Writers in the Storm

By Morgana Best

I’m a Shopify Partner, but what I am saying applies to ecommerce in general. Ecommerce is relatively new to most authors and so there are plenty of misconceptions.

Books are simply products.

That is the case both with ecommerce and brick-and-mortar-stores. Plenty of shoe stores make billions, but other shoe stores do poorly. The nature of the product is not the issue.

One of the main issues is that authors focus on multiples of a single book. When we are selling on the retailers, we drive people to a single book and hope they buy multiples of this book.

On the contrary, in ecommerce we drive customers to bundles, to products with the value of at least $20. We also focus on cross sells and post purchase upsells. As a single book is a low-priced item, we need to increase our average order value, and that is done with selling customers other products.

In ecommerce we own the customer.

When you are selling on the retailers, you do not have a single customer. Those customers belong to the retailers. If you’ve ever had an Amazon affiliate account, you might have been surprised at the other products the customer will buy after observing your book. People new to ecommerce always express surprise that customers will happily buy a $20 bundle and then also buy more books in the one order.

When you own a customer, you own their data, and that means you can market to them for years to come. I’m not talking about the newsletter campaigns you are used to sending to your retailer readers. Of course, you do that as well, but in ecommerce you would use an email and SMS marketing system such as Klaviyo.

Understanding Customer Flows

If a customer lands on your store, looks at a product, and then leaves, Klaviyo will send that customer a browse abandonment flow.

A flow is a series of automated emails and/or SMS. Klaviyo will pick up 20% of customers who are not subscribers. Yes, this is perfectly legal because these are considered transactional emails. If the customer adds a product to their cart but does not commence checkout, Klaviyo will send that customer an abandoned cart flow, and if the customer commences checkout but doesn’t purchase, Klaviyo will send that person an abandoned checkout flow.

There are numerous other flows such as the post purchase flow, which you can split into first time purchasers and seasoned purchasers or split by order value.

Driving Traffic

When authors first come to ecommerce from selling on the retailers, they think the only way to drive traffic is with Facebook ads. Yes, that is a good way to drive paid traffic, but Facebook sales ads are expensive and should be thought of as Cost of Customer Acquisition. If somebody clicks your Facebook ad, goes to your store but doesn’t buy, then Klaviyo will take over for you.

Product Pages

Most people make the mistake of simply throwing up product pages and thinking that’s all they need to do, but product pages need to be set up in a specific way. For example, Google will penalise the repetition of the H1 heading.

Reviews are also super important both for social proof and for SEO. Reviews should never be scraped from Amazon for two reasons. Firstly, it is a breach of copyright because the reviewer owns the copyright, and secondly, Google penalises duplicate content so this will cause a negative strike against your store.

A good review app/plug-in will send a reminder email, and if you wish, a discount for a video or a photo. The best review apps have rich snippets which are a big help with SEO. SEO will drive free traffic to your store and make you money.

Let’s talk about pricing.

The average 5x8 inch 300 page paperback should sit around $15.99. Charge more for large print. Whatever you do, don’t cut your prices in the mistaken belief it will encourage people to buy. Research has shown conclusively that cold customers are not motivated by price.

Business is all about numbers—the price you sell it for and the price it costs you. You need to have a decent margin.

And under no circumstances sell your products for less than on the retailers. In fact, you might need to increase your retailer prices.

Have confidence in your products and realise that people will buy them at the asking price. You don’t need to cut your prices down to an untenable figure to tempt people to buy them. Readers will be driven by the story not the price.

Sure, there are plenty of people buying from Amazon who want bargain basement prices and free books, but those are not the customers you are looking for. There are millions of readers out there. Please realise that there are customers outside the Amazon ecosystem.

As authors, we can make the mistake of focusing on Amazon and nothing else but bear in mind that this is an author-centric issue, not a big wide world issue.

Sure, Amazon has Prime shipping, but that doesn’t stop plenty of stores from making money in ecommerce. Many brands make 8 figures a year from their ecommerce stores with paid shipping yet sell the very same products on Amazon.

Free and 99c have no place in an author store.

Leave those for the retailers. Customers are quite happy to pay $5.99 for a single ebook, but remember, you should be selling in bundles. You can discount your bundles. For example, you could have a six ebook bundle on sale for $21.99.
But don’t have everything on sale. You don’t want to look like a bargain basement dollar shop.

And whatever you do, don’t give anything away for free. It will completely ruin your data.

Fighting Misinformation

As selling direct has become the hot new thing, the misinformation has increased.

