Comments on: REVIEW: Ebookstore Review: All Romance Ebooks

By: Wayne Coribo

Wayne Coribo — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:59:00 +0000

Absolutely, if it works for you, go for it. We’re lucky to have the choice to shop online in the way that suits us best. I have been known to shop at Fictionwise for the very reasons you put forward. I like that Fictiowise is independently owned rather than affiliated to a publisher. At least I think it is.

By: Shiloh Walker

Shiloh Walker — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:02:34 +0000

Convenience = good, yes I take your point Shiloh. Although on the internet, stores are only a click away from each other. And the percentage earned does drop dramatically for the author on distribution sites.

True enough. However, if I have to buy ten things and I can find a site where I can buy ALL ten things at once or visit ten different sites? I’m buying from the site where I can get them all at once. Time is a precious a commodity as money and even buying on the internet does take time.

By: Wayne Coribo

Wayne Coribo — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:49:47 +0000

Convenience = good, yes I take your point Shiloh. Although on the internet, stores are only a click away from each other. And the percentage earned does drop dramatically for the author on distribution sites. I like the idea of a loyalty scheme, but in retailing in general it’s not the retailer who pays for the buy one/ten get one free, it’s the supplier. If you have a physical copy of a book then someone has to pay for that copy to be printed and bear the brunt of giving it away free. With e books, you can generate as many copies as you want with the click of a key, but they should still retain the value of a physical book or they have no value at all. I’ve often wondered how the loyalty scheme works. If someone buys ten books, do they get to pick any book on the site for their free one? And if it’s one of yours, do you provide that copy, does the publisher, or do ARe buy one from your publisher to give away? Every published book generated in electronic form would need to be accounted for. I’m not implying that isn’t happening, just curious as to how it works and who in the chain is actually bearing the cost of the free book. Same with the fifty copies given away free to the book club. I believe it’s important that we protect the value of e books and make sure each copy is treated as a book to the value of its cover price rather than a file you get at the click of a mouse.

By: Shiloh Walker

Shiloh Walker — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:02:12 +0000

I like the layout of ARe but I do wish they’d take paypal. Sorry, but I’m more comfortable with paypal regarding security than just entering my information at random wherever.

In regards to this…

More convenient for the consumer, I agree, but not as lucrative for the author. Authors get more royalty from purchases on the publisher website. It’s worth that extra bit of effort to buy where the author makes more money, I think. All Romance E books is owned by the ladies who own Linden Bay Romance.

I’d think the convenience to the customer should weigh in a little more here, Wayne. While I love to think people want to make sure I get every last little penny I can, frankly, money is tight and if people want to use a site like ARe where they can save some money with the loyalty program, I’m all for it.

ARe has a decent idea going with the points thing and saving money is something that’s going to appeal. But I hope they look into paypal. I’ve put off buying from them because of it.

By: Wayne Coribo

Wayne Coribo — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:23:52 +0000

More convenient for the consumer, I agree, but not as lucrative for the author. Authors get more royalty from purchases on the publisher website. It’s worth that extra bit of effort to buy where the author makes more money, I think. All Romance E books is owned by the ladies who own Linden Bay Romance.

By: TeddyPig

TeddyPig — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:30:50 +0000

“EC just needs to fix their interface.”

If you notice EC’s PayPal problem occurs on the payment confirmation cycle.

When you have completed paying for the item and are being sent back to the site for download.

This is a failure on EC’s part to pick-up on the confirmation.

By: TeddyPig

TeddyPig — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 03:06:22 +0000

You know, I just read what Amber Quill and Loose-Id have stated about Paypal.

I don’t know if I would put that on my site in all honesty without some type of statement directly from Paypal. But… that’s just me.

By: Teddy Pig

Teddy Pig — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:14:59 +0000

Emily,

Ebookad might not be the best example they seem to have had some legal problems.

I think the point is that a hand full of companies had issues when they first started cracking down and yes I have read those anti-PayPal Rumor Mongering sites also.

But… Seems to me there are a lot of valid eBook websites using Paypal successfully. Soooo.

By: Teddy Pig

Teddy Pig — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:43:39 +0000

Why are my comments getting dropped?

By: Teddy Pig

Teddy Pig — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:42:22 +0000

Samhain seems to have no problem with Paypal working for their site.

EC just needs to fix their interface.

