5 Simple Steps to Write an Ebook (and Make Money, too!)

You don’t need to be a great writer to earn $2000+ writing an ebook

Publishing ebooks is one of the best digital ways to make money as a writer, and guest writer Christina Piccoli shares exactly how it’s done. This is real, not a pipedream. A little organization, knowledge, and basic writing skills put you on the road to earnings. Read carefully—see how it’s done. Christina is a proven expert on monetization, affiliate marketing, and email marketing—topics we’re all interested in, but many of us feel like we need help.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

“I can’t write an ebook. I don’t have any special knowledge that someone would pay for.”

I understand this thought because I used to think the same thing…until I actually tried it. I’ll show you how to write an ebook (and make money, too) in just a few simple steps. You don’t even need to be a great writer!

You just need 2 things:

1. Something you’re good at

2. The ability to convey it like you would to a friend

Then all you need to do is:

1. Come up with a topic and how it can help people.

2. Do some easy keyword research to see if there’s interest.

3. Create an outline and plan your chapters.

4. Choose where to write it.

5. Load it onto a platform where you can sell it.

These are the exact steps I took to make over $2000 in sales with my ebooks.

Screenshot taken by me of my Gumroad sales since I started writing ebooks in January 2024.

1. Come up with a topic and how it can help people

You’ll want to come up with a topic that you know something about. I know exactly what you’re thinking.

“I don’t know anything unique. I only know what other people already know.”

That’s what I said to myself too! But there’s two important things to realize:

1. Not everyone knows what you know, even if you think they do. Everyone starts as a beginner, no matter what the topic is. If you have experience making the best scrambled eggs, you might think everyone else knows how to make them. But if you’ve ever seen my husband cook them, you know that’s not the case. (Sorry, babe!)

2. Even if people know your topic, they don’t know it from your 100% unique perspective. I love watching YouTube videos. And I will watch 27 different people talk about the same exact topic because I like to hear different perspectives. It’s the same with writing.

Here are a few ideas to help you brainstorm a topic:

• Think of a problem you solved for yourself, then document what you did to solve it (my favorite strategy).

• Think of a current problem you’re having, then document it as you’re solving it.

• Go to your favorite groups on Facebook or your favorite subreddits and see what questions people keep asking that you can answer.

• Think of your tasks at work—teach people what you do and how to do it better

• Think about the things people come to you for when they’re looking for your advice. What problems are you awesome at solving?

2. Do some easy keyword research to see if there’s interest

You don’t need to go crazy with the keyword research, but you do want to see if there’s an interest in your topic.

No interest = no money.

And we want you to make money.

You can use research tools—there are plenty out there that are free or have free trials. They’re great because they give you detail about how much competition your topic has. But my favorite way to do keyword research is much simpler.

I go to Google, and I type in my topic.

Screenshot taken by the author.

I scroll down and look for a few key items:

1. People also ask

2. Questions on Quora or Reddit

3. People also search for

This tells me whether enough people have an interest in the topic, and if there’s enough material to write about it. (If you see questions on your topic, that’s a good sign! You can answer those questions in your ebook.)

Here’s an example of a topic that *probably* wouldn’t do well as an ebook.

Screenshot taken by the author.

Yes, sorry to burst your bubble if this was your topic, but “how to make pie for aliens on Mars” is not a great topic. (You can see what the search looks like here.)

I know this because:

• It’s a little too specific.

• There’s no “people also ask” section.

• There aren’t any questions about it.

• The “people also search for” section isn’t relevant to my topic:

Screenshot taken by the author.

You can also use Google Trends (free) to see if your topic is (or was) trending.

Screenshot taken by the author.

There’s a little spike there, but I don’t know why because it shows up with “0” searches. Dang! I had hope—for a sec.

Now that you’ve made sure your topic is of interest to enough people, you can start planning your content.

3. Create an outline and plan your chapters

This part is already halfway done for you! Remember above when I mentioned the Reddit and Quora questions, “People also ask,” and “People also search for?” These make excellent chapter topics.

