Comments on: Stanza tips for bookstores and writers: How to SELL ePub books for the iPhone and iPod Touch

By: Marc

Marc — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:23:05 +0000

Regarding the backup issue, do note that all your books are backed up to your computer every time you sync your iPhone or iPod with iTunes. The backups are in an opaque format, but should you somehow lose the book or for other reasons need to restore your collection, you are able to restore the book from a backup.

Note also that books purchased for Stanza are in the standard ePub format. Most storefronts will allow you to download the book multiple times, meaning that you can take the same book and read it in Digital Editions or on the Sony Reader. There is no device lock-in taking place here.

By: Lori James

Lori James — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:09:22 +0000

David -

The more prominent ADD TO CART button has been added before the excerpt so that readers will see it more clearly.

Jane -

I’m going to offer to give you a call. I think I know what the issue is. I was experiencing the same thing when I was a new user.

Lori James
COO
All Romance eBooks

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:32:30 +0000

Jane, as noted in my latest Stanza-related post, I really hope you and Lexcycle and/or BooksOnBoard can solve the mystery. At the very least, the documentation may need to be improved. Or perhaps there’s a Stanza or iPhone glitch. We also need to see about the backup issue. Here’s to hands-on stuff of the kind you’re doing! If you’re having trouble, others may. You’re way above average in tech savvy.

Question: You’re using the latest Stanza, aren’t you? I wonder if that could make a difference.

Thanks,
David

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:29:08 +0000

I can’t seem to get this to work (but then I can’t get the BooksonBoard thing to work either so my iPhone tech skills may be called into question). Whenever I tap on the area with the link, it brings up menu screen for the Stanza. I am glad that it works for other people.

@Mike – I have already been changing my buying habits from MS Lit to eReader because I really love the notes feature on the eReader program. There are some quirks with Stanza GUI that I don’t love. (Although the cover flow book art is awesome).

By: Kendra - iPod Touch user

Kendra - iPod Touch user — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:44:27 +0000

Here is a link with a more detailed explanation of how it works and another satisfied customer.

http://www.teddypig.com/2008/11/all-romance-ebooks-on-stanza-ebook-buyers-update/

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:43:12 +0000

Nice going, Lori. A more prominent buy link would help a lot; I could very well have made the same mistake that Jane apparently did. Keep us updated as your system evolves. The gold standard, of course, would be “Kindle-simple” so people didn’t even have to worry about the B word (browser).

Thanks,
David

By: Kendra - iPod Touch user

Kendra - iPod Touch user — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:31:23 +0000

I have Stanza, and eReader. I have been using Stanza to convert my books so I can read them on eReader.

Now I don’t have too. I can purchase and read from ONE Application with ARe and Stanza. It was quick and easy. I was able to use paypal, (easier for me than a credit card).

For DRM (digital rights managed) I will still have to use eReader, but for everything else I can use Stanza and I don’t have to touch my computer at all. Ya!!!

By: Lori James

Lori James — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:29:01 +0000

David -

I just saw your suggestion about making the buy link more prominent. I added that one to the enhancement list last night after reading Jane’s initial comment. We’re hoping to have that feature in place very soon.

Lori James
COO
All Romance eBooks

By: Lori James

Lori James — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:12:45 +0000

Ficbot,

You can do the same thing with the Stanza/ARe interface.

With Stanza you can download directly onto your iPhone and also log into your ARe (All Romance eBooks) account while on your computer to make back-up copies. The books in our custom Stanza catalog are non-DRM, and the Stanza application will allow you to make back-up copies in a many different formats, including the eReader format. You don’t have to buy just on the Stanza device. You can buy LIT, PDF, HTM, PRC, and other formats from any place and read them with Stanza Desktop (MAC or PC) or Stanza for the iphone. I’d encourage you to play with the application some more, especially if you have an iPhone or iPod touch.

Lori James
COO
All Romance eBooks

By: ficbot

ficbot — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:10:48 +0000

I would not purchase anything from Stanza, but that;s because I prefer to always have a backup copy on my computer, and there is no easy way (perhaps this is the iPod’s fault, not Stanza’s) to transfer files back and forth. I really like the Fictionwise/eReader pairing because I can download right from the iPhone, but also log into the same account while on my computer and download backup copies. And if it is a non-DRM multi-format book, I can download backup copies in other formats too, for example to read on the eBookwise. Much more flexible for me than something where you buy only on the device, like the Kindle or Stanza.

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:49:43 +0000

Lori, many thanks for your note, to which I’ve linked from the original post. I hope some good comes out of this. As noted, you might want to tweak the interface so the “buy” is harder to overlook.

David

By: Eliza

Eliza — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:45:09 +0000

I sat down on Sunday with the iTouch to test this new Stanza/ARe feature, I followed the directions that ARe mailed to their customers and I was able to purchase without closing Stanza by following the link at the end of the excerpt. I purchased a book and it opened automatically in stanza no problem.

I have to say so far I am very pleased with the Stanza application.

By: Lori James

Lori James — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:00:35 +0000

Jane and David -

You can purchase directly from Stanza. When you get to the end of the excerpt, there is a link to purchase the full link. You just touch the link. You don’t have to close out Stanza. Safari will open. Stanza doesn’t have a shopping cart. You pay ARe for the purchase. A link displays at the end of the pay sequence. Click the ePub link and the book opens automatically in Stanza. It’s a pretty seamless process. I found this blog earlier today where screen shots were posted. We are looking for feedback from early adopters and we do intend to keep refining the process. So please – do try it out and do send suggestions. With continued input from the users I know we can make this work better and better as time goes on.

http://www.teddypig.com/2008/11/all-romance-ebooks-on-stanza-ebook-buyers-update/

Lori James
COO
All Romance eBooks

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:47:49 +0000

Stanza seems to work great in terms of free downloads. My opinion is that for starting a real ecosystem around the ebook, one has to generate some cash. So what will be the ebook sales if the user has to pay for the content?

In fact there is another pretty good reading software on the iPhone which proposes contempoerary titles you have to pay for: Fictionwise eReader. Thus the question becomes, what are the Fictionwise figures for the iPhone?

By: Bill McHale

Bill McHale — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:08:59 +0000

Personally, I am really pulling for Stanza; not because I think it is the best eReader application for the iPhone (I think it lacks some key features.. since it doesn’t support images or style sheets in the iphone itself), but because it does not support DRM.

Ultimately, even if only 1 in 5 who download stanza actually get hooked on ebooks, that makes a very large market for e-books, perhaps too large to ignore. The more readers out there that use DRM free reading platforms, the more likely it is that publishers will realize that they are ignoring a potentially huge market.