# Kobo porn scandal: the end of self-publishing? What can we do?



## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

*Kobo porn scandal: the end of self-publishing?* The Telegraph asks.

It's a valid question. Or at least, will self-publishing be severely censored? Every outcry of moral indignation about&#8230; well, about anything really, by some nitwit could cause spineless vendors to panic.

The question is not what should the cowards of WHSmith have done, or Kobo for that matter. The question is what can *we* do, taking into account that there is no such thing as an organized indy movement. I think this should be our priority.

I don't mean organizing petitions or trying to create a twitter storm. Those are all good and valid actions, but I mean what can we do to make certain our readers can circumvent the would-be-censors and buy the books they love?

I've come up with some ideas. Most of them could probably be improved upon. They're also not new. They just seem more urgent today.

*1. Diversify*

If your income is dependent upon sales from one channel, and that channel gives you and your books the boot, you're as good as finished, unless your books are on other channels as well.

However, this does you no good, unless you can _tell_ your readers about those other channels.

*2. Mailing List*

If you haven't one already, start a _Mailing List_. Today.

Having the ability to personally mail your core readers that you have a new release is one of the most important elements, IMHO, of a long term strategy. With the recent kerfuffle this has become more important still. With a mailing list you can not only tell your readers *that* you have a new release, but also *where* to get it.

*3. Website*

I think it is important that you have your own website _on your own domain_. Blogger and all other websites-as-a-service can delete your account in the blink of an eye. So can social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and so on.

* I think we shouldn't use those sites to post original content, just to _announce_ original content on our own site.
* Choose a CMS (Content Management System, the "motor" of your website) that has a plugin allowing your visitors to receive an email (opt-in) each time you post new content.
* Install a plugin that allows you to sell (as a last resort) your books directly from your own site. In combination with a good mailing list this could be a life saver. (Wordpress has a very good one and it's free, but most CMSs have eshop-plugins. I yours hasn't, it's time to change CMSs.)
* Write a post with clear instructions so that even aunt Harriet can sideload an epub or mobi.
* Publish a list of ereaders that allow sideloading. (Ironnically enough, such a list could contain the Kobo devices.)
* Publish a list of ereader apps for all OSs and devices.
* Publish a post telling the visitors of your site why it is important they should subscribe to your Readers Email List.

This list is by no means exhaustive.

If you have other ideas, refinements, or critiques, I'd love to hear them.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

I don't want anyone to mention why, but I think it is a bad idea to teach people how to sideload.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Cherise Kelley said:


> I don't want anyone to mention why, but I think it is a bad idea to teach people how to sideload.


With all respect, but with Calibre being all but ubiquitous, I think it's safe to say that ship has sailed a long time ago.


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## S.E. Gordon (Mar 15, 2011)

There's some good information here, but I'd like to add my take on one of your points:



> Install a plugin that allows you to sell (as a last resort) your books directly from your own site.


IMHO, you should be doing everything you can to get readers to purchase your books directly from you, not use your website as a last resort point of sale. Sure, it takes some out-of-the-box thinking and a lot of extra work, but the benefits are enormous. When customers purchase books directly from you, that money is deposited in your account within the hour or at least the same day. Let that sink in for a moment. Can you imagine being paid immediately for each sale and not having to wait 60-90 days? If you are able to connect directly with your core readership, keep them happy, and earn a decent living from it, all of these other concerns seem trivial. Make it worth their while to buy from you directly. Offer exclusive content that they can't get anywhere else. Give them freebies that only your website can offer, and begin that process when they sign up for your e-mail list.

An author store is a powerful tool, and sure, it takes some time to bring traffic to your site, but you'd be surprised how quickly it evolves, even from humble beginnings.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

I would love to have my own website but it's intimidating to even figure out how to do it. Plus, I'm worried about selling on my site and how to handle sales tax and having a mailing list and making sure I adhere to the CANN (?) spam act. 

I'm sure this can all be learned, but at what cost of time? Is this something I should do instead of writing and trying to make some money in this business? Or should it wait until maybe next spring? These questions spin around in my head all the time. If I had the money to hire someone to build a website the problem would be solved, but I don't right now. So maybe I should wait until I do?

For some of us it's not a simple "Oh, I'll go set up a website right now." We don't have a clue how to do so or where to go do it. So, any realistic suggestions on what those of us like that should do and what time chunks we are looking at? If I knew more about it, I'd at least consider it because I completely agree in theory.

Also, isn't wordpress just like blogspot and they could take you down at any time? What exactly is a CMS (besides just saying the three words)? How easy is it to install a plug-in? WHere do you find them? Some of us are totally clueless, so although we would like to protect oursevles we don't know how and feel overwhelmed reading about it. I write. I paint. I don't build websites yet. What is the first step and how do I take it? Am I biting off more than I can afford to timewise and money wise?


