I’m supposed to be setting up a Facebook ad for my new release but I ended up going down a bit of a rabbit hole with a site called aer.io.
Basically it’s a site associated with Ingram that lets you create a storefront to sell any print books that Ingram distributes.
You can create collections and offer your own discounts off of the list price. It’s a little clunky still (see the Stephen King book cover in the attached link which is not in English but fine when you click on the link) but definitely intriguing.
If you want to see one of my experiments, here’s what I did for a list of the books on my best writing advice books shelf. There were only two on that shelf I couldn’t find in their catalog:
https://shop.aer.io/WritingBooks
And here’s the link to the non-fiction store I’ve been working on for my books:
https://shop.aer.io/MLHumphrey
There are things I don’t love about it like the overlay on collection names. And it seems to like to overwrite the description for the page that you give when you go in to edit, but other than that…pretty cool.
Looks like anyone can set one up and you’re basically a little online bookstore.
What they don’t make utterly clear before you sign up is that you need a billing address in the US or Canada to sell books.
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Oh shoot. That sucks. I wonder if that also restricts where they’ll ship to as well…Probably. Grrr.
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From their FAQ:
Q: Does Aerio distribute internationally?
A: Currently, Aerio allows you to sell to residents in the US and Canada (both print and ebook).
…
Q: What happens if a consumer outside of the US/Canada attempts to purchase from my store?
A: If someone’s location is outside of the US/Canada, the “Add to Cart” button will not be visible:
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But wait. I heard about it from an Australian author so I’m wondering if having a Transferwise account makes it accessible if you’re outside those territories? Because she didn’t mention having an issue signing up for it.
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From their FAQ:
Q: Can I use Aerio if I’m outside of the US?
A: Yes, with an Aerio subscription, you can generate previews for your titles that help you collect consumer email addresses, and you can also direct consumers to other retailers for sales (see on The Great Gatsby image below). To be compensated for sells through Aerio, you must have a US bank account, US business address and an SSN or US EIN/Tax ID.
So, it can work as a landing page to list retailers, but if you want to sell direct you need a US address and account. Which, as I understand it, would make you a business that operates in the US for IRS purposes, making it an immense irritation.
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Teaches me not to read the fine print. Darn.
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