# Update on Gumroad



## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

I posted about Gumroad months ago . . . and then it kept falling lower and lower on my priority list. But the last month of earth-shattering announcements, dropping of genres my major sales channels, and the sky is falling has more or less spurred me on to investing in a heavy-duty umbrella.

I will preface this, and please say this out loud, "Elizabeth is NOT trying to replace Amazon or any other sales channel."

That's right, I am not aiming to replace any current stream of revenue, I am adding to overall pool of income coming into my business each month. On top of that, I think there is a value-add for buying direct for some readers who follow me, and I will get to that.

My litmus test for choosing a system or service to sell my books directly to readers was as follows:
_it must be easy to use for me._ And Gumroad is, I literally published all of my books there in 2 days, including a boxed set of my entier 2014 library for $24.99

_it must be easy for readers._ Some readers know what to do with a .mobi file, most do not. Gumroad has a convenient Send to Kindle button (readers just add [email protected] to their approved list of emailers), a Send to Dropbox button (what many Nook and tablet users use, including Kindle Fires), and a Gumroad reading app for both iPhone and Android devices so readers can read their entire library from any author they buy from on their device. They can also download the files and keep them.

_it must be safe._ Gumroad has been around since 2012, and I looked. There are only 2 complaints against them on BBB. In 3 years. I could find nothing negative, lots of positive, and I read up on how they are processing payments because I don't want any of my readers stolen from. And yes I DID read the boring reading material on payment processing (https://help.gumroad.com/customer/portal/articles/1655717-safe-buying-on-gumroad)

_it must be pretty._I think my Gumroad store speaks for itself. https://gumroad.com/elizabethannwest

_it must offer coupons._ This is something I learned by promtoing with Kobo. Amazon and other places do not price match coupon codes. So I can list my prices the same as Amazon et al. and offer my readers a coupon to take as much as the whole price off. I can also limit HOW MANY coupons can be redeemed, like "First 50 readers get my new book FREE" or "For a $1, save 85% off the retail price" etc. etc.

_it must be affordable._Gumroad is free to use. It costs 5% + $.25 everytime you sell something, which mostly covers CC fees you'd pay anyway if you were running the credit cards yourself.

_it must be automatic._Gumroad handles everything, refunds, help, guides to readers on what to do with their files, delivers the files to the reader. I'd only have to do more if I was selling physical products, which I can.

Again, I am not looking to replace, but increase.

I spoke with my readers in three different groups. Everyone loves the idea when I explain that they (this is the value add part)
#1 own the files. No one can come take them away from you because you only bought a "license" like if Amazon closes your account tomorrow you lose nothing.
#2 I cut the 30% or more Amazon or Nook or Kobo take and pass part of that savings on to you.
#3 no more country restrictions or different prices for different countries. (Gumroad does allow you to restrict sales of any product to only certain countries though if YOU choose, handy probably for physical items).

It's going to take time for it to catch on, and this fall I will be working on a way for authors to have their gumroads and a site where the coupon codes etc. are in one centralized location for readers to browse. Like a book deal blog, but it's deal straight from the author.  I've had 5 sales in 2 days, and my earnings in 2 days are 1% of this month's earnings so far ($11.35 after the $1.90 Gumroad took), but the other places have had 7 days this month and are far more established. I will truly be happy if 5-10% of my earnings each month comes from direct sales.

My next steps are to change my site so SCRIBD buttons become Buy Direct. I already added a Buy Direct button to my catalog page. And then I need to start networking with other authors who are using gumroad to set up sharing each other's coupon codes until I have something more formal and automatic set up to showcase.

Oh, Gumroad also pays authors of all countries. Paypal if outside the US, bank accounts direct deposit is available if you are in the US. And they pay every 2 weeks, so even just working up to $100-$200 a paycheck with them is worth keeping cashflow going all month long. And they have GREAT case studies and seminars on ecommerce and tips and tricks I think all authors should pick up. Things come and go on the Internet, anyone remember the Zune store?  But I plan to keep writing, and I think investing efforts in selling direct to my readers now will position me in 5 years to not only need other venues to sell my books, I would still be able to eek out a living selling direct to 500 reader clients each month.


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## noob (Dec 11, 2014)

lots of helpful info here. your gumroad page looks great!

a question: when you say you pass the 30% savings on to readers, do you mean you're pricing your gumroad books 30% less than on zon? and if so, are you worried zon will pricematch to that reduced price?


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

Read about the coupons.  

