Should Authors Sell Books Directly on Their Website? Pros, Cons & How to Start
· 8 min read
If you’re an indie author building your platform, you’ve probably asked yourself: should I sell my books directly from my website—or just send readers to Amazon?
The short answer: yes, most indie authors or self-published authors should seriously consider selling books directly on their website. This guide walks through the pros, cons, and exactly how to get started with direct-to-reader sales.
What Does “Selling Direct” Mean for Authors?
Selling direct means offering your books for purchase on your own author website, instead of—or alongside—retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books.
Direct sales can include:
- Signed paperbacks or hardcovers shipped straight to readers
- Ebooks delivered via your platform’s built-in delivery or external tools
- Special editions or exclusive content you can’t offer through retailers
- Audiobooks — sold without Audible’s exclusivity terms
The core idea is simple: readers buy from you, not from a marketplace. You receive the payment, you control the experience, and—crucially—you get the customer data.
Pros of Selling Books Directly from Your Website
1. You Keep More of the Revenue
Retailers take a significant cut of every sale. Amazon’s royalty structure pays 35–70% depending on your pricing and program. When you sell directly, you keep the full sale price minus a small payment processing fee (typically 2–3%).
On a $9.99 ebook:
- Amazon KDP: you could receive $3.49–$6.99
- Direct sale: you could receive ~$9.40
That difference compounds fast at scale.
2. You Own the Customer Relationship
This is the biggest long-term advantage of direct sales—and the one most authors underestimate.
When a reader buys through Amazon, Amazon owns that relationship. You get no email address, no purchase history, no way to reach them when your next book launches. When a reader buys directly from your website, you get their email address automatically and can build a genuine long-term connection.
Every direct buyer can become:
- A subscriber to your launch announcements
- A repeat customer for your next release
- A word-of-mouth advocate for your work
3. You Can Offer Exclusive Experiences
Direct sales unlock things retailers simply can’t offer:
- Signed or personalized copies of print books (Coming soon on Tertulia for Authors, too!)
- Bonus chapters, deleted scenes, or companion content (in ebook or PDF format)
- Limited editions with special cover art or author notes
These exclusives give readers a compelling reason to buy from your site rather than Amazon—and they position you as an author who values your reader community.
4. More Control Over Your Business
Selling through retailers means playing by their rules—and those rules can change. Amazon can adjust royalty rates, alter search algorithms, or remove your book from Kindle Unlimited without warning. When you sell direct, you control pricing, promotions, and how your work is presented.
Ready to start keeping more of what you earn? Tertulia for Authors is built specifically for authors who want to sell ebooks directly to readers — with a built-in storefront, automatic ebook delivery, and email capture on every purchase. No technical setup required.
Start selling direct with Tertulia →The KDP Select Tradeoff
If your ebook is enrolled in KDP Select (Kindle Unlimited), you’re locked into exclusivity—meaning you legally cannot sell that ebook anywhere else, including your own website.
KDP Select can genuinely help with early visibility, especially in genre fiction where Kindle Unlimited readers are active. But it comes at the cost of ownership—you’re trading long-term control for short-term discoverability.
That’s why many authors eventually move away from exclusivity. Once they have an audience and an email list, direct sales become more profitable than KDP Select. And many authors make the decision right upfront that they are committed to engaging an audience directly on their site, and start with direct sales from the beginning.
Cons of Selling Direct (and When It May Not Be Right Yet)
1. You Have to Drive Your Own Traffic
Amazon has millions of daily users actively searching for books. That said, users increasingly need to wade through AI slop, sponsored listings, etc. Your author website has the readers you send there. If you don’t yet have an email list, a social following, or consistent traffic to your site, direct sales will be slow at first.
The fix: Build your audience in parallel. Even if you’re not selling direct yet, start collecting emails now so you have a list to sell to when you’re ready.
2. Setup Requires the Right Platform
Getting a direct sales storefront running requires:
- An ecommerce or author platform that handles payments
- A digital delivery system for ebooks
- Ideally, all your tools in one—you don’t want to have to sign up for multiple software tools or patch together solutions
3. Print Fulfillment Can Be Hands-On
Selling signed paperbacks directly means handling inventory, packaging, and shipping yourself—or using a print-on-demand fulfillment service. For authors who want to offer physical books directly, this is worth planning for. (Tertulia for Authors has an elegant solution for selling print books that authors fulfill and ship independently.)
So… Should You Sell Books Directly on Your Website?