You can also use the help of ChatGPT. You can ask it to be your writing assistant and give you an outline:

Screenshot taken by the author.

Screenshot taken by the author.

This is just a snippet of the outline ChatGPT gave me. Don’t use the outline word-for-word because you don’t want your book to sound like an AI bot. But it’s a good starting point to give you ideas of what to write about.

You could even take one part of the outline and create a mini ebook from that. For instance:

Screenshot taken by the author.

You can see that ChatGPT can be an awesome writing assistant. It’s easy to keep drilling down on a specific topic to write an even more focused book. Just be sure to do your keyword research as you drill down.

4. Choose where to write your book

When I say, “Choose where to write your book,” I’m not saying you need to decide to write your book at the beach or in your bed. That’s up to you! Write where you’re most comfortable.

I’m referring to the writing platform. You can write your book on Microsoft Word, Canva, or other platforms. My favorite place to write my ebooks (because it’s the easiest) is Google Docs. You only need a Google account to use it; otherwise, it’s completely free.

If you want your book to look extra pretty, then I recommend using Canva. However, don’t waste too much time making your book look perfect. The most important thing is to get it done so you can start to sell it!

5. Load it to a platform where you can sell it

Gumroad is my favorite place to sell ebooks.

Screenshot taken by the author.

Gumroad is a platform you can use to sell digital products. It’s super easy to use, and it’s also free! The platform makes money when you make money. (They take 10% of your sales.)

This is what I recommend for beginners because it’s a trusted platform.

I can’t get into how to set up your Gumroad page for selling in this article because this article would be way too long! But…

I’m working on a new ebook that walks you through everything step by step. In the meantime, you can take a look at my Gumroad page, check out my books, and see how I have things set up. It will give you some ideas of how to set up your Gumroad products to catch attention. (The new book will land here once it’s done!)

Here are my 3 biggest tips…

1. Use bold images

I made my images in Canva. It was simple to do! (And I am definitely not a graphic designer!) Try to make yours eye-catching.

Image created by the author in Canva.

2. Clearly spell out what problem(s) your book will solve

In my Medium Money book, my problem was that I wasn’t making money from my Medium articles. But I figured out how to solve it, and that’s what my book helps other Medium writers do, too:

Screenshot taken by the author of her Medium Money ebook.

I also show buyers exactly what they get in the book:

Screenshot taken by the author of her Medium Money ebook.

This helps people make a buying decision.

3. Get reviews as soon as you can

You can ask for reviews within the Gumroad system, but you can also send a follow-up email via Gumroad and ask for reviews that way.

(These will be covered in my new Gumroad ebook!)

You can give your book free to a few trusted friends and ask them to review it if they like it. (You always want honest reviews. If someone has feedback to make your book better, be sure to listen.)

Once you get some reviews, more will come in naturally.

Screenshot taken by the author.

This makes people feel comfortable that you can help solve their problem. Once they see others have been helped, they feel more confident in what you have to offer.

Final thoughts

I hope this helps you see it’s not hard to learn how to write an ebook and make money.

I was recently on a Reddit thread, and it made me sad. Someone asked:

“Are writing and selling ebooks a legit way to make money?”

The people on the thread were so negative, even though writing and selling ebooks is legit and many of them may not have ever tried it. Plus, it’s fun! Don’t let people who have never done something dissuade you from trying.

Anyone can write an ebook and make money with it by following the steps above. Yes, you’ll need to market your ebook, too. That’s not hard if you have a Medium account, Substack, Pinterest, other social media, or some other way to get in front of people.

I can help tackle that another day. For now, I hope you’ll take action and get your ebook started!

---

If you like these kinds of topics, Christina documents everything she’s doing over on her Hustling Housewife Substack. Go visit her and learn the secrets!

Christina Piccoli has thousands of followers and subscribers Medium, Gumroad and Hustling Housewives:

She delights in sharing how easy it is to make extra income with simple writing-based side hustles. (articles, ebooks, mini books + a sprinkle of affiliate marketing & email marketing)—Pen2Profit highly recommends subscribing to Hustling Housewife Substack.