The global e-book market can be highly competitive. It pays to be proactive, so you may want to try refining your e-book sales strategy whenever possible to ensure you make some real money from your next work. Hayim Oshky asks: how can you improve e-book sales?

Look at different markets

Targeting your sales strategy at the right market can prove highly effective, because e-books are more popular in some countries than others. Look at existing sales data to determine which nations you may want to direct your strategies towards. For instance, digital publisher platform Vearsa combined datasets to show how e-book sales expanded from 2014 to 2015 in various countries. This showed that sales expanded significantly in Canada (+25%), indicating that this country is a lucrative market.

Examine genres

Some e-book genres are more popular than others. You may want to think about targeting your next publication at high earning categories, to generate strong return on investment. Digital Book World notes that fiction is always a top volume generator but when it comes to non-fiction, figures vary between nations. For example, ‘business and economics’ is a top three genre in the UK but not the US, so if you operate in this genre than target the former market over the latter.

Explore distribution channels

Where you sell your work can have a significant effect on sales. Opt for a distribution channel which has a proven track record for success. Digital Book World listed year-on-year movement for retailers in combined dataset (based on unit sales) to show which platforms are popular right now. This analysis showed that the top movers were Skoobe (+268%), Google (+88%) and Scribd (+52%), indicating that increasingly, these platforms are becomingly highly effective e-book distribution channels.

Conduct market research

It is key that you know who your target consumer is. With this information, you can determine how and where to market your e-books, increasing the likelihood of purchase. Think about learning how to write an email marketing campaign. This will allow you to send key questions to a broad swathe of consumers, ensuring you acquire the market knowledge necessary to market your work effectively.

Move with the market

It is vital that you acquire as much real-time e-book data as possible, so you can stay abreast of new market trends. This will give you the ability to adjust your e-book sales strategy so that it continually attracts the attention of consumers. Also track your consumers on social media to keep up with your chosen market. By utilising trending Twitter hashtags, for example, you could find out about current sector trends which you could use to enhance your sales plans.

Thank you for reading… Hayim Oshky.