Selling your books on Amazon and other retail platforms has been the go-to strategy for many indie authors. While these platforms offer incredible reach and discoverability, they also come with certain drawbacks.

For one, any reader who buys your book on these platforms is not your direct customer – they belong to Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, or whichever retailer they purchased from. This means you don't gain access to valuable customer data like email addresses or purchasing behavior.

What's more, these platforms may even advertise competing books on your product pages. So when you drive traffic to your book listing, there's a chance the reader may end up buying someone else's book instead. Ouch.

So, when selling through these retailers, you're helping them build their customer base and generate profitable data, but not reaping those benefits yourself.

That's why selling books directly to readers is becoming an increasingly popular strategy among indie authors. While it may not be the right fit for everyone, selling direct offers several key advantages:

• Greater control over your sales process and reader relationships
• Increased profit margins by eliminating retailer commissions
• Ownership of customer data for effective marketing
• Flexibility to experiment with pricing, bundles, and special offers

Whether you're considering adding direct sales to your existing book promotion mix or making it the centerpiece of your author business, this guide will equip you with the insights and tactics you need to thrive. We'll even show you which tools and platforms to use, based on your needs and situation.

Let's break it down.

First, Why Am I Qualified to Talk to You About Direct Selling?

You might be wondering, “Dave, what makes you an expert on selling books directly to readers?”

Well, as the founder of Kindlepreneur, I've spent years learning the ins and outs of book marketing. I've had the privilege of consulting with major publishing companies and New York Times best-selling authors, helping them optimize their online sales strategies.

Over time, I've become known as “The Kindlepreneur” (even Amazon has called me that publicly)! My mission is simple: to help authors like you sell more books and navigate the technical side of self-publishing.

When it comes to direct sales, I've done my homework. My team and I have surveyed thousands of authors to learn what works and what doesn't when it comes to selling books through your own website. We've crunched the numbers, analyzed the data, and simplified it all down into a clear set of best practices. And now, I want to share that knowledge with you.

So, when I say I'm qualified to talk to you about selling books directly to readers, it's not just because I've studied the topic extensively (although I have). It's because I've been in the trenches, testing and refining these methods to help authors like you build a sustainable income from your writing.

What is Direct Selling?

Direct selling, or selling direct, is the process of selling your books to readers on a platform you own, such as your website's online store. Unlike retailers like Amazon or Apple Books, you have full control over the sales process and customer data.

See the image below that illustrates an example of a direct sales user journey:

You see, platforms like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, etc. are all platforms that belong to someone else. They can be a great way to increase the distribution of your book, but you are ultimately promoting someone else, and making that person/company richer.

With selling direct, you use a platform that allows you to reach readers directly, and usually takes the shape of a store on your website.

To use more common language throughout the website world, you are creating an e-commerce site, just like Amazon, except it only carries products about you and your books.

Why Sell Direct?

I touched on this in my intro, but there are several compelling reasons to sell books directly to readers:

1. Eliminate Cash Flow Concerns: Get paid royalties instantly, allowing you to scale profitable ad campaigns quickly.
2. Maintain Full Creative Control: Customize your book landing pages, pricing, descriptions, and more.
3. Enjoy Pricing Flexibility: Set your own prices and earn higher royalties per sale.
4. Own Valuable Reader Data: Gain direct access to customer emails and purchase behavior insights.
5. Maximize Marketing Possibilities: Easily run A/B tests, experiment with sales copy, and implement unique selling strategies.
6. Delight Readers with Exclusive Offers: Bundle books, offer signed copies, sell merchandise, and more.

More About Delighting Readers with Exclusive Offers

One often overlooked benefit of direct sales is the ability to go above and beyond for your audience. You can provide exclusive perks and experiences that make readers feel extra special.

When you sell direct, your possibilities opens up beyond just offering standard book formats. You have the freedom to create unique bundling options that you could not otherwise create on Amazon, such as combining an ebook with a print edition book, and to expand your product line with items that complement your books and enhance the reader experience. The potential merchandise you can offer is vast, including but not limited to:

• Apparel and accessories (t-shirts, hoodies, hats, tote bags)
• Art prints and posters
• Stickers, magnets, and other small novelties
• Enamel pins and embroidered patches
• Mugs, tumblers, and other drinkware
• Alternate book formats (hardcover, large print, special editions)
• Audiobook editions
• Subscription boxes and exclusive merchandise bundles
• Companion guides, journals, and magazines

The possibilities are endless, limited only by your creativity, resources, and what your readers will love.

