# We're looking for feedback on our eBookshop



## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

We've been working over the past 2 years to create a new eBook marketplace for self-published authors geared around solving many of the problems of an Amazon dominated market. Our team has lived by a simple mantra: Let No Good Book Go Unread.

Our approach is simple. We start all new books off as free in exchange for an honest review. After the initial 25 free copies, regardless of the rating, the book goes up to $1. For books that are not highly rated, adding that $1 to the price places a higher risk to the reader which in turn allows the author to fail fast so that they can go back to the drawing board to try again. This is our vetting process. It allows us to filter out the not-so-great books from the great ones without a customer spending any money.

Highly rated books will continue to climb in price along with the demand. Think, Supply and Demand Economics in a digital world. This approach to pricing rewards one of the most important customers, the early adopter with lower pricing but, also creates a sense of scarcity that usually doesn't exist in digital products. We continue to monitor to sales compared to the current price to find the perfect 'sweet spot' for each book. For one book that may be $4 for another it may be $15.

Our terms for authors are:
Low risk
No cost to publish.
No exclusivity
75% of each sale (We even eat the transaction fees)

We're book lovers so, we're aware of the unfortunate demise of the bookstore. One of our goals as readers was to recreate the bookstore experience without relying on gimmicks. This isn't an easy task but, we feel we've successfully brought some that experience to our site. If only we could bring the vanilla smell of a paper book to the experience!

We've made it easy for readers download their books from their Screwpulp library to their Kindle wirelessly. We don't know of any other non-Amazon bookseller that's doing this.

Now that we've finished the bulk of site building, we need readers, especially those willing to give honest reviews. There are always free books on our site and your privacy is important to us, so you can try us out risk-free.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and please give us any feedback you have!

Regards,
Richard Billings
CEO
Screwpulp

Screwpulp.com


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

How does a reader find you?


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

That's a hard nut to crack, as any writer knows.  We've been in build mode and have grown to 5000 readers by mostly organic means up to this point.  We're working on marketing at the moment to try and solve that problem.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

If I wanted to buy books from you as a reader, how do I find your site?


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Screwpulp.com

All books on our site start out free so there's always a no risk starting point for readers.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

If you want a reader's opinion, message me here.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

I like the layout and it's very easy to browse. The homepage took an annoyingly long time to load though.

As a reader, I like it. As an author, I'm on the fence, especially about giving up pricing control.

M.W


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Thanks. We're working through some slowness issues on the main page. Will be resolved soon.

Check out whereshouldipublish.com to see how our pricing compares to a few other book sellers.


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## Rick Gualtieri (Oct 31, 2011)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> As an author, I'm on the fence, especially about giving up pricing control.


Yeah, there's also the Amazon nasty grams to worry about. This seems like a good way to tick off the KDP gods.

Other than that, agreed on your other points. Nice looking homepage, but did take a while to load. The product page design leave a bit to be desired, though.


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

As a reader, I think it's pretty cool.

And it's nice to see some creative thinking.

As an author, the pricing issue causes problems. First, there's the extra work: I'd have to change my prices across all my distribution channels as the ScrewPulp prices change because some channels require that you don't sell your ebook for a lower price elsewhere. Also because of that requirement, the Screwpulp price would set the ceiling for my pricing. If it never makes it above $2 on Screwpulp, it can't be any more than $2 on Amazon or any other channel that requires the lowest available pricing. Then there are promotions to consider. If Screwpulp has my book at $1, the only Bookbub I can hope to do is a free promo. Even if it's $2, it's going to be hard to get a 99 cent promo through Bookbub, especially if it was free with the past--what are the Bookbub guidelines? 90 days or something?--because it had to start at free to go on Screwpulp. I suppose you could put a book on Screwpulp temporarily, for the exposure, then pull it back down and set your prices back up. Use it more like a promotional tool than a bookstore, the way some use Kindle Unlimited. I can see how this could be problematic for Screwpulp if their business plan is geared toward being a bookstore where authors would upload their catalogs and keep their books in longterm. 

If you have a permafree book--or even a 99-cent book you're willing to drop to free for a bit--Screwpulp could be a really good tool (if it gets enough reader traffic). For the first book in a series, it's probably a useful way to get more exposure. But for my situation--I've got one book, a standalone, and I'm not even going to think about even temporarily putting it free until I've got at least two or three books out--it's not a good fit, not at this time at least. It's definitely not a good place to upload an entire catalog.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

This is great feedback.

We're certainly willing to adjust our methods. 

From the author's perspective would a pricing range work?  Let's say you have a book on KDP for $2.99.  After your exclusivity period you could publish on Screwpulp and set a price range of 3$ to  $7 (if you want a cap at all) and we'd give away 25 initial copies to garner reviews on the frontend, then move your price directly to $3 and work up from there.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Where are readers suppose to put their reviews?


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## Rick Gualtieri (Oct 31, 2011)

Screwpulp said:


> From the author's perspective would a pricing range work? Let's say you have a book on KDP for $2.99. After your exclusivity period you could publish on Screwpulp and set a price range of 3$ to $7 (if you want a cap at all) and we'd give away 25 initial copies to garner reviews on the frontend, then move your price directly to $3 and work up from there.


As long as the price wasn't advertised as free that could work. Right now KDP is the big dog on the block for many of us. Some of the existing smaller players (like Google Play) like to occasionally play games, though, and change prices arbitrarily - which causes Amazon to start sending angry emails. Once those come out, it puts us in a bad place because we have to make an unpleasant choice - which sometimes results in pulling books from an outlet.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

I'll need to dig down into the KDP rules but it would seem like you should have some rights as to limited giveaways even with other marketplaces.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Where are readers suppose to put their reviews?


Once a book is in your library, either purchased or free, the review opens up on book's page. Readers who get free books are only allowed one free book per day and are required to rate/review the previous book before downloading another free book. These stipulations are not imposed on those who purchase books.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

To get 25 reviews on a tiny store like this would be impossible. Just for giggles, I looked up a friend's book on All Romance Ebooks. This is a NY Times bestseller (not in a bundle), it's been out since October, and All Romance is a very long established and profitable store in the romance genre. It has 5 reviews on ARe.


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

Screwpulp said:


> From the author's perspective would a pricing range work? Let's say you have a book on KDP for $2.99. After your exclusivity period you could publish on Screwpulp and set a price range of 3$ to $7 (if you want a cap at all) and we'd give away 25 initial copies to garner reviews on the frontend, then move your price directly to $3 and work up from there.


A minimum start dollar amount after the initial giveaway period would certainly make it easier for authors to put and keep books on Screwpulp. If you did that, possibly you could also consider allowing authors to run sales. For instance, an author puts a book up, it's free for the first 25 downloads, then jumps to $3, the author's minimum set price. A few months later, the book's up to $5, and the author wants to temporarily put it on sale, so maybe they lower the price to $1 for a week or two, then it goes back to $5 or whatever it was at before. (It's great if you can have promos show both the sale and the regular price so readers can see it's a sale.)

If, like Amazon Select, you limit the number of sale days a book's allowed to have in a given period, you could set up a category that shows books that are currently on sale. (If you don't limit the number of sale days, your "books on sale" page would be cluttered with books that are permanently "on sale.")


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## [email protected] (Mar 20, 2014)

Screwpulp said:


> I'll need to dig down into the KDP rules but it would seem like you should have some rights as to limited giveaways even with other marketplaces.


Your proposed pricing scheme would put authors in violation of nearly every sales channels contracts. There is a reason agency and modified forms of agency agreements are so prevalent in the industry.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Next question: if I was looking for a book to read, where would this review be located?
Would it be in the book or on the book page?


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

Your pricing model would only work for titles that customers cannot get anywhere else.

