Author Topic: Selling on your website 2024 (Lemon Squeezy, Payhip, Shopify etc) (Read 2432 times)

alhawke · « **Reply #50 on:** March 15, 2024, 01:38:59 PM »

Okay. This was easy, too easy, to set up. ~~I'm gonna show you all a screenshot of what I can show readers.~~

To answer my own tax questions, I think tax loss from revenue is still minimal. And if I get, even a few sales, for boxed sets we're looking at $9 profit instead of $7 for a boxed set. Audiobooks are a ridiculous difference and advantage.

As far as security, let me know your thoughts.

Pretty exciting. And amazingly easy to set up. For those of you who sell wide, or have books outside KU, this was probably easier for me to set up than a new retailer, folks (like when I moved my books to Eden books and Drivethrufiction).

{edit: deleted link; basically, book cover is reduced in size, as Lorri mentioned above ^; it would be nice to have a vertical final image on sale slip

Bill Hiatt · « **Reply #51 on:** March 15, 2024, 11:38:18 PM »

If I were in a position to sell direct, the one thing that would keep me from dropping BF in favor of SO is that BF has a lot wider choice of promos and in my experience performs better. I did some SO promos that literally didn't move the needle at all. That said, I tested years ago. Maybe SO has a larger author base now and hence better promo performance?

If SO promos were doing better, I'd go with the SO-LSq combo for sure. That way, you could count the $100 fee as a promotional expense and look at the ease and lesser expense of selling direct as gravy. If they do work well, these promos will do enough for sales (and newsletter signups, if you want to do those) to make the $100 well worth it.

I poked around a little on Story Origin's website. They offer some promo types I can't recall BF doing, like audiobooks. There are a lot more promos than in the old days, which is good. The ones I checked had a relatively small number of authors involved, however, which may reduce the impact of the promos. Perhaps someone who currently uses SO could shed some light on how effective the promos are today.

Like BF, SO has a lot of features. SO is somewhat more feature rich, with a program that appears to help aggregate feedback from beta readers, though I've never tried that. Then there's a lot of things to do with reviewers if you give away review copies, like verifying profiles and analyzing completion rates. SO also now advertises a website builder. Though I'm pretty sure it's basic, it might be enough for a lot of new authors.

alhawke · « **Reply #52 on:** March 16, 2024, 12:25:04 AM »

Quote from: Bill Hiatt on March 15, 2024, 11:38:18 PM

SO also now advertises a website builder. Though I'm pretty sure it's basic, it might be enough for a lot of new authors.

I think the Story Origin website builder is pretty impressive (^can check it out per Lorri's link). If I was setting up as a new author, StoryOrigins would be huge in my consideration. Problem is, I'm already set up. And I love Bookfunnel's features too much. I agree regarding promos being better with Bookfunnel. This could change if more authors sign up to StoryOrigin.

Update: I haven't plunged in yet with LemonSqueezy. I've waited this long for selling direct, I don't see why waiting a bit longer is a problem. I rather not be the guinea pig first starting this new service. My preference is to see if it will prosper.

I contacted Bookfunnel to see if they're willing to merge software with LemonSqueezy; currently they have this feature for Payhip and Spotify. I'll let you know if they plan on doing this. If they do, I'm in.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #53 on:** March 16, 2024, 04:22:47 AM »

So, if the problem with going direct through Lemon Squeezy is that their images are wide rather than tall, why not use a 3D representation of the book?

You could also add whatever background too.

The image is just what shows on Lemon Squeezy's website or checkout page or whatever, right? So you can still present the book however you want on your own website. And the image on Lemon Squeezy just serves to remind buyers what they're getting, is that right?

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #54 on:** March 16, 2024, 07:25:28 AM »

Dan, that's a possibility...but it looks like I'm selling a paperback.

I think/hope LS may get a new cover image in the future. Downside, I tried it out and they just send the links...no help for confused readers except my email. I'm going to wait and see if they link to the BookFunnel library in the near future.

For me, there are 3 major roadblocks.

1. I don't have a plug in for my site, so I'd have to figure out that extra step.

2. The covers aren't a good fit for my store.

3. No access to the BookFunnel library. I've spent the past year getting my readers used to BookFunnel (and I use them for all my Kickstarter campaigns) so changing now seems like a bad idea.