Who Should Sell Direct?

While the allure of higher profits and greater control makes selling direct an attractive proposition, it's important to recognize that it may not be the optimal path for every author. Succeeding with direct sales requires a willingness to invest time and effort into learning new skills and managing additional responsibilities.

Our recent survey of over 800 authors provides valuable insights into the profile of those finding success with direct sales:

• 66% have a backlist of at least 5 published books
• 44% have an established email list of 1,000 or more engaged subscribers
• 40% have been selling direct for less than a year

Number of Books Written vs Average Monthly Revenue

Size of Email List vs Average Monthly Revenue

These findings paint a picture of what many successful direct-selling authors have in common. However, it's crucial not to interpret these statistics as prerequisites for success. Rather, they show the importance of having a solid foundation to build upon when considering direct sales.

If you're a newer author with a smaller catalog and readership, don't be discouraged. While having a larger backlist and mailing list certainly provides an advantage, it's by no means a guarantee of success, nor is it a huge barrier to entry.

The key factor is your willingness to put in the actual work and effort and continually expand your skillset. Selling direct involves wearing many hats – from web design and ecommerce management to customer service and data analysis. It's a significant undertaking, but one that can yield massive rewards for those committed to mastering the process.

Assess Your Situation

Before diving headfirst into direct sales, honestly assess your current situation and resources:

1. Do you have a marketable book or series that readers are excited about?
2. Are you prepared to invest time into building and optimizing your storefront?
3. Can you consistently drive traffic to your website through email, social media, or ads?
4. Are you comfortable handling the technical aspects of order processing and fulfillment?
5. Do you have the financial means to absorb the upfront costs of setting up your direct sales system?

If you can confidently answer yes to most of these questions, then selling direct may be a great path for you, even if you're still in the early stages of your author career. The journey may be longer, but the destination is no less attainable.

On the flip side, if you're feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of adding yet another system to your already overflowing plate, there's no shame in continuing to focus on honing your craft and growing your platform on existing retail channels first. You can always circle back to direct sales once you've built a more robust foundation.

The beauty of being an indie author is that you get to write your own rules and define your own milestones. Don't feel pressured to rush into a direct sales model before you're truly ready and excited to take on the challenge.

Are Profit Margins Better When Selling Direct?

This is a question I receive all the time from authors considering making the leap into direct sales. The short answer is yes, selling direct can absolutely boost your profit margins across the board. But, of course, you'll need to put in some extra work to set up and maintain your own sales channels, and you'll be responsible for marketing and driving traffic to your direct sales pages.

Here's a breakdown of how profit margins compare across different formats:

1. Ebooks: When you sell ebooks directly to readers through your own website, you keep 100% of the profits. In contrast, Amazon typically takes a 30% cut of your ebook sales, leaving you with just 70% of the revenue.
2. Print Books: The profit margins for print books sold directly to readers can vary depending on your fulfillment method: a. Amazon Fulfillment: If you use Amazon's print-on-demand service, they may charge around $7 per book for printing and fulfillment, eating into your profits. b. BookVault: Using BookVault for print-on-demand fulfillment typically costs around $5-$6 per book, depending on the size and format of your book. c. IngramSpark: With IngramSpark, the average printing cost per book is approximately $3.50-$5.00, depending on factors like page count and trim size.
3. Audiobooks: Similar to ebooks, when you sell audiobooks directly to listeners, you retain 100% of the profits. On platforms like Audible (owned by Amazon), authors typically receive a 40% royalty share, meaning the majority of the revenue goes to the retailer.

By selling direct, you have the potential to significantly increase your profit margins across all formats. Authors willing to invest in building their own platform, the rewards of higher profit margins and greater control over their business can be well worth it.

Before Selling Direct

Before you begin selling direct, there are couple of things you should keep in mind:

• Make sure you have all your rights: you want to make sure you have all the rights to sell direct. For example, if your book is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, you will need to take it out of KU before you can sell those ebooks direct. Likewise, if your book is tied up in some kind of traditional publishing deal, you will need to make sure you have the correct rights.
• Have an email list set up: email marketing is a pivotal part of selling direct, and you will want to make sure you have an email list that is set up to take emails from your store. Most email platforms will have integrations of some kind, though some are better than others. Klayvio, for example, is terrific at integrating with Shopify.
• Prepare for a paradigm shift: selling direct requires an entirely different mindset from other forms of bookselling. It requires you to think like a business owner, to consider new forms of marketing, and to learn new skills.

