing they couldn’t earlier than? Will they really feel impressed?
- Is your subject date-sensitive or evergreen? The reply will doubtless information your method to writing, publishing, and advertising. Does success require fast publication whereas a pattern continues to be scorching?
- How a lot money and time will you make investments? Are your price range and capability according to the objectives? Count on to spend no less than a number of months and some thousand {dollars} for concept growth, writing, enhancing, publishing, and advertising, even for a brief, self-published e book with a distinct segment viewers. A extra formidable undertaking can take a 12 months or extra to write down; freelance enhancing, design, and publicity (plus printing and distribution companies) could require a number of months and value $10,000 to $50,000. Conventional publishers can take longer and sometimes require authors to do a lot of the advertising.
Josh Bernoff is a serial business-book creator and advisor. In an April 2025 put up, he acknowledged the important thing causes enterprise books fail are unclear objectives and viewers focus, little differentiation from competing titles, and no advertising. To succeed, he says, authors should outline their targets and viewers, spend money on editorial high quality, and market strategically. In different phrases, deal with your ebook identical to a enterprise.
Ashley Bernardi, a media relations specialist for authors, agrees. She informed a Forbes author, “Essentially the most profitable authors assume like enterprise folks. There’s a technique behind the ebook, a number of income streams, and the creator is the finest advertising weapon. Not the writer, not the PR agency, and never the agent, however the creator.”
Writer Survey
What might a ebook do for you?
In 2024, a bunch of 4 author-service corporations, together with Josh Bernoff’s, surveyed “350 authors and potential authors, of which 301 had printed a nonfiction ebook. Two-thirds of them had printed a number of books.”
The outcomes, printed because the “Enterprise Guide ROI Examine” in a PDF, discovered that 89% of respondents mentioned writing a ebook was a superb determination, and almost two-thirds reported profitability, regardless of many having spent extra and offered lower than they anticipated.
A few third elevated their talking and consulting earnings, and nearly one in 5 had greater than $250,000 in book-related revenues. Different advantages included development in credibility, private manufacturers, and social media followings.
Lastly, there are numerous methods to repurpose content material from a ebook into articles, graphics, movies, case research, or excerpts to be used in selling your self and what you are promoting.