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

segordon said:


> There's some good information here, but I'd like to add my take on one of your points:
> 
> IMHO, you should be doing everything you can to get readers to purchase your books directly from you, not use your website as a last resort point of sale. Sure, it takes some out-of-the-box thinking and a lot of extra work, but the benefits are enormous. When customers purchase books directly from you, that money is deposited in your account within the hour or at least the same day. Let that sink in for a moment. Can you imagine being paid immediately for each sale and not having to wait 60-90 days? If you are able to connect directly with your core readership, keep them happy, and earn a decent living from it, all of these other concerns seem trivial. Make it worth their while to buy from you directly. Offer exclusive content that they can't get anywhere else. Give them freebies that only your website can offer, and begin that process when they sign up for your e-mail list.
> 
> An author store is a powerful tool, and sure, it takes some time to bring traffic to your site, but you'd be surprised how quickly it evolves, even from humble beginnings.


I tried this, but couldn't see a way to stop paypal charging massive fees for tiny amounts. I have no problem with paypal charging fees, but I'd like to limit them to their stated percentages. I was paying 30c + percentage on 99c sales.

Plus I then have to enter all those piddly sales in my sales sheet for my accountant.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> Every outcry of moral indignation about&#8230; well, about anything really, by some nitwit could cause spineless vendors to panic.


I doubt it. This one works because there is a lot of deep social support for targeting the subject books. An instigator only has to tap into that existing opposition. The opposition has been around for a long time and manifests over the years in different ways. History demonstrates it. That makes it easy.

With other areas, the opposition doesnt exist, is small, or is fragmented. The instigator has to create the opposition. That is a much harder task.

We might look to see what public figures have stood up in support the subject books. Anybody?


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## Sarah Barbour (Jun 25, 2012)

Patty Jansen said:


> I tried this, but couldn't see a way to stop paypal charging massive fees for tiny amounts. I have no problem with paypal charging fees, but I'd like to limit them to their stated percentages. I was paying 30c + percentage on 99c sales.


PayPal isn't the only way to sell online. David Gaughran has a post about this very subject here:
http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/selling-ebooks-direct-how-to-set-up-a-simple-e-bookstore/

And here's a list of various platforms you could use to sell digital goods:
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/sell-goods-online/

The only one of these I've had personal experience with is E-junkie, which I used to sell knitting patterns. That was several years ago so things may have changed, but at the time, it was easy to use and the fees were very reasonable.


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## TiffanyTurner (Jun 8, 2009)

Um, well, I've been watching this whole thing for almost a week now. I mostly write children's books right now. But I can see this having a whole affect on Indie authors because of the guilt by association. I'm guessing that there were some erotica authors that used a backdoor method, a member of the press found out, and WHSmith tried to fix it. The snowball affect is still happening.

In fact, I'm watching a lot of authors either find new distributors and admiring the websites, like Smashwords, that have an adult filter. Really. This was not a stretch of the imagination. I'm guessing that there will be adult book websites and adult filters that can be activated as a solution. It's a matter of programming it now.  It was just a matter of time before something set it all off. 

The internet is a brave frontier, and governments are trying their best to regulate it. We don't have a world government. So everything is regulated from where the servers are based. For example, Amazon got around the California tax law to tax associates by saying adios to everyone that sold as an associate on Amazon. Everyone in states with that law basically can't sell through Amazon as an associate. Since I live in California, I've not been an associate for Amazon for several years now, and I used to have an account back when all that first started. With the change of one law in my state, I was basically told, sorry, and goodbye, along with everyone else in my state.

I only see the creative minds continue with better and wiser avenues of selling their books. I have faith that the erotica authors will figure a great new answer faster than the corporation since they are not bogged down by massive amounts of red tape. I've already seen websites spring up where they can be found. Good luck everyone! Just like with 50 shades of Grey putting the spotlight on Indie books, this will again just drive home the fact the Indies are creating their own marketplace. 

Go Team!


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## 鬼 (Sep 30, 2012)

Patty Jansen said:


> I tried this, but couldn't see a way to stop paypal charging massive fees for tiny amounts. I have no problem with paypal charging fees, but I'd like to limit them to their stated percentages. I was paying 30c + percentage on 99c sales.
> 
> Plus I then have to enter all those piddly sales in my sales sheet for my accountant.


Patty, have you seen this portion? Click tab for Pricing https://merchant.paypal.com/ca/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=merchant/digital_goods

Specifically the micropayments area for selling digital goods. I've used Paypal on my site in the past and was only getting charged 9 cents or so from a 99 cent sale.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

I have a little gizmo called a Square that sticks into the iPhone and accepts a swiped credit card. They charge 2.5% grand total fees. I read they were expanding into web sales, but havent followed up on it.


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## TiffanyTurner (Jun 8, 2009)

Terrence OBrien said:


> I have a little gizmo called a Square that sticks into the iPhone and accepts a swiped credit card. They charge 2.5% grand total fees. I read they were expanding into web sales, but havent followed up on it.


