How to Create and Sell eBooks Online (Even for Free)

Introduction

Are you looking for a simple way to earn passive income online? One of the easiest and most sustainable methods is to create and sell eBooks, even if you don’t have a writing background or expensive tools.

Whether you’re a freelancer, a stay-at-home parent, or someone working a 9–5 and seeking a side hustle, eBooks can help you:

Share your knowledge and skills with a global audience
Build your brand and authority online
Generate passive income streams that grow over time

In this guide, you will learn:

How to create your first eBook for free using Canva
Where and how to sell your eBook online
How to use SEO strategies so your eBook can be discovered easily
Tips to maximise your income from eBooks and turn your knowledge into income, one page at a time.
Why eBooks are a great Passive Income Stream

The global eBook market is projected to continue growing, with millions of people buying digital books for convenience, learning, and personal growth.

Reasons why e-books are a powerful online income stream

It has a low startup cost; you only need to create the ebooks with free online tools like canva and Google Docs.
E-books have a global reach; you can sell them anywhere and anytime
There is no inventory stress since there is no printing and shipping cost
It is evergreen sensitive and can be sold for years
E-books can position you as a writing expert and help you attract other opportunities in speaking, coaching, and freelancing.

Example: At Virtual Mentor Hub, we published “10 Remote Jobs You Can Start Today (No Experience Needed)”, which helps beginners find online jobs like transcription, virtual assistance, and content writing. This eBook not only generates passive sales but also attracts traffic to the website, boosting coaching and affiliate income.

Step 1: How to Create an eBook for Free Using Canva

Canva is a free tool to use with numerous visually appealing templates for book designs; therefore, you do not need to be a designer to create an eBook.

How to Get Started:

Create a free account at www.canva.com
Go to the search bar and type -eBooks to access the visual appealing templates
Choose the template that suits your brand
Customise your eBook depending on your content.
Give it a compelling title
Generate exciting chapters and organize your content clearly
Input appealing images and charts to break the monotony of texts
Have a Call to action (CTA) at the tail end of your ebook

Design Best Practices:

Use large, readable fonts for headers.
Stick to a consistent colour scheme (2–3 brand colours).
Include checklists or worksheets to add value and interactivity.

Once your design is ready, download your eBook as a PDF (Print or Standard). You now have a product ready to sell!

Step 2: How to Sell Your eBook Online

You don’t need a complicated store setup to start selling your eBook.

Here are simple, effective platforms to sell your eBook immediately:

1. Your Own Website

If you have a website like https://virtualmentorhub.com/ keeps you in control of how much income you generate, and it avoids third-party fees. Through your website you can integrate payment channels like PayPal, Wise, and the bank, which can automatically deliver the eBook to the buyer’s website.

2. Gumroad

This is a beginner-friendly international portal that requires no upfront costs. All you need to do is upload your eBooks, set a selling price and Gumroad handles the tail end of payments and delivery.

3. Payhip

This is yet another free plan that attracts a small transaction fee. Payhip has a marketing tool with discount codes and affiliates to set up your ebook and help you scale up on sales.

4. Etsy

This is equally a great platform if your niche aligns with planners, health guides, or crafting.

Pro Tip: Create a Landing Page for your ebook page

A landing page increases conversions by focusing the buyer’s attention.

Include:

Your eBook cover image
A clear product description highlighting the benefits
Testimonials, if available
A “Buy Now” button linked to your payment processor

Step 3: How to Optimize Your eBook Using SEO

In order to have consistent traffic and sales you need to implement a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) on your eBook landing page and related blog content.

SEO Steps for Your eBook:

Ensure that you use a keyword-rich title for your eBook
Example: “How to Create and Sell eBooks Online (Even for Free)” is clearer and more discoverable than using the title “My Journey Selling eBooks.”

Add a meta description

Example: “Learn how to create and sell your first eBook online for free using Canva. Step-by-step guide for beginners to earn passive income.”

Write a related blog post on your website to introduce your eBook, using keywords naturally in the content.

Example keywords:

how to create an ebook

sell ebooks online

passive income from ebooks

free ebook creator

4. Promote on Pinterest and social media with search-friendly titles.

Pinterest functions as a search engine, making it an excellent channel for traffic.

5. Use internal linking on your website

Link your eBook landing page from relevant blog posts to increase visibility and Google indexing.

Step 4: Pricing Your eBook

A common beginner mistake is pricing too low or too high. Here’s a simple guide:

Have a competitive price for Short guides (10–20 pages), In-depth eBooks (30–100 pages) and

Bundled resources (eBook + checklist + templates)

Test different prices on different regions and give room to adjust your price as the brand grows.

Step 5: Promote Your eBook for More Sales

Creating your eBook is just the start to economic freedom but consistently promoting your eBook will generate more sales: -; consistently promote your eBook to generate more sales.

Email Marketing: Create an email list to introduce your ebook to your subscribers highlighting its benefits and offering a launch discount.

Pinterest Marketing: This social handle enables visually appealing pins using Canva and linking them back to your eBook landing page to generate more footfall to your eBook and convert to sales.

Facebook Groups & Communities: Use this platform and share your eBook to relevant books where self-promotion is allowed on your guidelines.

Guest Posting: You can use this direction on various websites and link back the article to your eBook

Podcast & YouTube: If you have either of these platforms, create episodes or videos discussing your ebook and guide the listeners/viewers to your purchase link Create episodes or videos discussing your eBook topic and guide listeners/viewers to your purchase link.

Run a Launch Discount: Offer your eBook at a lower price or discount for the first one week to drive sales and bring awareness of your new eBook

Final Thoughts: Your eBook Is Your Digital Business Card make the most out of it.

Publishing an eBook can make one feel intimidated, but it is one of the best ways to start building passive income while establishing your authority online.

Points to ponder: –

You do not need to be a perfect writer to start.
An eBooks can be started with a short guide based with your expertise
eBooks can lead to speaking engagements, coaching opportunities, and brand growth.
Done is better than perfect. Your first eBook will teach you valuable lessons you can apply to future digital products.

Ready to Start?

If this article has been helpful for you, be kind enough to share it with your networks and assist them build a passive income stream.

Have questions? Leave them in the comments, or reach out via https://virtualmentorhub.com/ for personalised guidance on building your digital product business.