Frequently asked Questions
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You Have Questions, We Have Answers
You can try ScribeCount for free. We offer a 14-days trial period so you can decide if the service is right for you and your business before signing up.
ScribeCount caters to every author, whether they are published wide or in KU, but we also realize that the reporting demands for each are different. To provide what every author needs we have several optimized dashboard options to pick from. If you have books in both options you can choose a hybrid version that defaults to KU or Wide. It’s entirely up to you and how you wish to see your data.
Let’s start with the headlines: We do not need or want your passwords. We do not utilize cookies to access your data. There is no application, other than a small browser extension, to download to your computer to allow ScribeCount to present your data from each sales platform.
Here at ScribeCount, we’re authors as well as small business owners, and like you we have the experience of walking away from platforms and tools because they required our passwords, wanted us to load questionable software onto our computer, or wanted uncontrolled access to our data. We’ve designed ScribeCount to operate with all those things in mind. Our goal from the start was to make our platform as safe and easy to use as possible. You can use as much or as little of ScribeCount as you want, and you can choose to delete your data at any time.
When you log into ScribeCount, you are simply establishing a connection between your computer and our service. From there, based on the platforms you choose and the security measures you opt for, connections are established between ScribeCount and the various sales platforms.
ScribeCount uses what’s called a browser extension, which is a small software application similar to AdWorks, Clearly, Honey, or Google Translate, to add a capacity or functionality to your existing browser. This extension is like hiring your own personal doorman who will control who and what you wish ScribeCount to see. Unlike other reporting services, this doorman works for you and controls what data goes in and out your door.
Nope, not a Cookie. In keeping with our doorway analogy a Cookie would be similar to giving us a key to the door, one that we can use anytime we wish, whereas the browser extension is something you retain control of. Therefore it keeps the “key” in your possession.
You enable a platform at ScribeCount by first selecting it and then clicking the Connect button. This will take you to that platforms login page where you gain access however you would normally do so. This is you telling your doorman to let ScribeCount in. Once you have enabled a platform, ScribeCount will visit that website every fifteen minutes and pull the data needed to generate your sales report and present it to you via the various features we offer.
The first time you do this may take several minutes depending on how long you have been published through that platform and the size of your library. Once the data has been successfully gathered you will be notified via the large green check mark on the Settings page. You can log in to several platforms at the same time and once you have a green checkmark for a platform you can close that corresponding tab. You no longer need to have all those tabs open to see your combined sales!
ScribeCount pulls Sales numbers, KENP data, Book Id’s, Book Ranks, Book Reviews, Book Prices, KU enrollment dates, and Geographical sales data, both current and historical, in order to generate your reporting dashboard.
Keep in mind that ScribeCount will not visualize or store your passwords, nor can it change any of your data on those platforms. In simpler terms, ScribeCount can only see, not touch.
Sales data are encrypted and saved to ScribeCount’s servers until you exercise one of the following options.
To control the flow of data:
Log out without disabling the platform connections. If you chose this option ScribeCount stops asking for data every fifteen minutes (or, to use the doorman analogy, closes the doors to each platform), saves your settings, and saves the data it pulled on our servers for your next session. Logging out in this fashion assures the fastest login time when you return as only new data will need to be pulled from the various platforms.
– or –
Disable all the connections to the platforms and then log out. If you chose this option, ScribeCount stops asking for data, your doorman shuts the door, your settings are deleted, and your data is purged from our servers. Logging out in this fashion means the purged data will need to be reloaded to start another session, requiring a longer wait time.
Two ways: You can do as we mentioned above and disable all the connections to the platforms, or you can keep those connections enabled and use the “Delete my Data” button to purge your data without losing your settings.
That depends on your own individual definition of safe. We can only offer the following information to help you make that decision.
In regard to ScribeCount; if your Computer is off – ScribeCount is off. There is no connection established between your computer and ScribeCount, nor is there any connection established between ScribeCount and any of the platforms. Nothing is happening. No data is being exchanged. Your doorman is off duty.
If you leave your computer on and logged out of ScribeCount, nothing is running, no data is being exchanged, there is zero ScribeCount software running in the background.
If you leave your computer on and logged into ScribeCount, the browser extension will continue to visit each enabled platform every fifteen minutes and will update your reports. This will go on indefinitely or until a platform ends your session themselves. (some platforms have an auto-logout after a certain amount of time has elapsed).
Shorter answer: ScribeCount is on only when you turn it on.
Only the browser extension. No Cookies. No tracking software. No data mining is taking place for any advertisers.
All data that we store is encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption. This means that, if your sales data were on our servers and the servers were to somehow be hacked, no one will be able to decode it or match the data to you. The hackers would get nothing but a large bowl of numbers. As encryption and hacking mechanisms evolve, so will our security. Our data storage is via Microsoft Azure, and you can read more about their encryption HERE.
