BookFunnel: Indie fiction author's secret weapon

A recurring theme in my “publishing for programmers” book is that I figure that if I’m going to put in all of the work required to write a book, I want to make it as widely available to readers as I can. I want to meet them where they are.

While you can distribute your book as 8.5 inch by 11 inch-formatted PDF, this isn’t a convenient format for reading, at least for me. I listen to audiobooks. I have a Kindle Paperwhite, an iPhone, and an iPad, and I read on all of them. I’m sure I’m not the only one who prefers to read on something other than my laptop.

If someone hands me a .mobi file, I know how to get that onto my Kindle. I know I can email it there, and I know I can plug my Kindle into my computer and copy it over. That doesn’t mean it’s convenient for me to do so, nor does it mean other readers will know what to do with that file. There may be some Kindle owners on this list that don’t realize you can email books to it.

You probably guessed from the title that I’m heading somewhere with all of this. BookFunnel is a fantastic service that has been a favorite of indie publishers for years. This is one of those companies that really nails one use case before moving onto the next, and it’s going to earn a mention in at least three chapters in my book.

Their key business is making it easy to distribute files to readers, starting with ebooks and now moving into audiobooks. You upload your files to BookFunnel and then send your readers to a BookFunnel page. They provide step-by-step instructions to the reader to help them get the book onto their device of choice with a minimum of fuss, and provide great customer support if the reader does have a problem with the process.

How might you use BookFunnel?

1. Distribute review copies to advance readers for feedback

2. Fulfill direct purchases people make from you, maximizing your income on the book

3. Provide a free book as a “reader magnet” to get them onto your email list

Once we’re back to meeting in person at conferences, BookFunnel even has a mechanism for handing someone a card with a code that they can use to download a copy of your book.

Their starter plan is just $20 per year and could be enough for you, depending on which goals you have in mind for the service.

I’ve used BookFunnel as an author/publisher and as a buyer of books and think it’s a great tool for authors shipping books in multiple formats.

I have no affiliation with BookFunnel beyond what I just said, and I’m not using any sort of affiliate code in my link to them. BookFunnel is simply the best tool I’ve seen so far for this particular job, and I think they have the potential to really increase your readers’ satisfaction.

If you’ve got any direct-to-reader fulfillment questions, feel free to send them my way! The more questions I get, the better the book will be.

Quick writing update: I’m now 12k words in, just finished writing about audiobooks and I’m moving on to “registrations.”

Edited to add: Do see my followup post, in which I better show the reader experience at BookFunnel.