September 6, 2022
Welcome, BFFs, to Christmas in September (It’s totally a thing. July doesn’t get to be the only non-Christmas Christmas season)!
This is the beginning of something new. Something we’ve never done before. That’s why you’re here, right? You saw our teaser last week about “big things to come” and now you’re here, waiting with breath that is bated to be shocked and awed. Exhale… come on, BookFunnel. We got this… here we go!
We’ve been building out our technology stack over the last few years, adding new and powerful tools that you probably don’t know about. How could you? We don’t talk about it. Talking is hard, let’s keep building!
We just keep working, keep learning, and keep trying to make it easier for readers to enjoy your books. But… not talking means authors not utilizing and not benefitting from all of this work we’ve done. So we’re done with not talking. Starting now, you won’t be able to shut us up! Please don’t unsubscribe.
What have we been up to?
Did you know that we built a browser-based ebook reader? That’s not the announcement today, but we did that! And, it’s awesome. Thousands of people read in our cloud reader every single day, not to mention the folks that read in our app. That’s another post, though.
Point is, we have some cool tech under the hood.
The technology we’ve built up over the last few years allows us to do things that no one else in the indie publishing industry can do. Sounds exciting, right? Sounds click-baity, right? Admittedly, yes, it is.
Okay, no more waiting. Let’s talk about new things!
Announcing Ebook Samples
Starting today, on every ebook you’ve uploaded to BookFunnel, you can enable a sample of that ebook. You just click a box to turn it on, choose the chapters you want to include, and boom, sample!
BookFunnel will instantly add your new sample to all of your signup and sales pages, across the board. Anyone who hits your signup page or a sales page can sample a quick bit of your book before signing up or clicking through to buy. Let your words reel them in if your book cover (and themed landing page) didn’t quite close the deal.
Better Look Inside
You know how Amazon has their Look Inside right on the sales page? That’s so readers can take a peek at your book and see if it’s right for them. Poke around a bit before committing. Readers love that stuff.
Well, this is like that. Except way better because we actually built a reading experience, rather than a web page with text slapped on it and a scroll bar. Our cloud reader renders your books just like an e-reader should. Readers can enjoy your beautiful book exactly as it was intended.
You Design Your Sample
Best of all? Unlike every bookstore in the world out there, YOU get to decide what your sample contains.
We’re not in the habit of telling our authors what to do with their books. You pick exactly which chapters and sections to include in your sample.
Our recommendation? Skip all the frontmatter. You can even skip the cover, since they just saw it on your landing page. Jump right into Chapter 1 or your Prologue. Don’t make readers tap through the extra bits to get a sample of your wonderful words.
But, it’s entirely up to you! That’s the point. You decide what your readers see.
Want your sample to open on your cover, big and beautiful on display? Go for it. Want a special note from the author just in your sample? You can do that too…
Talk Directly to Readers
So, you can build a sample with just a few mouse clicks. Awesome.
It shows up on your sales and signup pages without you lifting a finger. Excellent.
It abruptly ends after Chapter 3 and a reader is left staring at a blank page? Wait, WHAT? No!
By default, your sample will end with a short and sweet call to action so that readers can return to the BookFunnel sales page (to buy the book) or to your signup page (to join your list and get the book). You can see the default settings on the sample linked on this sales page and this signup page.
Again, this all happens aut-o-mat-tic-ally, just by building the sample on your dashboard.
If customization is your thing, change it up! This is BookFunnel, of course you can personalize it! Tweak the text, experiment with different link text on every page, fine-tune the experience to maximize conversions and reader satisfaction. You can do that because you’re in charge.
Oh, and that Call to Action at the end of your sample? Yeah, you can customize that, too. Add a note to thank the reader for opening your sample before bopping them over to Amazon to buy the book. Even better, offer them the rest of the book along with the next two in the series if they buy directly from your store!
Let readers sample your work exactly as you want them to. It’s all you.
Available Now
Ebook samples are available right now, for all BookFunnel authors. Try it out! If you can check a box, you can make a sample today. Learn how to build your book sample.
Until tomorrow, authors, when we have even more to show you.