So Which Direct-Sales Platform Should You Use?

If you've decided to start selling books directly to your readers, your next big decision is figuring out which platform to use. And there are a LOT of options.

There's Shopify, WooCommerce, Curios, Payhip, BookSpace (fka Books.by), Tertulia, and several others. Some let you build an entire website around your books. Others are designed primarily for the ecommerce side of selling products. And still others handle specific tasks, like delivering ebooks or printing and shipping paperbacks.

It's enough to make your head spin, so my team and I did some digging. We researched the different platforms, compared what they could and couldn't do, and looked at which ones made the most sense for different types of authors.

And here's what we found: There isn't one platform I'd recommend to every author.

If you're planning to build a major direct-sales business, Shopify might be exactly what you need. But if you already have a website and just want an easy way to sell books to your readers, Curios could be a much better fit.

Let's look at the different situations you might find yourself in.

If You Already Have an Author Website

If you already have a website, I've got some good news: you probably don't need to build another one just to start selling books directly. Instead, you can use a service like Curios to handle the selling.

Curios gives you checkout pages and a storefront where readers can buy your ebooks, audiobooks, print books, bundles, and other products. It also handles payment processing, digital delivery, sales taxes, and customer support. And thanks to its integration with BookVault, you can sell paperbacks and hardcovers without printing, packaging, and shipping the books yourself.

Your existing website can continue doing what it's already doing. You simply add links or buttons that send readers to Curios when they're ready to purchase.

The biggest downside? Curios isn't a replacement for a traditional author website. It gives you storefront and product pages, but not all the functionality you'd expect from a full website. Of course, if you already have a website, that's not much of a drawback.

My recommendation: For most authors who already have a website and want to add direct sales without creating a lot of extra work, Curios would be my first choice.

We have a full review of Curios if you'd like to see what it can do.

A couple of alternatives worth mentioning are Payhip, which also works with existing websites, and if your site runs on WordPress, WooCommerce gives you considerably more control. Just know that WooCommerce requires more setup and maintenance.

If You Don't Have an Author Website Yet

If you don't have an author website yet, you've got quite a few options. And I wouldn't necessarily recommend one over all the others.

For starters, you could build a website using WordPress and add WooCommerce to sell your books directly. This gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility, but it also means handling hosting, updates, plugins, and ongoing website maintenance.

Or you could use Shopify to create a website with ecommerce built in. It's a great option if you're serious about building a direct-sales business, though it comes with more complexity and expense than many authors need.

But here's another possibility: You could build a simple author website and connect it to a service like Curios to handle your book sales.

For example, Author Websites by BookBub lets you create a website with pages for your books, an author bio, a blog, and email signup forms. It has a free plan, too. You could use that as your website and add links to Curios whenever readers want to purchase a book. Another inexpensive possibility is Carrd, which Kevin mentioned in his Curios review. Carrd lets you build a simple, one-page website without much technical knowledge. Its paid plans start at just $19 per year, and that includes web hosting.

Pair either of these with Curios, and you've got a website to introduce yourself and your books, plus a service to handle the selling.

There's also Tertulia for Authors, which combines an author website with direct-sales functionality. It sounds like an ideal combination, but there are drawbacks. Print orders require self-fulfillment, email marketing is capped at 2,500 contacts, and you're responsible for sales taxes and customer support. None of those are necessarily dealbreakers depending your situation, but they're worth knowing before you commit.

My recommendation: Think about what you want your website to do beyond selling books. If you want a powerful, customizable setup, WordPress with WooCommerce or Shopify might make sense. If you want something simple, a BookBub or Carrd website paired with Curios could be all you need. And if you don't need a traditional author website at all, a storefront like BooksSpace or Payhip is another route worth exploring.

If You Have a Social Media Following but No Website

Maybe you've built an audience on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or another social media platform, but you've never bothered creating your own website. And now you'd like to sell books directly to those followers.

The good news is that you don't necessarily need a website to do it.

With Curios, for example, you can create purchase links for your books and share them directly with your followers. Someone sees your post, clicks the link, and purchases your book. Curios handles checkout and digital delivery, and it can connect with BookVault for print fulfillment. Payhip and Books.by offer storefronts that can serve a similar purpose.

Of course, I'd still encourage authors to eventually create a website they control. Social media platforms can change their algorithms, suspend accounts, or disappear altogether. Having your own website gives readers another way to find you.

But if your immediate goal is to sell books to an audience you've already built, there's no reason to create a traditional website first.

