3 ms·

I wrote and self-publish a book named Mastering Modern Payments[1], with a fairly recent second edition. It's making about $2k/mo. I am also selling paid suppo

by zrail 12y ago

I wrote and self-publish a book named Mastering Modern Payments[1], with a fairly recent second edition. It's making about $2k/mo. I am also selling paid support and add ons for my open-source Rails engine for Stripe named Payola[2][3], which very recently gained support for subscriptions[4]. [1]: https://www.masteringmodernpayments.com https://www.masteringmodernpayments.com [2]: https://www.payola.io https://www.payola.io [3]: https://www.payola.io/pro https://www.payola.io/pro [4]: https://www.petekeen.net/payola-subscriptions https://www.petekeen.net/payola-subscriptions Edit: You can read a free preview here: https://www.masteringmodernpayments.com/read https://www.masteringmodernpayments.com/read

ivan_ah 12y ago
> https://www.masteringmodernpayments.com https://www.masteringmodernpayments.com > Very cool. if you're helping people earn money, they will pay :) Is the high-end team options selling? Also what it the split between the mid-price and the lowest price? I'm trying to figure out the pricing for my book[1] so it (a) is dont-need-to-think-about-it-cheap, (b) doesn't devalue the book (if too cheap readers won't trust), and (c) interacts nicely with Amazon who are undercutting me on price. Any tips? [1] http://minireference.com/static/newsite/ http://minireference.com/static/newsite/ cf. http://minireference.com http://minireference.com
- zrail 12y ago
  The team option sells occasionally, mostly to agencies. Low and mid tiers have sold approximately the same number of copies, which means the mid tier brings in about double the revenue. Not sure what to tell you about Amazon. I don't sell there because I like taking 97% of my revenue instead of 30%, but for a math textbook maybe it would make sense. Do you market to math tutors? It seems like if you could get tutors on board they would be able to easily sell to their students.
  - ivan_ah 12y ago
    I've been in contact with some tutors (and tutoring agencies), but the book is kind of competition to them. For $29 students get a lot of content, and will need less tutoring. I'm thinking a good partner would be university departments who offer tutoring for free---the incentives would be there since they'll need to hire less tutors.
raphar 12y ago
@zrail and just for anyone out there who wants a product idea. I really would pay for a book on the same subject but for ppl outside US and the first world. To setup and collect payments world wide outside those countries is a pain in the ass. Any book on that (or good services) deserve money & success.
- zrail 12y ago
  One option is Boku[1]. Several companies I know use it to great success for non-credit-card, non-paypal payments. [1]: http://www.boku.com http://www.boku.com
  - vram22 12y ago
    How does one use it, though? Doesn't seem to have any signup page, unless I missed something (checked just now). Or is it only by invitation or something?
    - zrail 12y ago
      I think you have to talk to a sales rep.
  - vram22 12y ago
    Can't reply to you below (no reply link), so saying thanks here (about the sales rep bit).
- vram22 12y ago
  @raphar: Great idea. Me too. I've been checking various online payment options for a while now, but all of them seem to have some issue or the other. I don't mean Stripe, since that is only available in the US and a few other countries, and I'm not in those.

by zrail 12y ago

ivan_ah 12y ago

> https://www.masteringmodernpayments.com https://www.masteringmodernpayments.com > Very cool. if you're helping people earn money, they will pay :) Is the high-end team options selling? Also what it the split between the mid-price and the lowest price? I'm trying to figure out the pricing for my book[1] so it (a) is dont-need-to-think-about-it-cheap, (b) doesn't devalue the book (if too cheap readers won't trust), and (c) interacts nicely with Amazon who are undercutting me on price. Any tips? [1] http://minireference.com/static/newsite/ http://minireference.com/static/newsite/ cf. http://minireference.com http://minireference.com

zrail 12y ago
The team option sells occasionally, mostly to agencies. Low and mid tiers have sold approximately the same number of copies, which means the mid tier brings in about double the revenue. Not sure what to tell you about Amazon. I don't sell there because I like taking 97% of my revenue instead of 30%, but for a math textbook maybe it would make sense. Do you market to math tutors? It seems like if you could get tutors on board they would be able to easily sell to their students.
- ivan_ah 12y ago
  I've been in contact with some tutors (and tutoring agencies), but the book is kind of competition to them. For $29 students get a lot of content, and will need less tutoring. I'm thinking a good partner would be university departments who offer tutoring for free---the incentives would be there since they'll need to hire less tutors.

raphar 12y ago

@zrail and just for anyone out there who wants a product idea. I really would pay for a book on the same subject but for ppl outside US and the first world. To setup and collect payments world wide outside those countries is a pain in the ass. Any book on that (or good services) deserve money & success.

zrail 12y ago
One option is Boku[1]. Several companies I know use it to great success for non-credit-card, non-paypal payments. [1]: http://www.boku.com http://www.boku.com
- vram22 12y ago
  How does one use it, though? Doesn't seem to have any signup page, unless I missed something (checked just now). Or is it only by invitation or something?
  - zrail 12y ago
    I think you have to talk to a sales rep.
- vram22 12y ago
  Can't reply to you below (no reply link), so saying thanks here (about the sales rep bit).
vram22 12y ago
@raphar: Great idea. Me too. I've been checking various online payment options for a while now, but all of them seem to have some issue or the other. I don't mean Stripe, since that is only available in the US and a few other countries, and I'm not in those.