When I first started blogging, I never thought I could turn my writing into something people would pay for.
Then a friend of mine said I should use my best-performing posts as the basis for an ebook.
At first, the idea of “writing a book” seemed huge and intimidating, but my friend explained it this way: “You’ve already done the hard part. Most of the content is already there on your blog.”
That simple idea led me to a discovery: selling ebooks on WordPress is surprisingly easy. You don’t need a complex e-commerce site or expensive platforms. You can simply use a plugin to sell digital products directly from your existing WordPress blog or website.
Since then, I’ve tested every major ebook-selling solution for WordPress and I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. If you’re ready to monetize your content, here’s my step-by-step guide to selling ebooks with WordPress.
Why Sell eBooks with WordPress?
In my experience, creating an ebook can be a really pivotal moment for your WordPress website.
The first time I put an ebook together, I immediately saw a shift in how people engaged with my content. When you create a polished guide, it helps to build trust with your visitors as they see you as a knowledgeable and trusted authority in your field.
I simply used my first ebook to generate leads and grow my email list. However, after seeing how many people were excited to get a comprehensive guide, a new thought popped into my head: I could actually use ebooks to make money online.
That’s when I started looking for a way to actually sell ebooks via my WordPress website. And I was surprised by how simple it was!
You can use WordPress plugins to add eCommerce features to your site, and start selling digital products like ebooks straight away. Even better, since ebooks are digital products you don’t need to worry about things like managing stock or shipping fees.
Basically, you can get started without a big upfront investment.
Now, every time someone asks me how to start making money from their content, I always recommend they give ebooks a try.
Step 1: Choose Your Digital Download Plugin
When I was getting ready to sell my first digital product, I looked at a few different options. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming at first.
Most of the popular eCommerce plugins are designed to sell a variety of products. These plugins include features only relevant to physical goods, like managing shipping and tracking inventory. All that complexity just seemed like it would get in the way.
That’s why I chose Easy Digital Downloads (EDD).
This plugin is designed specifically for selling digital products like ebooks. That said, it only has the features you need to promote, sell, and distribute digital files on your WordPress website.
In my experience, EDD is much easier to learn compared to a complete eCommerce platform like WooCommerce.
For this guide, I’ll show you how to sell ebooks using the free version of Easy Digital Downloads. However, there’s also a premium plugin with more advanced features such as powerful email marketing tools and additional payment gateways.
As your site grows and more people buy your ebooks, you’ll have the option to upgrade to the premium plugin. This lets you start small and then grow with your business, which is another thing I love about EDD.
To get started, you’ll need to install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. If you need help, then see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Step 2: Set Your Location
After installing the EDD plugin, the first thing you’ll need to do is set your store’s location.
Even though you’re selling ebooks, EDD still uses your location for a couple of things. This includes autofilling some form fields, which makes the customer experience a lot smoother. This information also helps you calculate tax.
To set your location, go to Downloads » Settings in your WordPress admin area.
Here, open the ‘Business Country’ dropdown and select the location where your store is based.
Next, click to open the ‘Business Region’ menu and choose your base state or province.
After entering this information, don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the ‘Save Changes’ button.
Step 3. Setting Up Your Payment Gateway
After setting your location, you need to think about how people will pay you.
When I was getting ready to sell my first ebook, this was the part that made me the most nervous. Thankfully, EDD makes things easy by connecting with the most popular payment gateways.
Using EDD for the first time, I was happy to see familiar payment options like PayPal and Stripe. These are some of the most popular payment methods, so EDD has you covered from the start.
To set up your payment gateways, go to Downloads » Settings if you haven’t already. Then, click on the ‘Payments’ tab.
You’ll now see all the different payment options that EDD supports. You can use any gateway you want, but Stripe can accept credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. With that in mind, I recommend using Stripe as your default payment gateway.
If you want to offer different payment gateways, then you can take a look at the Easy Digital Download extensions. Here, you’ll find more solutions like Braintree, Authorize.net, ClickBank, and many more.
To set up a payment option, click its cog icon.
This will take you to the configuration screen for that method.
Simply follow the onscreen instructions to configure that payment method.