The only way authors are going to put titles on your site and nowhere else is if you have millions of readers who regularly visit your site.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Next question: if I was looking for a book to read, where would this review be located?
> Would it be in the book or on the book page?


They are located on the book's page on the Screwpulp site.

e.g. http://www.screwpulp.com/?browse&*=info&id=39

just below the author


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## Maggie Dana (Oct 26, 2011)

@screwpulp ... your name alone puts me off, both as a reader and an aithor.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Next reader question: other than the one free book per day, is there a limit to how many free books I can get?


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## ♨ (Jan 9, 2012)

The name bugs me.  At first, it struck me as a slam against paper books.  I buy and read hardcover, paperback and eBooks, and the name just seems to slam two of my choices.  Upon further reflection, and this may be other people's first thought, it seems like it would be the name of a marketplace for erotica books.  I know you have the explanation of your name on the website, but I would think most people who would be put off by the name aren't going to dig that deep.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

ʇɹǝuuıɹ ˙ɔ uɐp said:


> The name bugs me. At first, it struck me as a slam against paper books. I buy and read hardcover, paperback and eBooks, and the name just seems to slam two of my choices. Upon further reflection, and this may be other people's first thought, it seems like it would be the name of a marketplace for erotica books. I know you have the explanation of your name on the website, but I would think most people who would be put off by the name aren't going to dig that deep.


I thought of that too.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

ʇɹǝuuıɹ ˙ɔ uɐp said:


> The name bugs me. At first, it struck me as a slam against paper books. I buy and read hardcover, paperback and eBooks, and the name just seems to slam two of my choices. Upon further reflection, and this may be other people's first thought, it seems like it would be the name of a marketplace for erotica books. I know you have the explanation of your name on the website, but I would think most people who would be put off by the name aren't going to dig that deep.


Rebranding is not off of the table. The controversy worked in the begining but may not be sustainable.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Next reader question: other than the one free book per day, is there a limit to how many free books I can get?


Just one free book per day and you have to review the previous free book before getting another free book.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> Just one free book per day and you have to review the previous free book before getting another free book.


So you are saying that if a reader rates and reviews one book a day, they could get 365 books a year.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> So you are saying that if a reader rates and reviews one book a day, they could get 365 books a year.


Yes. That would be possible but, would at least cut down on hoarding.


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

Looks like you guys did a lot of work on this.

Have you considered using the goodreads api, which will let you programmatically pull in Goodreads reviews onto your site?

http://www.goodreads.com/api and
http://www.goodreads.com/about/review_program

From an author/publisher standpoint, the site with the most eyes on it is the one where I want to drive reviewers. Not "social media" because that's not really where book discovery happens (in my opinion). So why should an author/publisher, with a limited marketing budget, drive traffic to the smallest site to garner reviews, unless those are exportable?

I would unfortunately have the same problem as other posters with your pricing model, even though I think it's an interesting approach. I think I would also be concerned that once your site gets populated, there will be basically no discovery mechanism - which in the past has been driven by keywords and finer resolution categories. I think you should consider whole-text indexing to build content-based keywording as well as allowing the type of author/publisher keywording and relevance scoring that Amazon uses (and the "alsoboughts"). That's where the gold is hidden. As far as I know, nobody is doing whole text analysis for keyword generation or an affinity score (meaning, this book is like that book).

Personally, I would prefer also to have DRM on all my free books. DRM on free books and no DRM on non-free books. Or - don't make the free books downloadable (viewable only).

Good luck with the business.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> Yes. That would be possible but, would at least cut down on hoarding.


Thank you. Your comment speaks volumes.


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## J.B. (Aug 15, 2014)

Interesting concept for a site. Hope you work out the kinks and turn it into a profitable business model.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

I again want to thank you all for you honest and useful feedback.  We're continually evolving our approach and processes to find what works for both readers and writers.  In the end, if we can really please the readers we will have done our job as, like several have said before, authors want to be where the readers are.


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## Dom (Mar 15, 2014)

I agree with the others about the pricing scheme making working with other retailers difficult. The best thing going for your site is the push for discovery of what's new - the question is, does that come at the cost of long-term success?

I actually tried to put my non-KDP Select book on Screwpulp a week ago. Aside from nothing happening (it hasn't been approved yet?) it looks like the site is dead. The front page and the "Latest" page haven't changed in a week. I don't think I want to bother getting it listed at this point.

So I think you should allow authors to control their pricing but mix it with an introductory discovery engine that works for readers. I would perhaps allow readers to get free books less often, but maybe that is something that can change as membership scales. Also, how much does it really benefit an author to have reviews on a small site that not a lot of readers go to? If you can somehow cross-post reviews to GoodReads then it might be a more enticing draw for authors.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Domino Finn said:


> I agree with the others about the pricing scheme making working with other retailers difficult. The best thing going for your site is the push for discovery of what's new - the question is, does that come at the cost of long-term success?
> 
> I actually tried to put my non-KDP Select book on Screwpulp a week ago. Aside from nothing happening (it hasn't been approved yet?) it looks like the site is dead. The front page and the "Latest" page haven't changed in a week. I don't think I want to bother getting it listed at this point.
> 
> So I think you should allow authors to control their pricing but mix it with an introductory discovery engine that works for readers. I would perhaps allow readers to get free books less often, but maybe that is something that can change as membership scales. Also, how much does it really benefit an author to have reviews on a small site that not a lot of readers go to? If you can somehow cross-post reviews to GoodReads then it might be a more enticing draw for authors.


I apologize if your submissions haven't been approved. We had some technical issues last week that I thought had been resolved. I'll look into it. Also, feel free to email me at [email protected] anytime.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

On another note, we understand that the name can sometimes leave a bad impression.  How does SquarePulp sound/feel?


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> On another note, we understand that the name can sometimes leave a bad impression. How does SquarePulp sound/feel?


Even worse.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Domino Finn said:


> If you can somehow cross-post reviews to GoodReads then it might be a more enticing draw for authors.


I think this is possible. We're looking into it now.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Even worse.


Ok. I thought the word Screw was the issue. Need to figure out if renaming is even worth it. Thanks again for the feedback.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

Name it something like


ebook store


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

or

ebookshop


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Unfortunately ebookshop and any derivative is long taken.  Renaming/rebranding is not a simple task.  Moving to something similar to our current name is much simpler.

We could always go with:

Books a Billion
Broaders
Narnes and Boble 
Or
DaNile


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

I think you'd hit it out of the ballpark with Slamazon.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Z. Rider said:


> I think you'd hit it out of the ballpark with Slamazon.


Ha! Perfect! Sends me right to Candy Crush.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

SquarePulp just made no sense to me as a reader.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> SquarePulp just made no sense to me as a reader.


There's a story in it with an in unopened book being termed as Square (the spine has yet to rounded). Just a thought and easy for us as a small startup trying to rebrand. Still, how well would the word Amazon resonate with readers if they weren't... Amazon.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

Richard - I'm certainly no business or branding guru, but your name ideas don't seem solid. Why not come up with something unique?


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> There's a story in it with an in unopened book being termed as Square (the spine has yet to rounded). Just a thought and easy for us as a small startup trying to rebrand. Still, how well would the word Amazon resonate with readers if they weren't... Amazon.


I have been reading for 45+ years and I had never heard of an unopened book being called a square.

Now as to Amazon, if I remember right the original tag line was Amazon, the world's largest online book store. Amazon was easy to remember.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Let's talk marketing your website.    I am going to start with some basic questions. 
Who is your target audience?    
What type of readers are you looking for?
What is your primary goal?
Is it to sell books or get reviews?

Most importantly: why should a reader use your website instead of an established one?
Why should a reader trust you with their personal information? 

