Dear Book Lovers, I would dearly love your answers (and I suspect I may not be the only author who is interested in your feedback).
Note: I’d already written this post when I read Cara’s from yesterday where she mentioned what happened to her with Amazon. I saw several comments that actually addressed some of what I have said herein. I would really love to hear more from all you readers!
One of the hot topics of late is that more and more writers are selling their ebooks (and/or paperbacks and/or audiobooks) directly to readers via stores on their websites. Sometimes readers are able to buy the books a week or two before the books launch on Amazon or B&N, etc. This gives them an early peek at their favorite authors’ books. Most often, the ebooks sold on an author website are priced lower than they are priced on the retail stores which means savings for readers, too.
The ebooks are delivered through a service such as BookFunnel, and after purchase, the buyer gets a link so they can then select what reading device they use (Kindle, Nook, iPad, etc.) and the right digital version of the book is downloaded to their device. I have downloaded many ebooks to my Kindle using BookFunnel, and I deliver the short story my newsletter subscribers receive for free via that service as well. I find it easy to use, although some readers might struggle with the tech aspects.
There are many reasons some authors are going this route. The author earns more, of course, despite the expense of having to maintain an online store. There isn’t the risk of having “all your eggs in one basket.” The author is able to offer bonuses to their faithful fans because they now know who they are. Those are just a few reasons.
I know Inspired by Life and Fiction readers love books, and I suspect they buy quite a few of them.
So I would love to know: Are you taking advantage of the deals authors can offer by selling via their own stores on their websites? I don’t mean links that take you to regular retail stores. I mean purchasing books directly from the author. If so, what do you like about the experience? Would you recommend it to other readers?
If you want, feel free to answer those three questions in the comments below. If you would rather not be public about it, you can answer the same three question on a Google Form I set up by clicking the button below.
I really appreciate you taking the time to answer. Publishing is an interesting and ever changing business, and knowledge makes a huge difference.
~robin
Robin Lee Hatcher
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Since I’m Canadian, a lot of the early/exclusive deals directly from authors or American publishers don’t apply to me. For this reason, I prefer to purchase directly from Amazon.ca for my Kindle or from other Canadian bookstores.
Thanks so much for answering.
Other than a couple times, I haven’t taken advantage of an author’s online store, but based on your post and Cara’s post I think I am going to start taking advantage of it. Especially if it means more revenue for the author!
Thanks, Yvonne. Authors appreciate it!
I replied to Cara’s post yesterday. Since I discovered Baker Books, I order a number of books there, taking advantage of their special discounts. I have ordered from some authors directly and find the books arrive in a timely way and in great condition. If I order from B&N, I have the books sent to the store to insure good condition. I don’t like to order from Amazon because I can’t count on the quality or condition of the books. Some arrive with damaged covers and bent pages. I think it depends on who accepts the order and ships the books. Most Christian book sections are diminishing in the stores. At my local B&N I have found a book I ordered, later appeared on the shelves, and I asked about it. I was told their policy is that if a customer orders a book, the store orders two of that book and put one on the shelf.
I did not know that about B&N. I hope it is accurate information you were given because that is a big deal.
I was someone who commented on Cara’s post yesterday. I am definitely taking advantage of authors’ online stores if they advertise that they have one. I particularly like being able to order signed paperback copies for my shelves (even though the paperback may be a bit more expensive than other retailers). Outside of that, I like knowing that I’m putting more money in the author’s pocket by ordering there since y’all work so hard. What was shocking to me was to learn how little an author makes on their Indie audiobooks via Audible (Katie Ganshert posted about that recently) so I’ll now be using her store to purchase those. I also like that some authors offer items related to their books via their stores (bookmarks and stickers for instance). I saw a post in the Avid Readers of Christian Fiction FB group around this topic. The reader was looking for a way to keep track of books she’s ordered since we often preorder months in advance (online retailers are getting pretty good at reminding us we’ve already ordered it). A bunch of us chimed in that she could create a new shelf on GoodReads for tracking. For me, I’m thinking I’ll need to start tracking in which app my ebooks and audiobooks can be found. BookFunnel can be sent to Kindle so that’s a plus as I often search my Kindle to confirm if I have a particular book. I recommend it to other readers because of the benefit to authors. I think this is a great topic of discussion! Another option I’ve started seeing authors using is Etsy. I know there’s pros/cons to using that site as well, but hopefully, the author is still making more there.
Thank you so much for that excellent comment chockfull of info.
I don’t tend to buy from author stores. I live in Australia and have found it difficult or rather not as straight forward as buying from Amazon Australia.
Yes, I would expect that anything except ebooks or digital audio would not work well from an author store for those who live outside the US.
Such an interesting discussion! I look forward to hearing and learning more. For my reader side, I make most of my book purchases either at Baker Book House or Amazon. The convenience of being able to search for titles all in one place is a big draw to Amazon. I love the idea of purchasing directly from an author, but I would have to see an ad or social media post directing me to the author’s site, otherwise I’m not sure I would think to look for that option.
I agree, Karen. An author has to have a different mindset to operate her own store, a way to keep her readers informed.
As a reviewer for NetGalley I am able to obtain books prior to publication. That being said, when I find a book I really like I will usually order from Christian books to get more copies to share with friends. I have ordered ebooks from Amazon in the past. It is easy and can be sent to all of my devices. I do depend on the reviews before making a purchase. There are just so many books available now, it is often hard to decide. But I do love a book in my hand and hope they will always be available.
Thanks, Jocelyn.
I wasn’t aware that many authors sold directly from their sites. Usually when I look at an author’s website, the links to buy their books go to Amazon or B&N. But now that I am aware of this option to purchase directly from them, I’ll look for that more often. I agree with what Cara wrote yesterday–I love the convenience of Amazon, but I’m a little wary of how big and powerful it has gotten.
I wasn’t aware of Baker books, either, so I’ll check them out.
Thanks, Barbara. I do know several Christian authors who are selling directly from their website stores, and I believe this may become more and more common.
I rarely buy traditionally published books (being as they comprise the bulk of my Christmas/birthday list every year, and I think my mom was single-handedly keeping her local Christian book store in business until it finally closed last month). So I mostly buy independently published books, and they’re hard to find outside of Amazon. Glancing back at the books I’ve purchased in the last two years, only two of the authors have their own online stores, and I did purchase directly from them (or did a Kickstarter, in one case)–both experiences easily meeting my expectations for online shopping. I’d certainly recommend it, if nothing else because as an artist, I’d much rather people purchase directly from my website than split my profits with Etsy–I can only imagine the same goes for authors!
Rachael, thank you so much for that information! It’s good to know your experiences were positive.
Yes, I have BookFunnel – Nook and Kindle and always look for a better option.
I did just order a book from Amazon b/c I want the hard copy but will still read some ebooks
Thanks, Judy. Since BookFunnel developed their own app, it does make reading those books easier, although I still like to download to my Kindle.
I didn’t realize that many authors were selling directly from their websites. But now that you told me, I will be looking for that. I most often buy an ebook through iBooks. But when getting a physical book, I often purchase through Amazon. However, this will change due to the conversations in these posts. I also have a BAM (Books a Million) membership and can get free shipping though them. So I might take advantage of that more now. I have also bought through Christian Books many times as well.
Thanks, Bridget. And it is wonderful that many physical books are available through other stores.