I got the Intuit version of a scanner, and selected the pay when used option. Goes right into my checking account. I used it at the an Art and Wine Festival last month. Great thing. Made it possible to sell in packages. Set up account that I could just hit the package, 1 book, 2 books or 3 books. Made sales go faster. LOVED IT! Sold 33 books that day. Highly recommend.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Terrence OBrien said:


> I have a little gizmo called a Square that sticks into the iPhone and accepts a swiped credit card. They charge 2.5% grand total fees. I read they were expanding into web sales, but havent followed up on it.


Me, too. Getting ready to do a signing at the Long Beach Zombie Walk. Last year I didn't take cards and regretted it. Square allows you to have a storefront on your website (I haven't made mine, but will soon). It's 2.75% or a flat $275/monthly fee. You can buy the reader at target or Walmart for $10 and they reimburse you that when you register. Or you can order one shipped to you for free on their website.


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## TiffanyTurner (Jun 8, 2009)

Saul Tanpepper said:


> Me, too. Getting ready to do a signing at the Long Beach Zombie Walk. Last year I didn't take cards and regretted it. Square allows you to have a storefront on your website (I haven't made mine, but will soon). It's 2.75% or a flat $275/monthly fee. You can buy the reader at target or Walmart for $10 and they reimburse you that when you register. Or you can order one shipped to you for free on their website.


This is why it's good to be an indie self-published author. We share ideas, change and morph to the need. I'm kind of upset that all self-publishing is getting a bad rap. Number 1: If Kobo had an adult filter, they could have said that they didn't claim it was an adult book. Number 2: It's easy to throw self published authors under the bus. Number 3: They are trying to sell papers and safe face right now. Number 4: Dare any reporters in the UK to tell the other side of the story. I mean, the tabloids over there are worse for muck racking than some of the US tabloids. Try doing some real reporting and tell the other side of the story.


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## SBJones (Jun 13, 2011)

It will be up to the vendors.  Some will let the all mighty dollar decide.  If it makes money, they will sell it.  Other vendors value their public image over dollars.  Some will scrub the erotica out and keep the rest.  Some will cleave all the un-vetted self published filth and let the world know they did it too.

I expect the middle option to be the most likely outcome.


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

AdamGeen said:


> Patty, have you seen this portion? Click tab for Pricing https://merchant.paypal.com/ca/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=merchant/digital_goods
> 
> Specifically the micropayments area for selling digital goods. I've used Paypal on my site in the past and was only getting charged 9 cents or so from a 99 cent sale.


I did, but have no idea how to make it work. The site doesn't give me any way to apply to join this or how to set it up. I'm probably stupid, but I don't grok it.


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## TiffanyTurner (Jun 8, 2009)

Patty Jansen said:


> I did, but have no idea how to make it work. The site doesn't give me any way to apply to join this or how to set it up. I'm probably stupid, but I don't grok it.


Here's the one I used. 
http://intuit-gopayment.com/crosssell?cid=ppc_Google_GoPay-Non-Brand-Square_square_exact

You just need time to figure it out. I'm not sure how the Paypal one works. But this one works with an Android phone. Square seems to be mostly for Iphones. Could be your phone or computer. Maybe try another brand. Might work better. Indies stick together, girlfriend.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

PayPal micropayments--you can call them and they can walk you through. I think I just checked a box. On a 99 cent sale I get 89 cents.


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

segordon said:


> An author store is a powerful tool, and sure, it takes some time to bring traffic to your site, but you'd be surprised how quickly it evolves, even from humble beginnings.


With all due respect, I disagree. Sure, you'll get to keep the revenue instead of sharing it with a retailer. And sure, that money is deposited within days rather than months. But every sale you get on your website is one less sale you get where it actually matters, and that's on Amazon, Apple, or B&N. Sales velocity at those stores can result in bestseller positionings, either within your subgenre or possibly within the entire store itself. And that's extra real estate. Every additional list that you appear on is another chance to stumble upon new readers.

Your existing readers will buy from you wherever you are. If you develop a good mailing list (and this takes time but every author should be doing it), then you'll start to see results when you have a new release. But that's not the issue. The issue is finding new readers. Selling to your existing fanbase is awesome, but what about expanding that fanbase? If you're not where readers can stumble upon you, then they won't.

And if you've encouraged your fanbase to buy from you directly, then you've lost that all-important influx of first sales that can provide important exposure for later readers to find you.

And frankly, as a reader, I don't want to buy directly from an author. I want the customer service that Amazon provides. I want the seamless loading that I get when I buy from Amazon -- my book is automagically delivered to my Kindle the next time I turn it on. Sure, sideloading really isn't difficult, but I don't want to have to deal with it. Yes, I really am that lazy. I don't care how good of an author you are...it's not worth it to me to be bothered to figure it out. If you're not available where I shop (and for me, that's Amazon), then I won't be reading you.