If you are aiming for the general reader an obscure website will not do that.


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Agree with most of what's been said.

What about something like "Magellan, where great books are discovered."


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## SimonPotts (Jan 16, 2015)

I might be missing something here..you say you give away 25 copies in return for reviews then the price goes up to $1 or whatever, but the books on your 'Top Selling' list have figures like

397 DOWNLOADS/6 Reviews
147 DOWNLOADS/4 Reviews

Am I missing something?


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## HollyElizabethjean (Jan 2, 2015)

Ok, if 25 copies are given away in exchange for reviews, shouldn't each book have a few reviews? I get that you raise to a dollar despite rating, but wouldn't you need higher ratings to get to each price level? I see a lot of books with zero reviews.

Not having control over my price would be an issue for me since Amazon pricematches and it would be hard to advertise an increasing price. 

For Christian genre authors I think they would stear clear, it sounds a bit like a porn site.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

bookfind.com

According to GoDaddy.com, the site name is available.


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## Brownskins (Nov 18, 2011)

cinisajoy said:


> Let's talk marketing your website. I am going to start with some basic questions.
> Who is your target audience?
> What type of readers are you looking for?
> What is your primary goal?
> ...


Yes, as a reader, these are my questions too. I visited the site (by the way, auto spell comes out with even weirder suggestions), and it isn't user friendly as far as finding out which books I can try out in my selected genres which are free. Since I am new to the site, I wouldn't want to give my billing info right away. I need to try the download, reading and review experience.

So will the books be available in .mobi so that I can sideload to my eink Kindle? Or do I have to use an app and thus be limited to reading it in my tablet? What will motivate me to use your site instead of Amazon or BN? How will I know your limited time offers, to create an urgency to visit/purchase at this site first before anywhere else? If you wish to gather reviews, how will you attract/motivate quality reviews vs. those generic ones?

I love supporting kickstarter projects - this sounds like it has potential to be one, but is unclear to me as far as business plan (at least, for now).


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Scott Daniel said:


> bookfind.com
> 
> According to GoDaddy.com, the site name is available.


Bookfind could be good


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Brownskins said:


> Yes, as a reader, these are my questions too. I visited the site (by the way, auto spell comes out with even weirder suggestions), and it isn't user friendly as far as finding out which books I can try out in my selected genres which are free. Since I am new to the site, I wouldn't want to give my billing info right away. I need to try the download, reading and review experience.
> 
> So will the books be available in .mobi so that I can sideload to my eink Kindle? Or do I have to use an app and thus be limited to reading it in my tablet? What will motivate me to use your site instead of Amazon or BN? How will I know your limited time offers, to create an urgency to visit/purchase at this site first before anywhere else? If you wish to gather reviews, how will you attract/motivate quality reviews vs. those generic ones?
> 
> I love supporting kickstarter projects - this sounds like it has potential to be one, but is unclear to me as far as business plan (at least, for now).


All books are available is Mobi format and you can download a book without giving PayPal info. Plus you can send to kindle without downloading.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2015)

Quote:

*"Highly rated books will continue to climb in price along with the demand."*

I read this correctly, price would depend on ratings.
Many authors here complain about poor ratings from people who haven't even read the book.


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## 75814 (Mar 12, 2014)

I'd echo the same concerns about pricing, discoverability, and also the name. For me, I'm a pulp fiction author, so being on a site called Screwpulp feels a bit weird for me. 

I hope you guys get this sorted out, though. I'm always up for more competition with Amazon and a wider playing field. I will definitely be watching.


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

First of all, let me say I'm pleased to see other players in the market place. I think competition is good for all involved in this business.

I'm also happy that you are giving indie authors a shot at exposure they might not receive elsewhere.

For me, as a mid-list author, there's not much advantage in listing my catalog on your site. This is not a criticism.

Sometime in the future, you might want to consider what options/benefits you can offer a Joe Nobody like me. I understand the business model of attracting new readers with discount/bargain prices and free books. But there's another way. There's an entire segment of indie authors who are feeling unloved. I am one of them. It seems that price manipulation (giving away books) is the only creative marketing anyone can come up with. That's cool for new authors, but what about the more established writers?

Attracting writers like me, or Russel Blake, or H.M. Ward, or others... authors who can bring customers with us, can increase your subscription base and increase revenue at the same time. There would have to be sound, logical business reasons, but it's something to ponder.

I believe folks in my position are often overlooked by those in the reader discovery business. Yet, I know we struggle to find advertising outlets for our product. Full-length, full-priced books aren't welcome on most sites. One of my titles was just rejected the other day for a paid advertisement. This was because the sale price was to be $5.99. Yet the book has sold over 7,000 copies at $9.99. The affiliate revenue alone would have been significant for the vendor.

Anyway, I wish you and your business the best. When you're ready, please think a little outside the box about us mid-listers who aren't willing to give away product, but are always working to grow. We need love too.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> First of all, let me say I'm pleased to see other players in the market place. I think competition is good for all involved in this business.
> 
> I'm also happy that you are giving indie authors a shot at exposure they might not receive elsewhere.
> 
> ...


Joe is right. I can find free and 99 cent books all day long. Other books, not so much unless I know exactly what I want.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

What would really set your site apart from the rest is a discoverability engine. I have been trying to find a way to get a discoverability engine idea i have into the marketplace. PM me if you'd like to hear my ideas.


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## HollyElizabethjean (Jan 2, 2015)

Could you explain pricing in detail? From what I gather, books are free for the first 25 downloads then go to a dollar. Then increase in price according to ratings. So a book would need positive reviews to go to two dollars? I am coming across several two dollar books with no reviews. Are your reviews and ratings different? I would think ratings are stars? Are these not visible?  As a reader using a site where products are priced according to ratings I would want to see more than just how many people downloaded.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2015)

Some of this will be redundant so bear with me. And if some of this seems blunt, it is only because I have been involved in a lot of beta testing for retailers like you over the years and I see a lot of the same mistakes being made. Primarily, you seem to forget that, as a retailer, it is YOUR job to drive traffic to your site. Not ours. If you give us great tools, we will end up driving traffic to you organically. But you can't create a site that depends on us doing your job for you.

Yes, I agree with others that the name is off-putting. Good to see you are not wedded to it and are looking for alternatives. I suggest the K.I.S.S. theory. While I "get" what you were going for with the name, it requires too much explanation for the average reader. And you can't explain anything to a search algorithm. That domain name WILL get lumped in with adult sites just by virtue of how search engines work. Also, "pulp" has a very specific meaning to certain demographics. So you risk attracting people looking for pulp fiction that won't find it, and alienating readers not interested in pulp.

The variable pricing is a non-starter. Period. It causes too many problems with other retailers to be a viable option. I am NOT OUR AUTHOR. I am a small business and I expect to have control of my pricing. If you expect me to completely change my business model just to suit a convoluted pricing gimmick on one site, you are mistaken. The fact is, your price model does not actually benefit authors. There is no demand for it. You are creating a solution to a problem that does not exist. If anything, authors want MORE control over pricing, not less. You want to get authors flocking to your site? Then:

1. Let me set a sale price that is actually reflected as a sale price.
2. Let me offer coupon codes
3. Let me set a book to free if I want it to be free.

and in the "Oh my God why is nobody doing this!" column:
4. Loyal reader pricing: with the number of writers running serials, wouldn't it be awesome if we could offer custom pricing to readers who purchased a book in the series? i.e. If my series normally sells for $2.99, if a person bought one book in the series at regular price, let me set a special price for them to get future installments. This would not be again the Amazon TOS regarding price matching (because I am not changing the list price. The retail price is remaining the same.) It would only be available to people who purchased a previous book in the series. You could lock up the serial market with this sort of thing.

