Pricing
Free costs nothing and takes nothing from your sales, for up to 3 books. Author is US$29 a month, paid yearly, for as many books as you write. Neither plan takes a fee on your sales.
Not open yet. We’re letting authors in from the waitlist, a few at a time.
Launch offer Join the waitlist before 2027 and your first 6 months on the Author plan are free, counted from the day your store goes live. After that, you get 50% off any plan for your first year.
Shown in your currency: euros in the euro area, pounds in the UK, US dollars everywhere else.
Try it with up to 3 books.
US$0 a month
No subscription. Nothing to cancel.
For as many books as you write.
US$29US$39 a month
Billed yearly, US$348 a year. You save US$120.Billed monthly. Cancel any time.Launch price for your first year: US$14.50 a month, billed yearly.Launch price for your first year: US$19.50 a month.
For more than one pen name.
US$89US$119 a month
Billed yearly, US$1,068 a year. You save US$360.Billed monthly. Cancel any time.Launch price for your first year: US$44.50 a month, billed yearly.Launch price for your first year: US$59.50 a month.
Stripe’s card fees, and 0.5% for Stripe Tax on sales where you collect tax, go to Stripe, with nothing added by us. Printing costs what the printer charges.
01Compared with Shopify
The usual Shopify setup for an author who sells ebooks, audiobooks and print, priced app by app.
| The job | Shopify plus the usual book apps | Lanternbee Author |
|---|---|---|
| The store and checkout | Shopify BasicUS$39 | Included |
| Sending ebooks and audiobooks to buyers | BookFunnel Mid ListUS$20 + audiobook add-on | Included |
| Series and format bundles | A bundles appabout US$20 | Included |
| Reader reviews on your book pages | A reviews appUS$15 | Included |
| Printing and shipping paperbacks | A print-on-demand appUS$0 + print costs | Print costs only. Sending orders to the printer is being built. |
| Every month | about US$94 | US$39 |
US prices on monthly billing, checked on 3 November 2026. Lanternbee Author is US$29 a month paid yearly, and some of the tools above are cheaper yearly too. Stripe’s card fees and print costs apply either way. Your own setup may use more apps or fewer.
Other comparisons: Shopify, Payhip, BookFunnel, Gumroad and the full list. Or see what selling books direct costs at three store sizes.
02FAQ
Tax by country: VAT and sales tax on books.
Start on Free to try Lanternbee with up to 3 books. It has no monthly cost and no fee on your sales. When you want to add more books, move to Author, which has no limit. You can switch whenever you like.
Join the waitlist before 2027 and your first 6 months on the Author plan are free, counted from the day your store goes live. After that, you get 50% off any plan for your first year. It does not matter when we let you in: the free months only start once your store goes live. If you do nothing when it ends, your store moves to the Free plan and your books stay on sale. The 50% off works on Author and Studio, billed monthly or yearly, for the first 12 months you pay for. After that you pay the normal price.
Stripe’s card fees, and 0.5% of each sale for Stripe Tax on sales where you collect tax. Both are charged to your own Stripe account, and Lanternbee adds nothing to them. Printing costs what BookVault or Lulu charge. There are no setup fees and no charges per download.
Stripe Tax adds the right VAT or sales tax to each order at checkout. You are the seller, so you file and pay it. We plan to handle EU VAT on ebooks for you later. That isn’t live yet.
Yes, whenever you like. Download your readers and orders first. Your books stay yours wherever you sell them next.
We used the prices each company shows today on monthly billing, for a mid-sized reader list. Some authors pay less with free plans or yearly billing. Others pay more with a sales-tax app, a paid theme or a bigger list. Every source is listed below.
Not open yet
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.