My LIST PRICE has to match Amazon. I have Very Merry Mischief lower to see if they will price match, but so far, nothing has happened. IN the past, no one that I know has managed to get Amazon to price match a book on an author's website. Only other ebook retailers.

I can't pass the whole 30% to readers since Gumroad does take a small fee per sale. So on say my $4.70 books. there is currently a $1 off coupon with code MAILCHIMP. (for writers, and readers here, if you use code IWRITE on A Winter Wonder, you can get it 100% free to test the system)

So with the $1, the reader only pays $3.70 a 22% savings. I make $3.26 on the sale. On Amazon, I only make $3.29 if the person is in a 70% country and 35% if they're not. So when they're not that's $1.64. I can afford losing 3 cents, give the readers a deal, and I forgot to mention, Gumroad give me my customer list. And realtime analytics of visit, conversions, conversions per referral place like mailing list, facebook, website.

When I saw my customer list it dawned  on me, Amazon doesn't keep the customer list from vendors who have to ship a physical product to an Amazon customer . . . but we don't get our customer lists. Hmmmm. As Bards and Sages Julie has pointed out many times, we are second class suppliers to Amazon.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

To rearrange my store, I just drag and drop the covers. I can also toggle which products to show, so you could use an "exclusively available" right now. Also you can limit products, like my bundle, I have set to only sell 100 copies of that. That's one way to stymie cannibalization of sales on other places or at least manage it as you balance the various revenue streams and need for visibility in other stores.


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## Vaalingrade (Feb 19, 2013)

Hmm... looks like something I need to look into. Especially since it would allow me to do stuff like sell individual issues for a quarter, which NO ONE allows me to do elsewhere.


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## noob (Dec 11, 2014)

ah, gotcha. thanks!


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## X. Aratare (Feb 5, 2013)

Elizabeth - I just put one of my books up there and it was really easy to do, but quick question: am I right in thinking that Gum Road doesn't actually drive any traffic to you?  By search or otherwise (there was no options of putting in keywords, genre, or anything). So it's just a shop?


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

Gumroad is on my to-do list also. I need the courtry restrictions for digital files (because of copyright variations by country) and they do provide that. 

They do not drive traffic to you, that's your job.  So some clever jane or joe needs to build a webstore front end for it for e-books and audiobooks. I'm surprised frankly that this hasn't been done.  Actually, a "meta-store" which is a store of stores (a storefront for individual author/publisher stores).  It would have a discoverability engine, use the goodreads api to store, retrieve, and manage reviews, and the gumroad api to manage sales and file transactions.  Ah, well, that is a project for some energetic young folk.


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

It's pretty, but it took over a minute to load. I wonder if you can embed it into your own website. 

It very well could be something fishy on my end of things. I'm not having trouble loading anything else, though, so I thought it worth mentioning.


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## Lady Q (Jun 27, 2015)

Does Gumroad also take care of sales tax and VAT?


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Definitely something I'm interested in. Thanks for all the information!! Bookmarking


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Wow, this is pretty cool, Elizabeth! Thank you for posting!


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

Yes Gumroad will take care of sales tax and VAT. I forgot to add that to my bullet list. It was lengthy and that was a big part. https://help.gumroad.com/customer/portal/articles/1853756-dealing-with-vat

Here this is by far the BEST resource: https://help.gumroad.com/
and this https://gumroad.com/sell/books

It IS just a store. Traffic is on you. But I've never had problems driving qualified traffic to my site because I blog my book chapters. Like I just did one today and the links on my blog today show 7 clicks to my gumroad page and 3 clicks to my landing page for A Winter Wonder (I am testing single book landing pages). Not much, but it's something. Gumroad has already told me that 56 people came to my page from Kboards, 1 person bought a free book.

As far as slow loading, that's my fault. I used big images for my products and that's probably why. I will add that to my to do list to fix. 

Gumroad does offer API, and a plugin for wordpress (I will tackle that after I get back from Virginia, my Dad is unwell so I'm going tomorrow instead of next week, no worries we don't know yet if there should be alarm he had a CT scan today, I'm going because I CAN go and that's what daughters do!  ), and like I mentioned before an app. It looks like they do highlight some authors but not prominently.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

Becca did it deliver to your Kindle ok?


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

There are FEW applications of this, even if you don't want to SELL to your readers.

#1 - What a great way to organize ARC downloads! If you give a PDF, Gumroad will stamp the customer's information on the PDF so if it gets out, you'll know who shared it.

