Once you're selling E-Books from your web site, you will want to look into ways to increase the profits on the E-Book you sell.

Let's look at the alternative ways that may be available:

1. Increase The Number Of Sales
   
   The obvious approach is to simply try and sell more copies of your E-Books. There are really two ways that you can try and increase the total volume of sales you make:
   
   
   • Reach More People:
     
     Basically you try to get more people to your web site.
     
     I have just unleashed Target Visitor Software which does just that. It will drive traffic to your site like nothing else I have seen. Check It Out!
     
     Underlying this effort, is the assumption that if your site convince a certain percentage of people to buy, getting more people to your site will get you more customers.
     
     This is the most obvious approach to increasing your sales, and it can work, provided your market is not already saturated.
     
     
   • Sell More Effectively:
     
     Rather than trying to get more people to your site, you try to sell to a higher percentage of your existing visitors.
     
     If you follow this approach you should be looking at things like the words on your site, the clarity of your sales message, the credibility your site provides, the attractiveness of your product (perhaps add some free bonuses?) and so forth.
     
     A slight variation of this, that can be combined with improving your site, is to follow-up more effectively. When a prospective customer asks a question, follow up, as quickly as you can, with an answer. Make sure prospects receive the information they requested as soon as possible - after a day or two, check back to see if they understood the information that you sent them, and that it did actually answer their question. This can be a lot of work if done completely manually, but fortunately you may be able to automate at least some of, either by using a sophisticated e-mail program (usually fairly expensive), and/or by using a smart autoresponder service like Aweber (comparatively cheap).
     
     The advantage of this approach is that you can see results almost immediately. Make a change, try it for a set number of visitors, and measure the effects on your sales.
     
     If you are really serious about your business you will invest in the right tools. Mailloop 6.0 can handle all your email and follow up needs!
     
     Another thing that you may wish to consider, is cutting prices. Normally cutting prices will help you sell your product to a larger proportion of people, although the downside is that you could end up earning less money if you cut your prices too much!
     
     Try to sell more effectively is an under-used strategy, especially by Internet startups - so don't dismiss it! Also, you shouldn't forget that there's nothing to stop you combining this approach with trying to reach more people.
   
   
   
2. Increase The Profit Per Sale
   
   You can try an earn more from each sale that you make. For example, you might find that you sell just as many copies of your product (or perhaps even more), if you raise prices.
   
   Another way to increase profits is to use bundling. Suppose for example you sell 4 different E-Books each at $10. Theoretically, if a customer bought all 4 for $10 each, you'd earn $40, however most customers might buy only 1 or 2 of your E-Books. If the E-Books work together as a package you could bundle all 4 together, as a package, sold at say $25. This way, you're giving your customers a great deal, and also making more money for yourself!
   
   One last way to increase profits is to "up-sell". Basically what you try to do is when a customer has expressed interest in buying your basic product, offer them a great deal on your more expensive product, or on your bundle of products. Many customers may take you up on this deal, but you should be careful not to over-complicate your ordering process, or else you may end-up worse off.
   
   
   
3. Work The Back End
   
   ATTENTION: The "Work The Back End" section is crucial to your bottom line. Bookmark and print this page. (This will make more than your ebook sales!)
   
   If a customer buys from you then he is convinced (or at least he was at the time he bought) that your products have some value to him. He has also placed some trust in you - and a powerful approach is to use this relationship to sell additional products to the customer. This is known as "working the back end", and is the single most effective strategy that you can use to increase your profits.
   
   Of course, it is absolutely critical that you retain the customers trust, by providing good service and great products. Also you should not try to sell Back End products to a customer who has an unresolved problem - solve their problem first!
   
   The ideal Back End product should be in someway related to, and complementary to, the product that the customer has already purchased (as well as offering you a decent profit - so it's usually more expensive than the "lead product"). Your relationship with the customer is strongest when it relates to the field in which you have already shown some expertise!
   
   Of course you can create your own Back End products, but other options include:
   
   
   • Consultancy or Services
     
     If you've written a great E-Book you've already shown your an expert in your field. Some customers will want help or advice that goes above and beyond the information covered in your E-Book - and some of these customers will be prepared to pay for this help. If you're interesed in selling consultancy services, this could be a great opportunity.
     
     
     
   • Third Party Products
     
     If you don't have time to create additional products of your own, then perhaps you can buy products from somebody else and resell them to your customers.
     
     Obviously, you will want to make sure that these products are legal, good quality, and worth the money before offering them to your customers. But, assuming that you're confident that they are, this could be a way to increase your profits almost immediately.
     
     
     • I am a member of Software Pak.com. I have resell rights to over 1000 ebooks, just about everything listed on www.eplex.biz is from Software Pak. I honestly don't have time to get to all of the products.
       
       
       
       
     • Another idea might be to sell something related to your e-book. For example: if you sell an E-Book that teaches people how to draw and paint, then maybe you could sell art materials. Or, for example, if you sell an E-Book about how to use their PC, maybe you could sell computer stuff... and so on.
       
       If you don't know how to get hold of this type of stuff (whatever it is), perhaps you could find a Drop Shipper. A Drop Ship distributor is a wholesale company that will ship a product directly to your customer for you. The Drop Ship Source Directory offers a directory of many of these type of wholesalers. The free ebook offered is an amazing read also.
       
       
       
     • Affiliate Products
       
       A lot of web sites have affiliate programs, which pay you a percentage commission on their sales. If there's a product that you particularly like, you could offer the product to your customers.
       
       Once again, it is important to double check that the product is one that you have faith in: if it's not a product that you would buy yourself (and preferably have already bought yourself), then don't offer it to your customers.
       
       Here are some of the most profitable affiliate programs I promote on my site:
       
       
       Corey Rudl at the Internet Marketing Center pays nice commisions!
       
       I sell these "heavyweight" software programs above and keep 100% of the profit. Check it out now!
       
       
       
       Find The "Affiliate Program" link on the left menu and sign up.
       They just sent me a real check in the mail...sweet!
       
       
       Let me back up for a minute... If you have no idea what the heck an affiliate program is or how to promote it, take these two steps.
       
       1. Read the ePlex Affiliate Tutorial.
       
       2. Sign up with the Kowabunga Affiliate Team. They will train you even beyond what my tutorial teaches. You will also get paid to promote the training program they offer! Click on the banner below to sign up
       
       
     
     
     
   • Cut Costs
     
     The nice thing about selling E-Books online is that usually the costs associated with selling the E-Books are very low. However, do not assume that there are no ways to cut what costs you do have:
     
     
     • There are variable costs which are directly dependent on the volume of orders you process. An example might be the transaction fees associated with processing each credit card payment. Assuming you don't have a lot of fixed overheads (like office rental etc.), when cutting costs, variable costs may be the best place to start. Obviously, you will want to make sure that any changes that you make, will not negatively impact on your sales.
       
       
     • There are also fixed costs which are the same regardless of the amount that you sell. Things like domain registration and hosting, or monthly leasing fees on your merchant account (or office rent if applicable) are part of your fixed costs. Unless your fixed costs are enormous (or you're selling a very low volume), then the fixed costs may not be a major issue. Once again, be sure that any changes that you make, will not negatively impact on your sales.