That being said, I do offer signed paperbacks from my website, and use Paypal for this. I did a decent business last Christmas and expect to do the same this year. I also use Square when I do signings where I'm allowed to process my own payments (such as when the signing is at an outdoor festival or at a coffee house or whatever, but at a bookstore you're obviously using the bookstore to take payments and they get a cut). It's wonderful to be able to accept credit cards and I'm sure that if I only accepted cash I wouldn't sell as much.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

TiffanyTurner said:


> Here's the one I used.
> http://intuit-gopayment.com/crosssell?cid=ppc_Google_GoPay-Non-Brand-Square_square_exact
> 
> You just need time to figure it out. I'm not sure how the Paypal one works. But this one works with an Android phone. Square seems to be mostly for Iphones. Could be your phone or computer. Maybe try another brand. Might work better. Indies stick together, girlfriend.


Square works with Android, too

https://squareup.com/reader

Betsy


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

SBJones said:


> It will be up to the vendors. Some will let the all mighty dollar decide. If it makes money, they will sell it. Other vendors value their public image over dollars. Some will scrub the erotica out and keep the rest. Some will cleave all the un-vetted self published filth and let the world know they did it too.
> 
> I expect the middle option to be the most likely outcome.


God Bless the public image makers, for they shall be rewarded with almighty dollars.


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## ShellyArbogast (Oct 18, 2013)

The end of self-publishing? I rather hope not.

Still, this is the sort of thing that my husband gets seriously nervous about whenever I talk about going full-time. My numbers aren't there yet, not by a long-shot, but like a lot of the others here, I hope to someday make writing books my day-job. If the markets available to us are this fickle, then how can we hope to make a consistent living? It's pretty awful to think that I could someday have the rug pulled out from under me like this. Some of us are living off of these royalties, and have families and responsibilities and stuff. If books get yanked like this without warning, then that could really mess things up for someone. Not. Cool.


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## Gator (Sep 28, 2012)

TiffanyTurner said:


> Since I live in California, I've not been an associate for Amazon for several years now


WHAT?!!! Amazon dropped Amazon Associates in California for only three months. You've been eligible to re-enroll as an Amazon Associate since Oct. 3, 2011 -- AND YOUR NEIGHBORS AND CO-WORKERS DIDN'T TELL YOU?

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2011/10/amazon-welcomes-back-calif-affiliates.html?page=all

Re-enroll today and put your new affiliate code on all your Amazon links, including your eBook front/backmatter, Web site, blog, emails, etc.

And tell your neighbors and co-workers they can do the same.


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## Austin_Briggs (Aug 21, 2011)

Amanda Brice said:


> With all due respect, I disagree. Sure, you'll get to keep the revenue instead of sharing it with a retailer. And sure, that money is deposited within days rather than months. But every sale you get on your website is one less sale you get where it actually matters, and that's on Amazon, Apple, or B&N. Sales velocity at those stores can result in bestseller positionings, either within your subgenre or possibly within the entire store itself. And that's extra real estate. Every additional list that you appear on is another chance to stumble upon new readers.
> 
> Your existing readers will buy from you wherever you are. If you develop a good mailing list (and this takes time but every author should be doing it), then you'll start to see results when you have a new release. But that's not the issue. The issue is finding new readers. Selling to your existing fanbase is awesome, but what about expanding that fanbase? If you're not where readers can stumble upon you, then they won't.
> 
> ...


These are exactly the reasons I've closed my own bookstore at my website. I was selling a few books per day at $10 each, but I had to create the whole marketing machine to make it happen: online ads, social media frenzy, etc. You basically start competing with existing bookstores online.

Then, some people do buy paperbacks. I'm not booting my car out of my garage to store boxes of POD'ed books...

There are ways to drive traffic, but I found the ROI on payments, website tools maintenance, and logistics unreasonable. There's no scale in doing it alone.


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## Vaalingrade (Feb 19, 2013)

Cherise Kelley said:


> I don't want anyone to mention why, but I think it is a bad idea to teach people how to sideload.


After Amazon proved they can zap books off your Kindle at will with the 1984 incident and X-bow locked people out of games they paid for when they got banned from Live, sideloading is the single most important skill people should learn before buying completely digital media. You do not want your files only living on the connected device and you DO NOT want proprietary formats if you care at all about keeping your media.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi, folks....


after discussion with the OP and in the smoke-filled admin caves, we used a variation of the Homorphus Charm to restore Andrew's thread as a standalone thread.

Sorry for any confusion.

Betsy


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Hi, folks....
> 
> after discussion with the OP and in the smoke-filled admin caves, we used a variation of the Homorphus Charm to restore Andrew's thread as a standalone thread.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Betsy.


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## KurtCarlson (Mar 12, 2012)

End of self publishing? The article is sensational. It's hardly the end of self publishing. No one has said they are stopping books from being self published on their bookstore. We don't really need to cause any panic. Sure, get your work on as many platforms as possible, but that should just be standard advice.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Andrew Ashling said:


> Thanks, Betsy.


No problem. I should have signed Ann to the post, too, as it was a mutually arrived at decision.