What I do like....

Story Origin has some nice universal links. If I used the Beta options and other features, I'd probably be staying.

Lemon Squeezy takes care of taxes!! Still like this (a lot) so I'm going to keep my account for now and see if they have some changes in the near future.

For now, I'm staying with Payhip. I'm not selling enough to make tax issues a major concern...yet. And I really like that format.
If/when I find a way (that makes me happy) to integrate Lemon Squeezy, I will let you know.

alhawke · « **Reply #55 on:** March 16, 2024, 07:43:46 AM »

Bookfunnel got back to me. They're keeping it a consideration, but there's no news of them integrating Lemon Squeezy yet. They're integrated with many other sellers so, hope is, either they pair up with Lemon Squeeze too, or the other services work on the tax issue. I mean, I'd think this could be solved better universally?

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #56 on:** March 16, 2024, 07:57:26 AM »

Quote from: Lorri Moulton on March 16, 2024, 07:25:28 AM

Dan, that's a possibility...but it looks like I'm selling a paperback.

That's just one example. It could be anything. You could have a tall rectangular book cover image centered over a background of lavender flowers. I'm just saying the image issue isn't a major problem. With a plain tall rectangle of the book's cover, how do they know they are getting an eBook? Maybe they are getting an ePoster?

I believe that readers generally aren't dumb. I mean, Amazon shows the same cover image for a paperback as they do for an eBook. So, how do readers know they are getting a paperback when the image doesn't show one? Because they select eBook or paperback. Same would apply here. If you show a representation of a paperback, but they choose to buy an eBook, I think they know what they are getting.

Regardless, on your own site, you can have whatever image you like to represent your eBook and make it as large or as small as you want. Then, you have links where they can buy on Amazon, Kobo, etc. or direct. If they click a link, and end up going to Lemon Squeezy's buy page, they already know what they are getting, so the image only need be a quick visual reminder of what they are getting. If it's smaller than what's on your site, so what? It just needs to be large enough to represent the book and match what they saw on your site so they know they are getting the right book.

I can see where your #1 and #3 can be major roadblocks for you, but I still see #2 as a minor issue that can be worked around.

RBC · « **Reply #57 on:** March 16, 2024, 08:09:37 AM »

Quote from: Post-Crisis D on March 16, 2024, 07:57:26 AM

Quote from: Lorri Moulton on March 16, 2024, 07:25:28 AM
Dan, that's a possibility...but it looks like I'm selling a paperback.

That's just one example. It could be anything. You could have a tall rectangular book cover image centered over a background of lavender flowers. I'm just saying the image issue isn't a major problem. With a plain tall rectangle of the book's cover, how do they know they are getting an eBook? Maybe they are getting an ePoster?

I believe that readers generally aren't dumb. I mean, Amazon shows the same cover image for a paperback as they do for an eBook. So, how do readers know they are getting a paperback when the image doesn't show one? Because they select eBook or paperback. Same would apply here. If you show a representation of a paperback, but they choose to buy an eBook, I think they know what they are getting.

Regardless, on your own site, you can have whatever image you like to represent your eBook and make it as large or as small as you want. Then, you have links where they can buy on Amazon, Kobo, etc. or direct. If they click a link, and end up going to Lemon Squeezy's buy page, they already know what they are getting, so the image only need be a quick visual reminder of what they are getting. If it's smaller than what's on your site, so what? It just needs to be large enough to represent the book and match what they saw on your site so they know they are getting the right book.

I can see where your #1 and #3 can be major roadblocks for you, but I still see #2 as a minor issue that can be worked around.

+1

You can overcome the issue with just using proper size image and think of it as a banner. Or Instagram post. The posts are square, but that don't prevent authors from having awesome images showing off covers. Not a hard issue to overcome.

LilyBLily · « **Reply #58 on:** March 16, 2024, 10:39:46 AM »

Doesn't Book Brush help you position book covers into phone or Kindle images for ads? So it would be obvious it's an ebook? Of course you'd have to pay Book Brush.