The point is, authors don't need yet another site trying to take control of our pricing from us. Again, we are not your authors. We are businesses.

About the push to give out free books: There is no shortage of free content available to readers. This is not new, original, or even desirable in a new site. The demographic of readers looking for free books is already saturated with plenty of options. Your scheme is just more background noise. If I want a title to be free, just give me the option to make it free and be done with it.

Also, this verbiage rubs me wrong: "At Screwpulp, we publish everybody."

No, you publisher nobody. You are not a publisher. I am a publisher. You are a retailer. Not only is the statement inaccurate, it give the impression that you have zero quality control over the products you sell on your site. And that is true for most sites. But most sites don't blast what is essentially a "buyer beware" message as a positive.

About the site itself:

If the goal is "discoverability," then make the site functional. It currently doesn't do anything special that I haven't seen on a milliion other sites. Click here to see bestsellers. Click here to see five star books. Click here to see new releases. How does this help a reader "discover" anything?

Genre categories seem arbitrary. There is a "horror thriller" but no "horror" and no "thriller." And when I clicked on it, there were books that were in no way, shape, or form horror OR thrillers! I have long dreamed of a site that would actually let readers report miscategorized books, because as a READER I absolutely hate this. It is incredibly frustrating to search for a specific type of book and have to cull through dozens of completely worthless listings simply because the author or publisher wanted the book to appear in a "hot" category. Shorts and Poetry are two completely different readerships. There is no reason for them to be lumped together. Instead of creating arbitrary categories that will just confuse and frustrate readers, you should be using the standard BISAC system. Otherwise, again, you are forcing publishers to use arbitrary categories for their books that may not even apply.

I wish I could remember the site now, but someone had the idea of letting readers set some real fun parameters and then match those parameters with books. For example, if a reader set a parameter of books with vampires, and the author had set a parameter of vampires for the book, that book would show up in the search. If you set parameters like "England, ghosts, female protagonist, you would get a list of books featuring ghosts that were set in England and had female protagonists. If you set parameters for "blind character" you would get a list of books featuring a blind character. I loved that idea because it allowed authors to provide additional details about the book in a way that was fun for both the author and readers. If you really want to engage readers, encourage discoverability, and be unique, something like that would be amazing.

And from a marketing perspective, how awesome for you to have that data and be able to target market to those demographics that are routinely ignored?


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2015)

Amen to Bards and Sages (Julie)


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> 4. Loyal reader pricing: with the number of writers running serials, wouldn't it be awesome if we could offer custom pricing to readers who purchased a book in the series? i.e. If my series normally sells for $2.99, if a person bought one book in the series at regular price, let me set a special price for them to get future installments. This would not be again the Amazon TOS regarding price matching (because I am not changing the list price. The retail price is remaining the same.) It would only be available to people who purchased a previous book in the series. You could lock up the serial market with this sort of thing.


Excellent idea. I'd also be happy to have an option for that for back-catalogs in general. Buy one of my books full price and you can now get every other book of mine at a discount.

Couple this with automatic emails that go out to readers when a new book in a series or a new book by an author they're following comes out, and wow, that would be fantastic. (Especially if it's more than one email. First email two weeks before release "Pre-order now and have it automatically delivered to your Kindle or email on the release date" followed by, for those who don't take advantage of the pre-order, a reminder on release day. And for those who still haven't taken advantage, include it in the next "A new book by an author you like/in a series you like" email that goes out to the reader. (For instance: they don't buy the book from favorite author A in the two emails that went out about that, so that book is advertised again, lower and smaller, on the email about a new book from favorite author B).



Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> someone had the idea of letting readers set some real fun parameters and then match those parameters with books.


I like this too. Even better if there are book meta tags (from the author/publisher) and reader tags (from, obviously, readers)...like Amazon used to have. Let's increase reader interaction with the books/book pages. Readers don't have to be limited to rating & reviewing. Why not have a place on the book page where readers can recommend other books they think readers who read this book might enjoy? When they suggest a book, they can be asked to give a reason, so other readers know whether they're recommending this other book because it also has werewolves in it or because they share the same dark tone, or whatever. Way more useful to me as a reader who's just read a book I've loved than the recs from algorithm engines.

I think if a site is useful and possibly fun for readers--if they develop a sense of community there--it's going to work. If it's just another bookstore...eh. Be useful, be enjoyable, give people a reason to keep coming back, and give them a reason to encourage their friends to come to the site...beyond free books, because "free books" attracts people who'd rather get books free than pay for them.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2015)

1)  I think it's an excellent idea - Supply vs Demand

2) You can't introduce artificial constraints. Like readers having to review a book before getting another free book.

3) How do you get new people? 5,000 readers isn't much, to be honest.

Best of luck. It's a great idea. You have to reduce friction for readers, not increase it.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2015)

Z. Rider said:


> Couple this with automatic emails that go out.


This would HAVE to be opt-in only or you would end up with angry customers who think they are getting spammed. I know that Drivethrufiction allows customers to opt-in to those publishers that they want to get emails from and it works quite well.


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> This would HAVE to be opt-in only or you would end up with angry customers who think they are getting spammed. I know that Drivethrufiction allows customers to opt-in to those publishers that they want to get emails from and it works quite well.


Oh yes, absolutely has to be opt-in, and _super easy_ to opt back out of. (But in addition to being opt-in, it has to be easy for the reader to see that that capability exists and how it could benefit them. It doesn't do any good if it's a hidden feature. Maybe it could be on the screen right after purchase, something like: "Save 20% on new books by this author. Simply opt in to receiving notifications when we have their new books available, and you'll get an automatic discount with each one." Or for series: "Get notified when the next book in this series is available, plus get a 20% discount on all books in this series." Something along those lines.)


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## Cactus Lady (Jun 4, 2014)

Z. Rider said:


> Maybe it could be on the screen right after purchase, something like: "Save 20% on new books by this author. Simply opt in to receiving notifications when we have their new books available, and you'll get an automatic discount with each one." Or for series: "Get notified when the next book in this series is available, plus get a 20% discount on all books in this series." Something along those lines.)


That would be awesome.


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## scribblr (Aug 20, 2010)

Screwpulp said:


> I'll need to dig down into the KDP rules but it would seem like you should have some rights as to limited giveaways even with other marketplaces.


Just allow the author to set a list price, then draw a line through it like Amazon does when the price is a promo or special. They shouldn't get upset with someone doing exactly what they do-- but then you never know until you try.

I don't do free, so I won't be offering my books through your site, but I wish you the best of luck.


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## 75814 (Mar 12, 2014)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> 4. Loyal reader pricing: with the number of writers running serials, wouldn't it be awesome if we could offer custom pricing to readers who purchased a book in the series? i.e. If my series normally sells for $2.99, if a person bought one book in the series at regular price, let me set a special price for them to get future installments. This would not be again the Amazon TOS regarding price matching (because I am not changing the list price. The retail price is remaining the same.) It would only be available to people who purchased a previous book in the series. You could lock up the serial market with this sort of thing.


All of your points were great, but this one is flat-out awesome. I'd kill for a retailer that had this.


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## Philip Gibson (Nov 18, 2013)

Your ad asking for readers to sign up has appeared on my email homepage at yahoo.com. How does that happen? I can't imagine it appears on every Yahoo account's homepage. Or does it?

Neat ad by the way. Let's see if I can paste it here.










Philip


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2015)

Philip Gibson said:


> Your ad asking for readers to sign up has appeared on my email homepage at yahoo.com. How does that happen? I can't imagine it appears on every Yahoo account's homepage. Or does it?
> 
> Neat ad by the way. Let's see if I can paste it here.
> 
> ...


