Amazon takes its cut. The customer relationship goes to them. You get a royalty deposit sixty days later and no idea who your readers actually are.
Selling books directly from your own website flips that completely. You set the price. You keep the margin. You own the customer data. And every reader who buys from you directly becomes part of your list — not Amazon's.
This guide covers exactly how to do it.
Why selling direct is worth it
The numbers are straightforward. On Amazon KDP, a £9.99 ebook earns you roughly £3.50 at the 35% royalty tier, or £6.99 at 70% (with file delivery costs deducted). Sell that same ebook directly and you keep the full sale price minus payment processing fees — typically around 1.4% + 20p for UK cards via Stripe.
On a £9.99 ebook sold direct, you keep roughly £9.65. On Amazon, you keep £6.99 at best.
That difference compounds. Sell 100 copies direct and you keep approximately £960 more than you would through Amazon's 70% tier — and more than £600 more than the 35% tier.
Beyond the earnings, there are three things direct selling gives you that marketplaces never will:
Your reader list. Every direct buyer gives you an email address. That list is yours — not Amazon's, not Instagram's, not anyone else's. It's the most valuable asset in your author business.
Your pricing control. Want to run a launch discount? A bundle deal? A signed edition at a premium? Direct selling means you set every price, every time, without asking permission.
Your data. You can see where your readers come from, which formats they prefer, which books in your catalogue they buy together. Marketplaces keep all of that. Your own store gives it back to you.
What you need to sell books from your website
The basic requirements are simpler than most authors expect:
1. A storefront
You need somewhere for readers to land, browse, and buy. This can be a dedicated author website with ecommerce built in, or a standalone store on a platform designed for authors.
Look for a platform that handles both digital and physical books — so ebooks, PDFs, and signed copies all live in the same checkout. Separate tools for each format create friction for your readers and admin overhead for you.
2. Secure checkout and payment processing
Readers need to be able to pay by card, PayPal, or Apple Pay — whatever they're used to. Stripe is the standard for author storefronts: reliable, trusted by readers, and available in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and most other markets.
3. Automatic digital delivery
If you're selling ebooks or digital extras, you need a system that delivers the file immediately after payment — without you manually sending anything. A reader who buys at 2am should have their file at 2am, not when you wake up and check your emails.
4. A way to connect your social channels
Your BookTok, Instagram, and email list are your biggest marketing assets. Your storefront needs to work with them — which means a clean link-in-bio option, shareable product links, and ideally TikTok Shop and Meta Shops integration so readers can buy without leaving the platforms they're already on.
The direct selling setup, step by step
Step 1: Choose your platform
For most authors, the choice comes down to general ecommerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce) or author-specific ones (ilanoShop, Payhip, Gumroad).
General platforms are powerful but require significant setup — plugins for digital delivery, separate apps for preorders, manual configuration for most author-specific features. If you want to be selling within a day, they're not the right starting point.
Author-specific platforms are built around how authors actually sell: digital downloads, signed copies, preorders with release-date locking, and bundle options. Setup takes hours, not weeks.
[ilanoShop's author storefront](https://ilanoshop.com/authors) includes digital delivery, preorder support, TikTok Shop and Meta Shops integration, and book-first templates out of the box — no plugins required.
Step 2: Add your books
Create a product listing for each format you sell:
- Ebook or PDF — upload the file, set the price, and the platform delivers it automatically after purchase
- Physical book or signed copy — add your shipping rates and set a stock level (or mark as made-to-order for signed editions)
- Bundle — combine a physical book and digital extras into one listing for a higher average order value
Write your product descriptions with the reader in mind, not just the book. Cover the emotional promise of the story or content, not just the format and page count.
Step 3: Set up your link-in-bio
Your link-in-bio is the bridge between your social audience and your store. It should do three things: show your latest release, link to your full catalogue, and make buying as easy as one tap.
A dedicated author page — sometimes called a /connect page — lets you put your store, your social profiles, your newsletter signup, and your latest book all on one URL. That's the link that goes in every bio, every email signature, and on the back of your physical books.
Step 4: Connect your social channels
If you're on TikTok, set up TikTok Shop and sync your product catalogue. Readers can buy directly from your videos without leaving the app — which removes one of the biggest drop-off points between discovery and purchase.
Do the same with Instagram Shopping for your Bookstagram presence.
These integrations don't replace your storefront — they feed into it. Every social channel becomes a route to your direct checkout.
Step 5: Tell your readers
The biggest mistake authors make when launching a direct store is building it and waiting. Your readers won't find it unless you tell them it exists — and tell them why they should buy there instead of Amazon.
Be honest. Explain that buying direct means you earn more per sale, you get to know them as a reader, and they often get better prices and extras (signed editions, bonus chapters, bundles) that Amazon doesn't offer.
Most readers are happy to support an author directly once they understand what it means. They just need to be asked.
What to sell directly
You don't have to move your entire publishing operation to direct sales on day one. Many successful authors use direct selling for specific products while keeping their main titles on Amazon and other retailers.
The best candidates for direct-only or direct-first:
- Signed copies and special editions (readers expect these to come from you directly)
- Digital extras — bonus chapters, deleted scenes, companion guides, character art
- Preorders with launch bonuses
- Backlist titles for readers already on your email list
- Bundles that bundle formats or titles together
Starting with one or two of these lets you learn the workflow, build a reader list, and generate your first direct sales — before making bigger decisions about exclusivity or catalogue management.
Common questions
Will selling direct hurt my Amazon rankings?
No. Amazon's algorithm ranks books based on sales velocity on Amazon. Selling direct doesn't affect that. Many authors run both channels simultaneously and see no impact on their Amazon performance.
Do I need a separate website?
Not necessarily. Platforms like ilanoShop give you a standalone author storefront at your own domain — so your direct store and your author website can be the same thing. You don't need to maintain a separate site.
How do readers get their ebooks?
Immediately after payment, readers receive an email with a secure download link. They can also access all their purchased files from their account page — so they never lose access even if the original email is deleted.
Do I pay transaction fees?
Standard payment processing fees apply — typically 1.4% + 20p for UK cards via Stripe. ilanoShop charges 0% platform transaction fees on top of that, meaning the only fee is the payment processor's standard rate.
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