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Anyway, I did some research (with sources) for you! This is just a simple answer to the question I think a lot of you have.

How Can I Sell My Book?

I wanted examples of how people sold a book, how much money they spent to sell it, how much they made, how much was the book, and what kind of book was it.

Here is the answer from recent research. This is raw output with a summarization above it.

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1. If you spend $3M on Facebook ads and sell bundles on your own site, you can make $10M selling children’s books.

• Person: Connor Boyack (Tuttle Twins)

• Platform: Shopify / custom site

• Book Type: Children’s nonfiction (economics, civics)

• Strategy: Facebook Ads + email list + product bundles

• Ad Spend: $3,000,000

• Revenue: $10,000,000

• Book Price: $9.99 base, ~$30 bundle

• Key Move: Built a huge email list and monetized it hard

2. If you spend $6.6K on Facebook ads as a fiction author with no fanbase, you may lose $2.5K.

• Person: R. Paulo Delgado

• Platform: Shopify

• Book Type: Fiction novels

• Strategy: Facebook Ads + landing page

• Ad Spend: $6,650

• Revenue: $4,070

• Book Price: ~$10–$15

• Key Move: Rebuilt entire funnel from scratch; learned the hard way

3. If you run a “free + shipping” funnel and offer upsells, you can turn $0 ad profit into $3.5K with 500 customers.

• Person: Brian Hazard (music example, works for books too)

• Platform: Shopify + FunnelKit

• Product Type: CD (same funnel works for books)

• Strategy: Facebook Video Ad + “free+shipping” funnel + upsells

• Ad Spend: Covered by customer shipping fees

• Revenue: $7,000

• Profit: ~$3,500

• Base Offer: “Free” + $5 shipping

• Key Move: Strong upsells made the funnel profitable

4. If you have a loyal email list and a premium product, you can make $95K in 3 days without spending a dime on ads.

• Person: Craig Mod (Kissa by Kissa)

• Platform: Custom site

• Book Type: Art/travel photography

• Strategy: Email newsletter + organic word-of-mouth

• Ad Spend: $0

• Revenue: ~$95,000 in 3 days

• Book Price: $95

• Key Move: Build anticipation over months via personal storytelling

Selling Books Directly: Case Studies and Strategies (Last 5 Years)

Selling your book through a dedicated landing page or online store (instead of Amazon) can let you keep 80–90% of the sales price and get paid within daysthecreativepenn.com. However, it means you must drive your own traffic and handle fulfillment. Below are real case studies (2020–2024) of authors and entrepreneurs who sold books (and similar products) directly, with key metrics and the exact paths they took. These examples span different genres and marketing methods, providing a blueprint for what it takes to succeed when starting from zero.

Case Study 1: Connor Boyack – Tuttle Twins Direct Sales Success

Overview: Connor Boyack is an indie author of children’s economics/civics books (The Tuttle Twins series) who built a multi-million dollar direct-sales business without relying on Amazonauthormedia.comauthormedia.com. He sells via his own website (using WooCommerce/Shopify) and reinvests heavily in Facebook ads and email marketing.

• Ad Spend & Revenue: In 2023, Boyack spent ~$3 million on marketing (primarily Facebook Ads) and generated $10 million in book sales revenueauthormedia.com – a strong ROI by reinvesting profits into ads.

• Strategy: He increases each customer’s value by selling bundles. For example, one $9.99 kids’ book was bundled with a $6.99 activity workbook, an $8.99 audiobook, and a parent guide, creating a ~$30 bundle with high profit marginauthormedia.comauthormedia.com. This higher average order value gave him budget to spend more on ads and scale.

• Email List Power: Boyack built a large email list (~500,000 subscribers) through direct sales and content. When a controversy hit (a CNN article criticizing his books), he turned it into a promotion, emailing his list a 50%-off coupon code “CNN.” Over one weekend, he sold 100,000+ books by mobilizing his fansauthormedia.comauthormedia.com. This shows the impact of a loyal audience – he can generate a surge of sales without Amazon, just via his own list and site.

• Direct-Only Launch: From the beginning, he refused to list his books on Amazon or other intermediaries, instead driving all readers to his site. This way he captured every customer’s contact info and could market sequels to them directlyauthormedia.comauthormedia.com. (Even now, Amazon makes up only ~1% of his sales – 99% are through his own storeauthormedia.com.)

