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.

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.

While we're in Beta, you can upload up to 5 books. If you need to upload more for your epic fantasy saga, send a note to support.

Go into your KDP dashboard and uncheck the "Automatically renew this book's enrollment" box. You can't leave mid-term. Even after you uncheck renewal, your book stays exclusive until the current 90-day period finishes. Once that term ends, your book drops out of Kindle Unlimited and you're free to sell elsewhere. So the move is to uncheck the box before your renewal date, then wait out the remaining days.

gimmebook takes 20% 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.

Those add their fee to your reader's checkout and charge you a monthly subscription to unlock the "100%." We take our cut from your share, so your reader pays the clean price you set and there's no subscription. You keep a little less on paper your reader keeps their trust in you.

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.

Yes. How you get it there depends on your device:

On your phone or tablet: Tap the Send to Kindle button on your download page. When the share sheet appears, select the Kindle app — the book will load automatically. Be sure to have the Kindle app on your device. You can find it on the App Store.

On a computer: Use Amazon's free Send to Kindle tool at amazon.com/sendtokindle. Sign in with your Amazon account, upload the .epub file you downloaded, choose your Kindle, and hit Send. It'll appear in your library within a minute or two.

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.