Store costs
What a direct book store costs on Gumroad
Gumroad has no monthly bill. It takes 10% + 50¢ of every sale you make through your own profile or links. Quiet months cost little; busy months cost a lot.
Three stores, three bills
The bill changes with how many books you have, which formats you sell and how much you sell. For each store we picked the cheapest Gumroad plan for those sales.
| Store | Gumroad plan | Gumroad, a year | Lanternbee, a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | Gumroad | US$900 | US$0 on Free |
| A growing backlist | Gumroad | US$3,360 | US$468 on Author |
| A busy store | Gumroad | US$15,000 | US$468 on Author |
Both sides always count the same jobs. For a store starting out we compare Lanternbee Free, so we count only the store and sending ebooks to buyers. For the other two we compare Lanternbee Author, so we also count bundles and reader reviews, and printing for the busy store. When a platform can't do one of these jobs itself, we add one app that does. When it can, we add nothing. When we found no way at all, we say so. Lanternbee takes no fee on sales. These are what each platform charges. Card payment fees (for example Stripe's) are not included, because you pay them wherever you sell.
Starting out
3 titles, selling ebooks. About US$500 in sales a month from 50 orders.
| What you pay for | Price | Each month |
|---|---|---|
| GumroadThe store itself | US$0 a month | US$0 |
| Gumroad fee50 sales worth US$500 | 10% + 50¢ per sale | US$75 |
| Total each month | US$75 | |
| Total for a year | US$900 |
| The same store on Lanternbee | Each month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Lanternbee FreeNo monthly cost and no fee on your sales. Covers every job above | US$0 | US$0 |
| Lanternbee AuthorUS$39 a month. Adds bundles, reader reviews and release-day emails | US$39 | US$468 |
We compare Lanternbee Free here. Free has no bundles or reader reviews, so we don't count them on either side.
These are what each platform charges. Card payment fees (for example Stripe's) are not included, because you pay them wherever you sell.
A growing backlist
8 titles, selling ebooks and audiobooks. About US$2,000 in sales a month from 160 orders.
| What you pay for | Price | Each month |
|---|---|---|
| GumroadThe store itself | US$0 a month | US$0 |
| Gumroad fee160 sales worth US$2,000 | 10% + 50¢ per sale | US$280 |
| Total each month | US$280 | |
| Total for a year | US$3,360 |
| The same store on Lanternbee | Each month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Lanternbee FreeFree covers up to 3 books | Not available | Not available |
| Lanternbee AuthorUS$39 a month, no fee on your sales. Covers every job above | US$39 | US$468 |
We compare Lanternbee Author here. Author has bundles and reader reviews, so we count them on both sides.
These are what each platform charges. Card payment fees (for example Stripe's) are not included, because you pay them wherever you sell.
A busy store
20 titles, selling ebooks, audiobooks and print books. About US$10,000 in sales a month from 500 orders.
| What you pay for | Price | Each month |
|---|---|---|
| GumroadThe store itself | US$0 a month | US$0 |
| Gumroad fee500 sales worth US$10,000 | 10% + 50¢ per sale | US$1,250 |
| Total each month | US$1,250 | |
| Total for a year | US$15,000 |
| The same store on Lanternbee | Each month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Lanternbee FreeFree covers up to 3 books | Not available | Not available |
| Lanternbee AuthorUS$39 a month, no fee on your sales. Covers every job above | US$39 | US$468 |
We compare Lanternbee Author here. Author has bundles and reader reviews, so we count them on both sides.
Printed books on Lanternbee: you set them up for BookVault or Lulu, but sending each order to the printer isn't built yet. Until it is, you place each print order with the printer yourself.
These are what each platform charges. Card payment fees (for example Stripe's) are not included, because you pay them wherever you sell.
Try your own numbers
- Gumroad
- Lanternbee Free
- Lanternbee Author
Same prices and apps as the tables above. With up to 3 books we compare Lanternbee Free, so bundles and reader reviews are not counted for Gumroad. With more, we compare Author and count them. These are what each platform charges. Card payment fees (for example Stripe's) are not included, because you pay them wherever you sell.
What we counted
- US prices on monthly billing.
- Any fee Gumroad itself takes on each sale.
- Bundles and reader ratings are built into Gumroad, so we add nothing for them.
- We found no way to print books through Gumroad. In the busy store you would print and ship paperbacks yourself, which we can't price.
- Since 1 January 2025, Gumroad handles sales tax for you worldwide, collecting and paying it. Part of its fee pays for that work.
- Sales that come through Gumroad's Discover marketplace cost 30% instead, with card fees included. Our numbers assume readers come from your own links.
What we left out
- Printing and shipping costs, which you pay the printer whichever store you use.
- Your domain name, a paid theme and any design work.
- An email tool for your newsletter. Lanternbee doesn't send newsletters, so you keep one wherever you sell.
- Sales tax and VAT themselves. Tax tools may cost extra, including Stripe Tax on your own Stripe account where you are registered to collect tax.
- Card payment fees, such as Stripe's, on every sale. You pay them wherever you sell, so they don't change which store costs less.
Not open yet
Save your place
We’re opening Lanternbee to authors a few at a time. Leave your email and we’ll write when your store is ready to set up.
Free to join. No card.