Betsy


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2013)

Andrew Ashling said:


> *1. Diversify*
> 
> If your income is dependent upon sales from one channel, and that channel gives you and your books the boot, you're as good as finished, unless your books are on other channels as well.
> 
> ...


This is really so important. A few years ago when Amazon closed Mobipocket, they forced all vendors who were previously distributing through Mobipocket into KDP. They promised a "seamless" transition and they would handle the transfer behind the scenes for us. Well, the seamless transition was not so seamless, and all of my titles were accidentally removed from Amazon for two weeks. But because I already had an infrastructure in place, I was able to communicate with my readers and it was barely a glitch.

This is also why part of your marketing plan should be about driving traffic directly to your own site, not directing traffic to Amazon. People wonder why I do advertising that doesn't directly translate to sales. This is why. I do a lot of general branding that raises awareness of my site. If people don't know the site exists, it won't help you when the you-know-what hits the fan.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

segordon said:


> There's some good information here, but I'd like to add my take on one of your points:
> 
> IMHO, you should be doing everything you can to get readers to purchase your books directly from you, not use your website as a last resort point of sale. Sure, it takes some out-of-the-box thinking and a lot of extra work, but the benefits are enormous. When customers purchase books directly from you, that money is deposited in your account within the hour or at least the same day. Let that sink in for a moment. Can you imagine being paid immediately for each sale and not having to wait 60-90 days? If you are able to connect directly with your core readership, keep them happy, and earn a decent living from it, all of these other concerns seem trivial. Make it worth their while to buy from you directly. Offer exclusive content that they can't get anywhere else. Give them freebies that only your website can offer, and begin that process when they sign up for your e-mail list.
> 
> An author store is a powerful tool, and sure, it takes some time to bring traffic to your site, but you'd be surprised how quickly it evolves, even from humble beginnings.


The only problem with this is that you have to worry about taxes - sales taxes, specifically. You have to get in touch with your state/whatever and adhere to their laws. And what about other states? Do you have to collect taxes in other states whether or not you have a presence there? And who has the time to research this kind of stuff anyway? I already have enough going on in my life (aside from writing) that I'm against heaping even more stress on myself.

Now once I start bringing in oodles of money, maybe I'll revisit this. Because I figure by then not only will I have the time, I'll also be able to hire a tax pro to figure this out for me.

Until then, as far as for me, forget it.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> And what about other states? Do you have to collect taxes in other states whether or not you have a presence there?


No.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Caddy said:


> I would love to have my own website but it's intimidating to even figure out how to do it. Plus, I'm worried about selling on my site and how to handle sales tax and having a mailing list and making sure I adhere to the CANN (?) spam act.
> 
> I'm sure this can all be learned, but at what cost of time? Is this something I should do instead of writing and trying to make some money in this business? Or should it wait until maybe next spring? These questions spin around in my head all the time. If I had the money to hire someone to build a website the problem would be solved, but I don't right now. So maybe I should wait until I do?
> 
> ...


Let me try to make this a bit more comprehensible.

There are two instances of WordPress: WordPress.com and WordPress.org

WordPress.com is basically WordPress as a service. Like Blogger and others. You open an account and you're ready to go. There are some restriction though: no affiliate links and a lot of plugins can't be installed.
But it's nice for starters.

WordPress.org is a CMS, let's call it the bare bones for a website. You need to install it (free download) on your own domain. Some hosts have it on board and will install and update it for you. You can install a template, free or premium, all plugins and you basically do what you want, as it is your domain.

For the less technically inclined: you can have the best of both worlds:

1. Start with WordPress-as-a-service at https://wordpress.com/

2. If you like it and feel comfortable using it, you can easily transfer your existing website to your own domain. Here are a few useful links:

http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-properly-move-your-blog-from-wordpress-com-to-wordpress-org/
http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2012/08/31/moving-your-blog-from-wordpress-com-to-wordpress-org-resources-and-tips/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWQg2yQ6xmw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_HnO-sx_eA

(There are many others)


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

> Let me try to make this a bit more comprehensible.
> 
> 1 Wordpress
> 
> ...


Thank you. This sounds like something I could possibly do. However, I already have a blog on blogger or blogspot or whatever it goes by. So, I am wondering:

1. Can that blog be moved to a wordpress.org CMS? I don't want to lose over two years of blogposts.
2. If not, can that blog be moved to a wordpress.com blog first and then transferred?
3. How do I get a domain? Do I just go somewhere to buy a domain name and I have the name and I enter that on the CMS or what? (Yeah these questions might not be worded right. Sorry. You're dealing with the MOST right brained person on the face of the earth and I'm doing my best to ask intelligent questions.)

I'll check back in a few hours when I return home. Hopefully, Andrew will answer if he has time or someone else will.  It has always sounded like a great idea to have my own site but the time never seems right. Perhaps it is now.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Patty Jansen said:


> I tried this, but couldn't see a way to stop paypal charging massive fees for tiny amounts. I have no problem with paypal charging fees, but I'd like to limit them to their stated percentages. I was paying 30c + percentage on 99c sales.
> 
> Plus I then have to enter all those piddly sales in my sales sheet for my accountant.