That is from Yahoo's cookies. Same thing happens with Google Ads. Welcome to the wonderful world of "target privacy invasion." Yahoo, Google, and other browsers use cookies to track where you visit and what you search for. When someone places an ad and sets certain parameters "For example, males age 24-36 who like football" these servers send those ads to users who fit those parameters. Even if you never set any specific parameters in your profile, the fact that you read a lot of football articles, for example, would trigger you getting put in that group.

This is also why you will see Amazon ads on various websites featuring "your" books. No, Amazon is not spending money to promote your book. What they are doing, however, is allowing the various ad delivery systems to use your search and interests to customize ads.

Which is why I prefer Firefox and https://duckduckgo.com/ these days.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Philip Gibson said:


> Your ad asking for readers to sign up has appeared on my email homepage at yahoo.com. How does that happen? I can't imagine it appears on every Yahoo account's homepage. Or does it?
> 
> Neat ad by the way. Let's see if I can paste it here.
> 
> ...


That's ad is through what's called 'retargeting'. It only shows this ad to previous visitors to the site.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> Some of this will be redundant so bear with me. And if some of this seems blunt, it is only because I have been involved in a lot of beta testing for retailers like you over the years and I see a lot of the same mistakes being made. Primarily, you seem to forget that, as a retailer, it is YOUR job to drive traffic to your site. Not ours. If you give us great tools, we will end up driving traffic to you organically. But you can't create a site that depends on us doing your job for you.
> 
> Yes, I agree with others that the name is off-putting. Good to see you are not wedded to it and are looking for alternatives. I suggest the K.I.S.S. theory. While I "get" what you were going for with the name, it requires too much explanation for the average reader. And you can't explain anything to a search algorithm. That domain name WILL get lumped in with adult sites just by virtue of how search engines work. Also, "pulp" has a very specific meaning to certain demographics. So you risk attracting people looking for pulp fiction that won't find it, and alienating readers not interested in pulp.
> 
> ...


Lot's of great points here. We're still a young startup which gives us the opportunity to listen to authors and readers and change to meet their needs. We're listening and appreciate the candor.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

I had an idea regarding discoverability and thought I'd run it by you.

The idea is that we allow the reader to build they character they would like to read about instead of just genre.  Maybe something as simple as picking a stick figure from a small list of options (male or female, child, teen or adult).  Then adding props or clothing (a deerslayer or a gun).  Then they could drop it on a map or a timeline.  We could then give a list of books that most closely match those parameters.  (A mystery set in Europe featuring a teen girl).

This, of course, wouldn't be the main discovery engine but could probably be easily built.


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## scribblr (Aug 20, 2010)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> 4. Loyal reader pricing: with the number of writers running serials, wouldn't it be awesome if we could offer custom pricing to readers who purchased a book in the series? i.e. If my series normally sells for $2.99, if a person bought one book in the series at regular price, let me set a special price for them to get future installments. This would not be again the Amazon TOS regarding price matching (because I am not changing the list price. The retail price is remaining the same.) It would only be available to people who purchased a previous book in the series. You could lock up the serial market with this sort of thing.


So let me get this straight. You find a customer who likes your work. They have an interest in the series and want/need to read more. So now that you have them hooked, so to speak, you start discounting the price at a time when they'd pay even more than the initial book price to get the next book?

Smart marketing. But then again, maybe, just maybe, there's a very valid reason why it's in the "Oh my God why is nobody doing this!" column instead of it actually being done by everyone.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

scribblr said:


> So let me get this straight. You find a customer who likes your work. They have an interest in the series and want/need to read more. So now that you have them hooked, so to speak, you start discounting the price at a time when they'd pay even more than the initial book price to get the next book?
> 
> Smart marketing. But then again, maybe, just maybe, there's a very valid reason why it's in the "Oh my God why is nobody doing this!" column instead of it actually being done by everyone.


Maybe the way to most utilize a this would to be offer them a discount if they refer a friend to by the first book in the series (also at a discount). That way you reward the loyal customer and gain a new one.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> I had an idea regarding discoverability and thought I'd run it by you.
> 
> The idea is that we allow the reader to build they character they would like to read about instead of just genre. Maybe something as simple as picking a stick figure from a small list of options (male or female, child, teen or adult). Then adding props or clothing (a deerslayer or a gun). Then they could drop it on a map or a timeline. We could then give a list of books that most closely match those parameters. (A mystery set in Europe featuring a teen girl).
> 
> This, of course, wouldn't be the main discovery engine but could probably be easily built.


Yuck.
Now can you please answer one question? 
Why should readers trust you with their personal information?


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Yuck.
> Now can you please answer one question?
> Why should readers trust you with their personal information?


We really don't ask for much personal information. You can create an account simply using a social channel. We don't even retrieve your email address when using one of these methods.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> We really don't ask for much personal information. You can create an account simply using a social channel. We don't even retrieve your email address when using one of these methods.


So I would have to have a facebook, twitter or G+ account to buy books from you. That means you have some sort of access to my social self. 
NO THANKS.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> So I would have to have a facebook, twitter or G+ account to buy books from you. That means you have some sort of access to my social self.
> NO THANKS.


No. You use the method you're most comfortable with. You can simply use an email and password. You even have to opt-in to receive our newsletter.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> No. You use the method you're most comfortable with. You can simply use an email and password. You even have to opt-in to receive our newsletter.


Next question, if I want to buy a book, how do I pay you?


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

One other little question. .. you say you can send directly to my kindle, how are you doing this?


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Next question, if I want to buy a book, how do I pay you?


Currently PayPal.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> One other little question. .. you say you can send directly to my kindle, how are you doing this?


The optional instructions for the ability to Send to Kindle are in the link below:

http://www.screwpulp.com/?sendtokindle


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> The optional instructions for the ability to Send to Kindle are in the link below:
> 
> http://www.screwpulp.com/?sendtokindle


Ok so I have to approve you. 
If I have to go to that much trouble, why shouldn't I just buy at Amazon? 
Why should I buy from you?


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Ok so I have to approve you.
> If I have to go to that much trouble, why shouldn't I just buy at Amazon?
> Why should I buy from you?


For the same reason many people buy from Target instead of Walmart. Experience. For the reader we're focused on the book buying experience. Amazon sells you a book in the exact same way the sell you a blender. We're working constantly to improve that. We don't see books as a commodity, but works of art. They should be displayed as such.

We're still early in the game, but we're not a fly-by-night company. We're one of only 19 startups to ever be featured at the BEA and one of only 6 personally invited by the coordinators. We have a publishing executive on our board of directors and have already had meetings with the two largest publishers in the world. This is one reason we're focused on pricing. The traditional publishing industry has problem with pricing digital products. We're also working with traditional publishers to find ways to transition self-published authors to traditional publishing if they so choose. I know this doesn't play into answering your question. I only bring it up to let you know we're not here to sell data or cheat authors and readers. We're hoping to bring meaningful change to an industry in flux.


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## 75814 (Mar 12, 2014)

Screwpulp said:


> I had an idea regarding discoverability and thought I'd run it by you.
> 
> The idea is that we allow the reader to build they character they would like to read about instead of just genre. Maybe something as simple as picking a stick figure from a small list of options (male or female, child, teen or adult). Then adding props or clothing (a deerslayer or a gun). Then they could drop it on a map or a timeline. We could then give a list of books that most closely match those parameters. (A mystery set in Europe featuring a teen girl).
> 
> This, of course, wouldn't be the main discovery engine but could probably be easily built.


I don't think you'll find a lot of readers will want to spend the time doing that. Readers don't want to waste time playing around with a character creation program, they just want to be able to find the books they like to read as fast as possible. Something like that wouldn't help with discoverability, because most readers would ignore it and go to the search bar. Why spend ten or fifteen minutes designing a teen girl in Europe when you could just type "europe mystery teen girl" in the search box in ten seconds?