#2 - Treat your readers to a special, free, or lowcost story exclusive. Or use a gumroad link for exclusives for your mailing list (since most services that work directly with mailchimp charge)

#3 - Make bundles that it would make NO SENSE to make on Amazon. I have a bundle that is for a complete collection of my 2014 books. I have a Bookbub on Friday. Coincidence? I think not. At $24.99, I save them almost $8, I make 50 cents more than if all of the books were sold through Amazon, they get to keep the files. WIN-WIN.

#4 - Sell signed paperbacks.

#5 - Use it for a free anthology, or an anthology for charity with a very clear balance sheet, easy sharing on lots of blogs, and collect the customers who supported the cause.

I think collecting customers is key. That is the future. Yeah, we have mailing lists. But you don't really KNOW who bought your book and who didn't, so this is like your ALL STAR mailing list.  Oh, and with a workflow you can set up an email to go to readers X days after a purchase to get a thank you, reminder to write a review, and even give them an exclusive coupon to use in your store.


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## Lady Q (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks, Elizabeth. Taxes are my biggest concern about selling direct. Gumroad sounds almost too good to be true! Will definitely check it out once I'm serious about direct sales.


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## Jake Decker (Jul 27, 2012)

Nice post. I like your value add propositions for your readers.

If you can build your email list to 1000 true fans (you can still leverage Amazon for this) you'll be set.

Good luck!


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2015)

1) Thanks for sharing this Elizabeth. It's brilliant.

2) This: If you can build your email list to 1000 true fans (you can still leverage Amazon for this) you'll be set.

3) I hadn't realized one big benefit of selling direct - readers get to keep the files. No one can magically take away the files as Amazon has done in the past.

******

Every author should be building this up. It's a good exercise in financial independence - what percentage of your readers are willing to buy from you?

I'd suspect a large percentage would like that

- you the author gets more money
- they the readers get better discounts and offers
- coming direct to you

Perhaps throw in some goodies like special content only at the direct store.


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

This is excellent info, Elizabeth, thank you so much! 

The one thing that's always been stopping me from selling direct was *collecting sales taxes*.

Can you please elaborate if they actually handle *each state's income tax* and if you need to file any additional retail tax forms? Because that is my *ONLY* hesitation.

Also, do the ebook files reside on their servers? (In other words, you upload to them and they handle everything? In which case yes, it acts exactly like Amazon, and it would then make sense that you don't deal with retail taxes in that scenario.)

Which, now that I think about it, doesn't really make it selling direct, since Gumroad acts like another distributor taking a cut... And it they're *not taking a cut*, then how do they make their money?

Hmmm...

Also, what about paper print editions, like my *hardcovers* and *trade paperbacks?* Or is this for selling digital content only?


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

They take a cut, where I'd say it is direct is because the customers are yours. You choose when to email them etc. 100% exportable. Whether or not you collect sales tax depends on the laws for your state of business for digital products. You need a sales tax license from your state and they will tack on sales tax or have it be inclusive of the price and you pay that to your state. They collect VAT and remit that.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

You're paying 5% plus a quarter. Any pay gateway is going to cost you for security and transaction fees. What extra you pay on top covers development, their servers delivering the files, a CMS (customer management system), and a larger brand readers can still trust in. You get help on the customer service side, they even handle returns. They are designed for artists to sell, doe books are just a small piece of their puzzle. 5% of a $60 scarf is $12 a sale their cut. We are the users with cheaper products, subsidized by the larger purchases, just like on AMazon, but gumroad is cheaper and delivers all evook files or you deliver the physical goods.


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## noob (Dec 11, 2014)

i love the idea of using gumroad to give my free starter reads to mailing list sign-ups. get them used to seeing me on gumroad early on. 
plus right now i'm sending a password protected link to a page on my website with the files. this sounds better.


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## jcthatsme (Mar 19, 2014)

Thanks for sharing all this. It's great to see how someone else is using, because I just started putting my books up there too. I'm just starting out, and don't have a big following yet, so it's good to see how it works for someone more established. And I love how it's so flexible - there are so many ways it can be useful.

I've been hoping the word gets out about Gumroad because I think the more people know about it, the easier it will get to direct traffic to our stores.


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## Jane Killick (Aug 29, 2014)

Windtree Press uses Gumroad

http://windtreepress.com/


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## Marilyn Peake (Aug 8, 2011)

I bookmarked this. Thanks so much for sharing all this information. Your Gumroads store looks great.