My recommendation: Start with a service like Curios, Payhip, or BooksSpace that lets you sell through links you can share on social media. You can always build a more complete author website later.

If You Want to Try Selling Direct Without Spending Much Money

One thing I hear from authors is that they're interested in selling direct, but they're not sure whether their readers will actually buy books from them.

That's a perfectly reasonable concern. And it's a good reason not to spend hundreds of dollars building an elaborate store before you've made your first sale.

For authors in this situation, I'd take a close look at Payhip.

Payhip has a free plan that lets you create a storefront and sell digital products, including ebooks and audiobooks. There's no monthly subscription fee, although Payhip takes a percentage of each sale. Its free plan currently charges a 5% transaction fee, in addition to payment processing fees.

You can also sell physical books through Payhip, and its BookVault integration gives you automated print-on-demand fulfillment.

Another option is Curios, which offers a trial plan for authors who want to test direct sales before committing to a paid subscription. Its fee structure is different from Payhip's, so compare the plans based on how many sales you expect.

My recommendation: If keeping upfront costs low is your biggest concern, I'd compare Payhip's free plan with Curios's trial offering. Neither requires you to build an expensive ecommerce website just to find out whether direct sales might work for you.

If You Want to Sell Print Books Without Shipping Them Yourself

One thing you'll need to figure out if you plan to sell paperbacks or hardcovers directly is how you're going to get those books to your customers.

You could order copies in bulk, keep them on hand, and ship them yourself whenever someone makes a purchase. But that's a lot of extra work, especially if you're selling more than a handful of books.

Thankfully, there's another option: print-on-demand services that handle printing and shipping for you.

BookVault and Lulu Direct provide print-on-demand services that connect with certain ecommerce platforms. When somebody orders a print book, the fulfillment service receives the order, prints the book, and ships it to the customer.

Here are a few combinations worth considering:

• Curios + BookVault: An author-focused sales system with automated print fulfillment.
• Payhip + BookVault: A lower-cost storefront with automated print fulfillment.
• Shopify + BookVault or Lulu Direct: A more customizable ecommerce system with automated printing and shipping.
• WooCommerce + BookVault or Lulu Direct: A flexible option for authors using WordPress.
• BooksSpace: A book-focused storefront that includes print-on-demand functionality.

There are also authors who want to sell signed copies, special editions, or books they've purchased in bulk. In those cases, fulfilling orders yourself might make sense, and several of these platforms support that approach too.

My recommendation: If you want automated print fulfillment, choose a sales platform that works with a print-on-demand provider before you start building your store. That way, you won't discover after everything is set up that you're responsible for mailing every paperback yourself.

If You Want to Build a Serious Direct-Sales Business

Maybe you have a sizable backlist, an established readership, and plans to run advertising campaigns that send people straight to your own store. You might want to experiment with upsells, bundles, advanced email marketing, and all the other things that go into running a substantial ecommerce business.

For that kind of operation, Shopify is still one of my top recommendations.

It's a complete ecommerce platform with a huge ecosystem of apps and integrations. You can build your website, sell digital and physical products, manage customer information, and connect with services like BookFunnel, BookVault, and Lulu Direct. The downside is that Shopify takes more work to set up and manage, especially when you start adding apps and integrating multiple services. There's also a monthly subscription fee, plus potential costs for additional apps.

If you're comfortable with WordPress, WooCommerce is another powerful option. It's highly customizable and lets you add ecommerce functionality to an existing WordPress site. But WooCommerce also puts more responsibility on you for maintaining the store, choosing extensions, managing hosting, and keeping everything working together.

And don't overlook Curios here, either.

Our research made clear that Curios isn't necessarily just for authors who want to make a few sales on the side. It can also serve authors with established direct-sales businesses, especially those who'd rather have a specialized platform handle more of the operational headaches.

My recommendation: Shopify is my preferred option for authors who want a powerful, customizable ecommerce operation and are comfortable managing the extra complexity. For authors who want to concentrate on selling books rather than maintaining an ecommerce system, I'd give Curios serious consideration, even at larger sales volumes.

If You Need Help Delivering Ebooks and Audiobooks

There's one more distinction I want to make, because it's easy to miss when comparing direct-sales services.

Selling a book and delivering it aren't necessarily the same thing. A platform like Shopify can process a customer's payment, but you still need a way to get the purchased ebook or audiobook into that reader's hands.

BookFunnel specializes in delivering ebooks and audiobooks to readers, including helping customers who run into trouble getting their books onto their devices.

