Why I Sell My Book and Audiobook on Gumroad and Amazon
As an independent author that poured countless hours into my Book and Audiobook, making sure it is available on all formats and platforms is key.
While Amazon may be a popular option, there are several reasons why selling my book on Gumroad (in addition to Amazon) helped me to earn more money. Now before we get into this, I want to be clear that my book is available on Amazon, Gumroad and many other platforms. Below are the reasons why I also have sell my creations on Gumroad and why you should consider it too.
Royalties
Gumroad offers a higher percentage of royalties on sales. While Amazon takes a significant cut of your earnings, Gumroad only takes a small percentage, which means more money in your pocket.
Audiobook Royalties
Audible (ACX) Amazon takes 75% and I get 25% because I have a non-exclusive agreement. If I went exclusive my % would be higher.
Gumroad takes 7% and I get the remaining 93% from each sale.
E-Book Royalties
Amazon (KDP) takes 30% and I get the remaining 70% from each sale.
Gumroad takes 7% and I get the remaining 93% from each sale.
Name Your Price
Gumroad allows you to set your own price for your e-book. This means you can experiment with different pricing strategies and find the sweet spot that maximizes your earnings. On Amazon, on the other hand, you’re limited to their pricing guidelines and have less control over how much your book sells for. One example is that if you want to sell your e-book for more than $9.99; Amazon drops the royalty to 35% to you, and they keep the remaining 65%.
Coupons
Gumroad lets you create coupons and links with discounts for your customers. This can help be helpful when speaking at an event, or being featured in a blog. You can see how many sales were generated via that coupon and also reach out to the buyer via email. Amazon allow you to change the price by country and run price promotions or free book give-aways but only if you distribute exclusively through them.
Payment Options
Amazon has plenty of payment options but one key feature about Gumroad is that people can make a purchase and receive their product without creating an account. In addition to payment from credit and debit cards, they also allow people to pay with PayPal or Apple Pay with one tap. This makes it easy for your customers to purchase your book and can lead to more sales because there is no sign up process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, selling your book on Gumroad can be a great way to earn more money compared to Amazon. With higher royalties, the ability to set your own price, the ability to offer promotions and discounts, and convenient payment options, Gumroad is a platform that can help you maximize your earnings as an independent author.
My advice is to choose non-exclusive terms with stores and make your book, audiobook or creation available everywhere. People will make the purchase where they choose to, so make it easy for them to find and make a purchase.
Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions or advice on other stores I should check out.
Links to my book and audiobook on both platforms are below
Work Hard Playlist Hard (Second Edition)
Audiobook
E-Book
Paperback