I spotted a new indy publishing platform, Payhip, which allows authors to sell direct to their fans and followers using a link. Readers can buy using Paypal or credit cards. Evidently they charge a flat 5% fee for each sale once its made and then pay the author immediately (disclaimer: I did not read every single page on the site, so if you want to use them do check them out thoroughly.) I don't indie publish for profit, so naturally I'm not the best judge of the service, but it looks pretty straight forward to me. According to their FAQs they ". . . support ALL file formats. Including EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW and many more."
Since Amazon.com and other host sites are charging a lot more than 5%, this could be a more attractive alternative to writers who simply want to sell direct from their web site or blog versus getting lost in the glut of the booksellers. I really like the idea myself -- this would be the sort of site I'd prefer to use if I ever decide to go indy. Are any of you all using Payhip, and care to comment? Let us know if you want to share.
I...may end up using this site. It handles EU VAT, which was what was stopping me from setting up sales on my own site. I'm trying to find a catch, but I haven't spotted one yet...
ReplyDeleteChuck Wendig is selling at least one book with Payhip, and since he's pretty biz-savvy I take that as a decent endorsement.
DeleteSomeone on the kboards is doing something similiar. Can't remeber the name of the service. She seems pretty pleased. I can Def see advantages.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely like the 5% fee, too -- that seems really reasonable, considering the services they're offering.
DeleteI'll have to check this out. Thanks for the heads up.
ReplyDeleteHope it's helpful. :)
DeleteThink it sounds VERY interesting. Especially like the anti-piracy idea. With a nice site for drawing the reader or an established following, could definitely see it working well.
ReplyDeleteYou know what I was telling you about via e-mail? This could be the answer to a lot of those issues. :)
DeleteNow then! This is interesting!
ReplyDeleteI'm too ill to even contemplate running a self-publishing business, with all the Amazon-gaming shenanigans it requires to compete with those who've made a science of it. In fact, putting myself at the mercy of Amazon is a definite no.
When I'm well enough to write, that's what I do. Write, edit, polish and submit, then when the book is released I tell my readers. I produce one good novel per year this way and it works. This is my business model. This is me.
So if this turns out to be a viable way for me to sell my books directly to my readers, it's attractive.
Thanks for the heads-up, Lynn.
I've heard gumroads is similar. I haven't done a ton of research on these but adding this to future things to investigate
ReplyDelete