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Originally Posted by mintotsai
Thanks for the question, DarkScribe. The vision is an app that focuses on ease of use. What I mean by this is that you don't have to cobble together different technologies (ie. web design, blogging, payment processing, email marketing, analytics, etc) but have one cohesive, integrated solution that's easy to use.
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There's a reason small ebook companies, including single-author companies, have to deal with web design, payment processing, marketing, and so on... those are all different areas, and there isn't any single system that will suit every author.
"Ease of use" means "you don't have to spend lots of time making choices and adjusting settings"... which also means the choices have already been made, and the settings aren't adaptable. While this is potentially a useful approach, you'll need to be able to articulate which settings you've selected as "most useful to most people."
Does it integrate with a Drupal site? With a Wordpress one? Is it a stand-alone-only app? Does it work in iOS and Android?
How does the payment processing work--does it allow for any legal content, or does it restrict what kinds of ebooks can be sold? Does it work internationally? (If you have found a payment processing system that allows any legal content *and* works internationally, I'd love to hear about it; I know several small publishers who've been looking for one of those.)
What third-party terms of service will be relevant?
What kinds of ebooks will it allow--PDF, mobi, epub, html, stand-alone-apps, audiobook? Will users be able to download any of them by dropdown menu, or will all options have to be zipped into a single file and then unpacked by the receiver?
Will it provide instructions for sideloading onto several types of ereaders, or will the author/site manager have to do that?
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The reality of the day is that we now live in an era of great opportunity, which also means more competition and the greatest differentiation in this new landscape is you and your brand. It's the "choose yourself" era and you're a one man media company. I want to help you with that so you can focus on what you love, writing.
I think there's value in that.
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How does this app help authors develop their own unique brand?
Yes, customized approaches to marketing are important. I'm not sure what you're offering that Smashwords and Amazon don't. You mention a better royalty rate, but haven't said specifically what authors get from your app.
If the barrage of questions is too much--and I admit, I'm mostly just rattling off ideas rather than going into serious concerns--start with one: What payment processor will this system be using? Will it be any of the
ones mentioned at BannedWriters?