• Key Takeaway: By building an independent sales funnel – including high-value bundles, paid ads, and a huge email list – Boyack created a self-sustaining book business. Starting from zero, this path requires significant marketing investment and active audience-building, but it can yield massive sales while you retain control and customer data.

Case Study 2: R. Paulo Delgado – Facebook Ads for Fiction (Lessons Learned)

Overview: Not every direct-sales attempt strikes gold immediately. R. Paulo Delgado, a fiction author, shared a case study of his year-long experiment selling novels through a Shopify store with Facebook Ads. He even paid $1,000 for a course on direct-to-consumer bookselling and spent months revamping his backlist (new covers, edits) and setting up a sales funnel.

• Ad Spend & Revenue: Delgado spent $6,650 on Facebook Ads to drive traffic to his book landing pages, but only recouped about $4,070 in sales, ending with a 38% financial loss (~$2,580)medium.com. In other words, he did not profit initially, underscoring the learning curve of this approach.

• Challenges: He found that simply running ads to a book by an unknown author is tough. Despite being an Amazon bestselling author in the past, moving to direct sales meant starting from scratch in building an audience. He had to overhaul his books’ presentation and create a compelling offer for cold audiences.

• Outcome: While his campaign lost money (~-38% ROI)medium.com, Delgado considered the lessons “invaluable.” He likely gathered reader data and experience that could improve future attempts (e.g. optimizing his targeting, email follow-up, and conversion rates). It’s a reminder that starting from zero may require upfront investment (and possibly losses) to test and refine a direct-sales funnel for fiction.

• Key Takeaway: For a new or little-known author, a direct-to-reader sales funnel via paid ads can be an uphill battle. It may take multiple iterations, more books, or a longer time horizon to become profitable. Budget for testing and learning if you pursue this path. Over time, building an email list and trust with readers (perhaps by giving away sample chapters or free short stories as lead magnets) can improve the economics, but patience and optimization are key when you don’t have an established fan base.

Case Study 3: Brian Hazard – “Free + Shipping” Funnel Nets $3.5K Profit

Overview: A popular marketing tactic for direct sales is the “free + shipping” funnel, where you offer a product for free and charge a nominal shipping fee, then make money on upsells. Brian Hazard, a musician (analogous to an author with a book), ran a free+shipping campaign that is very instructive for book sellersfunnelkit.com. He offered his music album on CD for “free” and charged $5 shipping – a model easily applicable to books (e.g. a free paperback if the customer pays shipping).

• Customer Acquisition: Hazard’s Facebook video ad proclaimed: “For a limited time, get the SOUND on CD FREE + $5 Shipping/Handling”funnelkit.com. The ad performed well, tapping into the word “FREE” which is a powerful drawfunnelkit.comfunnelkit.com. Around 500 customers took the offer, each paying $5 shipping (covering the base costs).

• Revenue and Upsells: 500 customers at $5 shipping = $2,500, but Hazard didn’t stop there. Through a carefully crafted funnel with an order bump and one-click upsells, many customers added more to their cart. In just one month, the funnel generated $7,000 in total salesfunnelkit.com. After subtracting costs, this came out to about $3,500 in profit and 500 new reader/listener contactsfunnelkit.com. Notably, one upsell was an “All CDs bundle” (analogous to an author offering a full series or additional books) which alone accounted for over $3K of the revenuefunnelkit.com. The upsell take-rate was about 18%funnelkit.com, significantly boosting profits.

• Takeaway: A free+shipping book funnel can be a break-even or profitable way to build a reader base. You essentially use a low-cost (or “free”) book to acquire customers, then earn profit via upsells (such as deluxe editions, box sets, courses, or related merchandise). Hazard’s case shows that even in niches like music or books, a well-executed funnel with persuasive upsells can acquire hundreds of customers and net a few thousand dollars profit quicklyfunnelkit.com. This strategy is often used by nonfiction authors and marketers (e.g. Russell Brunson famously grew his company via free+shipping book offers). If starting from zero, you’d need to invest in advertising (Facebook is common) and funnel tools, but you can rapidly build an email list of buyers. Just ensure your shipping charge covers your print cost, and have enticing upsell offers to maximize each customer’s value.