RansomWare involving subscriber data is not an issue with ScribeCount as there is nothing to hold hostage. Every subscriber’s data is stored on each of the platforms they publish through. To hold that data hostage the “kidnapper” would have to hack each of those platforms in addition to hacking ScribeCount. (And, as these are large companies with stringent data security, we have no concerns that they would be hacked.)
ScribeCount itself is backed up by Microsoft’s Azure Cloud network and if we were to ever be successfully “held for ransom” it would take little effort to simply rebuild and launch the service with a few keystrokes. Think of it as a manuscript. We have a copy of ScribeCount already set up and ready to go should something happen to the original.
ScribeCount does not request your banking information from each sales platform.
ScribeCount has partnered with Stripe and Paypal, third-party service providers for payment processing.
ScribeCount does not collect or store your payment card details itself. That information is provided from you directly to your chosen payment processor, whose use of your personal information is governed by their Privacy Policy. Stripe and Paypal both adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. PCI-DSS requirements help ensure the secure handling of payment information.
This means that ScribeCount never sees your method of payment. Everything involving your billing and payment options is handled by them via their own system. Any issues involving billing or payment will be forwarded to them for solutions. Short version: when it comes to your banking/payment information, ScribeCount can’t even see it.
There are Several reasons.
- The first is the volume of information and the amount of processing that needs to be done for ScribeCount to function. It’s just too large of a task to operate on everyone’s individual computers.
- The second reason is security. To be GDPR compliant (we are) we need to be able to safeguard the data per those requirements and doing so remotely is just not possible.
- The third reason is the ability to integrate the sales data with the rest of the ScribeCount features.
- Fourth, maintaining the site would be next to impossible due to the constant changes being made by the various platforms.
- And lastly, if everyone had the complete ScribeCount software on their computer we would be pirated immediately and quickly disappear. We don’t want that.
ScribeCount designed with Bootstrap framework to create modern web apps. It optimized to fit with mobile and tablet screen.
ScribeCount is a subscription-based service due to the rolling costs of supporting it. It takes several people and quite a bit of server muscle to make everything work. In addition to this we have the additional expense of developing new features for the future. All of these things together point to the subscription model as being the only way to keep ScribeCount going.
ScribeCount offers a variety of payment options. We accept PayPal, and via Stripe: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or direct debit from your bank account. For those not familiar with Stripe, they are the service that handles such big names as Kickstarter and Twitter.
Stripe has a PCI Service Provider Level 1 rating, which means they adhere to the most stringent security measures possible. We recommend using Stripe, but also understand the convenience factor of Paypal. Whatever you decide to use is between you and whichever service you choose, your payment information is not available to ScribeCount.
At the end of your 14-day trial ScribeCount will present you with a sign-up form where you can choose your preferred method of payment. Once we have your billing information the software will note your income for the previous month and automatically bill you according to the price structure we have in place. (Your total income on August 31st will determine your October 1st charge) A monthly invoice and receipt of payment will be sent to the email address you’ve provided and at the end of the year you’ll receive a printable summary of all charges.
You may cancel your plan at any time via the “Cancel my Plan” button in the Subscription page. Just follow the brief instructions and we’ll have it done in less than 48 hours. If we have charged you since receiving your notice, we will refund that charge.
KU page-read rates will be calculated via one of three choices;
- the previous months payout rate.
- the average payout rate over the last six months.
- a custom rate that you input yourself.
This number is the one you will see displayed until the 15th of each month, at that point it will be adjusted according to the published rate from Amazon.
If you are earning a KU bonus we know what payment tier you fall into already (KU bonuses can be manually entered into SC reports for a full picture of your library’s income).
In the settings you will find selections for both. ScribeCount will adjust the timing of your day and your reflected payout based on what you select. ScribeCount defaults to English, American Dollars, and Eastern Standard time, so you will need to make adjustments to your settings once you subscribe.
ScribeCount pulls data from several different platforms, and while some may post the sale of a book immediately, there will often be a lag when posting the income from that sale. This is due to payment processing times, time zones, banking computer speeds, and a whole slew of issues beyond our control. This is why we say to take todays numbers with a grain of salt, but trust yesterday’s numbers more. If you detect a problem it is most likely at the platform end, as all ScribeCount can do is report on the information provided. However, if you feel it is on our end you can contact us via the customer support link and we’ll do everything we can to correct the issue.
We’re already at work on the next few platforms and hope to have them ready soon. If you have a platform that you would like to see added please fire off an email to us with your request. We can’t promise it will be next in line, but if we get enough suggestions it will help us pick what the majority of the indie authors out there want.