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

Perry Constantine said:


> I don't think you'll find a lot of readers will want to spend the time doing that.


This reader definitely wouldn't. And "type of character I want to read about" is far from the only way readers search for books. They might be looking for a fast-paced thriller without a lot of technical detail, or an interplanetary war with espionage, romance in Venice with a delicious focus on the cuisine, a modern-day western set in Mexico, etc. The more flexible the discovery system is, the more useful it is.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Ok let's see.  
You would prefer my social accounts but I can give you my email. 
I would have to approve you on Amazon to get my books.
You only accept PayPal. 
I would have to jump through hoops to get free books from you.
I am limited on number of books per day.
Your site is not particularly reader friendly.

So now tell me why I should choose your site to buy my books.    I am not looking for an experience.  I just want books.


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## P.T. Phronk (Jun 6, 2014)

Wow, lots of criticism here (which is probably good for the site), but I've got some positive thoughts:

I love that you're trying something new. There is a hunger in the air for something other than Amazon, especially among writers, but maybe among readers too. We need more people trying new things. 

As an author, I like having the option of trying a new strategy, even if it means some additional complexity with pricing at other venues. Look at the people having massive success with Wattpad, for example. The beauty with indie publishing is that we ARE free to experiment. We can always pull out, or try something different with the next book. The idea of starting with a low price and climbing higher is interesting, and something many authors naturally do anyway, so I dig it.

As a reader, the site looks great, and if it works as planned, the idea of paying exactly how much the book is "worth" makes sense. The pressure of grabbing a new release before it increases in price is also fun, in a gamification of reading sort of way. An "experience" isn't for everyone, but us writers know that style can matter as much as substance. 

There are a hell of a lot of issues to work out, sure, but I'm glad you're going for it anyway. Fight the power and all that.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Perry Constantine said:


> I don't think you'll find a lot of readers will want to spend the time doing that. Readers don't want to waste time playing around with a character creation program, they just want to be able to find the books they like to read as fast as possible. Something like that wouldn't help with discoverability, because most readers would ignore it and go to the search bar. Why spend ten or fifteen minutes designing a teen girl in Europe when you could just type "europe mystery teen girl" in the search box in ten seconds?





Z. Rider said:


> This reader definitely wouldn't. And "type of character I want to read about" is far from the only way readers search for books. They might be looking for a fast-paced thriller without a lot of technical detail, or an interplanetary war with espionage, romance in Venice with a delicious focus on the cuisine, a modern-day western set in Mexico, etc. The more flexible the discovery system is, the more useful it is.


Thanks. We'll continue to think about it.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Phronk said:


> Wow, lots of criticism here (which is probably good for the site), but I've got some positive thoughts:
> 
> I love that you're trying something new. There is a hunger in the air for something other than Amazon, especially among writers, but maybe among readers too. We need more people trying new things.
> 
> ...


Thanks! We're not going about this blindly. We're trying to solve real problems and of course we won't be the right fit for all readers or writers.

We'll keep working out the kinks!


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Screwpulp said:


> Thanks! We're not going about this blindly. We're trying to solve real problems and of course we won't be the right fit for all readers or writers.
> 
> We'll keep working out the kinks!


Do let me know when you get the kinks worked out.


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## Christine Tate (Feb 24, 2014)

HollyElizabethjean said:


> Ok, if 25 copies are given away in exchange for reviews, shouldn't each book have a few reviews? I get that you raise to a dollar despite rating, but wouldn't you need higher ratings to get to each price level? I see a lot of books with zero reviews.
> 
> Not having control over my price would be an issue for me since Amazon pricematches and it would be hard to advertise an increasing price.
> 
> For Christian genre authors I think they would stear clear, it sounds a bit like a porn site.


Agreed. The genre I write in is Christian Non-Fiction. My target market is specifically Christian women. Somehow I have a hard time seeing anyone in my target market shopping on a site with the name Screwpulp. Sales are about connecting with your target audience and first you have to go where your target market most likely browses.


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2015)

scribblr said:


> So let me get this straight. You find a customer who likes your work. They have an interest in the series and want/need to read more. So now that you have them hooked, so to speak, you start discounting the price at a time when they'd pay even more than the initial book price to get the next book?


Anyone who writes a series knows that

1. Readers are not always "hooked" with just one read. Real brand loyalty often requires two or three books. Very few people become rabid fans after one book. It just doesn't work that way. Particularly in some genres which are highly price sensitive and reader loyalty is a sparse thing.
2. Such a pricing scheme could help stop reader drop off. Again, particularly with some genres which are highly price sensitive, readers often "jump ship" and start new series. Offering loyalty prices encourages people to stay with a series when they might have otherwise jumped ship to a newer, and cheaper, series.
3. Discounting for existing customers is in fact a rather common marketing concept and is a way to keep existing customers. Many retailers, for example, use "loyalty" cards that give customers who have signed up for them better pricing or give regular customers special freebies. I have a rewards card with Wawa that gives me free coffee when I reach a certain spend threshold. I have a loyalty card with Shoprite that gives me special discounts. Allowing a publisher to offer discounts to loyal readers is a way for the publisher to build brand loyalty and take care of their readers so you don't lose them to someone else.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

As we know the consensus is that we need a name change.  We're still a pretty young organization, but it would still be easier for us to rebrand with a name similar to what we have now.  We've done some external polling and have been surprised by the results.  I'm not sure how to add a poll to this post, but I will add one after this regarding possible names.  If you have time please take a moment to vote.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Figured it out.  Poll's at the top of the post.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Hi.  If you are looking for people to buy books or let you sell there books, you need to use a simple name that says you are a bookseller.  
None of those say book seller.


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## 75814 (Mar 12, 2014)

I agree with Cin, I really don't get a bookstore vibe from any of these.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Perry Constantine said:


> I agree with Cin, I really don't get a bookstore vibe from any of these.


Thanks.

Almost no recognizable brand gives indication to what they sell or produce.

Apple
Google
Amazon
Kindle 
McDonald's
Borders
Barnes and Nobel
Tesla 
Toyota
Papa John's 
Samsung...

There are obviously exceptions but, those are exceptions.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Ok what is your tag line?
That is important. 
Though I want to know why you aren't answering a basic question.
You want to sell books.
What are you doing to attract readers to your site?
It can't be for the price.  
Tell me exactly why I should buy from you and not someone else.


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

Screwpulp said:


> Thanks.
> 
> Almost no recognizable brand gives indication to what they sell or produce.
> 
> ...


True, but I think you'll find those companies spent millions and millions on brand recognition. The first time I heard of Amazon, I thought it was an on-line dating site for tall gals. Much to my disappointment, I quickly found out otherwise.

The point remains, however. Unless you have the money/time to create recognition, I'd be pondering a name that says your site is a reader's paradise/island/heaven/cove. How about "The Read"... it works for that television show named "The Chew."


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Joe_Nobody said:


> True, but I think you'll find those companies spent millions and millions on brand recognition. The first time I heard of Amazon, I thought it was an on-line dating site for tall gals. Much to my disappointment, I quickly found out otherwise.
> 
> The point remains, however. Unless you have the money/time to create recognition, I'd be pondering a name that says your site is a reader's paradise/island/heaven/cove. How about "The Read"... it works for that television show named "The Chew."


Thanks!

Those companies built their brand which of course we would have to do.

TheRead is good, but unfortunately taken.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Ok what is your tag line?
> That is important.
> Though I want to know why you aren't answering a basic question.
> You want to sell books.
> ...


Tagline? Let's go with:
"Let No Good Book Go Unread"

Answering basic questions?