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #59 on:** March 16, 2024, 11:20:58 AM »

One other link I wanted to post includes the items NOT available with LemonSqueezy...yet. Like a cart for checkout. They hope to add them in the next 2 to 3 months.

https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/roadmap

alhawke · « **Reply #60 on:** March 16, 2024, 01:29:08 PM »

You can work with Book Brush or Canva to reposition your cover, BUT it'll take some trial and error. The software takes your graphics and loads it with a rectangular dimension. You'd have to spend some time determining how to take a vertical image and center it so that it fits in a nice way. I envision using a color background with a vertical cover.

It'd be far better if they just provide a vertical image option for their store.

(Incidentally, the same problem happens with some of the defaults with A+ content on Amazon and I've adapted them. It'd be nice if the programmers allowed a simple point and click download).

RBC · « **Reply #61 on:** March 16, 2024, 08:49:26 PM »

Quote from: LilyBLily on March 16, 2024, 10:39:46 AM

Doesn't Book Brush help you position book covers into phone or Kindle images for ads? So it would be obvious it's an ebook? Of course you'd have to pay Book Brush.

Free Canva account should do the job. You can just add a transparent background cover PNG on one of their templates of right format/size and tweak as wanted.

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #62 on:** March 17, 2024, 03:26:34 AM »

It's not that difficult to put an image on a color background (did that on Shopify) but the cover is SMALLER and the background image takes up a lot of the space. Not a fan.

So, I thought about it and realized I don't know enough about Story Origin to make an informed decision. I'm going to watch all the tutorials this weekend, and start from the basics. If I like it, I'll keep the subscription for a while. BookFunnel is great for bulk delivery and their library...but the sales promos haven't done much for me lately.

I don't think I'll be selling tons of ebooks direct in the next few months (one can hope! LOL) but the reality is I'm not paying for Facebook ads, so I get a few downloads a day. This gives me time to look into all this more carefully and see if I find a solution that makes me happy. Because...

Couldn't resist...courtesy of Pinterest.

RBC · « **Reply #63 on:** March 17, 2024, 04:04:38 AM »

Quote from: Lorri Moulton on March 17, 2024, 03:26:34 AM

It's not that difficult to put an image on a color background (did that on Shopify) but the cover is SMALLER and the background image takes up a lot of the space. Not a fan.

So, I thought about it and realized I don't know enough about Story Origin to make an informed decision. I'm going to watch all the tutorials this weekend, and start from the basics. If I like it, I'll keep the subscription for a while. BookFunnel is great for bulk delivery and their library...but the sales promos haven't done much for me lately.

I don't think I'll be selling tons of ebooks direct in the next few months (one can hope! LOL) but the reality is I'm not paying for Facebook ads, so I get a few downloads a day. This gives me time to look into all this more carefully and see if I find a solution that makes me happy. Because...

Couldn't resist...courtesy of Pinterest.

If you could post a screenshot of how it currently looks, might be able to think off of something.

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #64 on:** March 17, 2024, 04:56:01 AM »

The obvious answer is to use Story Origin and have a vertical image.

It's 30c rather than 50c for download costs from Lemon Squeezy. One thing that interests me (after watching the SO tutorials) is we can have direct sales books AND KU books on our store page. That's not something I've found with Shopify or Payhip (not that it doesn't exist...I just didn't find an option).

I might put one series into KU for the summer, so this is intriguing.

alhawke · « **Reply #65 on:** March 17, 2024, 11:23:27 AM »

It's beautiful Lorri.
Hmmm... Certainly is tempting. I'd think you could connect this page with Google ads

Are you going to link this Story Origin page with the website you've already set up?

alhawke · « **Reply #66 on:** March 17, 2024, 01:27:49 PM »

Yes, looking at the functionality, you should be able to link the web page to Google ads. AND you could set up individual links for each book--again, by simply linking the book URL. It be nice if D2D moved to universal links including a direct link button (like Bookfunnel with landing pages).

Quote from: Lorri Moulton on March 17, 2024, 12:55:11 PM

...And I really like that authors have to APPROVE who enters the promos.

If you run a Bookfunnel promo, like I'm doing this week, you can remove books there too. I always have to do this for a few books that don't meet guidelines. It is something I absolutely loathe doing (which is why some organizers probably don't do it), but I'm caught between authors who sign up accepting a particular type of promo (genre, heat level) while balancing new submissions that don't fit.

