Considering Eden Books & Drive Thru Fiction

[alhawke]

I'm wondering about these two retailers. Do any of you sell on them? Any advantages/disadvantages? Problems with price changing or getting paid, for example? They're some of the only "big" Indie sellers I know of that isn't included in aggregators like D2D/Smashwords. My books could fit both.

[writeway]

I have a soft spot for Eden. It's run by Robin Crawford a fellow POC who decided to open up her own romance store so I've been wishing her the best. Eden is strictly for romance books so if your books aren't romance (real romancy) then it's not for you. It's a small store with one woman running the show so you can't compare Eden to Amazon or the other big stores. Think of it as a small bookstore that specializes in romance. Eden has been around about 5 years I believe. I got in on it at the beginning and Robyn has certainly paid her dues. That said, Eden is not going to get you millions of sales. Most of the sales you get, you'll have to make sure you promote the store. Eden Books is not a household name (again, think like a small Mom and Pop store). When Robyn started this she made it clear she was doing things on her own and so authors who upload there do all they can to bring not only their books attention but Eden as well. But she's come a long way and she is even doing print now AND she is even a part of Draft2Digital's Books2Read app so you can now add Eden books on the Universal Link page. Little by little Eden has grown and yes, you can get sales there. Some do well there, some not-so-well like any other store but if you put books on it you need to have a realistic expectations and don't expect to be making big bank there. If you do, great, just don't expect it. What's really good about Eden is Robyn is very approachable and always looking for feedback. If you see anything you feel she should address, she is very open to listening. There is also an Eden Books Facebook Group just for Eden authors so they can get help, ask Robyn questions, etc. Whenever you have an issue you can PM Robyn on Facebook or even ask in the group as well as email Eden of course.

Is it worth having books there? If you are wide and write romance why limit yourself? Put your books in as many places as possible because you never know what might catch fire.

Robyn has been working on being included on D2D for a while and it hasn't happened yet. It's a process but I am sure it might since now you can link to Eden through Books2Read. You couldn't even do that before.

Robyn is constantly doing things to improve but unlike other stores, she actually cares about authors. Why? Because she is one. She started Eden because of how she felt romance authors were being treated on Amazon with people getting their accounts snatched (some deserved it but some were caught up in the purge wrongfully), Amazon's KU scammers going amok, etc. So she started it with a mission to help authors so it comes from the heart. This is one of those things where you really want someone to succeed because they are working hard for the author community.

I do have some books on Eden. You have your own little store setup, which is cool. But I went back into KU a few years back so I have been neglecting the books I still have wide truthfully. Have I sold a lot there? Nope. But some have and admitingly, I never put as much effort into Eden as I could've and that's my fault. I probably would've sold better if I'd worked a little harder to push the store itself. With a new store, it's a challenge because you have to get readers familiar first and we know so many have their favorite stores already.

Other cool things about Eden is Robyn has a promotional newsletter where she spotlights Eden books. And she also offers cross-promotion opportunities, etc. I believe she is doing ads now where you can advertise on Eden but if I can remember that was free when she started it. Not sure now. Is Eden perfect? No. Can you sell books there? Won't know unless you try.

I've heard of Drive Thru Fiction but I thought it was just an online site to post work. Didn't realize it was a retailer.

[alhawke]

Thanks Writeway! You definitely have moved my foot over the threshold. It sounds like they might partner with D2D eventually regardless.

One of my biggest fears with new retailers is pricing problems. Have you had any price matching issues with Amazon with Eden books-like after promos? If your answer's no, then I'll probably be setting up my account within the week for my paranormal romance titles

Anyone sell on Drive Thru Fiction? It's another that I'm strongly considering selling direct.

(I currently sell direct with Amazon, Kobo, B&N, GooglePlay and Smashwords. I then use D2D & Smashwords as aggregators for a few gems like Apple, Overdrive, Hoopla and Scribd. Always looking for new vendors).

[Cobbah]

I have books with DTF which mainly concentrate on RPG merchandising. I've sold a couple over the years. Money is still in there as it's not enough to make the effort to organise payment.

[alhawke]

I have books with DTF which mainly concentrate on RPG merchandising. I've sold a couple over the years. Money is still in there as it's not enough to make the effort to organise payment.

Drive Thru might sell my urban fantasy or my sci fi?? I'm not expecting a gold mine with either of these, but as long as it doesn't effect promos and other sales, I'm good. It's just the time to submit, I think (like the time it took to use affiliates).

Any price matching/ return issues with either vendors?

[writeway]

Thanks Writeway! You definitely have moved my foot over the threshold. It sounds like they might partner with D2D eventually regardless.

One of my biggest fears with new retailers is pricing problems. Have you had any price matching issues with Amazon with Eden books-like after promos? If your answer's no, then I'll probably be setting up my account within the week for my paranormal romance titles

Anyone sell on Drive Thru Fiction? It's another that I'm strongly considering selling direct.

(I currently sell direct with Amazon, Kobo, B&N, GooglePlay and Smashwords. I then use D2D & Smashwords as aggregators for a few gems like Apple, Overdrive, Hoopla and Scribd. Always looking for new vendors).

So glad I helped! You don't have to worry about pricematching with Eden. Amazon doesn't pricematch to the small stores, only the big ones. And they only seem to price match mainly to B&N and Apple. I've had books priced differently on Kobo and Google Play plenty of times (by mistake) and never had an issue with Amazon pricematching or finding out. They don't seem to pay attention to GP at all. Several times I've forgotten to raise the price on GP after a sale. I just noticed a book was still 0.99 there since last year when I did discount and the book has been 3.99 on Amazon. I'm not advocating to "break any rules" of course, but from what I've seen when I was years wide, Amazon doesn't pricematch to Google and still doesn't it seems. They do to B&N though. Eden, you can run discounts there and not worry about pricematching. Amazon is only concerned with the big stores.