I've already answered the question you referenced. "Experience." Although you didn't like the answer, don't act as though I avoided the question. Just because you don't want an 'experience' and you just 'want books' doesn't mean that we haven't done our research and that other readers would like a better book buying experience.

Attracting readers?

Again we're adjusting the experience of buying a book back to the idea of a bookshop, not a buy anything "From A to Z" experience.

I don't claim to have all of the answers and I looked high and low to find an extremely diverse and informed community. I found that in reading through Kboards. I'm extremely impressed with the feedback here. It's very balanced, giving us both the good and the bad of what we're trying.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

You said Experience.    What kind of experience?    I am looking at books.  I need more information.    

What makes you different from other book sellers?


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## MyraScott (Jul 18, 2014)

Putting my marketing hat on my reader head, here's what I've got:

I don't hate Amazon. I'm not looking for an alternative. I've got my first Kindle (an early Valentine from my hubby!) and my Prime and more free books than I can ever possibly read.

If I were some sort of Amazon hater on principle, I've got Google Play and Apple iBooks, both of which bombard me constantly with well-reasoned offers of free or cheap apps, books, movies and music.

Everything I could want is already out there. If I still can't find what I want, I sign up for free for BookBub and get vetted suggestions in my inbox daily.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm trying to get you to answer the question:

Why do I need another bookstore? What makes you a destination that I NEED to add, to get something I can't get anywhere else? What is your unique selling proposition? 

If the answer is free ebooks... meh. I have more than I can possibly read. If I want more vetted books that I am supposed to review in return for an advance copy, I'll sign up for Story Cartel or NetGalley as a reader/reviewer.

As an author, sure, I'd LOVE for you to be successful and offer an alternative platform. But authors don't drive this business... readers do. How do you, with your late-to-market offering, bring a reader something so unique and awesome that they will visit daily, sing your praises and drop all of their other book buying platforms? As an author, you are also asking me to jump through hoops by forcing me into a pricing structure that doesn't work with other retailers and will possibly force me to choose you... or them. And there's no reward for choosing you. You don't have an established customer base and so far, we haven't heard how you plan to establish one.

So far, as a reader, I hear about having to register and being required to review books to get more free books... when I get get them through my existing accounts now with no obligation.


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2015)

Words have power. Each word carries a certain weight to it. It has a meaning that people associate with it. When building a brand, you want to use words that compliment what you want readers to think. You don't want to use words that are going to require readers to completely rewire their minds to understand you.

The word "screw" is simply off the table. It does not convey to the average reader what you want it to mean, despite any historic meaning associated with it. Modern readers don't use the word that way and won't immediately associate it with books...unless they associate it with books of the erotic variety. This word will also run the risk of going afoul of anti-porn filters. Consider the statistic that 50% of buyers browse from work or school...and that more and more institutions put filters in place to block out certain sites. Those filters are NOT delicate. They are often arbitrary and tied to algorithms. Anything with the word "screw" in the title is going to get tied to sex in the algorithms, particularly if you do have erotica available for sale alongside everything else. 

The word "pulp" has a specific connotation to readers as well. Pulp is a specific type of book written in a certain style. If you were marketing pulp fiction, the use of the word would make sense. It does not make sense when you are going to have a marketplace of everything but pulp. 

You mentioned Apple. The Apple as symbol has a strong cultural association with education and knowledge, and by extension, innovation. it was not an arbitrary choice for a company name. It was specifically invoking the cultural symbolism. Google got its name from the number "Googol" which is a 1 followed by a hundred zeros. When Google was first founded, it was a tech company and the reference would have been obvious to techies, an inside joke with the target audience. Most of the other brands you mentioned started in the pre-internet age and didn't need to rely on internet searches to build brand. They did it the old fashion way. 

Myra brings up very good points. Your brand needs to reflect your position in the marketplace. And to create a position in the marketplace, you will need something other than free books (see my original post in the thread). Readers don't really NEED another site to get free books. There are already hundreds of them, and all of them have the added benefit of not requiring the reader to actually work (i.e. write a review) to get them. 

Several people liked my idea about being able to offer discounts to loyal readers. That is something that isn't being done that would give readers a reason to return to YOU to buy the next book instead of going elsewhere. Heck, you could call the site serialreader.com or something like that: the more you buy, the more you save. You need to develop READER loyalty and not be dependent on authors driving traffic to you. Because that will not happen.


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:



> You mentioned Apple. The Apple as symbol has a strong cultural association with education and knowledge


And they began getting their computers into schools right from the start.

serialreader.com might cause confusion now that serials are becoming a thing, but I think you're more on the right track than the options offered in the poll. LoyalReader.com, DieHardReaders.com, DevotedReaders.com (though it may make some think of Christian books), VoraciousReaders.com, etc.


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## 10105 (Feb 16, 2010)

Screwpulp said:


> On another note, we understand that the name can sometimes leave a bad impression. How does SquarePulp sound/feel?


To my generation (old f*arts) "square" means not hip.


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## 10105 (Feb 16, 2010)

Comments:

1. Screwpulp: I don't like the name either. But I don't like smashwords, rotten tomatoes, and a lot of other contemporary names that sacrifice professional dignity for something that might resonate with the lowest common denominator. After a while one gets used to them. But until then, it's a downer. The problem is you're trying to associate the name with a vague pair of metaphors that nobody gets. In the long run it will limit you. You'll find the metaphors driving your business model as you strive to maintain them.

1. Site performance: You probably need a server that can service larger numbers of clients simultaneously. A mom-and-pop ISP won't work for the level of traffic you are getting now. Imagine it when the site takes off.

2. Look Inside: The site could use a way to read excerpts from a book (samples, look-inside) so the reader can make a purchase decision. Maybe I missed it.

3. Perma-free:  It's a proven marketing tool especially for a series. I wouldn't list my perma-free #1 in a series with Screwpulp nor would I list any of the others in the series. And those are my best sellers. So, right now, the only reason I would look to Screwpulp is perhaps as a way to get my other books some exposure. Just now you don't have enough subscribers to make it worth all the price juggling I'd have to do on the other distribution sites.

4. De-list: Make sure there's an easy way for authors to de-list their books from your site. And make it happen immediately. When the amazon hammer comes down we often have to move fast.

5. Price control: To paraphrase Clint Eastwood, if there's a price attached, I want to control it. That doesn't mean a retailer mustn't offer discounts. But there has to be a published MSRP. Not negotiable.

6. The most important service you can offer writers is the ability to bring their books to the fore in the eyes of more potential buyers. That's what bookbub does and it works. But all I can see is that if you become as successful as you hope to be, my books will repose in the depths of yet another over-populated slushpile of mostly mediocre product.

Fix all that and you're good to go.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Just spitballin' a name here. How about UnboundPulp.com? Or CodexUnbound.com? They're available, they say "bookstore" and they have the idea of "boundless' in the subtext.


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

Al Stevens said:


> But I don't like smashwords, rotten tomatoes, and a lot of other contemporary names that sacrifice professional dignity for something that might resonate with the lowest common denominator.


And at least the meanings behind _those_ are clear to a modern audience. Rotten Tomatoes doesn't need a page on their site explaining why they're called Rotten Tomatoes. (With Smashwords, I've assumed it to be the same slang as in "smash hit.")



Al Stevens said:


> 2. Look Inside: The site could use a way to read excerpts from a book (samples, look-inside) so the reader can make a purchase decision. Maybe I missed it.


Yes! Amazon kills at this. It's my number one go-to book site because it's so easy to check out the opening chapter(s) with a clean interface that 1) doesn't clutter up the main book page and 2) looks like a book.



Al Stevens said:


> 5. Price control: To paraphrase Clint Eastwood, if there's a price attached, I want to control it. That doesn't mean a retailer mustn't offer discounts. But there has to be a published MSRP. Not negotiable.


