Help needed

[Anonymous]

okies.. :)

having set up a simple forum yesterday to start helping authors get published i find i cant find any useful information on the ecommerce side of it
ill explain the process first.

*writer visits the forum registers and requests to be published
*I send a pm with an email adress in asking for their manuscript and some
details.
*i recieve there email and transfer thier manuscript (after reading it of
course) into an Ebook format.
*I post on Ebay (and any other place i can find) their ebook.
*someone buys the ebook (from here is where im stuck) and 50% of the
money goes to my account and 50% goes to the writer.

after this if they sell enough ebooks i contact a publishing house and begin negotiating to have the book printed.. if they're prepared to print it i rescind my rights to the ebook and the author organises a contract/publishing rights with the publishers and recieve a "finders fee".

im just stuck on spliting the money from sales 50/50 and how to distribute the ebook..id like to do this all automatically so theres no waiting...HOW?????

[MichaelG]

Try this

Distributing ebooks is like distributing software

Try RegSoft.com

As for paying 50/50 - you collect all the money and send the writer cheques every month for their 50% of the sales.

[Anonymous]

ta but im trying to keep it free :D

(btw in your sig try " Web Application Development (http://www.creotec.com)We use web-based technology to improve performance, create value and strengthen relationships with customers, suppliers, business partners, shareholders and employees. " should make it do what you want :) ;) )

[kyber]

Just out of interest, would it not be easier for writers to just use lulu (http://www.lulu.com/uk)?

Stuart

[MichaelG]

ta but im trying to keep it free :D

Only download of ebook will be chargeable.

[Anonymous]

Just out of interest, would it not be easier for writers to just use lulu (http://www.lulu.com/uk)?

Stuart

Of course it would stuart :) if they'd want to pay for publishing rather than have it for FREE!! the only "charge" is when they actually SELL a book via me
and thats only because ive set this up i admin the forum i read their manuscript I turn it into an ebook I put it on ebay I arrange sending out the money that their book has made to them I maintain the whole thing and then I pretty much give them to a publishering house WITH provable sales... in reality ill be getting only half of the book sales from the ebook...im considering not having any form of "finders" cut if a publishing house takes them on.. once they have been published on paper thats it for me I pull thier ebook off sale and them and thep ublishing house have all the rights...

Would you run this for free?

[directmarketingadvice]

Hi Rade

I've not got the answer to your questions but I want to say that I think your idea could be a good one.

I've heard of self-published books being sold online by giving away the first chapter as a hook.

Will you be focusing on fiction or non-fiction? Any particular genre?

Steve

[Anonymous]

Hi Rade

I've not got the answer to your questions but I want to say that I think your idea could be a good one.

I've heard of self-published books being sold online by giving away the first chapter as a hook.

Will you be focusing on fiction or non-fiction? Any particular genre?

Steve

THe ebooks will be treated exactly as thier paper counterparts would..novels will have a short section on the back "cover" to give an idea and each book will be rated... and to answer the second..if it reads well isnt a rip off of another book then chances are ill publish it..fiction non-fiction, mind body and spirit, manuals ANYTHING.. im glad you like the idea :D i hope it will give many authors AND readers a chance to encounter some wonderful reads..

[directmarketingadvice]

Hi Rade

I guess it'll be a bit like the movie business.

Most of the books will bomb but, if you get some home runs, that'll be where the reward is.

How are you planning to market the books?

Steve

[Anonymous]

Hi Rade

I guess it'll be a bit like the movie business.

Most of the books will bomb but, if you get some home runs, that'll be where the reward is.

How are you planning to market the books?

Steve

Sort of like that yeah..alot will "bomb" but at the end of the day at least there out there.. and the homeruns will be nice :) but seeing one of the people i published as an ebook and chatted with about books about their hopes dreams and fears on the forum.. autographing there books for mile long ques of fans will be where the gold is for me :)

Marketing...marketing will suck to begin with tbh....other forums, bonus books for "recommendees" on ebay....its going to take a LONG time to get up to real speed because of one simple thing..all this has is reputation...thats all thats going to build and drive this really...getting the best reputation "in the business"

[MichaelG]

Rade,

This is me thinking aloud -

How about setting up a website where anyone can publish their book by tying directly or (copy/paste) to a book-like website. Readers than join for x pounds a year and they can read (even download auto generated PDF/ebook of an entire book) any many books are they like.

So for writers (FREE to join - profit share scheme) with create a book (like a blog) and each book can have many pages. Once a book is finished, its status is changed to publish and readers can read.

Features could include:

Book reviews
Author rating
Daily page email for selected books (e.g. a page a day)
Bookmark page + notes on page (e.g. other readers can read page notes - optional)
Add music/video to books.
Text-speech reader.
RSS book feed

etc etc etc

I love the idea - question is will it work? I am not in the book publishing game. If you think it will work - Get in touch - I can develop the website (the power house) and you take care of marketing and paperwork.

I believe this will be very unique or is it out there already?

[Anonymous]

Rade,

This is me thinking aloud -

How about setting up a website where anyone can publish their book by tying directly or (copy/paste) to a book-like website. Readers than join for x pounds a year and they can read (even download auto generated PDF/ebook of an entire book) any many books are they like.

I like this :) but for two things... 1) ANYONE publishing their book right away IS a bad thing for these reasons typos grammatical errors..or the work being generally crap..some people will be happy to pay the fee to view "uncertain" publications..but if they encounter almost nothing but complete hacks the reputation of what is trying to be done will bottom out totally...it will die..there will be the occassional excellent author but they'll never be seen because everyone will of heard how bad the stuff on the site is... 2) having a "bargin basment" type place is nice But it tells us nothing of the popularity of the authors...we wont pull a book that doesnt sell but how can it honestly be said that X fee is paid to view X persons work.. this site will function on only two things...the reputation that it builds for itself and the reputation the authors work builds for itself..nothing can be allowed to compromise either or we've failed..

So for writers (FREE to join - profit share scheme) with create a book (like a blog) and each book can have many pages. Once a book is finished, its status is changed to publish and readers can read.

Features could include:

Book reviews
Author rating
Daily page email for selected books (e.g. a page a day)
Bookmark page + notes on page (e.g. other readers can read page notes - optional)
Add music/video to books.
Text-speech reader.
RSS book feed

etc etc etc

I love the idea - question is will it work? I am not in the book publishing game. If you think it will work - Get in touch - I can develop the website (the power house) and you take care of marketing and paperwork.

I believe this will be very unique or is it out there already?

so far i havent found this anywere else in this format...

you have some good ideas and i honestly would like to here from you to discuss them and more you have..but a very fine balance is needed for this kind of thing :D