By: Katherine Kingston

Katherine Kingston — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:40:41 +0000

Ellora’s Cave takes Paypal as an option of last resort, but they discourage people from using it. As I understand it, Paypal does not play nicely with other shopping cart systems and creates major headaches for the customer service department people who have to deal with the problems it creates.

By: Teddy Pig

Teddy Pig — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:40:13 +0000

Emily,

I do not think those sites really checked closely what the terms actually say.

Paypal does say about Digital Adult Media…

Digital Goods
PayPal prohibits transactions for all sexually oriented digital goods. Digital goods include downloaded pictures or videos, subscriptions to websites, or other content delivered through a digital medium.

But look right above that in Physical Goods…

PayPal may consider some or all of the following factors:

Literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

So seems to me that as long as you are also selling hard copy you fall into that what PayPal can “consider” deal.

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:56:06 +0000

Paypal was a large part of the closure ebookad. Look into it. Look at Amber Quill’s statements about paypal

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:54:42 +0000

Sorry I can seem to post comments, but in general if you want to know if this is a big deal ask Belhue Press and look into the effect paypal had on the closure of the distributor ebookad.com (i.e. the fatal blow)

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:50:53 +0000

http://www.erecsite.com/2007/04/money-morality-and-internet.html
Paypal has not accepted erotica since 2003, they will freeze accounts when the notice them (e.g. Belhue Press, ebookad)

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:49:53 +0000

http://www.erecsite.com/2007/04/money-morality-and-internet.html
Paypal has not accepted erotica since 2003, they are just slow and arbitrary in who they close down, but talk to ebookad, Belhue Press and any one of a score of erotic romance writers and artists many of whom lost not only their accounts but their money. Using paypal with erotic content including normal romance is gambling with your customers money.

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:48:02 +0000

Okay, working now. IMHO a big deal is having your account frozen for month and closed. After 2003 Paypal outlawed adult material, since them they have gone after Belhue Press, Ebookad and a score of individual erotic romance writers and artists. Those who continue just haven’t been caught yet.

http://www.erecsite.com/2007/04/money-morality-and-internet.html

Using paypal for erotica is gambling with your customers’ money.

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:38:38 +0000

Are comments moderated now, mine don’t seem to appear?

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:34:15 +0000

If you look into it you will also find other presses, distributors and writers who had their paypal accounts frozen, and often the accounts of their contributors and cusromers as well. It isn’t an excuse, it’s a matter of whether you are willing to take the risk of losing not only your money, but that if your writers and customers. It is easy to assume the company is just being lazy or stupid or that I am just making this up for some bizarre reason until you look at the damage Paypal did to Ebookad, Belhue Press, Whizbang etc and even the personal accounts of writers. I fully support companies like Amber Quill who choose not to gamble with everyone’s money by using paypal. Going bankrrupt because paypal freezes your account for month, that is a big deal.

Those who have yet to recieve this message have simply been lucky, so far–the sale of erotic material through paypal is not allowed (real email from paypal attached–I hope you never end up receiving one yourself, but don’t count on it)

————————

As you know, the PayPal User Agreement states that PayPal, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to close an account at any time for any reason. We are writing to inform you that, after a review of your site, and in accordance with PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy, your account has been closed.

PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy prohibits the sale of items for mature audiences. After a review of your site/account, you have either received payments via PayPal, or have PayPal referenced on your site. Due to the violation of the Acceptable Use Policy your account will be closed and the remaining balance will be sent to you by check. Please be sure that your account information is accurate, as we cannot be held responsible for checks issued to an incorrect address. We do ask that you please remove reference(s) to PayPal from your site.

If you feel that this decision was made in error and that you have not been accepting payments in the mature audience space, please contact us at paypal-compliance@paypal.com. This email is intended to be used only by merchants who feel this decision has been made in error, and not for accounts that are in violation. Accounts that have violated the mature audience policy will not be reinstated.

For a better understanding of our Acceptable Use Policy, please view:
http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/use/index_frame-outside&ed=mature

Sincerely,
PayPal Compliance

By: TeddyPig

TeddyPig — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:49:55 +0000

I think many people read the Mature Audiences Policy terms wrong…

Most websites sell both printed and eBook format which puts them into the Physical Goods clause above the Digital Goods category…

Notice where it reads…

PayPal may consider some or all of the following factors:

Literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.