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## shalym (Sep 1, 2010)

Elizabeth--I think I may have found a bug. You have the book A Winter Wrong listed for $0+, which I thought meant that the book was free. Apparently, it's not. When I click on the "I Want This" button, the button changes to say "Add to Bundle". I click on that button, and it doesn't do anything. There is a box above the button that turns red, that has a price in it, with a flashing cursor. If I type a number in that box and click the "Add to Bundle" button again, it adds it to my cart, and the price listed changes to the amount I typed in.

I'm not sure if this is because it's free, or if something else is going on.

Shari


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## Word Fan (Apr 15, 2015)

Other advantages of selling directly to customers, and I'm speaking generally, here, whether it's by Gumroad or some other method:

---> you can put whatever you want on your covers.

---> you can write about any subject matter.

There may be some "within reason" _caveats_ to those, but at least there will be no more sudden and unexplained blocking by Smashwords or Draft2Digital or Amazon or whomever.

Edited.


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## Weibart (Oct 27, 2014)

Thank you for sharing about this, Elizabeth. Previously I was looking at Sellfy (mainly because I'd heard Joanna Penn mention it on her podcast) and it seemed to embed well on the Wix site I'm setting up for my graphic novel series. Now though, I'm really liking what you said about Gumroad. I really appreciate you sharing all these details about it! It sounds like a really versatile and user friendly platform.



Elizabeth Ann West said:


> #3 - Make bundles that it would make NO SENSE to make on Amazon. I have a bundle that is for a complete collection of my 2014 books. I have a Bookbub on Friday. Coincidence? I think not. At $24.99, I save them almost $8, I make 50 cents more than if all of the books were sold through Amazon, they get to keep the files. WIN-WIN.


I have a bundle in mind for my graphic novel series that, to my knowledge, isn't the type of download Amazon would allow, so Gumroad looks like the perfect place to do it. I'm really excited to share the bundle idea when it comes time (I'd likely hold off doing the bundle until I have my first release up on Amazon or later when I go wide with the release).


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

Thank you for sharing. This is all super interesting, and I am definitely saving this post for when I go wide.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

I did shop the other services that are often recommended. For me, it was Gumroad already having apps for reader libraries that cinched it for me. That's vital. If a reader can't sideload, or doesn't get send to kindle, they can probably at least download an app.  

And that keeps everything they buy from authors on Gumroad in one convenient place. its' something I wouldn't have time to commission or build. 

As far as the Winter Wrong bug, I figured it out!! And this is so cool, I'll have to explain it to readers:

I have the price set at 0. If you click where it says price and put in 0 and add it to bundle you can check out and get it free. But you can also CHOOSE to pay for the book by setting your own price!


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## ♨ (Jan 9, 2012)

David S. said:


> I'll never see the name Gumroad without thinking of that kid from Silkroad who went to prison for life.


Glad I wasn't the only one thinking that.


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## shalym (Sep 1, 2010)

Elizabeth Ann West said:


> I did shop the other services that are often recommended. For me, it was Gumroad already having apps for reader libraries that cinched it for me. That's vital. If a reader can't sideload, or doesn't get send to kindle, they can probably at least download an app.
> 
> And that keeps everything they buy from authors on Gumroad in one convenient place. its' something I wouldn't have time to commission or build.
> 
> ...


Ok--so I successfully purchased both A Winter Wrong and A Winter Wonder. When I first purchased, I was brought to a screen where both were listed, and I was able to choose which one I wanted to download/send to dropbox/send to device first. I chose Winter Wrong first, and opted to download it first in order to put it into Calibre (thinking that I could always go back and email it to my Kindle later). I then went to download Winter Wonder, and couldn't find it in my library. I checked my email to make sure that I really had gotten both, and confirmed that I did. I clicked on a link from my email for Winter Wonder, and was taken to a page where I could add it to my library, so I did. I then tried to download it, but when I click on it from my library, I only get the option to send to dropbox. I then tried to click on Winter Wrong from my library, and see that it is also now only giving the option of sending it to dropbox. Ummm...I don't WANT to send it to dropbox, I want to download it. Also, I can't figure out why the email to Kindle option has disappeared, when it was there when I first bought the books.

Shari


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## Brandon Shire (Jun 17, 2012)

I've been using Gumroad for a while too, and it hasn't done bad. I set up links all throughout my website for readers and promo it occasionally across SM.

There are issues with it though.

The primary being that their current set up requires separate sales pages for EVERY version of your book. So, if you have epub, mobi, pdf, that's three different pages for the same book, which you have to direct your readers to if you can somehow guess which one they want.

Gumroad suggests "just upload PDF." That  doesn't work for me, I don't sell pdfs thru any site, and out of 20k books sold I've had exactly 2 requests for a pdf version. 

