Building a successful book sales funnel is not just about clever ads or a polished website. It’s about guiding your readers from curiosity to purchase in a smooth, reliable way. If you’re selling eBooks directly to readers, even small issues like a slow-loading page or a confusing checkout can cause them to drop off before they buy.

In today’s blog, Ginger breaks down how to build a book sales funnel that truly converts. Drawing from his own direct sales experience and use of a variety of tools, he shares tips on writing effective Facebook ads, optimizing landing pages, and streamlining your checkout process. Any author looking to create a reliable sales funnel that leads readers straight from interest to purchase will find this guide indispensable.

---

The fundamental goal of storytelling is to take your readers on a journey, leading them on a path that makes them feel one initial emotion, and then another, and then another, until they finally reach the conclusion at the end of your story.

Selling your books directly to your readers follows a very similar formula. You’ve got to take potential readers on a journey of their own: From first clicking on your ads, to arriving at your landing page, and then finally (hopefully) purchasing your books. 

And, just like with telling a story, you don’t want to lose any of them along the way.

Which is something which can happen pretty easily when you trade in the convenience and reliability of Amazon for your own customized “sales funnel”. Trust me, I speak from experience.  

I’ve written about it before, but I first found out how important the customer journey was about six months into my grand experiment of selling ebooks directly. 

I’d had a lot of initial success, and already become hooked on the thrill of cutting out Amazon’s middleman. The money hitting my account within a day or so—sometimes instantly with PayPal—was a game-changer. It allowed me to reinvest my budget back into ads almost instantly, like I was running a perpetual motion machine, rather than having to save up enough budget to cover 90 days of advertising in advance, like I had to do with Amazon.

But then, wham, I hit a pothole that nearly derailed the whole operation. 

Potential customers clicked on my ads. My landing page “converted” them when they clicked on the Buy Now button. However, my Shopify store checkout started throwing up a big red “This website might be unsafe” warning because my SSL certificate had expired. 

I noticed this the hard way, when sales plummeted from four a day to zero (all while Facebook continued to cheerfully chow through my $100 daily advertising spend.) It took a while for me to figure out what the problem was. On the journey from click to customer, my potential readers had hit a roadblock, so their journey ended before they were able to complete it.

On another occasion, I noticed a lot of people clicking on my ads, but very few of them hitting my landing page. I had to diagnose that issue as well, and worked out that my landing page was taking so long to load it was practically begging customers to bounce. The slow-loading page wasn’t a roadblock in their journey, but it was enough of an inconvenience to lose a lot of them along the way. 

And this is the hard truth about direct sales. It’s not just about writing a killer book or crafting a slick ad. It’s about the journey—every click, every second, every hurdle between a reader seeing your ad and buying your book. 

For self-published authors, mapping this journey is like building a Rube Goldberg machine. One misstep, and the whole thing grinds to a halt. That’s why I wanted to spend this week breaking down how to get your “customer journey” right, from ads to checkout, so you can keep readers flowing through your funnel without tripping over the same potholes that I did.

Crafting Facebook Ads That Hook Readers

Do you remember that bit in the movie adaptation of The Hobbit when Bilbo comes running after the dwarves announcing “I’m going on an adventure!” 

Well, for your customers, Facebook ads are that point in their adventure into the world of your books. It’s the first step in their customer journey. 

But it’s very easy to lose them along the way, even this early in the quest to “convert” them into customers. When I started, my Facebook ads strategy was akin throwing spaghetti at the wall. That is, better than nothing, but largely just hoping something would stick. I learned that some ads soared while others flopped, and all that “wasted” advertising budget helped me figure out the difference. 

For me the biggest landmarks to guide my adventurous potential customers were metrics like Click-Through Rate (CTR), Cost Per Click (CPC), and the cost of reaching my audience. 

• CTR tells you how many people are intrigued enough to click your ad. A high CTR (say, 4% or more) means your ad’s hooking readers; a low one (below 3%) means it’s falling flat. 
• CPC shows how much each click costs you. Obviously, you’ll know that the lower this is, the more clicks you’re getting for your money!
• Finally, your audience cost reflects how efficiently you’re targeting the right readers. Generally it’s reflected in a CPM or cost-per-thousand-viewers.

Here’s the trick: compare your ads. If one has a higher CTR—maybe it’s got a bold headline like “Escape into Adventure!” versus a bland “Buy My Book”—dig into why. 

Is it the image? The copy? The call-to-action? I once had an ad with a moody book cover photo that crushed one with a generic stock image, doubling my CTR. Use that winner as a blueprint. 

Tweak new ads to mimic the vibe of winning creative (e.g. same tone, similar visuals) and test them. Facebook’s ad manager lets you track these metrics in real-time, so you’re not flying blind. 

Keep your budget modest at first (I started at $20 a day, and only now advertise at $100 or $200) to avoid burning cash while you learn what resonates. A well-crafted ad doesn’t just drive clicks, it starts the journey strong, pulling readers toward your landing page with their curiosity already piqued.

Perfecting Your Landing Page and Upsell Flow

Just like as Bilbo enters Smaug’s lair, your landing page is where the adventure truly begins for your potential customers. It’s the beating heart of your sales funnel, but it’s also where things can go spectacularly wrong. 

