The act of selling an eBook can be a profitable experience. When one considers the relatively inexpensive nature of eBooks with resell rights and the ways by which cheap eBay auctions can be constructed, the selling of eBooks at auction can be a wonderful means of creating revenue.

However, it is a mistake to look at a completed eBook transaction as the end of the potential profits. EBooks can be sold in a manner that produces a lingering value for the seller simply via the inclusion of affiliate links either within the eBook or as part of the delivery of the eBook.

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to generate an online income. It works quite simply. If someone purchases a product after using your uniquely coded link to get to the sales page, you receive a commission on the sale. Many companies and product manufacturers offer affiliate programs and all eBook sellers should take a close look at their potential.

For instance, if you are selling an eBook about widgets, you may want to consider joining an affiliate program offered by someone in the business of selling widgets. Along with the eBook you have sold, you can include a mailing that includes some additional widget information. This might just be an email to the buyer included with the eBook. It could even be offered in the form of a free “special report” offered along with the eBook.

Regardless of the format, this additional communication would include a link back to your affiliate partner. If your customer decides to make a purchase via the links you provide, you will then receive additional revenue in the form of a sales commission.

Affiliate commissions can be quite high and even if your efforts produce very few conversions, it can still be a profitable exercise and a great way to increase the potential value of the eBook transaction to the seller.

If you are selling an eBook you have self-authored, or one that came with private label rights allowing for full editing and customization, you can include affiliate links within the eBook itself. This is a powerful technique for driving qualified traffic to affiliate sites that can really help improve your bottom line.

One does, of course, risk transforming the sale of an informational product into mere advertisement by overusing affiliate links. This should be avoided, as it generally decreases the likelihood of affiliate sales and also creates a lower perceived value for the eBook itself.

However, judicious use of affiliate links is a great way by which an eBook seller can add an additional profit dimension to the products he or she is selling on eBay. Selling eBooks can, in and of itself, generate some eye-opening profits, but by using affiliate measures one can really supercharge their potential earnings after the eBook sale is already made!

John Thornhill trades on eBay under the username planetsms. For more advice on how to succeed on eBay with information products visit http://www.planetsms.co.uk/