How to Sell Books Direct From Your Author Website

Most indie authors start on Amazon and stay there, and that’s sensible, because it’s where the readers are. More of us now sell a share of our books direct, though. The buyers are usually readers who already know our work and are happy to buy straight from the source.

This guide covers why authors sell direct and how delivery works for each format. It also flags the two rules to check before you start (VAT and KDP Select), and how to keep your retail links working next to the shop.

Why do authors sell books direct from their website?

Margin

When a reader buys from a retailer, the retailer takes its cut and sets a lot of the terms. On your own site you pay a payment processor and any shop software fees, and you keep the rest. On a signed paperback or a box set sold to a loyal reader, that difference can add up. It won’t replace your retail income, so think of it as an extra channel.

Reader data

A retailer sale tells you almost nothing about who bought. A direct sale gives you a name and an email address (with consent), plus a record of what that reader picked. That’s how you find out which book makes the best series starter for your readers, and who’s ready for the next one. It also fills your author mailing list with people who’ve already shown they’ll pay.

Bundles and special editions

Selling direct lets you offer things a retailer’s shop page can’t. A complete series bundle, say, or an ebook and audiobook together. Signed paperbacks and hardback special editions work too, as does early access to a new release for readers on your list. These are the products your most committed readers keep asking for.

How does delivery work for ebooks, paperbacks and audiobooks?

With ebooks, the reader gets a download link after paying, or an email with the files in the formats they need (EPUB for most devices, plus a file or send-to-device option for Kindle). Keep the instructions short and clear. Readers who’ve never side-loaded a book before will email you otherwise.

Audiobooks work in a similar way. The reader gets a link to download the audio files, or a code or link for a listening app. The files are big, so you’ll need reliable hosting, and a short guide to finding the files on a phone will save you a lot of support emails.

Paperbacks give you two options. Either you keep stock and post it yourself, or each order triggers print-on-demand fulfilment straight to the reader. Before you open the shop, decide who packs and who posts, and how you’ll deal with damaged or lost parcels. Signed copies naturally belong with stock you hold yourself.

Whichever route you pick, test the whole thing as a reader would. Pay with a real card for a cheap item. Check the confirmation email, then open the download and read the file on an actual device.

What do you need to know about VAT on digital sales?

A quick check here saves headaches later. GOV.UK states that e-versions of books are zero-rated for VAT, a change that took effect on 1 May 2020. It also says audiobooks stay at the standard rate, physical or digital, because the zero rate only covers electronic versions of books that can be read or looked at.

So an ebook and an audiobook can be treated differently on the same order. That affects bundles, and it affects how your shop software works out the tax. Whether you need to register for VAT at all depends on your turnover and circumstances, so ask your accountant or check HMRC’s guidance. Don’t assume. We’re a marketing agency, not tax advisers, so take this section as a prompt to check and not as advice.

Does selling direct clash with KDP Select?

It can. Amazon’s KDP Select page says that enrolling commits you to making the ebook’s digital format available only through KDP, and that during the exclusivity period you can’t distribute it digitally anywhere else, your own website or blog included. The same page says paperbacks aren’t covered by the exclusivity, so you can keep selling those elsewhere.

If a title is in KDP Select, then, don’t sell or give away the ebook from your site while it’s enrolled. Paperbacks and signed copies are still fine. Lots of authors keep their series starter wide, or only sell direct from books that aren’t enrolled. The Select page refers you to the full terms for the detail, including anything about audio, so read them before you decide.

How do you set up a direct shop readers will trust?

1. Use a recognised checkout. Readers should see payment options they know on a secure page. Don’t build your own payment handling.
2. Show what they get. Put the cover and format, the blurb, the series order and a sample chapter if you can on the same page as the buy button.
3. Be plain about delivery and returns. Say when paperbacks ship, how digital files arrive and who to contact if something goes wrong.
4. Keep the shop on your own domain. A shop that looks like part of your author brand sells better than one that feels bolted on, and it builds up the site you own.
5. Collect consent properly. If you’d like to email buyers about future books, ask clearly at checkout. Never assume.

A shop works best inside a complete site. Our guide to what an author website should include covers the pages around it, and a well-built author website designed to sell books makes the shop feel like part of your series’ world instead of an afterthought.

Should you still keep your Amazon links?

Yes. Plenty of readers will always want to buy where their library, Kindle account and payment details already live, and pushing them elsewhere loses you sales. Offer both. The simple approach is retailer buttons on each book page for readers who want convenience, next to a clearly labelled direct option for anyone after a signed copy or a bundle, or who wants to support you directly.

Direct sales are also easier to promote when you give readers a reason to choose them. A bundle they can’t get anywhere else works, and so does a signed edition or early access. Don’t undercut your own retailer price in a way that confuses readers or breaks the terms of a programme you’ve signed up to.

How we can help

The Limelight Company grew out of the team that runs the author business of our founder, USA Today bestselling author Jack Cartwright, so we build sites the way an author needs them to work. We can design and build your author website with a shop and series pages, plus sign-up forms that fit your brand. For the wider plan, see how we market self-published authors. Before any work begins, we agree a clear brief with you, along with the scope and fee.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Zero rate of VAT for electronic publications
• Amazon KDP: Self publishing and KDP Select