Payhip
A storefront builder rather than a bookshop: the author sets up a page, uploads the file and sells straight to readers through Stripe or PayPal. The free plan takes 5 percent per transaction, the paid tiers cut that to 2 percent or nothing, and EU VAT is calculated and filed on the seller's behalf, which spares a lot of accounting misery. Coupons, bundles, pay what you want pricing, memberships, affiliate schemes and PDF stamping all come as standard.
The economics beat every retailer: on a direct sale the writer keeps nearly the whole price and owns the customer's email address. The trade is traffic, because nobody browses Payhip looking for a new novel, so it only pays off with an existing newsletter or social following. Delivery of EPUB files to Kindle also has to be explained to readers, which generates support questions.
Pros
- Keeps almost the full sale price
- Free plan with 5 percent fee only
- EU VAT handled automatically
- Coupons, bundles and memberships
- Customer emails stay with the author
Cons
- No reader discovery whatsoever
- Needs an existing audience to work
- Readers may struggle to sideload files
Featured in rankings (1)
Reviews (0)
No reviews yet — be the first!