Marketing Coalition: Direct Sales & Author Storefronts

WAG Members: Join Us on July 20 by Zoom*

How to Keep More of Your Money

Description:

Explore selling books directly to readers through platforms like Shopify, Payhip, and BookFunnel, keeping more royalties while building direct customer relationships.

Key Points:

• Why direct sales matter (70% royalty vs. 35-70% through retailers)
• Platforms compared: Shopify, Payhip, WooCommerce, BookFunnel, Gumroad
• Setting up your first storefront (step-by-step)
• Payment processing: Stripe, PayPal, Square
• Shipping logistics for print books (or skip it and go digital)
• Driving traffic to YOUR store vs. Amazon
• Legal considerations: sales tax, international sales
• Is it worth it? Honest cost-benefit analysis

Worksheets/Handouts:

• “Direct Sales Platform Comparison” – features, costs, ease of use
• “Storefront Setup Checklist” – what you need before launching
• “Pricing Calculator” – comparing royalties across platforms
• Sample policies: returns, shipping, privacy

Resources:

• Free trial: Payhip (selling ebooks directly)
• Free: BookFunnel direct sales option
• Low-cost: Shopify Starter ($5/month for basic store)
• Free: Gumroad (takes % of sale instead of monthly fee)
• Legal: Sales tax basics for authors (free guide)

The Zoom link is always the same:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81913659127?pwd=a1hTQWl1WVphTUxBOWdVWE9oV2ljQT09

Meeting ID: 819 1365 9127

Passcode: 119030