Never used Drive Thru so maybe someone else can chime in but I'd be shocked if Amazon pricedmatched to them.

And, also I had a book in KU that was in Eden at the same time for probably two years! Amazon had no clue. I forgot to take it off Eden when I went into KU. That's a drawback of wide. You can easily forget the places you put all your books if you decide to go into KU. Thank goodness, it didn't cause any problems. Had I done that on one of the big sites I'd been in trouble.

[alhawke]

So glad I helped! You don't have to worry about pricematching with Eden.

I'll be working on moving some titles over. Thanks again!

[alhawke]

Just to update, I posted three of my titles on Eden Books this morning. It took a while to get approved. I'll probably be bringing another four books later. I really like the interface and presentation of the store. I think it's more user friendly and easier to navigate than most retailers. Be warned there are lots of erotica titles--but there's a clean romance section.

Now to get back to writing. I feel like I've been more of a publishing company than a writer over the last week. I haven't written anything in three days and I'm getting antsy.

[idontknowyet]

Thanks for keeping us updated and sharing your experience

[alhawke]

Eden advertised one of my books in their newsletter this morning, probably because it's romance and Halloween themed. It garnered a sale so far.   
That's super appreciated. 

[alhawke]

A final update, for those interested. I submitted four titles to Drivethrufiction today. They're all epic fantasies. I might submit my sci fi?? I'm a bit skeptical with my paranormal romance books. Drivethrufiction looks more fantasy/fantasy friendly. I don't think that retailer will sell well with my romance blends.??

Eden continues to sell my romance fantasies, about 1-2 per month, which is nice for an extra retailer  I'm even driving some ads there now.

[writeway]

1-2 copies a month? I think I have been on Eden for probably 5 years maybe and have never sold not one copy outside of a freebie. So you are doing better than me. LOL! I only have a few books on there now though. I had some taken down because I put them back into KU. If you are on FB make sure you join the Eden Authors group so you can stay-in-the know of what's going on.

[alhawke]

1-2 copies a month? I think I have been on Eden for probably 5 years maybe and have never sold not one copy outside of a freebie. So you are doing better than me. LOL!

Thanks. I'd love to say it's all due to my books. I don't think so. My theory is that I released a lot from my backlog all at once at both stores. The books then goes to the front page of new releases within Eden and DriveThru Fiction (something to think about for those of you thinking about these retailers who are wide and have a backlog). But I'd love it if it goes on.
 
One last report. I got my first sale on Drive Thru Fiction! It's a boxed set, so that was a nice intro to their store. So, yes, books are selling at these retailers--hopefully more. (wouldn't it be nice if one of my books took off there? I dream ;) )

[writeway]

I tried to have sympathy for Robin from Eden Books but it's been months since some folks have been paid. People are in the FB group asking for payment and she doesn't even pop in. She posted last in November explaining she is probably closing down and she's going through depression and stuff due to some guy who was threatening her company. I get that and trust me, not making light of what mental or emotional issues she is going through. I have a mental disorder myself. But this is why people are leery of small businesses, especially book retailers. From what she says, what this man did get to her so badly it scared her from running her business it seems. You cannot let folks bully you out of your business. Then another thing is no capital and she is struggling to run it. This is why every time some author or someone says, "I wanna open a bookstore for indies." They never do. Because they realize how hard it is to get it off the ground. Robin started Eden specifically to compete with Amazon she says. But in about 6 years or whatever, it doesn't look like there has been any growth. When she started it, it was just her and her friend running it. To this day, it is STILL just Robin and her friend. She never even employed more people to create a sturdier staff. No growth. She's now running a campaign asking for authors to donate money to Eden Books. Why would you expect people who wanna get paid from a place to donate money? This is what I mean. People jump into starting businesses and don't know what they are doing. This is why you are supposed to have CAPITAL, your own money before opening up a business. You don't go 6 years or so struggling then when things are at their absolute worse, ask the public for donations. That's not going to cut it.

I like Robin a lot and was rooting for her all this time even though I didn't sell not one darn thing on her store. But still I supported her so it's disappointing to see her going down the same hill as other places who all of a sudden stop paying and communicating. Authors are complaining about technical issues and stuff with the site too. I don't know if she's even going to pop back into the group or anywhere for that matter.

But this is why opening a business is hard and everyone isn't built for it. If you are too sensitive where one jerk runs you out of your business that you claim to love and is your baby, it's best you walk away. I just hope Robin does the right thing and make sure she communicates with these authors and PAY them. Sorry, but personal issues are no excuse as to why you can't run your business. That's not fair to the authors who supported her all this time.

You need more than passion to run a successful business.

[alhawke]

I hadn't heard about any of this, Writeway. Thanks for letting me know.

Interestingly, I've sold a small amount on her store, mainly because the titles are listed as new releases. I think I was paid--man, I'll have to look back. It was paltry and I don't know if I pursued it. I just gave away 20 books when I was running a free promo, which she helped support with a sales email two weeks ago. So she's still active. I saw her asking for $ support when I first joined. I didn't yet because... I just joined her store. You're right, it's hard to want to chip in $ when the whole point is to make money.

This is all a real shame. I think a store built on romance is such a great concept but the competition out there is probably too stiff. It's particularly disappointing to writers of erotica who might have been barred from Amazon.

I'll trudge ahead and keep selling until the store shuts down. And now I'll look to see if I was paid. Hopefully something turns around. It's a nice interface.

{Edit- I was paid in December.