How to Increase Your Digital Downloads

Today we’re going to be looking at digital downloadable books (also known as eBooks) and why authors should invest in them. Before diving in, if you’d like to get a better understanding of eBooks and what exactly they are, then be sure to check out our beginner’s guide to eBooks for more information.  

After reading through our beginner’s guide you will have hopefully gotten a better understanding of eBooks. You’ve likely noticed from reading through the guide that there’s been an increase in sales for digital downloadable books. “Why?”, you ask, well, to get that answer we need to rewind to 2020. 
 
A lot happened during 2020: the world and the way people worked was completely flipped upside down by the onset of the coronavirus. As schools and other institutions began to close down and switch to remote learning there’s been a spike in the download of digital books. Despite the unfortunate circumstances that caused this spike, a revival has taken place. In fact, the digital book industry is one of many industries that has thrived during this period. With such a large increase in digital downloadable book sales, it’s worth considering how authors can make the most out of this upturn. 

As an author, one of the most strenuous parts of the book publishing process is the costs that come from publishing and distribution. One of the key benefits of investing in eBooks is that it reduces these costs. Since eBooks are digital files, they won’t run out of stock. Similarly, they can be purchased an unlimited number of times by people all over the world. As such, eBooks are financially more efficient for authors. If you or anyone else that you know has been wondering how to publish an eBook, or where to even begin, then it is worth considering our eBook publishing package. Note that amateur eBook publishing can be difficult and problematic, as errors can often arise in the coding that may cause the files to be rejected by retailers. At Rowanvale we use eBook publishing specialists to convert our files and guarantee the quality of the eBooks we produce. All eBooks supplied via our distributor to the online retailers are DRM protected, which restricts non-permitted sharing, copying and printing--so you're in safe hands! 
 
Another benefit to eBooks is that they provide an opportunity to expand your mailing list. Purchasing an eBook often requires customers to give details such as email address in exchange for the text, so use this to your advantage! Studies show that email marketing is an essential tool for attracting and retaining customers and boasts a 22.86% engagement rate compared to social media’s 0.58%. These figures show that mailing lists are a far more productive avenue for engaging your audience and should be used more frequently by authors. 
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To increase audience engagement, eBooks provide an opportunity to embed live links into your work. These links can be included within your book itself and lead readers to other resources containing information about you and your portfolio. These links can include your website, your blog and your social media accounts. These allow for your audience to get to know about you and your work in a more personal way, and can be effective for building an larger following. 
 
Well, there you have it, folks! We hope that this article was helpful and clarified any questions you may have about eBook publishing. For any remaining questions feel free to contact us here where we will gladly answer your questions.