It integrates with platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, and Payhip, so readers can purchase through your store and receive their books through BookFunnel.

However, BookFunnel isn't a storefront or checkout system. You need something else to handle the sale. And not every author needs it. Curios, for example, already handles digital delivery, so you may not need a separate BookFunnel subscription.

My recommendation: Before paying for an ebook or audiobook delivery service, check what your chosen sales platform already provides. There's no sense paying for another tool if your platform already handles the job.

Comparing the Best Direct-Sales Platforms for Authors

Okay, we've covered quite a few options here. Let's put them together in a table so you can compare them side by side.

Platform	Full Author Website?	When I'd use it	Main drawback
Curios	No	Author-focused digital and print sales, from beginners to established businesses.	Not a complete author website.
Shopify	Yes	A serious ecommerce business with extensive customization, integrations, and marketing tools.	More setup, complexity, and ongoing costs.
Payhip	Limited	An inexpensive way to start selling directly, with a simple storefront and optional print-on-demand integration.	Fewer advanced ecommerce features.
WooCommerce	Yes, with WordPress	A customizable direct-sales operation using WordPress.	More technical setup and maintenance.
Tertulia for Authors	Yes	An author website with integrated direct-sales functionality.	Self-fulfilled print orders and more responsibility for taxes and customer support.
BooksSpace	Limited	A book-focused storefront with native print-on-demand.	Not a full traditional author website.
BookBub Author Websites	Yes	A simple author website that sends readers to a separate checkout service.	No built-in direct-sales checkout.
Carrd	Basic one-page site	An inexpensive website paired with a separate sales platform.	Limited functionality for larger websites.
BookVault	No	Automated printing and shipping for books sold through a compatible storefront.	Not a standalone storefront.
Lulu Direct	No	Print-on-demand fulfillment through a compatible online store.	Focused on print, not digital-book sales.
BookFunnel	No	Ebook and audiobook delivery, including reader support.	No storefront or checkout functionality.

Remember, you're not locked into using the same platform forever. You can start with a simple storefront to test the waters and move to something more sophisticated as your direct-sales business grows.

The important thing is to get started with a setup that makes sense for you, your books, and the readers you're trying to reach.

Your Step-by-Step Direct Sales Process

Okay, so you've decided to give direct sales a try, and you've got an idea of which platform (or platforms) you want to use.

What comes next?

Well, here's how I'd approach it.

Step 1: Prepare Your Books for Direct Sales

Before you can sell your books, you'll need properly formatted files for whichever formats you plan to offer.

For ebooks and print books, I recommend using Atticus. It lets you format your manuscript for both formats without needing separate software for each.

One thing I'd pay particular attention to is your book's front and back matter.

For example, if your ebook currently has an “Also By” section that sends readers to Amazon to purchase your other books, you might want to create a direct-sales version that links to your own store instead.

The same goes for any links to reader magnets, bonus content, or newsletter signup forms. Make sure they still make sense for readers who purchased directly from you.

Step 2: Set Up Your Storefront or Purchase Pages

This is where the platform you choose makes a difference.

If you're using something like Shopify or WooCommerce, you'll have more work to do. You'll need to configure your store, set up payment processing, create product pages, and customize the overall shopping experience.

With Curios, Payhip, or BooksSpace, much of that infrastructure is already provided. You'll mainly be adding your books, setting prices, customizing your storefront or checkout pages, and deciding where to share your purchase links.

And remember, you don't necessarily need a full website. You could simply link to your purchase pages from social media, your author newsletter, or a basic website.

Whichever approach you take, make sure your product pages have attractive book covers, clear descriptions, and pricing that's easy to understand.

Step 3: Make Sure Book Delivery and Fulfillment are Set Up

Next, you need to make sure customers will receive what they've purchased.

Some services, like Curios, already handle digital delivery. Others may require you to connect a service like BookFunnel to deliver ebooks and audiobooks.

If you're selling print books, you'll need to decide whether to fulfill orders yourself or use a print-on-demand service like BookVault or Lulu Direct. As we discussed earlier, some platforms already have integrations that make this relatively easy.

My advice? Don't add more services than you really need. Check what your sales platform already handles before signing up for anything else.

And before you announce your store, place a test order yourself. Go through the checkout process, check the confirmation emails, and make sure you can download your ebook or receive the appropriate delivery instructions. If you're offering print books, confirm that the order reaches your fulfillment service correctly.

