Wanted: Ebook Writer

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

Updated 9.12.24

Kindle burst on the scene in 2007, creating a new freelancing specialty: the ebook writer.

An ebook (“electronic book”) is a book in digital form. It can be formatted for a tablet, Kindle, iPad, cell phone, e-Reader, computer, or other electronic devices. And don’t get thrown off by the book in ebook. The length has little to do with the term. What’s classified as an ebook can be anything from a concise 20-page white paper to a full-blown 100,000 epic novel.

In just a few years, ebook popularity has skyrocketed. E-reading retailer Kobo reports that ebook consumption nearly doubled between April 2019 and April 2020.

Ebooks opened a whole new self-publishing door, meaning authorship is no longer dependent upon an editor or a publishing house. If you want to write and publish a book, you can. Or you can have someone do it for you.

All this cyber-love has created new opportunities the become an ebook writer for hire. ZipRecruiter reports that an ebook writer in the U.S. can earn $72,649 a year (2022). If you’re looking for freelance writing gigs or expand into another freelancing niche, you may want to add “ebook writer” to your credentials. Plenty of people will hire you to help them get their book onto paper … or in this case, the screen.

3 kinds of ebook writers for hire

1. Write ebooks for business owners

From Fortune 500 staff writers to midsize promotion departments to entrepreneurs to small businesses … owners know the value of being a published author. A book establishes a business leader’s credibility as an authority in their field. It’s a solid business strategy element. Prospects read an ebook and then want to know more. Meaning, a book generates leads.

Business ebooks “go in-depth about a specific topic,” says Chris Christoff, Co-Founder of MonsterInsights, the leading WordPress plugin for Google Analytics. “When crafted with your audience in mind, it’s a surefire way to garner a following and show readers your brand is worth investing in.”

In that sense, a business ebook is similar to a white paper — a report that unpacks a complex or specialized topic in detail. Business owners who want to set out a platform, be seen as a serious expert, or cultivate the position as a thought leader will choose to write an in-depth ebook that includes plenty of research, data, and case studies.

And many need help. Content Marketing Institute reports that 71% of companies use — or want to use — ebooks in their marketing. But overstretched movers and shakers simply don’t have the time to write them. You can find these prospects the way you find other writing-for-hire clients: go to them and offer your services.

2. Write ebooks for bloggers and digital marketers

Bait piece, freebie, opt-in, lead magnet: call it what you want. It’s an incentive that website owners offer to readers in exchange for an email address. The site owner then places those readers in their sales funnel, using those email addresses to stay in touch with subscribers.

And while the freebie can be a report, checklist, guide, or workbook, an ebook fits the “bait piece” bill nicely. An ebook has high-perceived value. Just the name alone implies content of substance.

You’ll have success writing ebooks for online marketers when you deliver ebooks that meet two benchmarks. First, the ebook meets a prospective reader’s deep need or answers one of their burning questions. A prospective subscriber is unable to resist this kind of offer. They’ll get solutions — and at no cost through the free download.

Second — and equally important — is that your ebook delivers on its perceived value by providing high-quality information. The ebook answers the question raised or meets the need described in the pop-up offer. The content is clear and useful. Write a quality ebook that fits the bill for your client, and you’ll gain trust … and more clients.

How do you find site owners that need you to write their bait piece? Scour websites and blogs in your niche. If the site doesn’t offer a free opt-in, then make your pitch to the owner to do it for them.

3. Write ebooks for ordinary people

Thanks to Amazon, ordinary people can now bypass publishing houses altogether and publish a book — as an ebook. Some want to leave a written legacy to their children and grandchildren. Others simply want to tell their story or wax about a topic that’s important to them.

Sean Platt and Johnny Truant offer the roadmap for new indie authors in their 2014 book, Write. Publish. Repeat. (The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success). But many ordinary people are intimidated by the idea of writing a book and instead, engage an ebook ghostwriter. As an ebook writer for hire, your name won’t appear on the book nor will you be listed as a contributor … but you’ll get paid. Where to find these people who will hire you? Offer your services on job boards.

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Check out a simple book writing plan that's fillable and re-usable.

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Write an ebook with your name on it

Maybe you are not interested in finding a freelancing niche, but you’ve dreamed of writing a novel or simply want to have “author” attached to your name. Write an ebook and you can legitimately do so. You may not get rich. But then again, you might.

Rachel Abbott worked in media and wrote on the side. But when her debut thriller, Only The Innocent, was rejected by conventional publishers, she turned to self-publishing in 2011. The novel jumped to #1 in Kindle UK. Rachel has since penned more than a dozen novels and is UK’s top bestselling independent author.

Write an ebook? Consider it. Those skills are in demand. And you never know when your ebook income stream may turn into a tsunami.

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