In the last article, How to Write Publish and Promote Your Own E-book we read about the importance of Copyright, converting your eBook to PDF file, ways to promote your eBook, and about the PayPal HTML button. Today we take the final step. Once this step is complete you are ready to upload your eBook and begin selling.
Automated Digital Goods Service
Unless you own your own website and are familiar with the technical procedures attached to it, I would suggest using an automated Digital Goods service. Think of them as a warehouse for storing digital material that is linked to your web site or HTML button. When a customer clicks your BUY link, the offsite company does the work behind the scene and returns a Thank you note to the buyer with instructions to retrieve and download their purchase within seconds. They work with payment using PayPal or any other online commerce account you are set up with. I find this much easier than struggling with the confusion of setting up coded systems and automations that boggle the mind so customers are able to download right from my web page. The way these programs are set up no one would know the difference anyway. They work in the background and are not seen by the buyer.
All automated digital goods sites offer a free store front where you can display your material. Choose from such services as; PYCOMALL , ProductCart , PHP-Nuke , and E-junkie .
If you are testing the waters and this is your first endeavor you may want to use a free service like Ubercart , osCommerce , PRESTASHOP , AGORAcart . There is always the option of changing your account as your book line grows or if you find you need services not being offered with your existing company.
Let Someone Else Do All the Work
If all this talk about buttons, links, and commerce is more than you are willing to deal with, you may want to hand the technical side of it over to someone else. Lulu will do all the work for you. Once you have finished the free sign up you need only to write your eBook and upload it to their website where your eBook is automatically converted to a PDF file free of charge. Lulu offers free templates, free book covers, and your own store front. You won't need a PayPal button with Lulu because they handle all transactions for you. You can still use your web site, banners, and other advertising methods by simply linking them to your Lulu download page.