AdamGeen said:


> Patty, have you seen this portion? Click tab for Pricing https://merchant.paypal.com/ca/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=merchant/digital_goods
> 
> Specifically the micropayments area for selling digital goods. I've used Paypal on my site in the past and was only getting charged 9 cents or so from a 99 cent sale.


* Most of my books are $4.99, and PayPal charges me 49¢ per sale.
* This means I get to keep 90% instead of the usual 60% (Amazon makes much about giving you 70%, but actually, between US-sales, 70%, and others, 35%, this is also 60% on average).
* Usually the money is in my account within minutes.

* If all my sales were through my own site, I could sell a third less and still make the same amount of money.
* If I make the same amount of sales my income would be 30% higher.

Drawbacks:

*Sales on your own site don't add to your Amazon ranking. Neither do sales on Kobo, ARe, B&N, Sony&#8230;
*For a 30% increase in income you'll have to do some extra work.

For me a mixed approach seems sensible. Up until now I looked at it as a backup. You hope you'll never need it, but if ever you do you will be glad it's there.

As always YMMV.


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2013)

Terrence OBrien said:


> No.


For now, anyway. Remember, Amazon has been fighting this fight with states for years because many states have decided that affiliates count as "nexus" points.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Caddy said:


> Thank you. This sounds like something I could possibly do. However, I already have a blog on blogger or blogspot or whatever it goes by. So, I am wondering:
> 
> 1. Can that blog be moved to a wordpress.org CMS? I don't want to lose over two years of blogposts.
> 2. If not, can that blog be moved to a wordpress.com blog first and then transferred?
> ...


You'll find a lot of answers here: http://wordpress.org/.

Webhosting: http://wordpress.org/hosting/. Some offer "one-click" WordPress installing.

Point 1 will be the most difficult:

* You can transfer older posts manually, but you'll lose the replies.

* Or you can simply put a post on your own website, referring to your older blog.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> No problem. I should have signed Ann to the post, too, as it was a mutually arrived at decision.
> 
> 
> Betsy


Well, thank you, ladies.


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## SBJones (Jun 13, 2011)

Andrew Ashling said:


> * Most of my books are $4.99, and PayPal charges me 49¢ per sale.
> * This means I get to keep 90% instead of the usual 60% (Amazon makes much about giving you 70%, but actually, between US-sales, 70%, and others, 35%, this is also 60% on average).
> * Usually the money is in my account within minutes.
> * If all my sales were through my own site, I could sell a third less and still make the same amount of money.
> * If I make the same amount of sales my income would be 30% higher.


I did the math on my books about 8 months ago. I broke out all the non 70% books and added up all of the delivery fees and my royalty rate was 63.3% for books sold through the .com website.

*note*
I haven't payed attention and I just looked today. My delivery costs are up to 21c a book now. I remember when I started they were a measly 6c. I would guess I'm below a 60% royalty average now with over triple the delivery costs. I'm going to have to raise my prices by a dollar to cover this pretty soon.


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## DRMarvello (Dec 3, 2011)

Amanda Brice said:


> ...But every sale you get on your website is one less sale you get where it actually matters, and that's on Amazon, Apple, or B&N. Sales velocity at those stores can result in bestseller positionings, either within your subgenre or possibly within the entire store itself. And that's extra real estate. Every additional list that you appear on is another chance to stumble upon new readers...


I completely agree with this line of thinking. I believe that having a web site (and/or blog) is critical because it gives you a "hub" for your entire Internet presence, but when it comes to selling books, nobody does it better than booksellers. My philosophy is to let the booksellers do what they do best and focus my efforts on putting content out there where it can be found by readers. I am fully capable of putting up an online store, managing the bookkeeping, and providing customer service, but I've decided it is not a good use of my time. Being a writer and publisher is enough work without adding "retailer" to my job description. Instead, my sites direct visitors to the online booksellers. The "sales velocity" effect at Amazon was invaluable for my most recent release.

I do have an email list for releases, and it has grown steadily since I started it. However, I don't see that list as a reliable source of sales; I see it as a convenience for my existing readers. Any "boost" I get from that list would have little value for future sales in my own store, but those same sales at Amazon give me promotional leverage for reaching new readers.


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

CMS = Content Management System. I have exported posts from one system (Typepad) into another (Wordpress) with all kinds of truncated posts and small glitches. You want to always have a backup of your web content stored on your home system as well as on your hosting site where the web site is live.

I love having a web site. I've had one since the mid-90s so it feels natural to me. As DrMarvello says, it gives you a hub on the Internet, a place of your own where the content is yours. 

I've also run a small retail web site, and it's really hard work. I have enough different hats to wear as a self-publisher. I'm happy to let the booksellers and distributors do that part of the work for me.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> For now, anyway. Remember, Amazon has been fighting this fight with states for years because many states have decided that affiliates count as "nexus" points.