Yeah, even if ScrewPulp sticks to its free-$1-$2 etc. model, a published MSRP can only add perceived value to the books.



Al Stevens said:


> 6. The most important service you can offer writers is the ability to bring their books to the fore in the eyes of more potential buyers. That's what bookbub does and it works. But all I can see is that if you become as successful as you hope to be, my books will repose in the depths of yet another over-populated slushpile of mostly mediocre product.


Yes, the thing that's going to get me super excited about a new bookstore is its ability to bring customers. I don't see anything with ScrewPulp so far that's going to bring in more than a niche segment of readers. (And oh yay, I _can't wait_ to add another distribution channel to my "upload and maintain" list that brings in a whole cup of coffee's worth of income each month...said no indie author...ever.)


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## 75814 (Mar 12, 2014)

jdcore said:


> Just spitballin' a name here. How about UnboundPulp.com? Or CodexUnbound.com? They're available, they say "bookstore" and they have the idea of "boundless' in the subtext.


UnboundPulp has one of the same problems as ScrewPulp--it gives the impression that it's a website for pulp fiction. People who aren't pulp fans will stay away and people who go looking for pulp will end up being very disappointed when they get to the site and see that it's not pulp-specific.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Perry Constantine said:


> UnboundPulp has one of the same problems as ScrewPulp--it gives the impression that it's a website for pulp fiction. People who aren't pulp fans will stay away and people who go looking for pulp will end up being very disappointed when they get to the site and see that it's not pulp-specific.


I don't disagree. That's why I also suggested codex unbound - which I like better. But OP had said he/she wanted to stay close to the branding already started.

BTW in defense of Codex Unbound, it (in my mind) has a very futuristic sound. It would make a great sci-fi title. It also has the advantage of referencing the first revolution in printing from antiquity, suggesting a rebirth of publishing in a new digital paradigm.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

jdcore said:


> I don't disagree. That's why I also suggested codex unbound - which I like better. But OP had said he/she wanted to stay close to the branding already started.
> 
> BTW in defense of Codex Unbound, it (in my mind) has a very futuristic sound. It would make a great sci-fi title. It also has the advantage of referencing the first revolution in printing from antiquity, suggesting a rebirth of publishing in a new digital paradigm.


Codex made no sense to me. It sounds like a programming site.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

cinisajoy said:


> Codex made no sense to me. It sounds like a programming site.


It's the earliest form of bound book.


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## Guest (Jan 28, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Codex made no sense to me. It sounds like a programming site.


I got codex. But I'm also a geek and the word is often used in RPG circles so...


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

We listened to your feedback and took some time to work on the most unified response, our name. We did tons of research and polling among readers and writers.

Screwpulp is now Leafless:

You can read more here: http://leafless.co/screwpulp/

We'll continue to work on the other issues mentioned as we strive to create value for both authors and readers.

Again, thanks for your feedback.

Richard Billings
Leafless


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2015)

I like Leafless


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## MyraScott (Jul 18, 2014)

Leafless is much better!


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## Z. Rider (Aug 15, 2014)

Leafless is good!


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

I like Leafless, too, though Skruple has a certain something.

I've browsed through the thread and haven't seen this idea mentioned: one way to attract authors would be to offer rich data about shoppers' interactions with our products. How many people viewed a book page? How long did they spend looking at the book page? From where ddid they come to the book page? How many clicked through to the book's sample? Etc. It's a source of frustration to many of us that Amazon certainly has this kind of info but doesn't share it, even though doing so could help us pinpoint our products' weaknesses and thus partner more effectively with the retailer and make more money all around.

Good luck to you, Richard. We all want to see more strong sales venues out there.


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Becca, 

We'll begin working with a company soon to provide rich analytics to our authors.  We should have no problem reporting simply on the items you noted.  

Thanks!


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## Dom (Mar 15, 2014)

Much classier name. Great job on it. Now to get more eyes on the site!


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2015)

And as soon as the site will allow me to retain 100% control of my pricing, I'll look into signing up. Because for me (and most publishers I suspect) *THAT* is the biggest sticking point. The site's pricing scheme will simply cause too much drama and anxiety with other retail channels because of price matching issues.


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## Dennis E. Taylor (Feb 10, 2015)

squarepulp spongebooks?

There's even a jingle


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## Screwpulp (Jan 21, 2015)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> And as soon as the site will allow me to retain 100% control of my pricing, I'll look into signing up. Because for me (and most publishers I suspect) *THAT* is the biggest sticking point. The site's pricing scheme will simply cause too much drama and anxiety with other retail channels because of price matching issues.


We have an interesting development that plays into our pricing model. We are currently in talks with two of the biggest traditional publishers regarding possible partnership. Neither of these accept unsolicited manuscripts. They don't seem interested in the pricing as an indication of the proper price being applied to a book, but instead are interested in side effects of the pricing model including scarcity, the filtering of what the readers prefer, and the idea of the cream rising to the top.

If Leafless was to partner with a major traditional publisher and was viewed as a vetting process for them would you as authors be interested?


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2015)

Screwpulp said:


> We have an interesting development that plays into our pricing model. We are currently in talks with two of the biggest traditional publishers regarding possible partnership. Neither of these accept unsolicited manuscripts. They don't seem interested in the pricing as an indication of the proper price being applied to a book, but instead are interested in side effects of the pricing model including scarcity, the filtering of what the readers prefer, and the idea of the cream rising to the top.
> 
> If Leafless was to partner with a major traditional publisher and was viewed as a vetting process for them would you as authors be interested?


No. That would, in fact, make me less interested. All I want really is a ebook retailer that will let me sell my books on my terms. There is nothing you can say that will convince me that I should put ALL of my other partnerships at risk to experiment with price structure that will ultimately only attract people looking for freebies. I have no incentive to put my books up on your site when doing so could cause me problems with all of my other retail outlets. I don't CARE what special deals you work with large publishers. All that really tells me is that this will be another site with two sets of rules: one for the big publishers and one for everyone else. I already have a retailer that does that, Amazon.


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## Dennis E. Taylor (Feb 10, 2015)

Screwpulp said:


> If Leafless was to partner with a major traditional publisher and was viewed as a vetting process for them would you as authors be interested?


Are you thinking of something similar to authonomy? Their big problem was users gaming their system. It became an arms race between the cheaters and the algorithm writers.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Screwpulp said:


> We have an interesting development that plays into our pricing model. We are currently in talks with two of the biggest traditional publishers regarding possible partnership. Neither of these accept unsolicited manuscripts. They don't seem interested in the pricing as an indication of the proper price being applied to a book, but instead are interested in side effects of the pricing model including scarcity, the filtering of what the readers prefer, and the idea of the cream rising to the top.
> 
> If Leafless was to partner with a major traditional publisher and was viewed as a vetting process for them would you as authors be interested?


No, because I have no interest whatsoever in getting a traditional contract, and if I did, I would do it myself.



Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> No. That would, in fact, make me less interested. *All I want really is a ebook retailer that will let me sell my books on my terms. There is nothing you can say that will convince me that I should put ALL of my other partnerships at risk to experiment with price structure that will ultimately only attract people looking for freebies.* I have no incentive to put my books up on your site when doing so could cause me problems with all of my other retail outlets. I don't CARE what special deals you work with large publishers. All that really tells me is that this will be another site with two sets of rules: one for the big publishers and one for everyone else. I already have a retailer that does that, Amazon.


^^^This. All of it, really, but especially the part I put bold.


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## MyraScott (Jul 18, 2014)

It sounds like you guys don't know what you want to be, who your audience is or what your unique selling proposition, your reason for being, is.


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