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Hi
I'm very new to blogging. I have set up a website for my book of short stories, coming out end of November. I am using the site to publicise my book, and add additional material and information about the stories.
Question: The book will be in bookshops, but can I also sell it from my site? My site is hosted by wordpress.
Also, I was thinking of using Email Payments by Paypal. Is this feasible and allowed?
Thanks for any help
Martin
The blog I need help with is onebigecho.wordpress.com.
I'm not so sure on this, and you could try contacting support (they would know!).
I was reading this thread and found it interesting, but I don't know if the rules have changed since then:
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/selling-on-wordpress?replies=19
Support has repeatedly said that authors may sell their own books, and artists may sell their own creations. Paypal is allowed, but it's tricky to work with WP.com, as you can't use the encrypted forms or Javascript buttons and widgets. You have to make sure you use plain HTML.
Thank you, both, for those replies.
Raincoaster, in that case do you have any knowledge of what might work for me.
(I'm not familiar with HTML)
Here's the scenario.
Someone visits my site, pays securely. I then pack the book and send it to them.
Okay, that's pretty basic and obvious, but any thoughts.
If not I guess I'll have to get my hands dirty with HTML
Cheers
Really simple. Go to Paypal and get the basic button code. Here we generally use the Donation button, but if it's your book I suppose you can try other basic buttons. Don't get ANY ones with the code that includes the word "script" or "javascript" or is encrypted. They clearly say whether they are or not.
Paypal instructions are here:
Just to confirm the above: yes you can use your WordPress.com blog to promote your book. We don't provide any e-commerce or sales features, but linking to a sales page elsewhere, Paypal form or similar is fine.
Brilliant, thanks to both of you for that. I'll follow this up.
cheers
Why does it have to be a Donate Button? Why can't we use the Buy Now button?
to buy our book? very confusing
It doesn't have to be the Donate button. That's just the one used as an example by raincoaster, and on the support page to which she linked. Other buttons will work fine.
The key is that, when you have the code generated, you specify Email rather than Website. Website will generate code that WordPress.com won't tolerate.
And just to clarify (it does not apply here) because sploggers, spammers and the "OMG YOU WILL GET RICH" brigade will read this thread:
e-books cannot be sold, donated for, given away with promises of wealth, health and unbelievably large appendages or anything else.
We mean proper books made of actual paper and actual ink that you would buy in an actual shop.
(and someone will still contact us and say "I know you wrote that but my book isn't a con....)
Does that mean I can't sell my e-book which explains how to use belly-button lint to determine hot stocks on the NYSE?
Once you've made billions, bought Amazon and have it in stock? No problem :)
Okay, Mark and Raincoaster, maybe I'm Blog illiterate, but I'm really struggling here.
I go through all the WordPress Paypal help about creating a Buy Now button, then I create a Buy Now button ready to paste into the blog. The only problem I have is the actual clickable link ie the actual visual button. In the WordPress tutorial, the example code says Donate and I can't find any information anywhere to help me make this a Buy Now button. So, to cut a long story short, I end up with a Donate button leading to a Buy Now Paypal scenario.
I'm sure you're very busy people but I'd be very very grateful if you can help me with this, as the book is due out any day and I can't help think people are going to be put off by a Donate button when it should be Buy.
Can you help at all?
Cheers in advance.
The information you got above is incorrect: the Buy Now button code does not work. The workaround you've done should function adequately, but if it bugs you just get a different image file and put the image in where the Donate button is. You can see that on my blog, where I've got the Operation Global Media Domination button instead of the Paypal one.
Hi Raincoaster
I think I'm getting to the crux of it now.
It seems the thing I am lacking is an appropriate image file. ie a Buy Now one. Can you give me any pointers as to where I can get one, as I'm lost?
Cheers
Raincoaster, forget the above – I cunningly managed to sort it by changing the example code from donate to buy now in the wordpress tutorial.
All I have to do now is work out how to calculate different postage rates on paypal.
I have to say, though, that this little foray into the underbelly of the internet has inspired me to educate myself and I will be starting a web design course as soon as I'm back in Bangalore
thanks for your help
You're welcome. I don't know about your postal system, but the Canadian postal system makes it easy to calculate postal rates on the fly via their website.
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tellyworth
andrew
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