Case Study 4: Craig Mod – Premium Limited Edition via Newsletter (No Ads)

Overview: Craig Mod is an author and photographer who took a very different route: he sold a high-priced, limited-edition book directly through his own online shop, leveraging his existing newsletter audience and buzz in his niche. This case shows that you don’t always need paid ads if you cultivate a dedicated following.

• The Product: In 2020, Craig launched Kissa by Kissa, a beautifully crafted art book about walking in Japan, priced at $95 (far above a typical book price). He limited the first edition to 1,000 copies – creating scarcity and collectible appealshop.specialprojects.jpcraigmod.com.

• Sales Results: The response was overwhelming. All 1,000 copies sold out in the first 3 dayscraigmod.com. Within 3 months, he had sold nearly 2,000 copies (including a second printing) at that premium pricecraigmod.com. In revenue terms, that’s about $95,000 in three days and ~$190,000 in a few months – for a self-published book, with no Amazon in the loop. Craig himself said these numbers were “bonkers” compared to his expectationscraigmod.com.

• Marketing Approach: Instead of ads, Craig “primed the pump” by sharing the book-making process with his email subscribers and blog readers in the months leading up to launchcraigmod.com. By engaging his audience and building anticipation (and offering a $50 discount to his paid members), he ensured a flock of eager buyers on launch daycraigmod.comcraigmod.com. He also benefited from organic publicity – influential blogs in his space mentioned the book right after launch, amplifying word-of-mouthcraigmod.com. Essentially, his content marketing and community did the work that paid ads might do for others.

• Key Takeaway: An author with a unique, high-value book and a loyal niche audience can succeed through direct sales by creating excitement and scarcity. Craig’s path required no ad spend, but it did require time (years of building a following through newsletters like Ridgeline) and offering something truly special to that audience. For someone starting from zero, this highlights the “audience-first” strategy: invest in growing a community (even a small one) around your interests. Then, a well-timed launch on your own site – with a compelling story and perhaps limited availability – can yield significant revenue, all of which is yours to keep. This is a longer game, but it shows that not every direct sales success is about big ad budgets; engaged fans are just as critical.

Key Strategies and Lessons for Selling Books Direct

Each of the above case studies follows a distinct path, but there are common threads that can guide you if you plan to sell your book through a landing page or Shopify (i.e. directly to readers):

• Build Your Own Audience: Whether via a massive email list (Boyack’s 500k subscribers) or a passionate niche newsletter (Craig Mod’s followers), direct sales thrive on having readers you can reach directlyauthormedia.comkindlepreneur.com. Start building an email list early – even a small list can kickstart momentum for a new book. Many successful direct-selling authors use lead magnets (free short stories, sample chapters, etc.) to grow their list, then they “own” that traffic for launches. Data shows authors with 15,000+ email subscribers earn far more from direct sales than those without a listkindlepreneur.comkindlepreneur.com. In short, if starting from zero – focus on collecting emails (from interested readers) as you go. It’s an asset that will make every book launch easier.

• Invest in Marketing (or Prime the Audience): If you have money but no audience, you can buy traffic with ads – as seen in the Facebook Ads approaches. This can work if you maximize conversion and customer value (e.g. using bundles or upsells so you earn enough per sale to cover ad costsauthormedia.comfunnelkit.com). But expect to spend time and money finding the right targeting and messaging. Conversely, if you have little budget, invest your time in content marketing to drum up interest (blog posts, social media, podcast interviews, etc., like Craig Mod did). One way or another, you must drive traffic to your landing page – “spray and pray” listing on Amazon isn’t the strategy hereauthormedia.com. Plan how you’ll get eyes on your page: through Facebook/Instagram ads, YouTube ads, email campaigns, or publicity. Even controversy or PR can be leveraged (Boyack turned a media critique into a viral sale) if it fits your brandauthormedia.com. The bottom line: have a clear marketing plan for awareness, whether paid or organic.

