Mama Bear Productions a community of families, artists, authors, musicians, teachers (and other folks!) who have gotten together to publish and promote their works online. We focus on material that enriches and inspires the lives of children, families and people of all ages.
How Do I Become a Shopkeeper?
The first thing you need to do is register (sign up) for a Mama Bear Productions website account. This makes you an official member of the Mama Bear Productions community. All publishing, selling and other transactions are done online, through the website. We are doing everything on the Internet for a few reasons:
- It's green - no paper, packaging and waste.
- It's cheap - no production costs for publishers.
- It's quick - download your products immediately.
- It's easy - even your kids can do it!
Next, you must become an official Shopkeeper by paying a subscription fee. For a limited time, subscriptions are FREE! Please contact us about your free membership. We charge a nominal subscription fee to:
- Cover the costs of hosting and distributing files
- Deter fly-by-night and/or malicious users
- Secure the publishers commitment to selling online
- If you would like to post your content for FREE, we will waive or reduce the subscription fee!
Are There Any Legal Considerations?
We are not a publishing company or record label and you don't have to sign any contracts with us. It's a non-exclusive arrangement where a Shopkeeper may use our technology to sell their work.
Protect Yourself and Your Work
It is important that you have the right to sell the products you upload to Mama Bear Productions. This protects everyone involved - you, the potential buyer, and us! Here's some tips to get you going:
- If you would like to publish a song that was done by another artist, you can purchase the rights at Songfile.
- If you wish to publish your original work, we recommend that you officially register it at the Copyright Office.
- In general, it is possible to publish someone else's work, if you secure an agreement with them. Just ask them - and get it in writing!
- We do not police or enforce copyright enfringement. But we may be forced to comply with a court order.
By agreeing to the Terms of Service when you signed up for an account, you agree that you own the rights to the work you are publishing on this website.
How Do I Upload My Work?
All material is sold in digital format - MP3, PDF, etc. - so have these files already on your computer hard drive or on a CD. You can upload your files directly to our hosted space, where it reamins on a secure server. First register for a Mama Bear Productions user account if you haven't already.
Shopkeeper membership is free for a limited time. please contact us so we can activate your free membership.
Once your membership is setup, you can login to the website. At that point, you will see your profile page. If you have not already created your profile, you will see a link to do so - we encourage you to at least fill out your name so you will appear on our Window Shopping page. To upload your products:
- Locate your user menu at the left.
- Click Create Content > Product.
- Enter a Name and select a category from the Catalog list.
- Enter some descriptive terms under Tags. (This field will auto complete with tags that have already been entered.)
- Use the Browse... button to select the file you want to upload from your computer. Click Upload. (Please be patient while your file uploads.)
- Do the same thing to enter one or more product Images.
- Fill out the Description and set your Price. The SKU is any number or letter code that you set to identify your product. If you have an official UPC or ISBN, you can set that here. or else, make something up that will be meaningful to you
- There are 2 tabs for Additional Information. The first is a series of simple selections that help describe your product. Under the Media tab, you can enter the web address for audio or video hosting websites such as YouTube. (Just copy and paste and your audio or video will be embedded in your product page.)
- Click Save at the bottom. That's it! Your products will be reviewed and approved by an administrator.
You may also group your products to be sold together. First, you need to creat some products as described above. To create a Product Kit:
- Click Create Content > Product Kit.
- Enter all other information as described above for Products.
- Instead of a Browse... button you will see a list of all of the products you have already created. Hold down the CTRL (or CMD for Apple) and click the products that you wish to be bundled in the kit.
- Click the Save and continue button.
- Now you will see discount opions. You can set a new discounted price for the whole kit OR set a discount for each product and the filnal price will be calculated for you. Optionally, you don't have to set any discount.
- Click the Save button when you are finished.
"Ripping" CDs Using iTunes
It is very easy to extract song files using iTunes. You can download iTunes for free.
- Pop the CD into your CD-ROM drive. Open iTunes.
- Locate the CD in the left sidebar. Click it. Your songs may or may not display titles and artist information.
- If they do, select your songs, right click and choose "Create MP3 Version". You're done.
- If they don't, right click each song and choose "Get Info" .
- Click the "Info" tab and enter the information desired. Use the next/previous buttons on the bottom left to go through each song.
- Go back to Step 3.
Your files should appear in: My Documents > My Music > iTunes > iTunes Music > Artist Name
All I Have is a Hard Copy
No problem! If you don't have a digital copy of your work - one that can be put on a CD and sent to us - we can convert your material into an appropriate format for a nominal fee. You can pay online for this service. Or you might try using You Send It to transfer your files to us. We will uplaod your files and setup your product pages. Once your product is setup, you can login to your account and edit the price and other information.
CD or Manuscript Submission Instructions
To send a CD with your files, please dowload one of the forms below.
