Do I need a licence to sell ebooks?

Not normally for the book itself, though some places require a general business registration. You do need the rights to every image, font and quote inside it.

Do I need a publisher?

No. Selling direct keeps more of each sale and gives you the reader. A publisher buys reach, which matters more for fiction than for a practical guide.

Should I sell on Amazon as well?

You can. Amazon brings strangers and takes a large share, while direct selling keeps more and gives you the reader. Many authors do both.

How long should an ebook be?

Long enough to deliver the promise and no longer. Thirty useful pages sell better than two hundred padded ones.

Should I give away a free chapter?

Yes. A free first chapter converts better than any description you could write, because it shows the writing instead of describing it.

How do I sell an ebook?

Updated 17 September 2026

Direct or marketplace

You sell an ebook either direct from your own page, where you keep more and get the reader’s email, or through a marketplace, which brings strangers but takes a cut and gives you no customer relationship. Export it as both PDF and ePub, show the contents page and a sample, and price it above the bargain bin.

Plenty of authors do both: the marketplace for strangers, their own store for readers who already follow them.

Formats

PDF for anything with layout, tables or worksheets. ePub for anything people will read on a phone or an e-reader.

Offering both removes the most common complaint and costs you one export.

What makes an ebook sell

A specific reader and a specific outcome. "For freelancers who keep getting paid late" beats "a guide to business".

Show the contents page and one real sample page. People buy what they can see.

Price it above the bargain bin

Very cheap ebooks attract the highest refund rates and the most complaints. A serious price attracts serious readers.

If you have an audience, price for them, not for a marketplace race to the bottom.

FAQ

Questions, answered straight.

How do I sell an ebook?: Export it as a PDF, put it on a storefront that delivers downloads, write a page saying who it is for, and tell the people who already read you.
Do I need a licence to sell ebooks?: Not normally for the book itself, though some places require a general business registration. You do need the rights to every image, font and quote inside it.
Do I need a publisher?: No. Selling direct keeps more of each sale and gives you the reader. A publisher buys reach, which matters more for fiction than for a practical guide.
Should I sell on Amazon as well?: You can. Amazon brings strangers and takes a large share, while direct selling keeps more and gives you the reader. Many authors do both.
How long should an ebook be?: Long enough to deliver the promise and no longer. Thirty useful pages sell better than two hundred padded ones.
Should I give away a free chapter?: Yes. A free first chapter converts better than any description you could write, because it shows the writing instead of describing it.

Sell it inside your Whop.

MKKT adds a store to your community. Upload the file, set a price, share one link.

Start selling What MKKT does on Whop →