Correct. But Amazon's actions don't affect the current obligation of an author to pay tax on sales from his storefront. He is subject to the same laws Amazon is, and if he has a nexus in another state, he is obligated to comply with the tax laws of that state. There was a bill that would change that in the last Congress, but it died with that Congress.

So a simple way for authors to look at is to say they are liable for sales tax in states where they have a nexus.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

I understand the "but you're losing rank at Amazon" argument. But what happens if Amazon takes my books down? They can and have done this to many others, for days, weeks or permanently. I want my eggs in my own basket as well as in as many other baskets as I can find. If Amazons screws you, accidentally or intentionally, your ranking won't matter at all. What will matter is your relationship with the customers the booksellers have funneled your way. I let those customers choose where they want to buy--because I put my books everywhere--and one of those choices will always be from me. (Full disclosure: I'm a former web developer, but setting up a small storefront is no big deal any more, lots of plug and play places now.)

This especially feels true to me after the giant "are slow writers doomed" thread a little bit ago. I'm a slow writer. My rankings at Amazon are never going to be very high until my main series is done, and maybe not even after that. Funneling potential sales there gains me little. What does gain me is my mailing list, so I'm focusing there and on direct relationships. I'm not an impulse buy, generally speaking; I'm a deliberative buy. Does that make sense? Dinner not popcorn, I put it in the other thread. Both delicious, but generally speaking you see popcorn and go, "hey, popcorn! I was just thinking some popcorn would be good!" and grab it. You plan dinner. The Amazon-first strategy works best for popcorn, I think.

My little release this month (the Fairy Tale book in the sig) is in all the stores; I told readers where to get it in all the stores. I've sold the same at Amazon as I've sold direct. If I'd added all those direct sales to Amazon it would have barely moved the needle and I would have lost two-thirds of the money I'm making on it, which ain't much; it's a 99 cent book.

I may not always be able to sell books at Amazon, or Kobo, or Apple or whoever. I will always be able to sell books direct. My strategy as a "dinner" writer is to focus even more closely on my relationship to the reader, not my relationship to the booksellers. The latter will fade; the former, hopefully, is forever.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

DRMarvello said:


> I do have an email list for releases, and it has grown steadily since I started it. However, I don't see that list as a reliable source of sales; I see it as a convenience for my existing readers. Any "boost" I get from that list would have little value for future sales in my own store, but those same sales at Amazon give me promotional leverage for reaching new readers.


Until the day you wake up and find all your books are gone for some reason or other. Which Amazon or any retailer has a right to do, as Terrence keeps reminding us. And he is right. They don't even have to give you a reason.

By the way, I'm not promoting an either-or strategy. I'm not withdrawing my books any time soon from Amazon, and not even from Kobo and the others. I'll use those sites as long as I can.

But I also like to have an alternative for when, for whatever reason, Amazon decides it no longer wants to do business with me.

In fact, I'm going to take a test. Not immediately as I still have to write a doorstopper in my Dark Tales series. After that I plan to write a novella, in the same universe, that I will only make available on my own site (at least to begin with).
We'll see what gives.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

jnfr said:


> I've also run a small retail web site, and it's really hard work. I have enough different hats to wear as a self-publisher. I'm happy to let the booksellers and distributors do that part of the work for me.


These days running a small retail store on your own website is as difficult as installing a plugin on Wordpress.

My proposals were a reaction to the "woe is me, my fluffy romances are gone and I can't do anything about it" posts. I think that's a terrible thing to do to any author, and it set me thinking: is there really nothing we can do?
Furthermore, my proposals are just a logical extension of the indy concept.

1. We write our own books (Well, most of us do. I hope.)
2. We publish our own books.
3. We do our own promotion/marketing
Next logical step:
4. Why not look for ways to have our own sales outlet?

But, hey, it's all good. A lot of writers are happy lo leave the publishing and promotion to others. They usually see 10% of list price. If you do your publishing and promotion yourself, you typically see 60%. Go the extra mile and that could become 90%.

It's just a matter of what you prefer to do for yourself and what you want to subcontract.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Caddy said:


> 3. How do I get a domain? Do I just go somewhere to buy a domain name and I have the name and I enter that on the CMS or what? (Yeah these questions might not be worded right. Sorry. You're dealing with the MOST right brained person on the face of the earth and I'm doing my best to ask intelligent questions.)
> 
> I'll check back in a few hours when I return home. Hopefully, Andrew will answer if he has time or someone else will.  It has always sounded like a great idea to have my own site but the time never seems right. Perhaps it is now.


You need a domain name and webhosting, i.e. a server to host your website. Many companies provide both, domain name plus hosting, for an annual fee, though you can also buy both at different companies. You can even buy only a domain name for a start and use a redirect to your blogspot blog.

Do check the terms of your hosting provider if you plan to sell books from your own site or write erotica, cause this can be against the TOS of some providers.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

THank you to everyone who responded with answers to my questions. I will bookmark this and eventually have a go at it. Right now I need more books out. I do want that website before the end of 2014 though.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

Google "Online Storefront."