Maybe you're saying Story Origins organizers have to approve first? That might be a better set up than removing.

alhawke · « **Reply #67 on:** March 17, 2024, 01:31:54 PM »

Okay, got one another big concern with direct sales:
Bookmarking to prevent pirating.

If you sell with Bookfunnel, you can bookmark ebooks. I don't believe StoryOrgins has this function. I don't know. And what of pirating audiobook concerns, the biggest item I'm considering selling to profit with direct sales.

When I send ARC copies, I do this.

The idea is to bookmark files to prevent pirating. Now we've been through the pirating thing a zillion times on writing forums. I get the argument is a free book isn't a huge issue and you can always ask for a takedown. But if you're selling a lot of these books, does it become more of a concern? And is there even any security on other retailer sites like Amazon anyway if you don't click dmarc? I never choose dmarc.

I'm not sure about this pirating issue in regards to direct sales.

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #68 on:** March 17, 2024, 01:32:43 PM »

Exactly! I always have a couple of "last minute" sign ups with erotic romance in the G-rated promos.

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #69 on:** March 17, 2024, 01:35:47 PM »

I know some authors on Payhip won't allow Payhip downloads and only give out BF so they can be stamped.

Pirating is a pain, but all my books were pirated BEFORE I had a store. When they were on Amazon. LOL So I doubt it makes much difference. I put PDFs on all my book files, so readers in other countries (or those without e-readers) can easily access them.

I'd rather have a happy reader than worry about pirating. That's going to happen. They pirated my railroad book. Seriously? If they'll take that, they'll take anything. So I decided to ignore them and focus on my readers.

Bill Hiatt · « **Reply #70 on:** March 17, 2024, 11:39:53 PM »

Quote

And is there even any security on other retailer sites like Amazon anyway if you don't click dmarc? I never choose dmarc.

I think you mean DRM. DMARC is the email thing. But after a while, the acronyms do begin to run together.

I don't know if this is still true, but I remember seeing a study a few years back that indicated that books without DRM sold better than books that had it. There may be confounding variables, however, like the higher priced trad ebooks being more likely to have DRM, though if I remember correctly, the study got the same result at different price points.

I've also heard that DRM is easy to crack, though not being a hacker, I can't confirm that from personal experience.

Bookmarking is a good idea, though.

Quote

And I really like that authors have to APPROVE who enters the promos. I'm so tired of the wrong genres putting their books in BF promos.

Getting books with the wrong genres is certainly an issue for promo sponsors, but the SO approach can be difficult for promo users if the sponsor doesn't check the sign-ups and do approvals every day. More than once, I got in a bind because I'd signed up several days in advance but hadn't been processed yet. I think some people wait until the day before the promo to approve the sign-ups, but I usually sent out my newsletter on the day the promo went live and didn't really want to wait until the last minute to put it together. I ended up having to cancel my sign-up because I didn't have a link to put in the newsletter. Grrr.... In one case, the sponsor emailed me ten minutes before my newsletter was scheduled to go out to tell me he'd approved me. Sigh!

Admittedly, though, the BF thing made me crazy, too. I've only done about four so far, and all of them had at least some people whose books didn't seem to fit. Trying to be nice, I emailed to ask them if they could explain the connection between their book and the genre and theme of the promo. Not one of them ever answered. Looking at their past histories revealed that most of them had been entering without regard to the nature of the promo for months, which surprised me. It seems as if being in a promo that was a poor fit wouldn't do them any good.

LilyBLily · « **Reply #71 on:** March 18, 2024, 05:56:50 AM »

I hate to share a BF promo that's supposedly all sweet romance and someone has sneaked in very suggestive covers and obviously is writing steamy. If I preview the promo and discover those steamy writers, I don't bother joining. I know that my readers don't even want to look at those covers. The people running some of the BF promos don't do enough policing, IMO.

There's a place for each type of story, but willy-nilly just shoving your book into every promo is bad form. I find it hard to believe that it sells books--of either kind.

Bill Hiatt · « **Reply #72 on:** March 18, 2024, 06:41:09 AM »

Yeah, it's hard to see what the advantage would be. I think some authors have adopted the throw-everything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach.

Not quite as disturbing is the people who entered so many promos at once that it's difficult to see how they publicize them all appropriately.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #73 on:** March 18, 2024, 07:16:39 AM »

Quote from: alhawke on March 17, 2024, 01:31:54 PM

Okay, got one another big concern with direct sales:
Bookmarking to prevent pirating.

