Now, if you tuned into my last blog, you'll know I decided to make some rather big changes of late.
In a nutshell, I decided to write a bit less in order to focus on designing digital and physical products for BOOK LOVERS (yep, that's you!).
My new direction has involved A LOT of research, learning new ropes, and readjusting course as necessary.
So the plan I'd envisaged when I wrote my last newsletter at the start of October has inevitably changed just a wee bit - and my priorities have been rearranged along with it.
My original plan was this...
Release my book Wolf at the Door before Christmas and start on a sequel
Launch a Payhip store to sell my ebooks & other digital products (e.g. desktop wallpaper & colouring pages)
Next, venture into selling my designs on physical products (mugs, notebooks, bags, etc.).
Two things came along to change my priorities...
Feedback on my Wolf at the Door manuscript came back from my early readers later than expected
In the meantime, I discovered a much easier way to get started selling physical print-on-demand products - i.e. by setting up a store direct on a 'marketplace store'.
In any case, this last point was a game-changer, and with the delay in getting my manuscript feedback, I decided to switch gears. Hence...
My updated plan...
Firstly, I've put aside my Wolf at the Door book until next year. I know some of you may be disappointed, but this may actually well work out much better in some ways. Why? Because I have a sequel planned for Wolf at the Door, so I'm thinking that if I work on that into the new year, I could launch the two books closer together - which means you won't have to wait so long to read the continuing tales!
Secondly, I'm deferring the launch of my Payhip website until the new year. The aim of this site is to sell digital products (ebooks and other downloadables), and the site is almost ready. BUT, I didn't want its launch to overshadow the announcement of the other project I've been working on, coming up next...
So thirdly, we come to my biggie news - the project I referred to at the start... Originally, I had it in mind to build a retail website on Launchcart to sell my designs on physical products. But doing more research while I was waiting for my aforementioned manuscript feedback, I realised I could get started a lot more quickly and easily if I built a store directly on a print-on-demands sales platform. So that's what I did.
In light of the above, I'm delighted to announce that I've now built a store on a retail platform called Zazzle and my designs are now uploaded for sale.
YAY!
Zazzle's a little pricier than some, but from my research, they looked to have good quality. On top of this, they regularly run discounted offers and a lot of their products are customizable.
If I'd stuck to my original plans for setting up a store for print-on-demand products, I would never have something up and running in time for Christmas, let alone Black Friday. And to see how much I've achieved in the last few weeks is quite unexpected. Anyway, here it is...
~ The home of nifty delights for book lovers ~
Now open for business!
It's a humble store right now, and I'm sticking with the basics of selling mugs, tote bags, books (notebooks, planners, and recipe books) as well as accessories such as keychains, stickers, and gift wrap - all with book lovers in mind, of course!
T-shirts, along with more designs, will be rolled out over time, but if you're keen to check out what's on offer right now, take a look at some of the lines below...
Want to see the products in store?
Here are the links...
Your country not listed?
Simply click on any link above then tweak the domain address in your browser to reflect your country. For example, if you live in Brazil and click Zazzle US, change the zazzle.com bit to zazzle.com.br
💜 💙 💚 💛 ❤️
LOOK OUT
for Black Friday sales notices in store for fantastic discounts!
❤️ 💛 💚 💙 💜
KINDLY NOTE
(especially in the run-up to Christmas)
Please be aware that I'm only the designer of the products I sell on Zazzle. I've done my best to pick a platform where the quality looks good, but at the end of the day, a lot is out of my hands. Such as shipping and the making of the products. I don't deal with that.
The following should be standard practice when buying ANYTHING online, but I'll say it anyway...
Check product descriptions carefully and read reviews to ensure you're happy before placing an order.
If you're looking to receive a product by a certain date, order as early as possible in hopes of avoiding disappointment. Delivery dates usually work out, but occasionally any system drops the ball.
Remember to read the small print and check you're happy with the returns policy.
Most of all, be kind and patient. This is a busy time of year, and behind the scenes, people are working eyeballs out to get products to you over the holidays. In fact, some of you reading this may well be those people. So if you are, thanks for all your hard work at this time of year.
Want to give me your feedback?
This is my first ever online store, so while it's exciting, it's also a bit nerve-wracking...
I've done my best to find a retailer with good quality products where book lovers like yourselves would be happy to shop, but if you'd like to tell me what you think, feel free to hit REPLY and do so.
Do you like the designs?
Do you want to see them on other products?
Suggestions for improvements?
Any feedback welcome.
Feel free to message me via the CONTACT page on my website here.
All the best.
Alannah
