Recently we talked about the best methods for selling on Amazon, Etsy and your own website. Today we wanted to talk to you about another retail option that deserves your attention -- the Vervante Bookstore.
The Bookstore is an online storefront solution we offer exclusively to Vervante customers. It allows you to direct customers from your website or social media to your own product page in the Bookstore. We will process the credit card transactions and manage fulfillment and distribution.
This is a valuable option if you just don't want to deal with credit card processing and a merchant bank. All you need is a simple landing page and we take care of the rest.
Here are a few highlights of the advantages and rewards the Vervante Bookstore provides:
Online Storefront: Vervante authors can have product pages created for all their products
Author Bio Page: Similar to Amazon’s author bio pages, connect with your customers by sharing your story.
Always In Stock: If you are using our print-on-demand (POD) services, your book or printed product is guaranteed to always be in stock.
Peek Inside: Just like Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature, customers can see a sample of your book’s interior.
Easy Sales Solution: You don’t need to set up complicated shopping carts or sales pages, we handle that for you.
Database Growth: You have full access to your customer’s data.
Higher Profits: You set the retail price for your product and pay us a 10% transaction fee. The buyer selects and pays for the shipping and postage. These are some of the best royalty numbers in the industry!
Full Access: You can login to your Bookstore account at any time to view activity, including customer data and email address.
Book Launch / Pre-Order Support: Planning for a big holiday launch? Debuting a new daily planner for the New Year? You can use the Bookstore for pre-orders. Shipping estimates can be changed to show pre-order status and expected ship dates.
How to set up your sales pages in the Vervante Bookstore
Log in to your Vervante author account on our website, then navigate to the Vervante Bookstore page under the Services Menu. On that page you will see information about pricing and sales, a calculator to help determine royalties, and directions for submitting books or products to be listed in the Bookstore.
Once your listing is ready, each product will have a unique URL that you can use to direct online traffic to the sales page. If you would like to revise the product descriptions or your author page, please send requests with the final, approved content to [email protected].
If you like the idea of simplified credit card processing, the Vervante Bookstore provides an easy, effective and streamlined way to connect with your customers and get your books and products where they need to be. For questions or help with using the online Vervante Bookstore, email us at [email protected] or set up a call using our online scheduler.
The news lately has been filled with stories of teachers, parents, and even children creating products specifically to help others during the pandemic.
There was the Washington Post story about 4 teens who created a coloring book to educate kids about the basics of a disease some adults continue to have a hard time understanding. And a 12-year-old girl in Australia who designed a deck of 54 cards filled with ideas for how kids can spend their time during quarantine.
We love this! It can be so easy to feel discouraged or helpless with the state of the world today. But what these innovative kids are doing is inspirational - they are using the power of publishing to create products that can make a positive difference.
If you’re inspired to create something that will uplift and improve the lives of other people during these uncertain times just like these kids did, but need some help brainstorming, here are a few ideas:
Family & Homeschooling
Schoolchildren across the country are learning remotely, which means parents need some help with keeping kids focused and motivated.
CARD DECKS can be used to create flash cards, writing prompts, memory games, puzzles, and even fun challenges.
PLANNERS: Create planners for kids that make learning fun. Or planners for parents to help them stay organized.
JOURNALS, NOTEBOOKS & COLORING BOOKS are also great for writing projects, keeping track of schoolwork, drawing and other art projects, artistic expression, play time or quiet time activities, and more.
Health & Wellness
Create CARD DECKS filled with daily affirmations, positive messages, wellness tips, meditations, challenges, and any content that supports positivity and wellness
BOOKS, JOURNALS & PLANNERS: if you already have products or programs about health and wellness, you can reuse that content to create journals, daily planners or books filled with ideas and actions that promote health and support wellness.
Fitness & Nutrition
CALENDARS are easy to create and can be filled with nutrition and fitness information. Create a 365-day tear-off calendar with daily tips, actions and support. Wall calendars can be filled with motivational content and images.
BOOKS, JOURNALS & DAILY PLANNERS can be filled with recipes, shopping tips, goal-setting strategies, fitness challenges, etc.
CARD DECKS are perfect for fitness and nutrition. You can share daily exercises, recipes, menu plans, bootcamp routines, yoga poses, challenges, etc.
Business & Finance
Financial planning, budgeting and knowing how to manage money has never been more important. You can help people by educating and guiding them in managing their personal and business finances with PLANNERS, BOOKS, WORKBOOKS and similar products.
Working from home? Who isn't?! Running a business from a home office means there are many people out there who can benefit from your knowledge - CARD DECKS, PLANNERS, WORKBOOKS, BOOKS and other products can make a big difference.