As I’ve written about before, I learned this the hard way when my site’s security certificate lapsed, scaring off customers with an ominous browser warning. Even when it was “fixed,” my page took ages to load, and every extra second cost me conversions. Studies show that a one-second delay can slash conversions by as much as 7%. For self-published authors, that’s not just a stat, it soon adds up to lost sales.

Your landing page needs to load fast and look good on any device, so be sure to test it on your phone, your tablet, even your parent’s ancient PC (my dad still uses AOL to log on.) 

If it’s sluggish, optimize images or switch to a lighter theme. Tools like Google Analytics or Mouseflow are your best friends here. They track every visitor’s journey, from how long they stay and where they click, to where they drop off. 

When I started trying to get more conversions, these tools were like a treasure map. Through them, I noticed patterns, like how readers were initially bailing halfway down my landing page. It turned out that my “Buy Now” button was buried under too much text and when I moved it higher, conversions jumped by 20%. 

If you’ve got upsell bump pages (like offering a book bundle before checkout), make sure they’re snappy too. Each page should showcase your book instantly (cover, blurb, price) and give readers a clear path to buy.

Compatibility is key, and definitely more important than looking slick or fancy. My Shopify store broke because I got fancy with a custom domain, but a standard Shopify URL would’ve saved me days of panic. 

Check that your site works across browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) and doesn’t glitch on mobile. If readers can’t see your book or hit “Add to Cart” without a hassle, they’re gone. 

Although it cost money, Mouseflow’s heatmaps paid for themselves by showing me exactly where readers lingered or left, helping me trim fluff and tighten the flow. 

Remember, your landing page isn’t just a storefront. It’s a bridge toward the next step in your customer’s journey: The checkout.

Streamlining the Checkout Process

The checkout is where the magic happens—or doesn’t. I use Shopify, but whether you’re on Wix, Square, or another platform, the goal is the same: Make buying your book as frictionless as possible. 

It’s also worth noting that this is the least-appreciated part of the process. With direct sales you have so much control over your sales funnel that it’s easy to forget that the checkout part is what really makes Amazon as successful as it is. People are wary about giving their credit card information out online, and Amazon has built-in trust and name recognition which helps smooth the bumps on the path from “buy now” to completing the transaction. 

When you go solo and use a platform like Shopify or Wix, you’ve got to make sure your customers have faith that they can trust you with the same information they’d give Amazon without blinking an eye.

I noticed this immediately when I began my direct sales adventure. I saw that 60% of readers who added my eBook bundle to their cart never completed the purchase. That was like filling a grocery cart and walking out of the store empty-handed. Why were they abandoning ship?

I started by tracking my checkout completion rate. Shopify’s analytics show how many customers finish after adding to cart. If it’s low, investigate. Too many steps can kill conversions, every extra click loses people. I cut my checkout from three pages to one, and completions rose 15%. Payment options matter too. Shopify Pay, which auto-fills details, has a higher completion rate than PayPal, which redirects users. Offer multiple options (credit card, Apple Pay, etc.), but keep it simple. I lost sales early on because my PayPal integration glitched, leaving customers stranded.

Then there’s the trust factor. My SSL certificate fiasco taught me that a secure checkout is non-negotiable. Ensure your site has a valid SSL (check for the padlock in the browser) and displays trust signals like “Secure Checkout” badges. If readers don’t feel safe, they won’t buy. 

Finally, follow the Facebook Pixel data back to your ads. It tracks every sale, letting you calculate your cost per sale (mine was $10 at its best). If it’s too high, something’s off. Maybe your ads aren’t targeting the right audience, or your checkout’s too clunky. Use your intuition alongside these metrics to spot obstacles and fix them, whether it’s a slow page or a confusing form.

Keep the Journey Smooth and Keep Learning

Direct sales is a game-changer for self-published authors, but it’s not set-it-and-forget-it. It’s like maintaining a finicky old car—one loose bolt, and you’re stranded. My journey taught me to walk the customer’s path myself. Click your own ads, load your landing page, try the checkout. 

I missed my SSL issue for days because I didn’t test the journey soon enough after spotting my sales plummet. That’s why it’s important to regularly buy your own book through your funnel to spot where readers might stumble. 

And remember, the journey needs to be smooth from beginning to end. At the start, maybe your ads are too vague. Next, maybe your landing page takes forever to load. Finally, perhaps your checkout asks for too much information to keep potential customers comfortable. 

Each stumble is a chance to tweak and improve.

The payoff? When you’ve filled all the potholes and flattened all the bumps in your sales funnel pathway, you’re not just selling books, you’re building a machine that runs while you sleep. 

My sales are back on track, and I’m scaling up to $100 a day in ad spend again, but I’m wiser now. Check your metrics daily. Use tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel to stay vigilant. And don’t be afraid to hustle. Fixing my funnel took elbow grease and a few late nights, but it was worth it.

Have you had experience with building a sales funnel? What was your biggest hurdle in the direct sales journey? Drop it in the comments, I’d love to hear your stories and swap tips for keeping those readers safe on their journey toward “Purchase Complete.”

Share this blog