Nobody needs special methods. To be successful, an author simply needs to know sound ecommerce principles, not listen to a guru who has invented a system. The 8 and 9 figure brands adhere to sound ecommerce principals.

There is a lot to learn because it’s not simply a matter of uploading a book as you would upload a book to retailers. When you have an ecommerce store, you are the retailer. You must have systems in place. Your product pages cannot be a hot mess.

Print on Demand

The two print on demand systems available to authors are BookVault and Lulu Direct. Both integrate with Shopify and WooCommerce.

BookVault prints within the UK and US and ships worldwide. It offers fancy special edition books from the UK. BookVault’s printing costs are low so it’s great if you have customers in the UK or the US. Customers anywhere else in the world will have to pay very high shipping rates.

Lulu Direct prints in Australia, Canada, the UK, the US, France, and India. It uses local shipping rates for each location.
As an example of printing costs all up, a 5 x 8 inch 300-page book is around $8 USD.

Lulu Direct is particularly beneficial if you have customers within the EU.

And remember, the customer pays the shipping so don’t make the mistake of factoring that in to your costs.

Ebooks and audiobooks are also easy to sell from your store. I recommend BookFunnel because as well as delivering the files, it handles customer support. If a customer has an issue downloading their books, you simply reply to them telling them that BookFunnel will help them and copy the email to BookFunnel. That’s the end of it for you—BookFunnel will take over.

Bundles

It’s also easy to do bundles with BookFunnel for both ebooks and audiobooks. And while I’m on the topic, both BookVault and Lulu Direct also offer bundles. And again, never drive customers to a single book. Always drive customers to bundles.
Customers will happily buy all the print books in a series in one order.

And yes, we call them bundles not box sets in ecommerce. Make your ebook product images clearly ebooks and make your paperback images 3D. Manage customer expectations.

Common Errors

Accessibility

Some of the common errors I see on product pages are the use of bold or italics which is not compliant with WCAG2 accessibility guidelines and regulations. The use of headings must be done in a particular way for search engines, and the metadata must be done correctly.

Positioning and Page Construction

Another common error is putting download information in an image which also does not comply with WCAG2. Download information should be closer to the bottom of the page under the description. A significant error is to place it at the top of the description. Search engines index these which you certainly do not want. You want your hook, the hook about the book, at the top of the page.

Above the fold is a term from the old newspaper days. Sometimes, people now refer to it now as above the scroll, but whatever you call it, it means that the important information must be at the top of the page.

You can have a collapsible box explaining how to download or how the book will be shipped, and you can have another collapsible box with a sample chapter. You can have yet another collapsible box with your series order, but all these collapsible boxes should be below your description. With Shopify, you should have a separate default template for each format.

Cross sells should be at the bottom of the page.

Collections

Collections pages are particularly important for search engines, and you need at least 500 words on each collections page.

So then, you can see there’s a lot to it and I’ve only skimmed the surface. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you simply have to throw up a product as you would on the retailers.

You need properly constructed product pages and collection pages. You need an app/plug-in to collect reviews and one to offer cross sells. A post purchase upsell is a wonderful idea because the post purchase page has a 100% open rate and the customer has already given their credit card details.

Email and SMS Marketing

You need an email and SMS marketing system such as Klaviyo and you need all your flows in place. Klaviyo typically provides 30% of the store’s income. The three abandonment flows are good money spinners as is the birthday flow.

The standard way to acquire a subscriber is with a pop-up form. You can offer a 10% or 15% discount on their first order in exchange for their email or phone number. Within this pop-up, I like to have a birthday capture. People can enter the month and day of their birthday to receive a discount on their birthday. Birthday flows are good income producers. Once you set it up, it’s automatic—the person receives a unique code on their birthday.

Training Readers vs Understanding Audiences

Another misconception is that you need to train readers to buy from you. This is based on a misunderstanding of audiences. Audiences are either cold, warm, or hot. Cold audiences are people who have never heard of you. You could be an alien from Mars for all they know. Warm audiences are people who have heard of you—maybe they are on your socials—but they haven’t bought your products. Hot audiences are people who have bought your products.

So all this talk of training readers is talk of hot audiences, current retailer readers authors wish to get across to their store. Some readers will and some won’t, but do not make the mistake of thinking this is your audience pool. It is, in fact the tiniest segment.

Ecommerce is based on cold audiences and these people don’t need to be trained to do anything because they don’t even know you exist.

Ecommerce and selling on the retailers are two widely different businesses and authors run into all sorts of trouble when they bring their retailer systems across to their ecommerce store. That simply won’t work.

