How Authors Can Make the Most of the E-Book Distribution Service
Michael La Ronn
For many authors, helping readers download e-books purchased directly onto their preferred reading app eats away from valuable writing and marketing time. With so many responsibilities in running a writing business, tech support is a low priority. That’s where a tool like BookFunnel (http://www.bookfunnel.com) comes in. It’s a digital book delivery service that can help authors with the trickiest parts of e-book fulfillment.
But BookFunnel isn’t just a tool for side-loading e-books onto devices. The service offers many additional features to help authors with book distribution and marketing. Here’s an in-depth look at BookFunnel and some features authors may not be aware of.
BookFunnel Basics
BookFunnel was founded in 2015, and it helps authors deliver their books to readers with ease. Whether they’re distributing an ARC, a reader magnet, or bonus content such as a short story or deleted chapter, authors remain in control of the delivery settings through the site.
According to the BookFunnel website, key elements of all BookFunnel services include:
- Reader privacy and no ads
- Link security and watermarking to protect uploaded media
- GDPR compliance
- Unlimited book uploads
- Custom landing pages
The result is a secure distribution channel that enables authors to share their work seamlessly while also maintaining control over the process, reaching readers, and protecting their work.
Pricing
BookFunnel currently has three paid plan tiers for authors. They do not offer a free trial or a demo; the platform’s entry-level plan is $20 per year and allows users to take advantage of its core features. Refer to the table below for a high-level overview of each plan.
| First-Time Author Plan ($20 per year) | Mid-List Author Plan ($100 per year or $10 per month) | Bestseller Plan ($250 per year or $25 per month) |
| Only 1 pen name | Up to 2 pen names | Up to 3 pen names |
| Up to 500 reader downloads per month | Up to 5,000 reader downloads per month | Unlimited reader downloads |
Visit the BookFunnel website for more information and a detailed table outlining the features available in each plan.
BookFunnel Features Available on All Plans
Although not an exhaustive list, authors at all levels will likely find the following BookFunnel features helpful in their book distribution and marketing.
Author Swaps
The Author Swap feature enables authors to find other authors in their genre and share each other’s BookFunnel links, allowing readers to download their book in exchange for their email address. Once agreed, each author shares the other’s book to their newsletter, driving email signups and building both authors’ lists.
Group Promos
Instead of doing a one-to-one author swap, authors can participate in a group promo, which is a similar setup but involves multiple authors at once. A group promo runs for a limited period, during which all participating authors send their readers to a dedicated landing page with all the books featured. Readers can then download the books they are interested in.
Any BookFunnel author can create a Group Promo by logging into their dashboard and clicking the “Group Promos” button on the left-hand navigation of the home screen.
A screenshot of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Promo board on the BookFunnel dashboard November 20, 2023.
Read Now Pages
BookFunnel’s Read Now feature allows readers to read books in the cloud instead of side-loading the books onto their device. This is a helpful option to let readers know about in case they don’t want to or cannot side-load books onto a reading app. Read Now pages are accessible from any BookFunnel landing page by clicking the words “Start reading in your browser” underneath the download button.
Easy Ebook Samples
With Easy Ebook Samples, authors embed samples of their e-book on their BookFunnel landing pages so that readers can read the sample directly in the browser. Authors can also add various retailer links to the page, reminiscent of Draft2Digital’s Universal Book Links feature. When the reader is ready to buy, they can do so from the retailer links on the page.
Pro Tip: The BookFunnel App launched in 2015 for Android and in 2020 for iOS. The app can send books directly to readers’ preferred reading app. It also allows readers to read books directly in the app, and it has an audiobook player for audiobooks delivered through the service.
Readers can page through the book in the browser, like this sample of Alice in Wonderland, and they can adjust reading settings as they would in a traditional e-book reading app.
An example sales page where readers can buy the book or read the sample.
Features on the Mid-List Author Plan (and Above)
Authors who are willing to spend more money for the Mid-List Plan will benefit from the following additional features to assist in their book delivery and marketing.
Audiobook Delivery
The Mid-List Plan and above allow authors to deliver “short audio” to readers, which BookFunnel defines as up to 120 minutes for spoken word content. Examples of short audio could include audiobook samples, short story readings, behind-the-scenes commentary read by the author, or other creative ideas.
BookFunnel also offers full audiobook delivery, currently in beta. Readers can listen to the audiobook in the BookFunnel app or download the MP3s to their computer if the author allows it. According to BookFunnel, the audiobook delivery feature will eventually be an add-on service for an additional yearly fee.
Certified Mail
Authors who want to deliver ARCs to their “street teams” of early reviewers can use the Certified Mail feature to send each reader a unique secure BookFunnel link that can’t be shared with anyone else. The e-book file is watermarked for additional security.
Authors can write the body of the email that goes out with the book, as well as an automated reminder email that nudges readers to leave reviews. The author will receive a summary email after the campaign closes that details which reviewers downloaded the book.
Print Codes
Authors who attend in-person events can take advantage of BookFunnel’s Print Codes feature, which are codes allowing for a free e-book or audiobook download. These codes are useful to add to card stock, bookmarks, or any printed materials an author might hand out at an event.
Once print codes are redeemed, they cannot be used again. Authors can generate up to 500 print codes per month.
Pro Tip: Check the BookFunnel Author Knowledge Base (https://authors.bookfunnel.com) for detailed tutorials and tips on using BookFunnel’s features.
Direct Integration with Other Services
Authors can integrate BookFunnel with the following services to maximize the selling and delivery process.
- Mailing List Providers: BookFunnel integrates with common mailing list providers such as ConvertKit and Mailerlite and enables authors to send BookFunnel links to their existing subscribers as well as collect new email subscribers when they download the author’s books.
- Direct Sales Providers: Platforms such as Gumroad and Payhip allow authors to enable BookFunnel delivery for readers directly at the point of sale. They’ll receive an email with their link when the purchase is complete.
- Zapier: Zapier opens up many possibilities since Zapier connects dozens of services. For more information on Zapier, read the October 2023 feature on the platform by Indie Author Magazine co-founder Chelle Honiker at https://indieauthormagazine.com/zippier-with-zapier.
Pro Tip: If you sell books direct, sell bundles and fulfill them with BookFunnel using their direct sales integration.
Final Words
If you haven’t explored BookFunnel and its array of features beyond simple book file distribution, it may be worth it in order to maximize your BookFunnel subscription. BookFunnel has become an indispensable tool for indie authors and for readers, and its plethora of features will help you take your marketing to the next level.
Happy BookFunneling!
Michael La Ronn
