Self-Published authors often flock to Facebook and Twitter to promote their books and try and get a few sales. A few months ago Amazon and Twitter came together to form an ecommerce solution called Amazon Cart. This allowed indie authors to post links to their Kindle Books and all a reader had to do was use a special hashtag to automatically add the title to their shopping basket. Facebook is trialing a new program that will allow Pages and newsfeeds to be able to sell books and eBooks directly to readers
The new Facebook Buy it Now button will be compatible with desktop or mobile and will allow people to click on ads and Page posts to purchase a product directly from a business, without leaving Facebook. Once you click the button, which is currently being tested with select small business partners in the US, a pop-up will prompt you to confirm payment and shipping info.
Not only is this program relevant for indie authors, but also established ones too. Most authors often use Facebook and Twitter exclusively, and have built up loyal and engaged fans. Instead of directing a user to Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Smashwords or a myriad of other sites to fulfill the orders, authors could basically just sell books directly.
There is no word on when this will roll out on a more broader scale. After the series of beta tests, Facebook will evaluate whether the project will be available to the public.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.