Having an author store is also not a get rich quick scheme. Some people who have blown up on TikTok or are making seven figures on Amazon have splashed around figures they are making on their stores, but it’s relatively easy to replicate whatever you are making from TikTok or Amazon with an author store at first. This is because you are leveraging your hot audiences. These hot audiences will buy from a terribly setup store.

However, this is not sustainable, and the author usually ends up spending over 90% of their store income on paid advertising. This displays a lack of correct systems in place and a zero-return customer level.

Now let’s sum up.

An author store is absolutely nothing like selling on the retailers. If you have an author store, you are the retailer and you have an ecommerce business. Businesses take time and effort. Don’t have a bargain basement mindset. The point of a store is to make a profit.

Beware of misinformation. Beware of get rich quick schemes and special methods.

It’s not simply a matter of throwing up products as you do on the retailers. There are plenty of considerations involved in ecommerce.

Have you tried selling books from your own website? What have your experiences been? If you haven't, do you want to?

About Morgana

USA Today Bestselling author, Dr. Morgana Best, started in ecommerce in 2003, selling ebooks (PDFs back then!) and print books from her websites. Morgana Best is a Shopify Partner, a Klaviyo Partner, and a Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors.

Link for Free Training ⮕ https://best-business-for-authors.teachable.com/p/3-key-pillars-to-succeed-selling-direct1

The Authors Selling Direct course ⮕ https://best-business-for-authors.teachable.com/p/authors-selling-on-shopify

Website   ⮕ https://authorssellingdirect.com

Top image from Deposit Photos.

by Ellen Buikema

It may seem difficult, but it’s possible to develop connections between young booklovers and writers in their own communities. School libraries are the answers.

Young readers are always excited to meet an author in person. Writers have an opportunity to facilitate this by working with schools and libraries. It might seem challenging, but with some phone calls, emails, and/or personal visits, it’s possible to develop connections between readers and writers.

School Librarians

A school librarian helps students improve their reading comprehension through various activities, and encourages them to find interesting materials to further their interests. School librarians work closely with teachers and students in finding educational resources.

Requirements for working as a school librarian differ vastly from State-to-State.

Some states have no regulations regarding school libraries. Others require a certified school library media specialist in every school district, a half-time or full-time certified library specialist in schools depending on the number of students.

Connecting with school librarians

The last year I taught in Mission Viejo, California, the administration of the elementary school I worked in decided to run the library without a librarian. The library was then maintained by a media specialist instead. Each teacher scheduled time to bring their students to the library weekly.

In cases such as this, I suggest contacting the library media specialist as you would the school librarian.

Ways to contact are:

• Social media
• Email
  • By school district
  • By individual school
• Phone call
• Personal visit

Prior to stopping by the school library, call and make an appointment. Librarians have schedules packed with students, meetings, filing, and paperwork. Plus, there is the case of security. The main office personnel are the gatekeepers. One cannot breeze on through the school without stopping, showing identification, stating specifically who you will be seeing, why, and logging the time in as well as out.

Finding school librarians

In the US, each state has a library association for school librarians. Perform a search for <state> Library Association and find their social media links.

Many librarians use Facebook, Twitter(X), LinkedIn, and TikTok. You can contact local school librarians through social media and query them regarding school visits.

Talk to your fellow writers

One of the members of a writers marketing group I joined happened to be a school librarian. That was a wonderful connection. I went to her school as a volunteer for an evening literary event and met the principal. Becoming known as a person willing to assist the local community helps a great deal. The school was happy to have me give talks at the school library several times.

School librarians have monthly, district meetings. If you can get on their agenda, it’s possible to speak briefly to the group about who you are and what you can do.

What to do once you’ve found libraries to visit

Chat with the school librarian about the grades you will speak to and what their teachers would like. Teachers have a daunting job and cover a lot of ground over the school year. If you can lighten their load for thirty or so minutes, you are golden. If you expand upon what their students are learning in the classroom, you have added diamonds to that gold.

Library budgets

Often, there isn’t a huge budget for school libraries. The district or individual schools decide how much money is available, what type of books are preferred, and who are trusted vendors. To be a trusted vendor you need a Federal tax ID, also known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN). You can apply online through the IRS website. The application is free and does not take long. You’ll also need to be able to print invoices.

Librarians find creative methods for funding

One school librarian who loved my work used part of the grant money she obtained for book purchases to buy a few classroom-sized sets for the school. I offered a good discount, and we were both pleased with the transaction. I had offered a free copy of each of the books in the series as I have done in the past at other school libraries, but she refused and made the purchase instead.