Do you mean watermarking?

alhawke · « **Reply #74 on:** March 18, 2024, 07:18:04 AM »

Yes, I meant watermarking...
And DRM.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #75 on:** March 18, 2024, 07:25:58 AM »

Quote from: alhawke on March 17, 2024, 01:31:54 PM

I'm not sure about this pirating issue in regards to direct sales.

As others have mentioned DRM can be broken. I don't know how easily as I've never tried or had need to do so, but it can be done. If someone is determined to pirate a book, DRM isn't going to stop them.

Watermarks aren't going to do it either. Bookfunnel, for example, will add a line(s) to your EPUB saying that the book was "prepared for john@example.dom." And how is that going to prevent piracy? John can open the EPUB in an EPUB editor and strip those lines out. On a PDF, each page can have the buyer's eMail embedded. Okay, so take a PDF editor and strip that out. Or, copy and paste the book content from the PDF into a new document. Either way, watermarks on a digital document aren't going to stop a dedicated pirate. It might not even stop sharing. If your friend knows your eMail address, is it going to bother you to share a file with them that has your eMail address embedded in it?

So, the possible lack of DRM and/or watermarking with direct sales shouldn't be a factor in holding you back from doing direct sales. The implementation of either certainly isn't going to hold back pirates.

Bill Hiatt · « **Reply #76 on:** March 18, 2024, 11:24:03 PM »

Starting something new is almost always going to take some time. What you're talking about doesn't sound like an unreasonable investment to get direct sales.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #77 on:** March 19, 2024, 02:30:49 AM »

For me, the options are Paddle or Lemon Squeezy. Paddle has some of the features I would like, except that they are not really set up for eBooks. Lemon Squeezy looks like it might be better for eBooks (even without StoryOrigin), but they don't yet have some of the features I would like.

Lorri earlier posted a link to Lemon Squeezy's roadmap and some of the features I would like are on the list. So, in 3-6 months, they might possibly have what I want. In the meantime, I can also keep an eye on Paddle.

For anyone that wants to sell direct today or soon-ish, the decision would be tougher. But, for those in the U.S., if you are willing to set up things to collect sales tax in your own state, you probably won't have to worry about collecting sales taxes for other states for quite a while, especially if you're only selling a small number of books. I haven't checked lately so this info may not be current but, last I checked, I think the minimum for collecting sales tax from a particular state was like $10,000 in sales in a year. (Each state varies; I don't remember which states had a $10k minimum and I think there were a couple that had changed from $10k to $25k. It's also possible that a state may have lowered the threshold since I last checked. Regardless, you need to look into that if you plan to sell direct yourself. The point is that, for most authors, you may not have to worry about sales tax issues right away, except for your own state.)

So, you could sell direct yourself using PayPal, Payhip, Shopify or whatever other service you want that still makes you the merchant of record, making you responsible for sales tax collection, and not have to worry about collecting sales taxes (aside from your own state) until you're selling probably thousands of books to a given state. And then, if you're watching your sales, you could conceivably switch before you have to start registering to collect sales taxes.

That's something to keep in mind if you want to start selling direct on a soon-ish basis.

Otherwise, you can wait until Lemon Squeezy or Paddle (or whoever that will serve as the merchant of record so you need not worry about sales taxes at all) comes out with the features you want/need.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #78 on:** March 19, 2024, 04:35:37 AM »

Quote from: Lorri Moulton on March 19, 2024, 03:57:10 AM

Dan, some states count number of purchases. So if 201 people bought a 99c ebook from the same state...we might have to file state sales tax. That's the issue that concerns me.

Sorry, forgot about that one. Didn't have my chart in front of me. Also, Kansas, unless it has changed recently, has a $1 minimum.

Of course, one option is to set up your website such that it stops accepting orders after 199 (and doesn't accept orders from Alaska and Kansas at all).

On the other hand, for some of us, selling 100 books in a year is unlikely, so we just have to reject orders from Alaska and Kansas.

Bill Hiatt · « **Reply #79 on:** March 19, 2024, 07:09:31 AM »

Quote

https://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/for-businesses/remote-seller-faqs/remote-seller-state-guidance

I'm looking here, and if this is current, several states have a 100 or 200 sale threshold, and three states have no threshold (meaning tax has to be collected for every sale).

