There are countless resources to create an eBook online. Sometimes, it can be hard to know where to start! That’s why we’ve put together this list of 23 tools and resources to create an eBook. Included in our list are tools and resources to write, edit, design, create and sell your eBook.
23 Tools and Resources to create and sell eBooks
Writing and editing tools to create an eBook
1) Evernote is a cloud-based workspace to write notes, to-do lists, and drafts. I love it for brain dumping any and all of my ideas! Capture quotes and ideas, too.
2) Scrivener is a tool for helping you finish your first awkward draft of any long, difficult document. I asked Dawn Casey-Rowe about her experience writing her latest ebook and she said “Scrivener was the best $45 I ever spent.”
3) Hemingway App helps make your writing bold and clear. We use this tool all the time with blog posts, guides, and even emails. What I appreciate the most about the Hemingway App is that you can improve your writing every time you use it:
4) Grammarly helps you write better by catching grammatical errors that Word can’t. Since Grammarly is installed to your browser, it helps your writing be better across all channels, whether you’re writing your first draft of your ebook in Evernote, or you’re writing an email to an editor.
5) Upwork, Elance, and Fiverr help you find freelance editors with a click of a button.
Productivity tools to create an eBook
6) Pomodoro Technique is a common strategy for productivity, especially in the world of modern entrepreneurs working for themselves. We all want to do more with less time and this technique can help you do that.
Read: 6 Ebook Cover Design Tips to Make your eBooks Stand Out in the Crowd
7) Egg Timer is a free cloud-based tool that can work together with the Pomodoro Technique. Choose how long you want to set the timer for and click go. You can also set a timer on your iPhone.
8) Time Out Free for Mac is a Mac application to provide micro-breaks. Taking breaks throughout your day has been shown to increase creativity. For the sake of your eBook, please give yourself some time to break off from it. You will come back to your writing refreshed and your eBook will be better for it.
9) Coffitivity provides coffee shop ambiance without having to leave your home. If background noise helps you be more productive, Coffitivity will work wonders for you.
Tools and Resources for designing your eBook
10) Canva is a free cloud-based design tool. Use it to mock up your eBook cover or to create your social media marketing designs. Canva is truly endless in the value it provides.
11) My eCover Maker helps you make 3D eBook covers if that’s your jam. If you want something easier than Photoshop and you need something quick, My eCover Maker could be a good choice for you.
12) 99 Designs creates eBook covers sourced from their community of designers. All you need to do is submit a brief of your eBook and how much you’ll pay. Once you’ve done that, they’ll provide you a handful of designs that you can choose from.
13) Unsplash uploads 10 high-resolution photos every 10 days, which can be used for anything.
14) Pikwizard is another free image site, boasting beautiful free stock photos. Any images downloaded on Pikwizard can be uploaded to Canva to create a custom eBook cover or marketing designs.
15) PicJumbo provides totally free images for commercial and personal works.
16) DeathToStockPhoto sends out 15 high-quality lifestyle images to your email every month. If you want access to all their images, past and present, sign up for their Premium package at $15 a month.
17) eBook cover design by e-book launch creates eBook covers for those who don’t want to design their own covers.
18) Upwork and Elance can, again, help you find a freelance graphic designer for your eBook.
Tools and Resources for converting your eBook
19) KitPDF converts your finished eBook into a readable file across different devices. Convert your PDF into .mobi if you want to sell a Kindle version of your eBook. You may also want to offer an .ePUB version of your book, which KitPDF can help you do, too. This is the DIY version of converting eBooks.
20) Innodata converts your eBook and also offers translation services. If you’d like to offer an interactive version of your eBook, or take a print book of yours and make it digital, Innodata can help you do that.
21) Calibre is a free resource for converting your eBook.
Tools for selling your eBook
22) Selz helps you sell your eBook directly to your readers while keeping over 95% of your hard-earned profits. We also believe Selz is better than a marketplace because you own your customer relationship, receive a weekly payout, and have control over how and where your eBook is shared with the world. Plus, your eBook can be added to your website on a landing page, or embedded into your sidebar. There are no limits to how you can use the Selz widgets and buttons to take payment online for your eBook.
Sign up for a free 14-day trial today and start selling your book with Selz.
23) Amazon provides a platform to sell your eBook to a large marketplace. While it’s smart to self-publish your eBook with a tool like Selz, offering your eBook on a marketplace allows your content to reach an audience who may not know you yet.
Utilizing the many free tools and resources above make it simple to create an eBook. What it takes? Writing & productivity hacks, editing, designing, converting, and, of course, selling. Where will you start? Do you have any other resources to add to the list? Leave a comment below.
21 Tips and Strategies for Writing and Selling Your First eBook
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Russell
How do you hook up jpeg book cover from my hard copy to the pdf web text and upload together?
Kristen DeCosta
Hey Russell! Thanks for commenting, great question! Please email our customer success team at help@selz.com. They’ll be able to give you a much better answer there :)