"The home page" or your author page is not set up for books/authors. Covers are cut off and squeezed into squares. If you're selling multiple versions (epub/mobi) then it looks like hell, and readers are easily confused and frustrated. I've received more than a few emails from readers telling me they couldn't find the epub/mobi version they were looking for. This in turn made me fill my website with links for specific versions which again is problematic. 

When I contacted Gumroad, it didn't seem like they really cared one way or the other. If I set up a T-shirt store I could utilize many more of their tools, but for book-selling they still leave quite a bit to be desired. I honestly like the service, but I'm looking for something that's better suited to direct book sales.


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## jcthatsme (Mar 19, 2014)

Brandon Shire said:


> I've been using Gumroad for a while too, and it hasn't done bad. I set up links all throughout my website for readers and promo it occasionally across SM.
> 
> There are issues with it though.
> 
> The primary being that their current set up requires separate sales pages for EVERY version of your book. So, if you have epub, mobi, pdf, that's three different pages for the same book, which you have to direct your readers to if you can somehow guess which one they want.


You can upload more than one file to each listing, so if you sell each version at the same price you could just put all three versions in one. People can buy and then choose which one they want to download? That's what I do. You may have reasons why you don't want to do that, though, I'm not sure.

The image crop issue could be fixed too, by making cover images specifically for gumroad - as in creating a square image and putting your book cover image within it, with blank background around it. A bit of extra effort, of course. (You can see my store for an idea of what I mean about the cover image on a background - although mine aren't perfect squares yet, I need to fix that. https://gumroad.com/jessiecostinwrites )


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Brandon Shire said:


> The primary being that their current set up requires separate sales pages for EVERY version of your book. So, if you have epub, mobi, pdf, that's three different pages for the same book, which you have to direct your readers to if you can somehow guess which one they want.


This wasn't the case when I downloaded one of Elizabeth's books, _A Winter Wrong_. Once I got it, I was offered both the mobi and the epub to download. She had included both files under the single cover.


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2015)

Gumroad was one of the ones I considered for my direct sales.  One reason I didn't was, at least at the time, they had no real mechanism for doing physical products.  Looks like they finally added that option back in May, so will certainly encourage others to give them a try


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## ilamont (Jul 14, 2012)

I have used Gumroad for about 3 years. It's been a solid revenue generator -- there are a lot of people who prefer the PDF version of the guides (to see the form, click on any of the book links in my sig and then press the PDF button). I also use Gumroad for the free In 30 Minutes Starter Library, which people can download by signing up for my newsletter. Gumroad's special offer feature is awesome -- I use it all the time for promotions, newsletter discounts, etc.

Although I have tried selling mobi and epub files through Gumroad, the demand doesn't seem to be there. Amazon makes it difficult for people to easily transfer mobi files to their Kindles, and epub-compatible devices such as the iPad are a kluge as well.

I have experimented with doing drop-shipping of the paperback through a Gumroad order form, but there were no conversions -- I think paperback buyers prefer getting the guides through Amazon.


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## Lunachick (Jan 2, 2015)

Thanks for this Elizabeth   I downloaded A Winter Wonder with no problems, it was really easy. I couldn't see a Send to Kindle button but I only have the app not a device. It automatically went to Overdrive though so all's good. Thanks again!


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## Eric Z (Apr 28, 2015)

Thanks too!
This is such a GOOD idea. I think Gumroad is superior in many many ways to Amazon.
Basically the only advantage of amazon is Traffic.
Otherwise Gumroad has the big -zon beat in every other criteria!


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

ilamont said:


> Amazon makes it difficult for people to easily transfer mobi files to their Kindles


I'm confused by this statement. They provide the ability to sideload by plugging the device into your computer and dragging or copying, and they allow you to email files in mobi, azw, doc, docx, rtf, and pdf format directly to your Kindle, too -- and free of charge if you use WiFi. I find the ease of getting things onto my Kindle far surpasses that of getting things onto my iPod.


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## Brandon Shire (Jun 17, 2012)

jcthatsme said:


> You can upload more than one file to each listing, so if you sell each version at the same price you could just put all three versions in one. People can buy and then choose which one they want to download? That's what I do. You may have reasons why you don't want to do that, though, I'm not sure.
> 
> The image crop issue could be fixed too, by making cover images specifically for gumroad - as in creating a square image and putting your book cover image within it, with blank background around it. A bit of extra effort, of course. (You can see my store for an idea of what I mean about the cover image on a background - although mine aren't perfect squares yet, I need to fix that. https://gumroad.com/jessiecostinwrites )


Customers get all versions when they purchase an ebook, they don't get to choose just one. Gumroad has no variants for electronic files. The idea of having an 'extra' file or two floating around didn't sit well with me. It also makes no sense from their end of things. Maybe as they grow they'll add the feature in.