Also remember that some states allow localities and counties to levy additional. So I'm in California, which means I'd need to collect sales tax, but not just at one rate. I'd need to check specific county and city rates. That would be crazymaking even if I didn't have to pay a penny to any other state. (Assuming, of course, that I actually sold anything on my website.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #80 on:** March 19, 2024, 07:33:34 AM »

Quote from: Bill Hiatt on March 19, 2024, 07:09:31 AM

Quote
https://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/for-businesses/remote-seller-faqs/remote-seller-state-guidance
I'm looking here, and if this is current, several states have a 100 or 200 sale threshold, and three states have no threshold (meaning tax has to be collected for every sale).

Also remember that some states allow localities and counties to levy additional. So I'm in California, which means I'd need to collect sales tax, but not just at one rate. I'd need to check specific county and city rates. That would be crazymaking even if I didn't have to pay a penny to any other state. (Assuming, of course, that I actually sold anything on my website.

And note that was all part of the "Streamlined Sales Tax" initiative. Only in the compromised mind of a halfwit politician can the Internet sales tax system in the U.S. be considered "streamlined."

I already have to keep track of close to 100 sales tax districts in my own state to collect and remit sales tax on in-state sales. Ugh.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #81 on:** March 19, 2024, 09:58:48 AM »

Also, it's been mentioned in other threads but I don't think it's been mentioned yet in this thread . . .

If you are based in the U.S., you'll need to make sure your website is ADA-accessible.

And, be careful because there are some third-party tools/add-ons/plug-ins that claim to make your website accessible but they don't actually meet the standards.

PJ Post · « **Reply #82 on:** March 20, 2024, 12:55:37 AM »

Someone should make a list of everything to worry about when selling from our own sites - there's a lot going on.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #83 on:** March 20, 2024, 02:05:10 AM »

If you are based in the U.S., ADA-accessibility on your website may be an issue regardless of whether you sell direct. A couple of years ago, I spoke to an attorney familiar with ADA-accessibility and his suggestion was that any website you have should be ADA-accessible, even a personal blog. Was he being overly cautious? Maybe. I mean, attorneys are going to advise coloring well within the lines, you know?

But, the problem is predatory attorneys. There are ones that go around looking for sites to sue. Are author sites a prime target for that? Maybe not right now but, as they continue to look for targets, they may come around to your site eventually. Better to make your site as accessible as possible to avoid being an easy mark.

Of course, the problem is that making a website accessible is not a cut and dried process. Even the accessibility guidelines can contradict themselves in areas. You can sign up with services that will check and monitor your website for accessibility, but those services tend to be expensive.

And, if you end up going to court, you'd be at the mercy of a judge who may not understand websites or how to make them accessible or how it's not a simple series of steps to do it while the attorneys suing you will be arguing how easy it is do make an accessible site.

Fun fact: Some of the law firms suing people and companies for not having ADA-accessible websites don't have ADA-accessible websites themselves.

So, ADA-accessibility needs to go on the list, not just for selling direct but for having a website period.

Bill Hiatt · « **Reply #84 on:** March 21, 2024, 09:52:45 PM »

Evan is either a good designer or employs one. And one of the nicest things about Story Origin is that it's always improving.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #85 on:** March 22, 2024, 03:47:05 AM »

Maybe we should have a list of what is holding people back from selling direct? Then, we can address those issues if possible.

From this thread and others, the starter list would seem to be:

1) Whether it is worth the effort
2) Technicalities of building/running a website with sales capabilities
a) Having a cart/checkout system
b) ADA-accessible website
3) Payment processing
4) Sales tax issues
5) Providing support for readers with issues downloading, etc.

Anything else?

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #86 on:** March 22, 2024, 04:37:31 AM »

Quote from: Post-Crisis D on March 22, 2024, 03:47:05 AM

Maybe we should have a list of what is holding people back from selling direct? Then, we can address those issues if possible.

From this thread and others, the starter list would seem to be:

1) Whether it is worth the effort
2) Technicalities of building/running a website with sales capabilities
a) Having a cart/checkout system
b) ADA-accessible website
3) Payment processing
4) Sales tax issues
5) Providing support for readers with issues downloading, etc.

