I'm ready to join IndieCommerce, what do I do now?

1.  Sign Up

If you're a regular bookstore member of ABA, you can sign up right now! Get started by completing the forms below:

IndieCommerce Letter of Agreement & ACH Authorization for Direct Payments

When complete, please email, fax, or mail signed agreements to the attention of:

By mail:
ABA / IndieCommerce
333 Westchester Avenue, Suite S202
White Plains, NY 10604
Attn: Scott Nafz

By email (scanned):
staff@bookweb.org

By fax:
914-417-4013, attn: Scott Nafz

A team member will contact you with your new site 4-6 weeks after your contract has been submitted.

2.  While you're waiting for your new site

It can be helpful to brainstorm ideas so you're prepared to begin working on the site as soon as you receive it.

To start, get an idea of the pages you'll want to put together, create a 'family tree' with different pages, and how you want to link them.  Take a look at other IndieCommerce stores. While some have custom themes, many are using the templates built into the site.  Make a list of things you like, and how you can put your own store's spin on it.

If you'd like to write some of the content in advance, a store history for example, be sure to type it in a plain text editor such as Notepad, to ensure a clean text transfer.

3.  It's been a few weeks, and I just recieved my site, what's next?

First, create an account on the site, and respond to the email sent to you by the IndieCommerce team, letting us know which email address you used to create your account.   A team member will assign you administrator access for your site, and email you to confirm that this status has been assigned.

Then, there are a number of different approaches to starting to build your site.  We've put together some suggestions for how to get started, but you can feel free to move the some of the steps around if you prefer to tackle a different item first.

4. Check your store information

Go to Site Configuration > Site Information.  Verify that the information listed is correct, and feel free to add a slogan and/or mission statement.

5.  Select a theme & upload a logo

Themes have a lot of different options--some are more flexible than others.  Think about what is important for your store: color flexibility, layout dropdown menus, etc.  These are all things to think about when choosing the theme.  

To view all themes: Site Building > Themes > List
To view options for each theme: Site Building > Themes > Configure > Selected theme

6. Create a ‘Welcome Block’

It’s important to make it easy for customers to find your contact information. Be sure to include your address, phone number, email, and store hours, and place the block in a highly visible spot. 

Tip: The top left corner is the first place people generally look when they visit a site. This location is a great place to display the most important information on your site.

Go to: Site Building > Blocks > Add

7. Get rid of “Welcome to Drupal...”

A ‘node’ is any type of content that has an associated web address: a ‘page,' ‘event,’ or ‘product’ has a URL that you can visit, and are nodes.  A ‘block’ on the other hand, is displayed on different ‘nodes.'

In order to remove the ‘Welcome to Drupal...’ message, a node needs to be promoted to the front page.

Put together a page that you would like your customer to see when they first arrive on your site, then select ‘Promote to front page’ in the publishing options.

8. Add more nodes

Refer back to your ‘Family Tree’ and start adding more content.  As you add new pages, make sure they are added to the ‘Primary Links’ menu (or a new one you have created.)  The pages don’t have to be totally finished, and can be left up as placeholders so you can visually see how your site is coming together.

Tip: Always be sure to change the ‘Input Format’ to ‘Rich Text Editing’ to ensure that images and formatting display correctly.

9. What’s happening at your store?

Post different types of events by going to Content Management > Create Content > Event.
If you’re hosting an author signing, be sure to add some of the author's titles using the Booklist tool.

Tip: Do you take photos at special events?  If so, upload them after the event is over, share them on Facebook or Twitter, etc., to drive traffic over to your site.

10. Review existing blocks, and create new ones for your store

There are a lot of hidden gems already loaded in the ‘Disabled’ section of blocks.
Check out the ‘Indie Next List,’ 'Catalog,' 'View Mobile Version,' and 'Calendar of Events' blocks.  

Tip: Blocks don’t have to display on every page. Use the ‘path’ of a page to set the display settings on individual blocks to create a dynamic website.

11. Sell cool non-book items that people love in the store?

Create custom products on your site. You can create new classes for different types of products to help organize them.

12.  Is your site just about ready?

Email staff@bookweb.org, and we’ll get you started with some changes for your domain name.  We’ll also set up a training session that will cover store pricing, shipping methods, and order processing.  
Keep in mind, you don’t need EVERYTHING on the site before you launch -- just enough to make it look presentable to your customer.  You can always add new items later. The key to having a successful website is updating it regularly to keep it fresh.