How to sell an ebook online in 2026: formats, pricing, and where to sell
How to sell an ebook: PDF vs EPUB, cover specs, pricing, Amazon KDP royalty rules, Gumroad, Payhip, Etsy, or your own store, and how to market it.
To sell an ebook, write a book that solves one problem, export it as a PDF (for direct sales) or an EPUB (for e-readers and Amazon), add a clear cover, and pick where to sell. Amazon KDP pays 70% on books priced $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com, and 35% outside that band. Gumroad, Payhip, and Etsy sell the file for a cut of each sale. Your own store keeps more and gives you every buyer's email. Many authors do both: Amazon to be found, their own store for their audience.
Full disclosure: we make Eden, a creator workspace with a store, and we show how to sell an ebook there at the end. Amazon KDP facts come from KDP's own help pages, and the other platforms' fees from their own sites, checked in September 2026.
Step 1: Write a book people will buy
The ebooks that sell solve one problem for one kind of reader. "How to land your first three design clients" is easier to buy than "Everything about freelancing."
- Start from a question you get a lot. If people keep asking you the same thing, the book is your full answer.
- Outline before you write. One chapter per step the reader has to take.
- Short is fine. A 40-page guide that gets someone a result is worth more to them than 300 pages they never finish.
- Add things they can use. Checklists, worksheets, and examples make a book feel worth the price.
Step 2: Pick a format (PDF or EPUB)
| Format | How it looks | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed pages, looks the same everywhere | Workbooks, guides with images, direct sales | |
| EPUB | Text reflows to fit the screen, font sizes change | E-readers, phones, long reading, Amazon |
A PDF keeps your design exactly as you made it. It's the easiest file to sell from your own store, and it's best for workbooks and guides with lots of images. It's harder to read on a small phone screen.
An EPUB reflows like a web page, so it reads well on any screen. It's the better choice for long, mostly-text books.
For Amazon KDP, Kindle's help pages recommend Word (DOC/DOCX) or Kindle Package Format (KPF) files. KDP also accepts EPUB, and PDF only in some languages (English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Galician, and Basque). KDP no longer accepts MOBI files for fixed-layout ebooks. Check your file in Kindle Previewer before you upload.
Selling direct? Offer both. Buyers can pick the one that fits how they read.
Step 3: Make a cover
Most people see your cover as a small thumbnail first. Keep it simple: a short title in big letters, one strong image or color, and your name.
Amazon's cover specs are a good default anywhere:
- Size: ideally 2,560 pixels tall by 1,600 pixels wide (a 1.6 to 1 ratio).
- File type: JPEG or TIFF, under 50MB, in RGB color.
- White background? Add a thin gray border so it doesn't vanish on a white page.
Step 4: Price it
Price by what the book does for the reader, not by page count. A guide that helps someone get a raise is worth more than a novel of the same length.
On Amazon, the royalty rules shape your price:
| KDP royalty option | Amazon.com list price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 70% | $2.99 to $12.99 | 70% of the list price, minus delivery costs |
| 35% | $0.99 to $200 (files under 3MB) | 35% of the list price |
A few rules to know:
- The 70% band changed. Since July 7, 2026, the top of the 70% band on Amazon.com is $12.99. It used to be $9.99.
- Delivery costs come out of 70% sales only. KDP says they average $0.06 per sale and grow with file size.
- The 35% minimum rises with file size: $1.99 for files of 3 to 10MB, and $2.99 for 10MB or more.
- 70% only applies in some countries. Sales outside KDP's 70% territories pay 35%. In Brazil, Japan, Mexico, and India, you also need KDP Select to get 70%.
- Public domain books only get 35%.
So a $9.99 Kindle book pays about $6.93 at 70%. A $19.99 book is outside the band and pays about $7.00 at 35%. That's why so many Kindle books sit between $2.99 and $12.99.
Selling direct, you set any price you like. Many authors sell a PDF on their own store for more than the Kindle price and add extras like worksheets.
Step 5: Choose where to sell
| Where | What it costs you | Tax handled for you? | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | 30% to 65% of the list price | Amazon sells to the buyer | You want Amazon's readers to find you |
| Gumroad | 10% + 50¢, plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing | Yes | No monthly bill, tax handled |
| Payhip | 5% free, 2% on $29/mo, 0% on $99/mo, plus processing | VAT, US and Canada tax | Low fee, PDF stamping |
| Etsy | $0.20 listing, 6.5%, 3% + 25¢ processing (US) | US sales tax | Workbooks and printables found by search |
| Your own store | Depends on the store (Eden: 5% + Stripe, $29/mo) | Usually no | You have an audience |
Amazon KDP. The biggest ebook store, and readers already search there. The trade-off: Amazon owns the customer, you never get their email, and pricing is shaped by the royalty rules above.
Gumroad. No monthly fee. It takes 10% + 50¢ on direct sales, and card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on top. Sales through its Discover marketplace cost a flat 30%. Gumroad is the merchant of record, so it handles sales tax for you. A $15 ebook leaves you about $12.27. More in Gumroad fees.
