As I’m sure most of you are aware, All Romance eBooks announced on Dec 28 that it’s closing – with only three days notice given.
(If you weren’t aware, and were an ARe customer then get over there ASAP and back up any books you have on their system. If you purchased any of my self pubbed titles there and have had trouble accessing them, please email me with proof of purchase and I will provide replacements.)
You may also be aware that part of ARe’s closure announcement to self published authors involved telling us that they aren’t paying us in full for the last quarter of 2016. Instead, they asked us to settle for only 10% of the money owed to us. I told them where they could stick that suggestion. I’m not expecting to see a cent, but I’m damned if I’m taking 10%.
Anyway, this isn’t intended to be a rant post. What’s done is done and I’m looking forward, considering my options and making new plans. Writing is my business, and the business part is important for me. I’m a full time author and this is my livelihood, so as well as trying to write books that my readers will love, I also like to investigate new platforms for reaching readers and encouraging sales.
Which leads me on to Payhip…
What the hell is Payhip?
I know this is what lots of you will be wondering at this point.
From the Payhip site:
“Payhip is an e-commerce platform that enables anyone to sell digital products directly to their fans and followers.”
So basically, Payhip is a way that I can sell books to my readers directly. It’s quick and easy for readers to use. You simply pay via Paypal and will then get taken back to a page on Payhip to download your purchase in three formats (mobi, epub and pdf). It’s not quite one-click shopping but almost as easy.
Payhip is not an online store.
You can’t visit Payhip and browse genres or search for books. I have a Payhip profile where all the products I’m currently selling via Payhip are listed. From there, readers can click on the links to buy my books.
I can also add direct sales links for specific products on my website, or can share them on social media. So on my website where I have books for sale on Payhip, I’ve added a ‘buy now’ button that will take you directly to Payhip to purchase that title.
Why is Payhip good for authors?
The author gets paid immediately, so there is no danger of a bookseller going bust and keeping your royalties (bitter, much?). Also the author gets a bigger share of the cover price with Payhip than with sales through Amazon and other book sellers. Payhip take 5% commission, and Paypal also charge fees, but it still works out slightly better for authors than an Amazon sale. Payhip and Paypal fees combined takes about 15% off the cover price compared to the 30% that Amazon keep.
Payhip also offers some really useful marketing tools for authors. It’s very easy to set up special offers via discount codes, for example. I’ve set one up on Helping Hand to test. If you click on the button below you can buy Helping Hand for 30% off before midnight on the 31st 🙂 Neat, huh?
Payhip is very easy to set up. I’m easily daunted by new things, and found it a breeze to get up and running yesterday. I would highly recommend that any author with self-published titles looks into it. For more information, check out the Payhip FAQ page.
If you prefer you can also take payments via Stripe, which allows people to buy with a card rather than Paypal. I’m hoping to set that up eventually.
Why is Payhip good for readers?
It’s quick and easy to use, and you get to download and keep your own copies of the books purchased in whichever formats are available. Mine are in mobi, epub and pdf as those seem to be the most popular, but I’m open to adding more formats if there are others my readers want. Just reach out to me and let me know.
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Kudos to Lily G Blunt for recommending Payhip. She’s been using it for a while and you can check out her Payhip profile here.