Last Updated on by Dan S
Originally Published March 26, 2021.


How to sell your own books on Shopify

Considering that a certain e-commerce marketplace giant was initially made for this exact purpose, it’s understandable why anyone most would want to sell books on Amazon. The process is fairly simple in terms of listing; the hard work is getting sales. You have to climb the site’s ranking and make your place on the best-selling list. 

A downside to Amazon is a hefty royalty. Royalties very depending on which channel you opt for. Ebook vs Print will also be a determining factor unless you are opting for both.

For instance, an author selling books on Amazon reported getting only one-tenth of the royalties because their buyers came from “Expanded Distribution”. So, even though they sold 48 copies of the book, their total royalties were just $10. 

On the other hand, when the author sold the same books on Shopify, they ended up making a profit of $102. 

Why sell books on Shopify

The main reason for making the switch from Amazon to Shopify is that as an author, you can make, on average, five times the amount that you’re making on Amazon if you start selling your books on Shopify. Our advice? do both.

Additionally, you can offer your readers other perks like bookmarks and signed copies directly on your Shopify store. 

Selling your own books directly on Shopify

LuLu sell books

To sell books on Shopify, you can create a store just like you would for any other product. Other than the pricing plan and transaction fees, after publishing costs you will keep all of the revenue. Plus, Shopify also has some relevant apps to help you. Lulu xPress is a Shopify app that helps you create and sell books easily. 

With over three thousand book format options, you can select any binding type or layout for the printing. Then, you can print as many books as needed and ship them all across the globe. Here are some features of the app:

  • No handling fees or set-up charges 
  • High-quality printing at competitive prices
  • Sustainably sourced material 
  • Variety of cover, size, color, and binding options