You can repeat these steps to add multiple payment methods to your WordPress blog or website. This lets customers choose their preferred gateway.
If you do, then you’ll need to choose a default payment method. This option will be selected automatically when the visitor loads your checkout page.
I always set Stripe as my default because most of my community prefers to pay with a credit card, and Stripe makes that process incredibly simple.
To do this, head back to the Downloads » Settings » Payments » General screen, if you haven’t already. This time, open the ‘Default Gateway’ dropdown.
You can now choose any option from the list.
When you’re happy with how your gateways are configured, scroll to the bottom of this page and click ‘Save Changes.’
Step 4: Change Your Currency (Optional)
By default, Easy Digital Downloads will display your prices in US dollars. You may want to change this to a different currency based on your location or target audience.
To do this, select the ‘General’ tab, followed by the ‘Currency’ tab.
That done, open the ‘Currency’ dropdown and choose an option from the list.
A word of advice: it’s important to ensure your payment gateway supports your preferred currency. If you’re not sure, then I recommend checking the payment gateway’s website for more information.
Finally, click ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings.
Step 5: Customize and Personal Your Customer Emails
Every time someone buys your ebook, Easy Digital Downloads will send them an email. This email contains a link the customer can use to download their ebook.
It’s a good idea to customize these emails before adding any products to your site. That way, they’ll reflect your brand perfectly, right from the very beginning.
To get started, go to Downloads » Emails and then click the ‘Settings’ tab.
First, it’s a good idea to add your logo. This is a simple but effective way to brand your emails.
In the ‘Settings’ tab, find the ‘Logo’ field and click on its ‘Attach File’ button.
You can now choose your logo from the WordPress Media Library.
After that, you should add a ‘From Name’ and a ‘From Email.’ I always use my site’s name for the ‘From Name’ so customers immediately know who this email is from.
For the ‘From Email,’ I use a professional address that I check often. This lets me answer any customer questions without delay.
After that, you may want to edit the various emails that EDD sends by default. To take a look at these messages, click the ‘Emails’ tab.
You’ll now see all the different emails that EDD can send to your audience.
To customize an email, hover over it and then click the ‘Edit’ button when it appears.
In the following screenshots, I’m customizing the Purchase Receipt email, but you can use this same process for any of EDD’s emails.
Once you open the email, you can use the mini-editor to change the text and formatting.
You can also use special placeholders, which Easy Digital Downloads calls ‘dynamic text.’ These automatically insert details like the customer’s name or the purchase date.
This makes every email feel personal without you having to do lots of extra work. To see all the different tags you can use, click the ‘Insert Tag’ button.
In the popup that appears, you can browse through all the available tags and select the one you want to use.
Feel free to add as many as you want to make your emails as personal and informative as possible.
When you’re happy with your changes, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button.
You can repeat these steps to customize the other EDD emails. You can also enable or disable individual emails by clicking the slider next to them.
Step 6: Adding Your First eBook
Once you’re happy with your EDD setup, you’re ready to create your first digital product. The process is really straightforward.
First, go to Downloads » Add Download in your dashboard.
To start, you’ll need to give your ebook a name. You can use anything you want, but I like to use clear, descriptive titles so my readers know exactly what they’re getting.
After that, you’ll write a compelling description. This is your chance to really sell your ebook, so make sure to highlight the benefits and what the reader will learn.
I also recommend adding tags and categories.
This helps people find your ebook. For example, if you have a book of simple recipes, you could use a category like ‘Recipe’ and a tag like ‘Quick and Easy.’
Step 7: Pricing and Uploading Your eBook
After adding a description, it’s time to set the price. Easy Digital Downloads defaults to ‘free,’ so be sure to scroll to the ‘Download Details’ section to change it.
Here, type your desired price into the ‘Price’ field. This is always my favorite bit – it’s a great feeling to put a value on something you created!
The next step is uploading your actual ebook file.
In the ‘Download Details’ section, select the ‘Files’ tab. Then, find the ‘File URL’ field and click its link icon.
This opens your WordPress Media Library. Here, you can either upload your ebook file or select one that’s already in your library.
In the File Name field, enter the name you want your customers to see when they purchase and download your ebook.
