Blog 56In my last post in the category How to Self-Publish, I said I’d blog about channels a self-published writer can use to distribute her book.

Today I’m writing about direct sales platforms like Gumroad, Ganxy and Sellfy. They allow a writer to sell eBooks on her website or through links attached to social media or messages.

The Challenge. From the start, self-published writers have thought of letting readers download their books from their websites and keeping 100% of the price. But hold on. It’s not so easy.

The Direct Sales Model. So, in exchange for fees, direct sales platforms provide a quick, secure download and payment environment to buy an eBook. The writer uploads her book and cover, and can offer her eBook on her website or using a URL attached to emails or social media content.

The fees a writer pays to sell eBooks on a direct sales platform vary by provider. Gumroad takes 5% of sales plus $0.25 per transaction, which generally will be less than a writer pays for selling with an eBook retailer. For example, Kindle usually keeps 30% of an eBook’s price.

The Problems: So why don’t all self-pub writers use direct selling arrangements? Here are some reasons I know of.

Copyright © 2015 Peter Fritze

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