Today I’m going to share a simple marketing tip. It’s sort of a no-brainer. Yet, many writers struggle with it. Last week when I had my book launch I’d read a discussion on Facebook which brought the topic to mind. And as a former MLM sales person I remembered the phrase. “Don’t leave any money on the table.”

My fellow authors were discussing the use of the Square vs the PayPal App on their phones to take debit and credit cards. The idea can be a bit scary if you’ve never done any banking on your phone. You younger writer probably do it without a thought. But for those of us who prefer to see the check deposited at the bank, this is a definite step out of our comfort zone.

The nice thing about the Square or PayPal there is no monthly fee. It’s pay as you go. You use the app and there is a small fee. I have a PayPal account. But I didn’t want to add it to my phone. Why? No idea. I purchased a square. Which is actually free. You get you $10 back after the first use. The phone store I purchased it from explained they had to have a price on it for inventory purposes.

Why did I choose the square? My hair stylist uses it along with a few authors I respect. The recommendations of others is everything.

It is easy to install and easy to use. Be sure to get the Wi-Fi password of the location you’re at before you begin selling books. Or have a hotspot app on your phone for the same thing. This would be true using PayPal app as well.

These apps hold your money and transfer it to your bank after a few days. So, no one can steal any info or your funds.

Keep in mind you’re not only an author but a business owner. Don’t leave money on the table. Once a potential buyer has your book in their hands they need to purchase it. If you don’t take cards and they leave your table, even with a bookmark reminder, they may not ever buy your book.

The reason I recommend either the Square or PayPal is the no monthly fees. Some of you may have found another way. Back in the day when I had a mail-order book business and went to homeschool conventions to sell books I had one of those manual credit card machines. A big hassle. And the automated ones you see in stores and some vendors at craft shows use them have larger fees than these two simple phone apps.

You may be more comfortable with the older technology or the manual method. Either way be sure you give your perspective reader every option to purchase your book.

And I’d like to address one final argument for those of you who refuse to take cards because you don’t want to pay fees. Would you rather sell five books at full price or 20 and pay a small fee?

What device do you use when you have book signings and other events?