Step 8: Creating an Irresistible Product Image
The next step is adding a product image. Since customers can’t physically hold your ebook, this image is what sells the product, so it needs to look great.
For my ebooks, I love making a realistic 3D mockup of a book cover. Even if you’re not a designer, you can use free tools like Canva to easily create a professional-looking image.
Once your image is ready, find the Download Image section and click the ‘Set Download Image’ button.
You can now upload your image or select any image you want to use from the WordPress Media Library.
Step 9: Publish Your First eBook
After you’ve done all that, take a moment to double-check everything. If you’re happy with how it all looks, then click the ‘Publish’ button.
Your very first digital product is now live! You can now repeat these steps to create as many ebooks and digital downloads as you want.
Step 10: Adding Value: Publishing eBook Bundles
Once you’ve published a few individual ebooks, you might want to create special bundles that customers can buy together. For example, if you’ve published separate ebooks for breakfast recipes, dinner recipes, and dessert recipes, then you can create a bundle that includes all three.
It’s a great way to save your customers time and give them a complete package.
It can also boost sales, especially if you offer the bundle at a slight discount compared to buying each ebook individually. I did this with my own ebooks after a reader asked if I had a package deal. It was a great suggestion.
To create a bundle, simply create a new download like we did before. You can add a title, a description, and a price for the entire bundle.
After that, scroll to the ‘Download Details’ section.
Here, open the ‘Product Type Options’ dropdown and choose ‘Bundle.’
That done, select the ‘Downloads’ tab and open the ‘Select Download’ dropdown.
You can now choose the first ebook you want to offer in this bundle.
To continue, click the ‘Add Download’ button.
This adds another Select Download dropdown, which you can use to choose the next product for your bundle.
Simply repeat this process to add all the ebooks you want to include in your bundle.
When everything looks right, click Publish to make the bundle available to your customers. As you can see, this is a simple way to add more value to your products.
Step 11: Promoting Your Digital Downloads
After publishing your ebook, the next step is promotion.
I always add my ebook pages to my main navigation menu so visitors can easily find them.
I’ve also had great success linking to my products from blog posts. When I write about a specific topic, I’ll link to the related ebook. This helps me reach readers when they’re most interested.
Going further, EDD provides a Buy Now button that you can add to any page or post. When a visitor clicks it, the ebook is added to their cart. The button then changes to ‘Checkout.’
Clicking this button again takes the visitor straight to the payment form. As you can see, this is a smooth and simple process for the customer, and it’s a great way to make your blog seem more like an online store.
To add this block, simply open any page or post in the WordPress editor. Then, find where you want to place the button and click the ‘+’ icon.
In the popup that appears, start typing in ‘EDD Buy Now.’
When the right block appears, click to add it to your site.
Next, open the ‘Select a Download’ dropdown and choose the ebook you want to promote.
You can now publish or update this page as normal. That’s it! The Buy Now button will now appear on your site.
Bonus: My Tips for Selling More eBooks
After publishing your first ebook, the next step is driving traffic to your site and converting those visitors into customers.
I’ve found that a few key plugins can make a big difference. Here’s some of my personal favorites that have helped me sell more ebooks:
- All in One SEO: This complete SEO toolkit will help your site show up in search engines like Google. This typically translates into more traffic, which means more potential customers.
- MonsterInsights: I use this Google Analytics plugin to monitor exactly what’s happening on my site. It helps me see where my visitors are coming from and which pages they visit before they buy an ebook. This helps me understand what’s working and what’s not working, so I can continuously improve my marketing strategies and site to sell more ebooks.
- OptinMonster: I use this lead generation and conversion optimization toolkit to turn more visitors into paying customers.
- PushEngage: I’ve seen many people use PushEngage to send web push notifications to their visitors. This is also a really great way to announce new ebooks, or time-sensitive events like a flash sale.
I hope you’re feeling confident about selling your ebooks with WordPress now.
Ready to grow your business even more? Check out our ultimate WordPress toolkit: everything you need for your website. It’s full of my favorite plugins, themes, and tools for building a successful online business.
Need help getting started with WordPress? Then check out our comprehensive video tutorials covering everything from essential setup, right through to advanced customization:
Leave a Reply