Anything else?

Maybe add a few positives to the list? If all we looked at were the negative aspects of doing anything...would we even be selling books?

RBC · « **Reply #87 on:** March 22, 2024, 04:50:51 AM »

One option, easiest for Wordpress but also works with others, is Surecart. It's free and has Tax calculation/EU VAT calculation. Paid versions have more capabilities but most aren't needed for indie authors:

https://surecart.com/

Supports payment options of:
SureCart currently supports Stripe (13+ Payments Methods in 135+ Currencies in 45+ Countries), PayPal, Mollie, GooglePay, ApplePay, you name it.

PJ Post · « **Reply #88 on:** March 23, 2024, 12:25:14 AM »

Quote from: Post-Crisis D on March 22, 2024, 03:47:05 AM

Maybe we should have a list of what is holding people back from selling direct?

Selling direct is just another distribution channel, one with its own pros and cons.

The larger concern is how to drive traffic, specifically our core demographic.

TimothyEllis · « **Reply #89 on:** March 23, 2024, 12:40:05 AM »

Quote from: PJ Post on March 23, 2024, 12:25:14 AM

Quote from: Post-Crisis D on March 22, 2024, 03:47:05 AM
Maybe we should have a list of what is holding people back from selling direct?

Selling direct is just another distribution channel, one with its own pros and cons.

The larger concern is how to drive traffic, specifically our core demographic.

Not for me.

My biggest concern is government and tax.

I'd need a business registration (ABN), have to register for GST that I wouldn't hit the threshold for probably ever, and then I'd be officially a business, and start paying business tax rates, which are worse than what I'm on now as a creative.

I don't need any of that hassle.

Then it's about taxes in other countries, mindless bureaucracy in the site design, and then, it's about traffic.

And I seriously doubt I'd ever get the traffic to warrant any of the rest.

I was in online retail back when it began. Those lessons and expectations are hard to unlearn. And frankly, nothing much has changed for selling on your own sites.

alhawke · « **Reply #90 on:** March 31, 2024, 10:13:31 AM »

Quote from: Lorri Moulton on March 31, 2024, 10:07:21 AM

I wanted a nicer link than the Books2Read link I'd been using (nothing against B2R) but I definitely prefer this one. For anyone wanting a way to funnel readers to our books to either buy direct or go to retailers, I think this is a success.

The Books2Read universal link should really have an optional "direct link" button. Then it would be perfect for showing your store AND other retailers. They only have a Payhip button option so far.

Bill Hiatt · « **Reply #91 on:** March 31, 2024, 11:17:21 PM »

It's been a long time since I looked at Books2Read, but I think it used to have an option to create a custom link. If that were still there, it might enable to creation of a custom link.

OK, so I just checked, and it has an "add an ebook store link." Couldn't you theoretically add your store link there?

R. C. · « **Reply #92 on:** March 31, 2024, 11:53:03 PM »

Quote from: Bill Hiatt on March 31, 2024, 11:17:21 PM

It's been a long time since I looked at Books2Read, but I think it used to have an option to create a custom link. If that were still there, it might enable to creation of a custom link.

OK, so I just checked, and it has an "add an ebook store link." Couldn't you theoretically add your store link there?

Bill's response is accurate. Here is a Books2Read example: https://books2read.com/RCD-MarbleGrove

R.C.

alhawke · « **Reply #93 on:** April 01, 2024, 01:33:32 AM »

Quote from: R. C. on March 31, 2024, 11:53:03 PM

Quote from: Bill Hiatt on March 31, 2024, 11:17:21 PM
It's been a long time since I looked at Books2Read, but I think it used to have an option to create a custom link. If that were still there, it might enable to creation of a custom link.
Bill's response is accurate. Here is a Books2Read example: https://books2read.com/RCD-MarbleGrove

Do you have an outside retailer in your example, R.C? All those are standard retailers.
I mean a "misc" direct button, like what Bookfunnel has on their landing sites. The functionality isn't there. It's there only for Payhip. If you have Payhip, it will show up as the first store on your Books2Read link.

Of course, Lorri's right about her Story Origin book links. They look more professional and prettier than Books2Read, imo. But, as usual, there's always something I'm not going to get with a program. I like the functionality linking of audiobooks with Books2Read. Doesn't look like you can list your audiobooks via StoryOrigin yet.