- We have one for music CDs that need to be converted to MP3,
- One for files or data CDs that have files ready to be uploaded,
- And a third for hard-copies (paper) that need to be converted to PDF.
- You can pay online for this service or contact us to make other arrangements.
Filling out one of these forms will make it clear what you are allowing us to use. Send your CD or hardcopy, with the form filled out, to the follwoing address:
Mama Bear Productions, PO Box 69, East Chatham, NY 12060
Creating Samples Using iTunes
You can MP3 create samples using iTunes. You can download iTunes for free.
- Load your CD into the tray. Open iTunes.
- Click on your CD in the left-hand column.
- Right click any song and select Get Info.
- Go to the Options tab.
- There are Start and End times listed.
- Change the Stop Time to the desired length. Close this window.
- Right click the song and select Create MP3 Version.
Your files should appear in: My Documents > My Music > iTunes > iTunes Music > Artist Name
Is the Website Secure?
Here are some ways we address website security:
- We are using a modern, state-of-the-art e-commerce system.
- All personal information is password protected.
- Administration and member areas are SSL protected.
- Your files are stored in a directory that is not accessible through the Internet.
- We have a great relationship with a systems administrator who keeps our web server secure.
- We do not store sensitive information such as credit card information.
- We do not share our email list or other member information with anyone. (Privacy Policy)
- We collect payments through PayPal's secure website. (PayPal Security Center)
What About Prices? How Much Do I Keep?
Shopkeepers set their own prices. We recommend that songs sell for $0.99 to $1.99. Books and other materials should be priced according to the quality the of finished work. This is much more subjective. Don't be afraid to experiment with different prices. Contact us for advice about prices and we can give you an idea of what other similar products are going for.
Lesson Example:
- 10 pages of lesson ideas on American History = $1.99
- 10 part curriculum on American history including text, projects, worksheets and quizzes = $9.99
Music Example:
- Song with vocals and acoustic guitar = $.99
- Song with professional production and several instruments = $1.99
Book Example:
- Children's Book with 16 pages and small illustrations = $1.99
- Children's book with 16 pages and full page illustrations = $3.99
- Pre-teen novel with or without illustrations = $5.99
Shopkeepers keep 80% of the total sales. Checks will be sent out monthly (a $10 minimum applies).
Future plans include disbursements via PayPal.
What Ages Are You Trying to Reach?
We're literally looking to be fun for the whole family! All products are categorized for ages Birth to Young Adult. We also carry products intended for parent's use.
Q: Gee. Your website looks like it's geared for young kids. A: Our website is designed as a tribute to the mother bears who will always look upon their children - even grown up ones - as their baby cubs.
What Are the Advantages of Becoming a Shopkeeper?
- Cutting edge e-commerce platform
- Personalized member profile
- Custom shop URL (http://www.mamabearproductions/shop/yourname)
- Free Shopkeeper blog (http://www.mamabearproductions/blog/yourname)
- Free technical support - just an email away
- No need for barcodes
- Easy to join! Join today!
Where is My Shop?
A "shop" is set up for you as a convenience. you can give out your Shopkeper's link in emails or post it on your website. Your shop can be accessed in different ways.
- Login to your Mama Bear account. You can go to your shop quickly by clicking the "My Shop" link (with the stack of coins) at the very top of the page. If you do not see this link, you have not completed the process to become a shopkepper. Please contact us if you need help.
- You can use your shop's URL (web addess). It will be: http://www.mamabearproductions.com/shop/yourusername
- Your profile will contain a link to your shop.
How Do I Shop on Mama Bear Productions?
Buying is easy! Our catalog is located here. When you see and item you like, click the "Add to cart" button. Your "Shopping cart" summary is located on the top of the left-hand column. You may click the "View cart" at any time to review your order.
When you're finished shopping:
- Click the or "Checkout" link in your shopping cart.
- All you have to supply is your billing address.
- You will then have a chance to review your order.
- Click "Submit order" when you're ready. Click "Cancel" at anytime and you will not be charged anything.
- You must submit your payment through PayPal.
Do I Have to Open an Account to Shop?
You do not have to open or register for an account before shopping on Mama Bear Productions. You will be given an opportunity to create an account during the checkout process. If you do not supply a user name, one will be created for you.
You will receive an email with your new account details. This will allow you to return to the website and login to access your files.
Must I use PayPal?
We use PayPal because it's the cheapest and easiest way for us to provide you with a secure shopping experiece, and allow you to use a variety of payment options. Find out more about PayPal security. Please keep in mind:
- You do not need to have a PayPal account! There are traditional credit card payment options at the left-hand side of PayPal's payment screen.
- You will not be charged any money until you complete the PayPal payment process.
Where Are My Files?
You can download your purchased files from your <a href="/user">member account profile page</a>. There will be a "Files" tab. Clicking it will show you a list of files that you have purchased - with their respective download links. Coincidentally, there is also an "Orders" tab, from which you can review your order history.