Hobbies & Personal Growth
Gardening, Art, Crafting, Writing: These are all hobbies that help people to feel productive and give them a sense of accomplishment. Help people learn or perfect new hobbies that you are an expert in by sharing your knowledge through BOOKS, CARD DECKS, and WORKBOOKS. Or create audio or video content and share it through CDs, DVDs, and USB drives.
Everything we mention here can be created, fulfilled and shared with your audience through Vervante. If any of these sparked an idea for you, we’re here to help you make your difference in the world. Check out our full-color catalog to see all the wonderful products we can help you create. And email us at [email protected] for free quotes, questions or any help you need.
If you’re getting ready to launch a new book or product, setting up your shopping cart and shipping methods correctly are an essential part of the process. We’ve gathered up some tips here to help you make sure you – and your customer – get the best results.
Q: How do I know which shipping method to use?
A: We automatically ship all books and products using the least expensive shipping method based on the weight and zip/postal code used. However, you can always select a different shipping method that best fits your needs.
NOTE: We do not default automatically to Media Mail even if this is the least expensive option. If you’d like your orders shipped via Media Mail you need to select this as your default. (For more details about Media Mail, and why we don’t use this as our default, please refer to “The Pros and Cons of Using Media Mail” on our blog.
To designate a default shipping method for any of your products, click on the link for “Select Specific Shipping Methods” under the My Profile section on your Author Dashboard. There you will see a list of your products and a place to designate what shipping method you would like to use. If you make any changes, be sure to click on the "Update" button at the bottom of the page.
Q: How do I calculate shipping costs?
A: We provide a postage calculator to help determine shipping costs. From your author dashboard click on the “Calculate Postage” link under the Support section. Your items and their weights are listed there for easy referral. All you need to do is use the official USPS calculator on that page to determine shipping costs.
Q: How do I know what my product weighs?
A: When we first set up a new item, we estimate the weight. That’s the number you’ll see in the “Est Ship Weight” column on the shipping methods page we referenced in the previous question. Once the item is in production, the final shipping weight can be viewed on the “Calculate Postage” page found on your Author Dashboard.
Q: How do I make sure I’m using the best shipping method?
A: Using the shipping calculator to find the best rates is usually the best way to do. However, for some of our customers who ship internationally, it’s good to review your accounts from time to time to verify the costs.
Q: Do I need to worry about shipping delays due to the COVID pandemic?
A: It's always a good idea to factor extended shipping times into your launch plans – especially this year with the disruption the pandemic is causing. Many shipping companies are struggling to maintain normal schedules during these uncertain times, so it’s a good idea to factor in the possibility of extended shipping times for product launches.
Q: How much time will it take for my products to print then ship when they are ordered?
A: Different products take different amounts of time for printing and production. Here are some examples of standard lead times for a variety of products we produce – and why it’s important to factor lead times into your holiday sales plans:
Paperback books: 5 days
Softcover spiral bound or saddle-stitched books: 5 days
Card decks: 5-10 days
Custom printed tuck boxes for card decks: 10-12 days
Hardcover books, planners, journals: 4-6 weeks
Custom printed corrugated boxes for VIP, membership and mailing: 10-15 days
For example, if you're thinking of a Black Friday launch for a hardcover planner, you would need to begin printing October 19 in order to ship orders on November 30.
Q: Does Vervante charge “handling” fees?
A: For print on demand products, we do not charge handling fees. Here’s how we calculate charges: “Cost of printing book + Cost of shipping/postage = what we charge.” There are no other hidden costs. For products printed or produced in bulk, there is an order fee plus a pick fee to pull the item from inventory, plus postage. Order and pick fees only apply to individual drop ship orders pulled from inventory and shipped on demand.
Q: Can packing slips be customized?
A: Every package we send includes a packing slip inside and you have the option of customizing it however you’d like. Think of this as valuable real estate perfect for sharing information like:
A greeting or message that makes a personal connection
Your logo for brand awareness
Return policies that eliminate confusion about timeframes or refunds
Business address and contact information
Special holiday messages
To add personalized content for your packing slip, click on “Customize My Packing Slip” on your Author Dashboard. (If you’d like more information about using packing slips, handling returns, and suggested content you can adapt and use for your packing slip, click HERE to read more on our blog.)
Recently we talked about the best methods for selling on Amazon, Etsy and your own website. Today we wanted to talk to you about another retail option that deserves your attention -- the Vervante Bookstore.
The news lately has been filled with stories of teachers, parents, and even children creating products specifically to help others during the pandemic.
If you’re getting ready to launch a new book or product, setting up your shopping cart and shipping methods correctly are an essential part of the process. We’ve gathered up some tips here to help you make sure you – and your customer – get the best results.