Direct Book Distribution
BookFunnel
BookFunnel helps authors distribute ebooks from their own websites. They also help distribute secure advance reader copies for authors using advance review services like BookishFirst. (More on BookishFirst here).
Properly managing ebook distribution is harder than you might think. You have to get the right format of your work onto the right type of ereader for each customer. If you’re giving away copies as part of a free promo, you’ll probably want to limit the number of copies distributed. You may or may not choose to include digital rights management controls to prevent piracy. BookFunnel handles all that for you.
Gumroad
Gumroad lets you sell directly to consumers with very low overhead. They take less than 10% commission. Technical books, such as programming manuals, do well there.
Tip
If you know of other sites helping writers distribute books directly, contact me
Other Options
If you’re publishing serialized content or articles you may want to explore some of the following options.
Fiction
- Radish - Radish Fiction publishes stories and novels online. They tend to lean toward romance and young adult. You can allow readers to read your entire work for free, or to pay by chapter as they go.
Non-Fiction
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Patreon - I know nothing of how effective Patreon may be at selling books. Sorry :(. They do seem to do well for writers promoting subscription-based works. For more info, see Patreon for Writers and Journalists
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Substack - Substack can also work well for writers who publish shorter pieces on a somewhat regular schedule.