Can I offer e-books that are hosted on a third party site?
What happens if you want to sell e-books that are hosted outside of Booksies.net? It’s OK to host your e-books through a third party site in the following cases:
- If the file is large (for example; bundles)
- If the resource consists of streaming content
- If the e-books come with a video
To list your resource as a Booksies.net product, the e-book should have restricted access and not be composed of content that is available for free or a lower price somewhere else. We also request that you don’t include links to points of sale on other commercial sites.
Important note: If you choose to host your e-books elsewhere, you should explain in the product description that the resource is stored on another system, so Booksies.net members will know what to expect.
Choosing a hosting provider:
If you decide to provide a Booksies.net resource by third party delivery, it is especially important to remember that Booksies need to be able to access their purchased e-books at any time, and retain access to these e-books even if a Seller removes e-books from active listing. This means that you’ll need to choose a third-party file hosting provider that will remain stable over the long term (i.e. no expiring download links), or keep your access instructions up-to-date if you move the e-books to another system. The most commonly used third-party providers are Dropbox and Google Drive.
Make sure your file has clear and easy to find instructions for accessing your e-books on the third-party system. Your file should include an active link to the third-party site or instructions that can be easily followed by the Buyer. Remember, Booksies are able to download their purchased e-books at any time to any location, even if the e-books is no longer for sale. You can include your Booksies.net store and credits/copyright information in the file as well.
File formats:
You can use any of our accepted formats, as long as the access instructions are kept current and easy to follow.
Streaming:
As long as you keep your audio/video streams private and up-to-date, you can use YouTube or other streaming audio/video sites for your third-party downloads. Keep in mind that Booksies should not be required to pay to access audio/video that is broken or publicly available.
Still have questions? Contact us on the Contact Page, or send us an email at shine@booksies.net