July 28

eBook Self-Publishing – How to Choose a Good Topic

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In 2202 wholesale eBook sales totalled $5.79M. In the first 3 months of 2008, that number increased to 10.1M (source: openebook.org). The topic you choose for your next eBook has a significant impact on how well it sells.

The topic you choose for your e-book must do two things:

  1. It must target a… specific aspect of a niche market.
  2. It must target a market people are searching online.

Notice that choosing your topic has nothing to do with how much you know about the topic. Jerry Buchanan wrote his first information product on how to get rid of moles and gophers.

As an amateur farmer, Jerry knew moles and gophers were his problem, but he had no solution. He found several effective solutions by interviewing experts – golf course grounds keepers – and turned them into his first eBook.

Being an expert on you topic is not necessary for producing an eBook. Many marketers hire writers to create eBooks for them. In the case of Writing eBooks for Fun and Profit, Bob Bly hired me to write the eBook and he provided the editing, marketing and graphic design.

What you do need is an interest in the topic. Without an interest, you’ll be less willing to learn enough about your topic, and without a basic knowledge you won’t be sure your writer produces a good product.
Another element to consider when choosing your eBook topic is its evergreen quality.

Evergreen means you will have a lasting audience for your eBook. The audience will demand a supply of updated, current information. For example, in 1980 books were written for parents who want to teach their children how to handle money. Additional books were written for college students, senior citizens, etc.

Many of those books have since been revised – some by the same authors – because people still want to know how to invest wisely. Choose a topic that will lend itself well to an updated version a few years from now, or whenever new information is available on your topic.

For more information, you can pick up a copy of Writing eBooks for Fun and Profit. I also recommend checking out eBook Crossroads. This site has a lot of great resources and tools for promoting your eBook. Another useful site is eBook 88. Both of these are free to use, and you don’t even have to give an e-mail address.


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