You want to find any problems before your readers do.

Step 4: Announce Your Store to Your Email List

Once everything is working, it's time to let your readers know.

If you have an email list, that's where I'd start. These are people who've already shown an interest in your books, making them a natural audience for your new store.

And don't just announce that you have a new place to buy your books. Give readers a reason to check it out. Maybe you're offering a special launch discount, exclusive bonus material, signed copies, or bundles they can't get on Amazon.

Whatever you choose, make it easy for readers to understand what you're offering and where to purchase it.

Step 5: Share Your Purchase Links on Social Media

You should also let your social media followers know that they can now purchase books directly from you.

You could share links to your storefront, individual books, or special offers. And if you're using a platform like Curios or Payhip, you don't need to send people through a separate author website first.

Just remember that posting the same purchase link over and over isn't much of a marketing strategy. Think about why somebody might want your book, show them what makes it interesting, and give them an easy way to buy it.

Step 6: Pay Attention to What's Working

Once you've started making sales, pay attention to the results. Which books are selling? Where are your customers coming from? Are readers buying individual titles, or are they more interested in bundles?

If you're experimenting with discounts or special offers, keep track of whether they're helping you sell more books. And don't forget to look at your actual profit after platform fees, payment processing, fulfillment costs, and any advertising expenses.

One advantage of selling direct is that you can learn more about your customers and experiment with different approaches. Use that information to figure out what works for your particular readership.

Optional: Run Paid Advertising

If you want to take things further, you can experiment with paid advertising through Facebook and Instagram.

One advantage of sending traffic to your own store is that you may be able to track purchases and optimize campaigns around actual sales, rather than just clicks. However, the tracking options available to you will depend on your sales platform and how you've configured it.

I'd also recommend starting with a modest budget until you have a better understanding of your conversion rates, costs, and profit margins. Paid advertising can be a great way to grow a direct-sales business, but it isn't something every author needs to do right away.

Optional: Sell Merchandise and Other Products

Another possibility is to expand beyond books. Depending on your platform, you could sell things like shirts, mugs, art prints, stickers, or other products related to your books.

Services like Printful can handle print-on-demand production and shipping for compatible ecommerce stores, so you don't necessarily have to keep merchandise in stock.

Of course, there's no need to jump into merchandise immediately. I'd concentrate on getting your book sales working first, then explore additional products if they're something your readers would actually want.

Need Help Building It?

If you've decided to go with something like Shopify or WooCommerce, but aren't sure where to start, there are some good resources out there that can help.

One I'd recommend is Steve Pieper's Author Marketing Mastery through Optimization (AMMO) course. I've taken Steve's course myself and even built a website using his methods. His approach focuses heavily on understanding your customers, creating effective Facebook ads, improving conversions, and using email marketing to get more sales. It's especially worth looking into if you want to build a serious direct-sales business.

Another option is Morgana Best's Authors Selling Direct on Shopify course, which focuses more specifically on setting up and running a Shopify store.

Of course, if you're using something like Curios or Payhip, you probably won't need an entire course just to get your store up and running.

Hiring Someone to Help You Set Up Your Store

Of course, you don't have to do everything yourself.

If you'd rather have someone handle the technical side of setting up your store, there are people who specialize in doing just that.

Below are some service providers you can look into. Just keep in mind that I'm not personally recommending or endorsing any of them. Be sure to do your own research, check their previous work, and make sure they're a good fit before hiring anyone.

Examples of Authors with Direct Sales Websites

Want to see what other authors are doing with direct sales?

I've put together a list of authors who are already selling books through their own websites and storefronts. You can check out how they've set things up, and I've also included their advice for authors who are thinking about doing the same thing.

Take a look. You might find a few ideas worth borrowing for your own store.

Key Takeaway

I personally believe selling direct is going to become an increasingly important part of being a successful indie author.

With how competitive Amazon and other retailers have become (and with AI making it easier than ever for people to publish books), I think it's only going to get harder for authors to stand out and get their books noticed.

So that's why I'm such a big believer in building your own audience and finding ways to sell books that don't depend entirely on Amazon or another retailer.

Does that mean every author needs to rush out and build a Shopify store? Of course not. As we've covered in this guide, there are plenty of ways to start selling direct, including some that are relatively inexpensive and don't require much technical know-how. And you don't have to abandon Amazon to do it, either. Selling direct can simply be another way for readers to discover and purchase your books.

If you've been thinking about giving it a try, my advice would be to start small, see how your readers respond, and build from there.