Public Librarians

When I thought of ways to disrupt, shake things up to get Indie Authors’ work seen, my first impulse was to look at the public library system. A library shelf is a fantastic place to find new authors. Who wouldn’t enjoy the thrill of seeing their books on a library shelf for the public to peruse, read, love, and purchase at a later date?

With this in mind, I contacted my local librarians, with whom I have good relations. I lead a critique group that meets there and ran a city and county-wide poetry contest for two years, using the library as the venue for our winners’ celebratory luncheon and awards ceremony.

While visiting the library, I mentioned to a few librarians what I had in mind, which they all felt was a great idea. I sent a request to interview anyone who would be available, giving a few months’ notice as I understand the wheels grind slowly at the library.

Crickets. No response.

After no response I made a few calls, left a few messages.

Crickets. Still no response.

Prior to a critique meeting, I chatted with two of the library assistants. After I explained my concern, and not wanting to seem like a stalker, I discovered that there were several major changes with technology as well as changes in staffing. People were jumping ship. Hence, no time for interviews.

What I’ve learned through interactions with public librarians

They cannot take a book from you and place it on the shelf.

No matter how wonderful your book is and how fantastic the reviews are, there is a system librarians must follow.

Books, eBooks, journals, magazines, and videos are chosen taking into consideration:

• the make-up of the community
• requests for the title
• and if the library already owns other books that are by that author or a similar topic.

Then there is the concern of cost. Librarians must consider their budget. 

The library patrons may request books, but the library director makes the decision regarding what to buy.

The book must be available in places where they are able to purchase. In the case of my local library, books must be available at IngramSpark or Baker & Taylor.

Individual libraries are responsible for their own book purchases and collections. There is no agency that chooses and distributes books and other library resources to all libraries.

D2D, Draft2Digital, distributes to libraries. If you have an account with them and a library patron is interested in your book, you can be compensated for the patron’s borrowing of your work. Baker & Taylor and IngramSpark are among other companies that distribute to libraries.

For more information on getting Indie books into libraries check here.

Final thoughts

Libraries promoting literacy. We, local authors, are part of that literacy. If we work together, we can connect with the public as well as help students to become successful readers. This is a common goal of writers and librarians.

Do you have a working relationship with your local library? Have you ever requested a book for them to purchase? Would you consider an author visit at a school?

* * * * * *

About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works in Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and The Crystal Key, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi, a glaze of time travel.

Find her at https://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon.

Top Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

A Christmas Day Call to Action

By Lisa Norman

Merry Christmas! As you sip your cocoa (or something stronger—I won’t judge), let’s talk about giving your author website the gift of attention. Yes, the holidays are for relaxation, but they’re also a perfect time to think about fresh starts.

Your author website is one of your most important tools, but too often, it gets ignored in the whirlwind of writing, publishing, and life. Today, I want to challenge you to disrupt the status quo.

Don’t panic—this isn’t about flipping everything upside down overnight. Small changes can breathe new life into your online presence and make a significant impact in the year ahead.

WordPress: To Stay or Go?

WordPress has been the go-to for author websites for years, but let’s face it: the ecosystem is devolving. If you haven't heard about the WordPress Drama, grab some popcorn and go look it up. Just remember: DON’T PANIC. This is the biggest disruption I've seen in the author website space in at least 10 years.

Hopefully, we'll have new Content Management Systems (CMS) in the next year that may replace WordPress. Unfortunately, my crystal snow globe isn’t giving me the full picture, but I do predict exciting new toys in our future.

In the meantime, take a hard look at your current setup. Are you paying for features you don’t need? Is your hosting plan more hassle than it’s worth?

If WordPress is still serving you well, stay with it—but be aware of changes. Keep an eye out for alternatives and be ready to pivot if something better comes along.

AI Disruptions in Discoverability

Have you noticed a drop in traffic to your website? Feeling like you’re alone in the universe?

Not everyone is affected by this, but with the rise of AI powered search results, how people find and interact with websites is changing. What worked wonderfully a year ago may not work next year.

We could look at these changes as a disaster. Or, we can look at them as a powerful shift in the universe that will benefit both writers and readers.

Think about it: When’s the last time you saw a website and were filled with the delight and joy of a Christmas morning discovery? What if we could have that?

Where Are You Now?

First, what type of a website do you have?

Author websites fall into three general categories:

• A simple online presence with the essentials—a bio, books, and social media links. Cheap and low-maintenance but limited.
• A dynamic website with a blog or news section designed to engage readers and build a fan base. Requires regular updates to shine.
• A powerhouse designed for authors who are selling books, services, or merchandise. Costly and time-intensive but often worth it. (If this type of website isn't paying for itself, take time and review your analytics or other data to try and figure out why not.) These websites often include store software (a simplified store is called a shopping cart). People can buy their products and books right on the site.

