How to sell books from your website
As an author, one of the objectives of your website is likely to be to encourage sales of your book. There are a number of ways you can sell your book from your website:
1. The 'email me' method
This is the simplest (and cheapest) way to encourage book sales. You simply present details of your book including a synopsis, picture of the cover and price, and ask you visitors to email you if they would like to buy a copy. You can then request payment in anyway you like (cash, PayPal, cheque etc.).
2. Links to your publisher's website
If you have a publisher, it's likely that they have a website where they sell the books they have published. You can include a link on your website to the relevant page on your publisher's website.
3. Links to online booksellers
If you book is listed on one of the major online booksellers such as Amazon or Waterstones, you can include links from your website to the relevant pages on these sites.
4. Local booksellers
If your book is sold by a local bookseller, display the name, address and contact details of the bookseller on your website.
5. Sell your book direct from your website PayPal
You can sell your book direct from your website using PayPal 'Buy Now' buttons. Next to your book details a 'Buy Now' button is displayed. Visitors click this button and are taken to the PayPal secure payment site where they can pay for your book using a debit or credit card. Once the payment has been processed, you are sent an email by PayPal (which includes the name and address of the buyer) and you can then post the book.
6. Downloadable books (e-books)
An e–book is a digital version of your work, usually in PDF (Acrobat) format. If appropriate, visitors can download and print an an e-book version of your book (after paying for it using an online payments system). It's often a good idea to use an external website such as Ejunkie to manage the download process.
