Online book sales ?

[MonteJon]

Hi all,
I'm currently writing a book with the intention of having it available in chapters for download via pdf files.
I'm planning on also having a forum to complement the book and this will be the base that people can download it from.
I'm thinking that any interested readers will be able to buy either the whole book or else just the chapters that appeal to them. Buying either a chapter or the book will give free exclusive access to the forum and will enable the reader to obtain help or advice 24/7.

So, what I need to know is if anyone has done this, or provided a similar service how do they do it, do I need to have a special payment option like 'PayPal' etc ?
How do I keep my forum and downloads secure ?
I'm sure I've missed many details and would appreciate any feedback or advice !

Kind regards,
Jon

[Rock]

Hi Jon,

Glad that you're writing a book [I hope it's regarding CowCare?]

You can use CutePDF to convert .DOC files to .PDF [it's free & I use it myself & find quite good].

I'd suggest you to install an OSCommerce shopping cart on your domain & have a link setup on your forums to link it. OSCommerce is built up to integrate & provide secure transactions through PayPal, etc payment processors.

Password protecting certain areas on the forums/cart [through cPanel's password protect directory option] would be an added advantage to keep the downloads secure.

Please let us know if you have any further doubts with any of the above mentioned points..

Good luck with the book BTW..

[MonteJon]

Hi Rock,
Me, write about cows, perish the thought . . .

Many thanks for your reply and very helpful suggestions which I really appreciate !

I currently use Foxit but will certainly look into Cute and see how they compare.
Ditto with the OSCommerce !

Now, I was thinking of incorporating it into my 'CowCare' account but on second thoughts it will save a lot of confusion if I open a new account/domain just for this purpose.

So . . . Could I use a Bronze/Copper CP account or would I need something more specialised ? Would either of the above accounts provide the space required ?
I sort of have a rough idea now of what sort of size an average forum takes up but I anticipate this being a best-seller [and another good fairy-tale is Snow-White . . .].

What are the financial implications, I appreciate that I will have to pay the various taxes required by UK law but do eUKHosts have any such costs etc, apart from of course the account fees ?

Thanks again for all your help !
Jon

[Ryan]

Hi Jon,

You can indeed start off with Copper or Bronze cPanel hosting account. You always have the option to upgrade your plan in case you need more resources in future.

As far as the costs are concerned, you will only need to pay the applicable account fees and domain registration/transfer fees (if any). The prices are inclusive of VAT so you won't need to pay anything besides these costs.