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## R. K. Clark (Oct 6, 2011)

Terrence OBrien said:


> I have a little gizmo called a Square that sticks into the iPhone and accepts a swiped credit card. They charge 2.5% grand total fees. I read they were expanding into web sales, but havent followed up on it.


Stripe -- it's a plug-in to take credit card payments through a website.


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2013)

The primary issue with relying solely on your own site to sell your books is that you have to now sell your readers twice: first on your book, and second on buying from you. Customers are creatures of habit. We like to shop where we are comfortable. If I want to shop at BN, I want to shop at BN. If I want to shop at Amazon, I want to shop at Amazon. I want to shop at places I trust. I don't want to have to set up a new account just to buy one book from an author I may or may not actually want to shop with again. I have to not just be convinced that I will enjoy the book. I also need to be convinced you won't start spamming me constantly, or share my information willy-nilly, or track me down for revenge when I leave a bad review.  

The more hoops a person has to jump through to complete a sale, the less likely they will complete the sale. Unless I am already a big fan of a publisher, I don't want to shop directly with the publisher. I want to shop at Amazon (where I can use my affiliate money) or Barnes and Noble (where I can use the gift card I got for my birthday) or whatnot. 

What we do is make sure that our pages include links to multiple vendors that carry our books. That way customers can buy from their favorite location. Let people shop where they want, and they are more likely to complete the transaction.


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## SunHi Mistwalker (Feb 28, 2012)

Thanks for the list, most of things I've been working on from the beginning with the exception of my own storefront. My mailing list has been gold for me. Now that Kobo has shown it's colors, I think I may consider setting up a storefront too and double my efforts on my mailing list.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> The primary issue with relying solely on your own site to sell your books is that you have to now sell your readers twice: first on your book, and second on buying from you.


That's true, but did anyone say that we should _just_ rely on our own storefront, excluding all others?

Certainly not me. I'm for as much diversification as possible/manageable.



Andrew Ashling said:


> By the way, I'm not promoting an either-or strategy. I'm not withdrawing my books any time soon from Amazon, and not even from Kobo and the others. I'll use those sites as long as I can.
> 
> But I also like to have an alternative for when, for whatever reason, Amazon decides it no longer wants to do business with me.


I also know that some readers will gladly buy directly from the author if they like them. And I see no reason not to offer those readers that choice. I have at least two readers who like to buy directly because I accept PayPal, and they don't have to disclose their credit card number.

OTOH, there seems to be something comforting in belonging to an ecosphere like Amazon's or Kobo's. It's probably me being paranoid, but I don't like it when a vendor has the ability to remotely delete books on my device, even if they promise they just did it this once and will never do it again.


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## DRMarvello (Dec 3, 2011)

Andrew Ashling said:


> It's just a matter of what you prefer to do for yourself and what you want to subcontract.


Exactly.

The book industry is changing too quickly for me to accurately predict what will happen tomorrow, so I have to make decisions based on what is happening today. Today, Amazon is selling the vast majority (90%+) of my books, so my strategies are optimized around Amazon. If Amazon ditches me tomorrow, I'll have to find another way to sell my books.

I'm growing my Internet presence, but right now I'm doing it without a store. If Amazon goes away tomorrow, I'll set up a store and change my links to go there. Having a store in place right now would not help me. As Julie said, people want to buy where people want to buy. So far, no one has expressed a desire to buy directly from me instead of a major retailer. (If readers were asking for a way to buy direct, I'd set it up.)

In other words, I believe that as long as you are building your Internet presence (with or without a storefront), you are doing what you can to insulate yourself from future changes in the industry. Having your own store is a "nice to have" until it becomes "essential." Today it isn't essential for me, but I'm not an erotica author.


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## Willo (May 10, 2013)

Andrew Ashling said:


> I also know that some readers will gladly buy directly from the author if they like them. And I see no reason not to offer those readers that choice. I have at least two readers who like to buy directly because I accept PayPal, and they don't have to disclose their credit card number.
> 
> OTOH, there seems to be something comforting in belonging to an ecosphere like Amazon's or Kobo's. It's probably me being paranoid, but I don't like it when a vendor has the ability to remotely delete books on my device, even if they promise they just did it this once and will never do it again.


I go out of my way to see if the actual eBook (not what's essentially the _leasing_ of an eBook) is available outside of Amazon before I buy (even if I find a desired purchase through an Amazon link). Kindle only books sometimes don't get bought because I don't like being confined to the Kindle app (I definitely prefer MoonReader and CoolReader to proprietary apps).

There's also the concern that Amazon can easily delete titles I've spent money for (as they've done to customers on at least two notable occasions). I'd buy a book direct from an author in a heartbeat, especially keeping in mind they'll enjoy more profit and won't have to wait *60 days *to spend it (a very important consideration, I feel, in this economy).


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