Reconfiguring cover images... on the long list of things to do...


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## Guest (Jul 11, 2015)

1) This: Thanks too!
This is such a GOOD idea. I think Gumroad is superior in many many ways to Amazon.
Basically the only advantage of amazon is Traffic.
Otherwise Gumroad has the big -zon beat in every other criteria!


2) Why don't author start sending traffic to a collective site powered by Gumroad and keeping their relationships with readers to themselves.

You're the ones sending Amazon all their traffic.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

I give my readers both files because I don't know when they might change ereaders. I don't want them to pay twice for the book. 

Yesterday, I offered 50 free collections and the reader audience for the blog post were readers who do not like technology one bit. The comments were filled with "Thank you, I didn't know my Kindle had an email address!" so yes, there will probably be some reader education involved for me to convert readers to buying from me rather than Amazon etc., but that's okay. I love to teach. And they SHOULD know all of the wonderful features their Kindle has.


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## jcthatsme (Mar 19, 2014)

EDITED: Okay, so I really should maybe have read the posts above before I posted this. I'd missed those.... so yes, it might be a 'reader education' thing. And in talking to my husband, who hasn't really used a kindle before, it's clear that was the problem. He didn't know that the .mobi file was the one he wanted. He was trying to download the gumroad app and open the epub file I think -- which he said was a bit of a pain.

I've now added a short instruction to the end of each product description to tell people to use the 'Send to Kindle' function for the .mobi file, using their kindle email. And I've changed the filenames to clearly say 'ePub' or 'mobi for Kindle' in the title -- hopefully that will help those who aren't familiar.

Any other comments on the original question I posted still welcome though, if you've thought of better ways to make it simple for buyers.

***
Hi - just a question for gumroad users - have you ever had anyone confused about how to get/read the files? Do you put instructions for them anywhere.

The process seemed straightforward to me, using the send to kindle thing. But my husband was with his mum today, trying to help her get a copy of my book. He said he found it confusing - seemed like gumroad was encouraging them to download the gumroad app, instead of telling them how to open the mobi file in the kindle app. They were on an android tablet.

My mother-in-law is not tech savvy at all, but my husband is normally fine at working things out. So if he had trouble I'm wondering if other people will.


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## Lunachick (Jan 2, 2015)

I've just tried it on android and it was a bit confusing. Using Elizabeth's link straight to her page was fine, but as a reader I think this is the best way to use gumroad rather than having a look to see what books are available on the site.
I have just discovered the Send to Kindle button though, and that it also works on the app.

ETA: I accessed Elizabeth's page by googling "gumroad Elizabeth Ann West " so you don't need a specific link. Unless the app allows you to browse books I would only use it for authors who I knew were there.


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## Brandon Shire (Jun 17, 2012)

The alternative I'm looking at is https://payhip.com/ which is specifically designed for ebooks.


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## jcthatsme (Mar 19, 2014)

Brandon Shire said:


> The alternative I'm looking at is https://payhip.com/ which is specifically designed for ebooks.


Just had a quick look and that looks interesting - I like the social marketing features. Giving discounts for sharing, and even an affiliates feature.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

I really hope to expand into physical products in a year or two. I'm going to a Jane Austen conference this October as part of the author signing. My readership likes physical products, so hopefully one day I'll have mugs with my book covers on there (yes I have the proper licenses to do that), etc. And paperbacks, that's another big part I'd like to do. It's not going to happen overnight, but I have a feeling in 3-5 years, my family members will be much more involved in Mommy's writing business.


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## TBD (Mar 14, 2014)

Just a quick note... if all someone wants is a way to stamp PDFs and is operating a self-hosted WordPress site, here is an option.

https://www.tipsandtricks-hq.com/wp-pdf-stamper-plugin-2332

I have used Amin's plug-ins for years on my sites and on client sites. There is a customer forum to jumpstart help issues and customer support is good albeit with a time difference for those in the US ;-)

EAW - Thanks for this thread!


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## callan (Feb 29, 2012)

Bookmarked for when I reach that notch on my publishing to-do list. (peers down the list, entries disappearing into the fog of distant years ...)