R. C. · « **Reply #94 on:** April 01, 2024, 01:53:17 AM »

Quote from: alhawke on April 01, 2024, 01:33:32 AM

Quote from: R. C. on March 31, 2024, 11:53:03 PM
Quote from: Bill Hiatt on March 31, 2024, 11:17:21 PM
It's been a long time since I looked at Books2Read, but I think it used to have an option to create a custom link. If that were still there, it might enable to creation of a custom link.
Bill's response is accurate. Here is a Books2Read example: https://books2read.com/RCD-MarbleGrove
Do you have an outside retailer in your example, R.C? All those are standard retailers.
I mean a "misc" direct button, like what Bookfunnel has on their landing sites. The functionality isn't there. It's there only for Payhip. If you have Payhip, it will show up as the first store on your Books2Read link.

Of course, Lorri's right about her Story Origin book links. They look more professional and prettier than Books2Read, imo. But, as usual, there's always something I'm not going to get with a program. I like the functionality linking of audiobooks with Books2Read. Doesn't look like you can list your audiobooks via StoryOrigin yet.

I have not yet used the feature.

R.C.

R. C. · « **Reply #95 on:** April 01, 2024, 03:32:47 AM »

Quote from: Lorri Moulton on April 01, 2024, 02:59:20 AM

Last I checked, only Payhip could be added as another store/retailer link. Shopify and other stores are not supported. (That was a few months ago.)

...

I checked here: https://books2read.com/site/terms-of-service and did not find anything restricting what site could be used in the "add an eBook store link" space.

R.C.

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #96 on:** April 01, 2024, 04:09:49 AM »

Last time it was asked in the Wide for the Win Facebook group (a few months ago) none of the "our store" links would work except Payhip. Of course, if anyone wants to try one and it does work...that would be nice to know.

ETA: I tried it with my store link and store book page link. Here's the error message. The same one I got when I tried a Shopify store six months ago.

It would be nice to include our store pages in a B2R link, but I would still use the StoryOrigin (or other store) page rather than a B2R link alone. Nothing against B2R, but the StoryOrigin book page is bigger, it shows more info about the book...and I really like it.

R. C. · « **Reply #97 on:** April 01, 2024, 06:09:32 AM »

Quote from: Lorri Moulton on April 01, 2024, 04:09:49 AM

Last time it was asked in the Wide for the Win Facebook group (a few months ago) none of the "our store" links would work except Payhip. Of course, if anyone wants to try one and it does work...that would be nice to know.

ETA: I tried it with my store link and store book page link. Here's the error message. The same one I got when I tried a Shopify store six months ago.

It would be nice to include our store pages in a B2R link, but I would still use the StoryOrigin (or other store) page rather than a B2R link alone. Nothing against B2R, but the StoryOrigin book page is bigger, it shows more info about the book...and I really like it.

I have seen that error while creating UBLs. I tested then ignored the error because the link in the UBL functioned correctly.

R.C.

Post-Crisis D · « **Reply #98 on:** April 01, 2024, 10:26:17 AM »

Okay, so is a "universal link" just a link to a page that shows links to all the retailers that have your books in whatever format (eBook, paperback, audiobook) your book is available?

If so, why couldn't that be done on one's own website instead of relying on a third-party to provide it?

Maybe a script or WordPress plugin (for self-hosted WordPress sites) would be helpful for those that can't code it themselves?

Lorri Moulton · « **Reply #99 on:** April 09, 2024, 02:19:57 PM »

Well...the experiment is over. For a variety of reasons, I decided to go back to Payhip.

I think this might work for some people, but I missed the extras I could do with the Payhip themes. And I'm still not sure what to do with that newsletter. So having people sign up with the free ebook option wasn't that big a deal for now.

Instead, I added a couple of newsletter sign up areas in Payhip. Just in case I decide what I do want to do with the newsletter. I have a few ideas, but I'm focusing on the blog for spring.

If I sold a lot more books through the website, I'd probably try Lemon Squeezy...and they still might be a possibility for the future as they add more options.
But for now, I'm going to stay with Payhip.

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Author Topic: Selling on your website 2024 (Lemon Squeezy, Payhip, Shopify etc) (Read 2432 times)