Where does your site fall? Be honest. Is it serving your needs and your fans? Or is it overdue for an upgrade?

Disrupting Each Type of Website

No matter what kind of site you have, there’s always room for improvement. Let’s check out some creative options tailored to each category.

Basic Business Card

Keep it simple, but make it smart. One platform I've been exploring is Carrd.io. It offers beautiful, professional templates at an incredibly affordable price ($10–$20/year). Integrate MailerLite or other email management program for list-building. This way, you can start connecting with fans without a heavy investment in time or money.

Here's a beautiful example: https://amywintersvoss.com/

These sites won't perform as well with search engines as larger sites, but let's be real: a bigger website that you haven't updated in two years or more isn't performing well, either. Why spend hundreds of dollars each year on something that isn't working? Maybe it's time to downsize!

Blogging Platform

Blogging takes dedication, but tools like Substack can simplify the process. Substack combines blogging with newsletter functionality and even lets you make money on your content. It’s mostly free, with a one-time $50 fee to integrate your domain name.

If you’re not consistent with your blog, maybe it’s time to streamline and focus on connecting with readers in a new way.

And because Substack doesn't make money if you don't, they have tools to help readers find you.

Want an example? https://www.lifeoffiction.com/

Pro Business Site

If you’re selling books, courses, or other products, your site needs to work as hard as you do.

Consider upgrading to Shopify for a dedicated e-commerce (online store) solution. Or, if you’re sticking with WordPress, pair it with a shopping cart like PayHip or ThriveCart to handle sales.

Customers want to see tax and shipping during checkout, and adding these functions to your store can add costs to your setup.

PayHip has a free forever plan that lets you set up your products in their system. They take a small percentage of each sale. They'll handle pesky things like shipping and tax charges while integrating with options like BookVault (physical books) or BookFunnel (epubs).

These platforms are versatile and scalable (start small and grow), making them ideal for professional authors looking to grow their sales.

Examples: https://nancywarrenauthor.com/ and https://aliciamccalla.com/

Want to Build Something Immersive?

For authors dreaming of creating a world fans can truly dive into, World Anvil is a game-changer. It’s more than a website—it’s a platform for crafting detailed, interactive worlds.

The Sage plan ($300/year) supports a custom domain and offers additional features like writing software and a vibrant community that includes motivation and education for authors. World Anvil is your story bible come to life. Lifetime memberships are available, so keep an eye out for sales. There's a free version that you can experiment with, and other cheaper options if you are comfortable not attaching a domain to your world.

Creativity is your friend. For example, you could connect a free world to a Carrd.io site! Add a free Pay-Hip store, and you'll have a powerful presence without a lot of expense.

Imagine your readers exploring character backstories, maps, and alternate story paths. These websites are beautiful and offer a refreshing change from everyday author websites.

For authors who love world-building, this is the ultimate gift to your fans—and yourself.

Check out the best of World Anvil to see what can be done. And don't miss the most beautiful world category. https://www.worldanvil.com/w/hoist-the-colors-kummer-wolfe is a fantastic example of a site that will be a gift for the ideal readers of that author's work.

A Checklist for Disruption

Ready to take action? Here’s your to-do list for shaking things up:

1. Update your bio, add your latest books, and prune old posts that no longer serve your goals.
2. Your readers are on their phones. Make sure your site looks and works great on small screens.
3. Review hosting costs, add-ons, and any unnecessary expenses.
4. Add a poll, interactive map, or signup bonus for your readers. Small changes can make a big impact.
5. Set clear goals for your site. Do you want to grow your email list, boost sales, or engage more deeply with fans?

The Gift of Renewal

Your author website is more than just an online presence—it’s a tool for connection, growth, and storytelling. This Christmas, give it a little love. Disrupt what’s not working, embrace what is, and set yourself up for a stronger, brighter year ahead.

What’s one small (or big!) change you’ll make to your website? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Merry Christmas, and here’s to a wonderfully disruptive 2025!

Note: No Stress Writing academy offers a class in Substack for authors and a series of classes for World Anvil. The Press Kits class includes an introduction to Carrd.io. We'll be adding new classes in the new year covering other options as well.

About Lisa

Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.

Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of Deleyna's Dynamic Designs, a web development company focused on helping writers, and Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.

Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!

Top image by Deleyna via Midjourney.