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## Brandon Shire (Jun 17, 2012)

jcthatsme said:


> Just had a quick look and that looks interesting - I like the social marketing features. Giving discounts for sharing, and even an affiliates feature.


I like that it stamps PDF automatically and sends files directly to reader's kindle. 
Still exploring, but both those features stood out for me.


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## ilamont (Jul 14, 2012)

jcthatsme said:


> Just had a quick look and that looks interesting - I like the social marketing features. Giving discounts for sharing, and even an affiliates feature.


Speaking of affiliates, this morning I received an email from Gumroad announcing an affiliate program that sellers can use. More information here: https://gumroad.com/affiliates


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## jcthatsme (Mar 19, 2014)

Brandon Shire said:


> I like that it stamps PDF automatically and sends files directly to reader's kindle.
> Still exploring, but both those features stood out for me.


I put one of my own books up and experimentally downloaded it - couldn't see any 'send to kindle' options. Gumroad definitely does have that. And apart from the social sharing & discounting feature which would be a cool option, I'm not sure I can see anything else that payhip does that gumroad doesn't yet. Plus gumroad had easy website integration, and I haven't seen that anywhere on payhip.

ETA: Just found the embed in website feature. So, yeah, so far payhip and gumroad seem very similar.


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## Brandon Shire (Jun 17, 2012)

jcthatsme said:


> I put one of my own books up and experimentally downloaded it - couldn't see any 'send to kindle' options. Gumroad definitely does have that. And apart from the social sharing & discounting feature which would be a cool option, I'm not sure I can see anything else that payhip does that gumroad doesn't yet. Plus gumroad had easy website integration, and I haven't seen that anywhere on payhip.
> 
> ETA: Just found the embed in website feature. So, yeah, so far payhip and gumroad seem very similar.
> 
> ...


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

ilamont said:


> Speaking of affiliates, this morning I received an email from Gumroad announcing an affiliate program that sellers can use. More information here: https://gumroad.com/affiliates


It's like they stalked the thread or something . . . weird. LOL  But I too received the email, and for ME, that's a HUGE win. My readers will share me.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

Oh, and imagine working with book reviewers and book bloggers. You could offer them WAY more than the Amazon affiliate money, heck I'd be willing to split 50-50 the royalty with them for readers they drove to MY storefront. Because eventually, they just become my customer.


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## jcthatsme (Mar 19, 2014)

Brandon Shire said:


> Here's the direct to kindle info: http://payhip.com/support/sending-an-ebook-to-kindle/
> 
> They seem to be very similar and highly competitive. I've seen them (employees/founders) of both companies in other forums going back and forth about what they offer. Personally, I just want something that works well and is easy to use on the consumer side. Everything else is just nattering.


That's weird - it looks like that send to kindle button would be very obvious, but I didn't see it at all when I did test download of my own book. The only thing I can think of is that it's because I had both the mobi & epub file in the same listing. Doesn't like it if there's two files? I'll have to investigate further.

And, yeah, that'd definitely my biggest criteria - easy to use on the consumer side, other wise it's not worth it. Not sure which way I'm leaning.

The last thing now that gumroad has that payhip doesn't seem to is the monthly subscription features and few things like that. I've got no use for those at the moment but may in the future.


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## danielklein (Jul 30, 2015)

To Elizabeth Ann West and all others,

I am wowed by your efforts, by your prolificacy, by the beauty of your book covers! I came upon your postings from searching for info on Gumroad. I had no idea such writing and publishing was going on. As a writer of 1 (one) book of collection of short stories with dozens of novels yet still inside of me, I am encouraged, motivated, and just plain happy to see what you all are doing.

Keep up the great work and THANK YOU for posting all of the great information.

Blessings,

Daniel John Klein
http://www.coffeehouseblog.com/PoolofSouls/


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## Salvador Mercer (Jan 1, 2015)

P2F, somehow missed this one...


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## Marie Long (Jan 11, 2014)

TBD said:


> Just a quick note... if all someone wants is a way to stamp PDFs and is operating a self-hosted WordPress site, here is an option.
> 
> https://www.tipsandtricks-hq.com/wp-pdf-stamper-plugin-2332
> 
> ...


Can you use PDF Stamper with Gumroad?


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## Overrated (Mar 20, 2015)

Side note, EAW, I was looking into that con in October, and saw your name and had double regret because it doesn't work with schedule or budget right now.

(I'm working on getting to the P&P ball at Chatfield...but that con is one of my To-Do's.)

I have this thread bookmarked. Thanks again for sharing.