Yes, if:
- You want higher profit margins per sale
- You’re actively building an email list
- You care about owning your reader relationships long-term
- You have existing traffic or an audience to sell to
Not yet (or not exclusively), if:
- Your ebook is in KDP Select and you rely on Kindle Unlimited page reads
Most authors benefit from a hybrid approach: use retail platforms like Amazon for discoverability, and direct sales for ownership, higher margins, and deeper reader relationships. These aren’t mutually exclusive—they’re complementary. Savvy indie authors, notably the Wide for the Win communities online, have been advocating for this hybrid approach for a long time. Only now are more platforms like Tertulia available for authors to implement this strategy.
Selling ebooks directly from your author website means keeping more of every sale—and building a direct relationship with every reader who buys.How to Start Selling Books Directly (Step-by-Step)
Step 1 — Decide What You Can Sell
- Is your ebook in KDP Select? You can still sell companion content, signed print copies, audiobooks, or exclusive merch directly—just not ebooks.
- Wide (not exclusive)? You can sell ebooks, print, audiobooks, and bundles directly.
Step 2 — Set Up Your Storefront
You have several options depending on your needs:
- Tertulia for Authors — Built specifically for authors; includes direct sales, email capture, and ebook delivery in one platform
- Shopify — Powerful ecommerce, but requires more setup and plugins for digital delivery—can get expensive!
- WooCommerce — WordPress plugin; flexible but technical
- Squarespace — Easier to use, limited digital delivery options
For most indie authors, an author-specific platform like Tertulia is the simplest path—it handles payments, delivery, and email list building without needing to piece together separate tools.
Step 3 — Choose Your Delivery Tools
- Ebooks: Platforms like Tertulia for Authors will deliver right from your website. Tools like BookFunnel or StoryOrigin also handle secure delivery and prevent piracy, but you’ll have to set those up separately.
- Print: Ship yourself for signed copies, or use a print-on-demand fulfillment service for hands-off shipping. Ingram Spark’s Share & Sell program is another solid option—it lets readers buy your print book directly through a shareable link without going through Amazon, though the transaction does take place on Ingram’s site rather than your own.
Step 4 — Capture Emails With Every Purchase
This is where direct sales compound over time. Every buyer should automatically join your email list. When your next book launches, you have a warm, pre-built audience who already bought from you once.
Step 5 — Give Readers a Reason to Buy Direct
Direct sales work best when you offer something readers can’t get elsewhere:
- Signed or personalized copies
- Exclusive bonus content bundled with the ebook
- Early access before retail release
- Special edition covers or author notes
Step 6 — Drive Traffic Intentionally
Direct sales require intentional promotion. Focus on:
- Your email list (most reliable and highest-converting channel)
- Back matter in your books (“Buy direct and get a bonus chapter at…”)
- Social media with links to your storefront
- A mention in your author bio or newsletter signature
Ready to build a direct sales channel that works for you? With Tertulia, you can set up your author storefront in minutes — no coding, no plugins, no piecing together tools. Sell ebooks, capture emails, and own your reader relationships from day one.
Start your free author website with Tertulia →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell books directly from my website if I’m on Amazon KDP?
Yes—with one important caveat. If your ebook is enrolled in KDP Select, you cannot sell it elsewhere, including your own site. However, you can still sell print books, audiobooks, and merchandise directly. If you’re not in KDP Select, you can sell ebooks directly with no restrictions.
What percentage do I keep when selling books directly?
When selling direct, you keep the full sale price minus a small payment processing fee. Standard Stripe fees are 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. On a $9.99 ebook, that means you receive approximately $9.40, compared to $3.49–$6.99 through Amazon depending on your royalty rate.
Do I need technical skills to sell books directly from my website?
Not if you use the right platform. Author-specific tools like Tertulia for Authors handle payment processing, ebook delivery, and email capture automatically. You don’t need to know how to code or manage plugins.
Is direct selling worth it if I don’t have many readers yet?
Direct sales work best once you have an audience. But that’s a reason to start building your author website and email list now—not a reason to wait. Even a small, engaged list of a few hundred readers can generate meaningful direct sales revenue.
How do I get readers to buy from my site instead of Amazon?
Give them a reason to. Offer something exclusive—signed copies, a bonus short story, early access, or a bundle discount. When readers feel like they’re supporting an author—or even getting insider perks—they’re far more likely to choose your site, and build a stronger connection with you in the process.