Payhip. Free plan at 5% per sale, Plus at $29/mo and 2%, Pro at $99/mo and 0%. PayPal and Stripe fees apply on top. Payhip collects and pays EU and UK VAT and US and Canadian sales tax for you. It can also stamp the buyer's email and purchase date on every page of your PDF, which discourages sharing (portrait PDFs under 250MB, not inside a zip).
Etsy. $0.20 per listing, 6.5% per sale, and 3% + 25¢ payment processing in the US. Offsite Ads can add 12% to 15% on sales they bring in. Digital listings allow up to five files of 20MB each. Etsy works best for workbooks, planners, and printables people search for.
Your own store. A store in your link in bio keeps more of each sale and gives you every buyer's email, so you can sell them your next book. You bring the traffic. Compare options in the best platforms to sell digital products.
KDP Select: should you go exclusive?
KDP Select is Amazon's optional 90-day program for Kindle ebooks. It renews every 90 days unless you turn that off.
What you get:
- Your book is added to Kindle Unlimited, so subscribers can read it and you're paid for pages read.
- Promotions: either up to 5 free days per 90-day term, or a Kindle Countdown Deal. Only one type per term.
- The 70% royalty in Brazil, Japan, Mexico, and India.
What you give up: the digital version of your book must be sold only on Amazon while you're enrolled. KDP says that includes your own website and blog. Print and audio versions can still be sold anywhere.
Choose KDP Select if most of your readers find you on Amazon and you write the kind of book Kindle Unlimited readers binge.
Skip it if you sell to your own audience, want to sell the PDF from your own store, or want buyers' emails.
Step 6: Deliver the file
- Every platform above sends the file for you after payment, by email or a download page.
- Offer PDF and EPUB together so buyers don't have to convert anything.
- Expect some sharing. You can't stop it fully. PDF stamping (on Payhip) and extras only buyers get (updates, worksheets, a private link) make the paid copy worth more than a shared one.
Step 7: Market it
- Give away a chapter. A free first chapter in exchange for an email is the best lead magnet an author has. See how to grow your email list from your link in bio.
- Turn each chapter into posts. Every chapter has ideas you can post about for weeks. Link the book every time.
- Launch to a list. Build a waitlist before the book is done, and give them a launch price for the first week.
- Collect reviews early. Send early copies to a few readers and ask for honest reviews. Quote them on your sales page.
- Bundle and upsell. Pair the book with a workbook, a course, or a call for readers who want more help.
How to sell an ebook on Eden
See the full tour on the Eden digital downloads page.
On Eden, an ebook is a digital download: Your store → Products → New product → Digital download.
- Upload the PDF and the EPUB. Both open in a reader inside the product. Set the access to Buyers can read, copy, and download and buyers can download the files too.
- Add extras. Worksheets, checklists, or a zip of bonus files (up to 20 download-only files, 2 GB in total).
- Or pair the book with an AI. Switch Product type to Custom AI, and the book comes with an AI that knows it. Buyers ask questions about their own situation and get answers from your book. That help can't be passed along with a shared PDF. See how to sell a Custom AI.
- Sell more per order. Bundles, order bumps, up to three one-click upsells after checkout, and discount codes.
- Give a free chapter. Make a $0 product and send each signup to your email list (Kit, beehiiv, GoHighLevel, or Substack).
Every product shows on your free link-in-bio page at handle.eden.so. Selling needs the $29/mo Starter plan, and Eden takes 5% per sale, with Stripe's fee (2.9% + 30¢ for US cards) from your share. A $15 ebook leaves you about $13.52 before the monthly plan.
Where Eden falls short: it isn't a merchant of record, so sales tax through Stripe is yours to handle, where Gumroad and Payhip handle it for you. It has no marketplace, so readers won't find your book by searching like they do on Amazon. It doesn't stamp PDFs, and there's no custom domain. If you sell only a few copies a month, Payhip's free plan costs less.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Amazon pay for an ebook?
70% of the list price (minus a small delivery cost) if you price between $2.99 and $12.99 on Amazon.com and the sale is in a 70% country. Otherwise 35%.
Can I sell my ebook on Amazon and my own website?
Yes, as long as you don't enroll the ebook in KDP Select. KDP Select requires the digital version to be sold only on Amazon, including not on your own site.
Should I sell my ebook as a PDF or EPUB?
PDF for workbooks and guides with a set design. EPUB for long, mostly-text books read on phones and e-readers. Selling direct, offer both.
How do I stop people sharing my ebook?
You can't fully. Stamp buyers' emails on the PDF where your platform supports it, and add extras only buyers get, like updates, worksheets, or an AI that answers questions about the book.
Do I need an ISBN to sell an ebook?
Not on Amazon. KDP says an ISBN is optional for ebooks. Selling the file from your own store doesn't need one either.
Ready to sell your book to your own readers? Start Eden free and upload it today.