Hello Book Fiends!
Gads, this is a long post, but if you bear with me, there's freebies and samples and all kinds of goodies in the paragraphs that follow.
See, there’s loads of new stuff going on at my Payhip Bookstore, including the benefits for you, new features, amazing apps and... well, we better get started, right?
What This Is All About
Basically, this is all about a huge update and improvement to my shop.
If you know you will absolutely never shop direct from an author, then you can stop reading here and sift through the rest of your emails.
But, if you think you might be willing to give buying direct from an author a try, or have already done so, then there’s good stuff ahead!
Here’s a quick menu of what I’m covering (in case you want to jump around)
- The Biggest Change - the new and improved way to get books purchased from me
- Why BookFunnel files - The benefits this change means for you (and me)
- Wait, what’s this Library thing? - The marvelous BookFunnel Library
- Is there an app for that? - The amazing BookFunnel app
- And there’s even more Changes & Benefits - My shop now features novel samples!! And you can test it out with a sample of my upcoming book Fangs a Million
- I really want to try this out, but I’m not in the mood to buy anything - Don't worry, I've got free stuff so you can try out the new features
- Why should I buy from you instead of a "real" store? - The benefits of buying direct and why you might want to consider it
Why This Happened Now
Because in September -- right before I was getting ready to leave on vacation -- BookFunnel unleashed a slew of new features.
(BookFunnel are the fine folks who handle the delivery of my ebooks to my Review Team, subscribers to my newsletter, and people shopping at my bookstore).
It was terrible timing, and it was only after I returned and could really sit down and digest the mountain of new information that I realized I had a lot of work ahead of me, but that it would be worth it because it would benefit not just my shoppers, but me as well.
Yay!
The Biggest Change
Previously, when you bought a book or story from me, you would get files to download from my shop AND you would have the option to get the same files from BookFunnel.
I always encouraged shoppers to opt for the BookFunnel files because those files are magically formatted to be best suited to your preferred reading device or app, and there's gobs of other benefits (see below).
Now, you will only have the option to get your files from BookFunnel.
But as Douglas Adams says, “Don’t panic.”
Why the BookFunnel files? Why can't I just download files from your shop like before?
Because the BookFunnel files benefit you far more than the files I was offering.
First, as I said above, BookFunnel provides the book file BEST suited for your device or app.
Second, if you’re a tad bit technically challenged, BookFunnel is staffed by super geniuses (and super nice super geniuses) who will help you get your books onto your device.
This free service is one of the benefits of shopping with me, so don't hesitate to use it!
Third, as soon as you collect my stories from BookFunnel you’ll be able to access them at any time in your BookFunnel Library. This is especially handy if you tend to "misplace" your file downloads (see below).
Fourth, not that I don't trust you (because you're wonderful!), but having BookFunnel deliver the books provides me a tiny bit of protection from piracy.
Wait, what’s this Library thing?
This is pretty cool, I must admit. And is a feature I only learned about a few months ago.
Your BookFunnel library holds ALL books that BookFunnel has delivered to you. Since many indie authors use BookFunnel to deliver their books, this is a super handy feature.
Not only does the library keep all your purchases in one tidy spot (no more lost files!), but you’ll also always have access to the most up-to-date version of the book.
If you want to test this out, you can find your BookFunnel Library at mybookfunnel.com (simply sign in with the email address you used to make your purchases).
Is there an app for that?
Of course there is. And it's pretty darn marvelous.
The free BookFunnel app is the easiest way to carry your library of indie books with you wherever you go.
And the e-reader part of the app...wow! You've got loads of font options, screen options, spacing options, color options....so many options.
It really does make for a convenient (and ad-free) reading experience, I highly recommend it, and you can find it in your device's App Store.
To be clear, you DO NOT need the app to read books purchased from me. You can read them on any e-reading device or app of your choosing.
And there’s even more changes & benefits
Another new toy BookFunnel unveiled in September was a way for readers to sample a book before buying.
I was so happy to see this, since the only way to offer samples on my store before was to either paste it into the product description (messy) or create a separate file with a few chapters (time-consuming).
BookFunnel figured out how to do this with just a few clicks of the button (okay, a lot of clicks and a lot of buttons, but I muddled through).
Which means each of my novels’ product pages now features a link to a sample of two or three chapters.
If you want to try it out, pop on over to the shop, browse around, pick a book you’re interested in, and find the sample link in the description.
Or, if you’re not in the mood for browsing, you can head straight to a sample of the first few chapters of Fangs a Million HERE.
I really want to try this out, but I’m not in the mood to buy anything
No problem, I understand this is kind of new for many people.
As always, I have two free series starters. The Trials of Hercules is the first in my Osteria Chronicles series, and Domna, Part One: The Sun God’s Daughter is the first in my Domna serial.
If you've already read those or if you want something a bit lighter, I’ve created a coupon for you to get my short story The Back Room for free. Just enter coupon code SHOPTEST100 when you checkout.
What’s with the PDF?
This is a little weirdness on the Payhip side of things.
In each product listing, Payhip says you’ll only get a PDF.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you read my books as PDFs!
This is simply a placeholder file with a receipt of your purchase, since Payhip won’t allow me to create a listing without a file. You'll get your actual book files from BookFunnel via a link you'll receive in your email receipt after purchase.
Why should I buy from you instead of a "real" store?
Here’s the deal…money. Sorry to be so blunt, but there it is.
To be less blunt about it, shopping directly from an indie author like me is a great way to show your support and to keep more of your money going toward the author of a book, rather than to the retailer selling you that book.
When you purchase a book from me, I keep around 90% of what you spend (I have to pay a small fee to Payhip and Stripe/Paypal). I also get that money within a day or two of your purchase.
When you buy one of my books elsewhere, the retailer only gives me 35-70% of what you spend. I also don’t see a penny of that money until at least two months after your purchase.
So, like I said, shopping from me shows your support for my work more fully (and more quickly) than shopping elsewhere.
And if you’re worried about giving out your payment information, don’t be. Payments are all handled securely via Stripe. I never see your payment information, and Stripe has a strong reputation for protecting payment details (better than Amazon, let me tell you).
I don't know, I think I'd still rather shop at a "real" store.
No problem, and I completely understand.
You can still find all my novels and some of my short stories* on Amazon, Apple, Kobo, etc.
To make shopping ever easer for you, I've created THIS PAGE that lists all my books. Once there, just click
on a cover that interests you and you'll see all your shopping options.
*Note: Most of my short stories are available exclusively on my shop.
Phew!
Okay, sorry, this did go on longer than I expected, but I hope it shows you the benefits and features of shopping directly with me.
Be sure to take advantage of those freebies and the samples, and if you do, please let me know how you found the process of reading the sample, and/or purchasing and retrieving your book went.
I’ve tested out the purchase process (MANY times) over the past week, but I’m curious to know how it worked for you.
Have a great week, everyone!
- My Bookstore: https://payhip.com/TammiePainter
- Your BookFunnel Library: https://mybookfunnel.com/
- My Full List of Books: https://books.bookfunnel.com/tammiepainterbooks
***
LET’S STAY IN TOUCH!
Sign up for my newsletter (there’s a free gift if you do!)
Browse my Books | Visit my Bookstore
***
Comments ()