• Offer Value and Optimize Sales Funnel: On your own landing page, you control the presentation – use that to your advantage. All these cases offered something enticing beyond a single full-priced book: bulk deals, bonuses, or an irresistible offer. For example, a free + shipping offer lowers the barrier for new readers and then uses upsells to profitfunnelkit.comfunnelkit.com. A bundle of a book + extras (workbooks, audio) lets you charge more and still delight customersauthormedia.comauthormedia.com. Think about upsells or order bumps (“Add the audiobook for $5” or “Get the sequel at 50% off now”) – these can dramatically raise the average order value (Hazard’s funnel bumps covered his ad costs and morefunnelkit.com). Also, test and tweak your landing page for conversions: clear headlines, book mockups, testimonials, etc., and ensure the checkout process is smooth (Shopify and WooCommerce have good templates). Even a 1.5% to 2% conversion improvement (as the Reddit Shopify seller aimed forreddit.com) can mean the difference between loss and profit.

• Maximize Customer Lifetime Value: The first sale is just the beginning. By selling direct, you get the buyer’s email and mailing address – use that to follow up. Deliver a great reading experience and then email about your next book, offer them related products, or even higher-ticket items (consulting, courses, special editions). Several entrepreneurs treat a book as the front-end of a larger business funnel. For instance, Scott Oldford (who sold 50k copies via a funnel) views the book as a way to bring people into his coaching business backendscottoldford.comscottoldford.com. Even if you’re just focusing on books, having multiple titles (series or backlist) will greatly boost your direct sales viability – survey data shows authors with 10+ books make 5X more from direct sales than those with only 2–4 bookskindlepreneur.comkindlepreneur.com. So, plan to keep your readers engaged and gradually increase their lifetime value with sequels, spin-offs, or related offers. This long-term approach is how you “scale up” from a few one-off sales to a sustainable income.

• Consider Profit Margins and Fulfillment: When you sell on your own site, you aren’t giving Amazon a cut, but you do handle fulfillment or print costs. If it’s an ebook or audiobook, margins are extremely high (nearly 100%). For print, you can use print-on-demand services integrated with Shopify (e.g. Lulu xPress or BookVault) so that when someone orders, the book is printed and shipped without you holding inventorythecreativepenn.comthecreativepenn.com. Factor those costs in your pricing. Many direct sellers find it’s worth pricing a bit higher or offering premium editions because fans will pay when they know it supports the author directly. Also, you get paid immediately – no waiting months for royaltiesthecreativepenn.com. Keep an eye on your ad spend vs. sales daily; pause campaigns that aren’t working and iterate on your targeting or page. The goal is to reach a point where your cost per acquisition is lower than your profit per customer – once you have that, you can scale your budget confidently.

• Resilience and Control: Selling direct means you’re not at the mercy of Amazon’s algorithms or policy changes. You own the customer relationship. This can be especially valuable if your book is in a niche or controversial topic that could risk being “shadowbanned” or if you simply don’t want to compete with millions of other books on a crowded marketplace. As one author pointed out, having that direct connection to readers makes you more resilient – no one can “cancel” your account or cut off your income if you have your own customer list and platformauthormedia.comauthormedia.com. It is a more entrepreneurial path, but the case studies above show that it can be incredibly rewarding, both financially and in terms of building a fan community.

Conclusion: In the last five years, authors have proven that you can successfully sell books outside of Amazon – whether via savvy advertising funnels, email list marketing, or cultivating a devoted niche. If you’re starting from zero, decide which path fits your style and resources. You might invest in Facebook/IG ads and a free+shipping funnel, or focus on content and audience-building for a slower burn. In all cases, put the reader first: offer great value and an easy buying experience on your landing page. Over time, you’ll not only earn more per sale, but also create a direct bond with your readers that can snowball into long-term success authormedia.comkindlepreneur.com. Selling direct is not “set and forget” – it’s hands-on – but as these examples illustrate, it can unlock higher profits and greater control over your publishing journey. Good luck, and happy selling!

Sources: The case studies and data above are drawn from recent authors’ reports and expert interviews, including Author Media (2024)authormedia.comauthormedia.com, a Medium marketing case study (2024)medium.com, FunnelKit’s funnel analysis (2024)funnelkit.comfunnelkit.com, and Craig Mod’s membership essay (2021)craigmod.com, as well as survey insights from Kindlepreneur (2025)kindlepreneur.comkindlepreneur.com and guidance from The Creative Penn (2022)thecreativepenn.com. These provide a representative picture of the last five years’ direct-to-reader book sales strategies and results.

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