Frequently asked questions

gimmebook is a tool that lets authors create their own direct-to-reader bookstore. You upload your ebook or audiobook, set your price, and get a storefront you can share anywhere without going through Amazon or building a Shopify site from scratch.

gimmebook is for authors who already have (or are building) an audience and want to sell directly to their readers. That includes:

• - Indie authors selling fiction, nonfiction, poetry, illustrated books, or audiobooks

• - Substack writers who want to monetize individual posts or compilations as ebooks

• - Authors who want an alternative to Amazon KDP

• - Authors who want to give their existing fans an easier way to buy their work

We’re authors and we hate that Amazon takes a significant cut of margin, direct contact with customers or a view of where they come from. So we built gimmebook to change that paradigm.

The biggest reason isn't the features, it's that on gimmebook, you own the customer relationship.

When someone buys your book through Amazon, Amazon owns that customer. You don't see their email, you can't market to them later, and you can't tell where the sale came from. Most other platforms work similarly.

On gimmebook, every reader who buys from you is your customer. You get their email. You can build a list. You can run a launch for your next book and email the people who bought your last one. That's what the 30% pays for, and it's the thing that compounds over time as your audience grows.

vs. Amazon KDP: Amazon gives you discovery (in theory) but takes a huge cut on most books and never gives you the customer relationship. gimmebook doesn't give you discovery, yet, but you keep more margin and own your readers.

vs. Gumroad: Gumroad takes a smaller cut and is great for selling almost anything digital. gimmebook is purpose-built for books, with a real bookstore experience, Send-to-Kindle, audiobook handling, and a reader library that works the way book buyers expect.

vs. Shopify: Shopify is more flexible but you're building from scratch, paying a monthly subscription, and configuring everything yourself. gimmebook is ready in minutes and you only pay when you sell.

vs. Substack: Substack is built around subscriptions. gimmebook lets you sell one-off ebooks or audiobooks, which is a better fit for finished works or for monetizing individual Substack posts as standalone books.

Yes. gimmebook is a tool for selling to readers you already have or are actively building through a newsletter, social media, a Substack, a podcast, or word of mouth. gimmebook doesn't currently drive discovery on its own. You share your gimmebook link, and the people who follow you can buy directly.

gimmebook takes 30% of each sale. There are no monthly fees, listing fees, or upfront costs and you only pay when you sell. Payment processor fees (Stripe) are deducted before the split.

Your royalty split estimate is shown in your dashboard when you set a price. Payment-processor fees are deducted before the split is applied. Payouts are issued by our payment processor, Stripe, after a 7 day return window hold.

Connect a payout account on the Payments tab in your Stripe dashboard. Once verified, completed sales are automatically routed to your payout account after a 7 day refund window closes.

Stripe, our payment processor, has their own verification system and timeline. Often an account is approved in just a few minutes. Sometimes they may need more information from you if this is the first time you've set up an account. Check your email or click into the Stripe dashboard to see if there are open requests.

Authors can be based anywhere in the world. gimmebook currently only sells to customers in the United States while we finalize international tax handling. Non-U.S. customers are blocked at checkout for now.

Yes. You choose the price when you create or edit a book. Minimum is 99¢.

We're still working through this. Books that use AI tools as part of the writing or illustration process are generally fine. Books that are entirely AI-generated with minimal human authorship aren't what gimmebook is built for. If you're unsure about your specific project, contact support before uploading.

Ebooks are delivered as EPUB; audiobooks as MP3 or M4B. All files are DRM-Free. We believe that when you buy something, you own it. The available formats appear on your purchase email and on the download page.