Sell more ebooks by writing shorter ones

With ebooks making up an increasingly larger segment of all book sales, authors ought to consider writing shorter pieces that better match ebook readers’ habits.

Think of it this way: If you spent your life writing radio dramas and television suddenly came along, you couldn’t simply write for the latter in the same way as you’ve always done. While many of the basic elements of storytelling would remain the same, different mediums require different techniques and approaches. For ebooks, that often means writing shorter pieces than you would for paperback.

Ebook readers, especially those buying nonfiction, generally want quick reads that are very focused on niche topics. The information needs to be provided concisely and in a digestible format. This means shorter books that are more tightly written. A 10,000-20,000-word range for an ebook usually is sufficient.

This actually can benefit authors by allowing them to write several books on a single general topic. Rather than write one large book that sells for 99 cents, authors can pen a dozen that each sells for 99 cents. This generally means more raw sales, and just as one of your books falls off a bestseller list you can release a follow-up and keep building your audience. In fact, such books can be marketed as a series, giving your titles more staying power.

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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.

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