Blurb Forums

Why is it so difficult for my customers to place an order?

I just announced my book a few days ago and people are contacting me because they don’t understand how to place an order!  This is a big problem.

The site is designed under the assumption that everyone who visits is "A Blurbarian" , that is, an author. But many (most?) visitors just want to buy a book.

Even the use of the word "Blurbarian" on the Registration page is confusing.  They don’t want to join a club or a religious cult, just buy a book.

The "customer" should not be presented with the same screen as the author.  Each needs different information. The customer needs to have a simple, clear process to buy the book.  The "Registration" step is confusing and completely unnecessary for someone whose only interest is in buying a specific book.

This is a deal-breaker for me. I am going to do some more research on alternatives to Blurb. I have used CafePress in the past for a variety of products (haven’t tried their books) and gotten very good response.’

Blurb needs to change-and soon.

I’m doing a quick survey of photobook sites and I’ll post my info here in a day or two.  There are many sites out there.  So far I haven’t found a service exactly like Blurb.

I also like Blurb’s book quality,software, and price so this is particularly frustrating.  It’s not clear to me why the company took this approach.  At the very least they should have help page explaining the steps required to buy a book.

Something like:

1. You’ll see a spot in the middle of the page that says SOFTCOVER and HARDCOVER.  Enter the quantity you’d like to order and click on ADD TO CART.  

2. Then you need to "REGISTER" by giving them a USERNAME. EMAIL ADDRESS, and PASSWORD.  Then click on REGISTER. 

3. Then enter your name and address…etc.

Hi Kathy:

 Thanks so much for your post.  It’s refreshing to hear directly from the company and to know that some one is paying attention.  I have calmed down a bit from yesterday’s level of frustration.  However, I notice that no one has managed to order my book yet.  I would have expected to see a few purchases by now based on what people have told me.

I know nothing about Blurb’s business model or goals so anything I say here is just based on my observations from using the site.  It seems that there are several "groups" (markets?) you are targeting.

1. Authors who only want to buy books for themselves.  The site is OK for them as is.

2. Customers who want to buy a specific book.  This is where the site has problems:   All visitors must register. But registration is really only needed for authors who need to return to the site.  When customers make a purchase they will give you all the info you need to bill, ship, and track their order. 

Right now the site requires that they register for a site they may never visit again and certainly don’t need "an account" for.  I’m not trying to overdo it here but one person who contacted me had never made an online purchase before and was completely baffled (not entirely your fault).

 3. You also seem to be trying to get visitors to treat the site as a "bookstore" where they can browse and shop.  That’s fine, but it’s got nothing to do with me as an author and it only serves to distract my customers.  Please keep all that material out of the process until the sale is made.

 Although CafePress is obviously different from Blurb I think they’ve got these functions pretty well separated on the site, even for the free storefronts.  I used to have a premium account which made it even easier to keep people focused on my products.  I could even control the appearance of all the "shopping cart" and "help" pages.

  The "storefront" page itself is confusing.  I would suggest that it state clearly "START HERE TO BUY THIS BOOK"  and include directions .  Although the page design is pleasant (orange type on woodgrain) it should be more businesslike: black type on white always works best.

 I’ll be quiet now,

 Dan

Great to hear you’re ” looking into other solutions for those not wanting to register in order to buy books from the bookstore.” Been a year since we first asked for it and explained EXACTLY why it’s necessary and in EVERYONE’S best interest:

http://forums.blurb.com/forums/6/topics/952

Been holding my breath since then. Please implement the change before the Sun goes ice cold. Thanks!

Hi this might be the wrong topic but i opdered my book and it never showed up i was wondering if there was anything i could do , cus i payed for the book and never receved the book or a notice saying my book is ready to be picked up so if anybody could help me it would greatly help thanks , mt email [removed by moderator].

I published my first book about a week ago and sent out a notification to a few friends. They complained to me about having to register just to buy the book. They just wanted to buy the book only. I hope Blurb would be able to make this buying process simpler by not making it mandatory for all potential buyers to register. I have faith in you.

On a different note, my book got to me within 10 days of ordering, to Ottawa, Canada. The finish of the book just blew me away. I had used ‘si’ before but did not get the same exicitement I am getting right now. A minor complaint would be the dust jacket was not folded correctly, thus the cover image was not centered as previewed. 

 Two thumbs up for Blurb, and Thank You!! I will be sticking with you for a while.