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## Brandon Shire (Jun 17, 2012)

Spoke with Gunorad this morning. They'll be updating their site with a 'version' option for electronic files. 

For authors, this means customers will be able to choose which version (epub/mobi/etc) they want rather than getting both/all files. 

Supposed to happen Aug/Sept.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

Lisa Manifold said:


> Side note, EAW, I was looking into that con in October, and saw your name and had double regret because it doesn't work with schedule or budget right now.
> 
> (I'm working on getting to the P&P ball at Chatfield...but that con is one of my To-Do's.)
> 
> I have this thread bookmarked. Thanks again for sharing.


It's okay, next year is DC!  I'll be there next year too, I'm sure.This is my first book conference.


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## Eric Z (Apr 28, 2015)

Thanks for this post Elizabeth!
I just put one of my books in Gumroad and it did not hurt my -zon sales at all.
Can't compare to your sales (peanuts would describe mine)  -BUT!- it's awesome to add an income stream on top of amazons!
The coolest thing of all is that now I am getting the emails from the people who buy my book in Gumroad, so they are "my customers" now, not amazons!


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## jcthatsme (Mar 19, 2014)

The 'version' option is up and running today. 

And you can also price the options differently as well. Haven't thought of a use for that for eBooks since all versions of the same book would generally be the same price, but could be handy for other things.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

Brandon
Jessie Costin

Square book covers do look awful

But Windtree Press has figured out a way to display covers properly

http://windtreepress.com/


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

Elizabeth Ann West said:


> *You need a sales tax license from your state and they will tack on sales tax or have it be inclusive of the price and you pay that to your state. They collect VAT and remit that.*


This is a deal breaker for me. I don't want to deal with the sales tax.


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## Elizabeth Ann West (Jul 11, 2011)

Sales tax only if you are selling paperbacks.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

Sales tax ONLY for sales IN your state.

Sales outside your state are not taxed


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

Elizabeth Ann West said:


> Sales tax only if you are selling paperbacks.


This is only partially correct - it is state dependent. In Texas, for example, digital goods including eBooks are also subject to sales tax.

If you do any direct sales, where you do the selling either n person or on your site using Gumroad, Ecwid, PayPal, etc, you'll have to collect sales tax if your state has it, which includes getting the appropriate licensing, filing quarterly or annual reports, and of course collecting the tax for any sales shipped/sold within your state.


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## Scottish Lass (Oct 10, 2013)

jcthatsme said:


> The last thing now that gumroad has that payhip doesn't seem to is the monthly subscription features and few things like that. I've got no use for those at the moment but may in the future.


Has anyone got an example of a sales page that's up and running using Payhip?

The thing that put me off Gumroad was the (very large) square covers.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

Roz

Square book covers do look awful

But Windtree Press has figured out a way to display covers properly

http://windtreepress.com/


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## Scottish Lass (Oct 10, 2013)

Okey Dokey said:


> Square book covers do look awful
> 
> But Windtree Press has figured out a way to display covers properly
> 
> http://windtreepress.com/


From what I could see, that was just a regular portfolio site for their books, probably Wordpress. The buy links I found take you to Amazon etc.

What I was looking for was an example of a Payhip site or page where you can buy books. Or a Gumroad one without square covers.


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## ilamont (Jul 14, 2012)

Roz Marshall said:


> The thing that put me off Gumroad was the (very large) square covers.


For the Gumroad images, I was also put off by the giant cover images. However, if you paste a 275-pixel high cover into a 637 pixel wide by 275 high blank PNG (that is, with some blank space to the left and right of the cover) it will look good on the buy page -- not too big, and all/most of the text appearing without scrolling. Click on any book in my sig and then select the PDF version to see what it looks like.


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## Brandon Shire (Jun 17, 2012)

Elizabeth Ann West said:


> Sales tax only if you are selling paperbacks.


Incorrect. Many states have an 'electronic media' tax. Authors should check with their state tax office and/or tax advisor.


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## NerdyWriter (Nov 23, 2013)

Anyone having consistent success with Gumroad? Anyone selling their fiction box sets there and how are you faring?


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

Giving it a try on one of my audiobooks here, offered at the moment on "pay what you want" pricing:

https://gumroad.com/l/QTBX#

One feature they have that I needed was geographic restrictions.


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## chrisanthropic (May 28, 2011)

Yeah, we sell a small trickle there, but we just recently (a few days ago) switched a serial from Patreon over to Gumroad using their 'subscriptions' feature and their free automated email feature.

I embedded it into a custom page on the website, you can see it here: https://www.backthatelfup.com/subscribe/


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