Files and details
- No files
- Signed copies are books you already have. Lanternbee tracks how many are left and emails you when stock runs low.
Selling signed copies direct
Signed copies, without the spreadsheet.
Readers love a signed copy, and selling them direct is how most authors do it. Add Signed copy as its own format and sell it from the stock you hold. Readers can type who the book is for, and the signing queue lists each copy to sign and what to write.
How it works
Add it as its own format
Add a signed copy to the book. Signed copies always come from your own stock.
Readers add a dedication
On the book page, readers can type a short dedication, up to 200 characters, before they add the copy to their basket.
Sign from the queue
The To sign tab of the To ship page groups paid copies by book and shows each dedication large, so you can copy it out. Mark each one as signed.
Pack and post
Print packing slips, buy a postage label where label buying is on, and mark each parcel shipped with its carrier and tracking number. The reader gets an email.
What readers get
- Dedicate it to someone
- Readers type who the book is for. Two copies with different dedications are two lines in the basket.
- A shipping email
- When you mark the parcel shipped, the reader gets an email with the carrier and the tracking number.
What it costs to sell a signed copy
Your plan, Stripe’s card fee on each sale and, for print, the printer’s price.
| What | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lanternbee, Free plan | Nothing | No monthly bill and no fee on your sales, for up to 3 books. |
| Lanternbee, Author plan | US$29 a month, paid yearly | Or US$39 month to month. As many books as you write, and no fee on your sales. |
| Card payment, US account | 2.9% + 30¢ | Stripe’s standard rate for a US card. Cards issued outside the US add 1.5%, and paying in another currency adds 1%. |
| Card payment, UK account | 1.5% + 20p | Standard UK cards. EEA cards are 2.5% + 20p, other international cards 3.15% + 20p, plus 2% when the currency is converted. |
| Card payment, EU account (Ireland) | 1.5% + €0.25 | Standard EEA cards. UK cards are 2.5% + €0.25, other international cards 3.15% + €0.25, plus 2% when the currency is converted. |
| Stripe Tax | 0.5% per sale | Only on sales where you are registered to collect tax. This is the pay-as-you-go rate for Stripe’s own checkout. |
| Lanternbee | No extra charge | You pay for the copies and the postage yourself. |
Limits to know about
- Signed copies come from your own stock only.
- Buying postage labels inside Lanternbee is built but not switched on for every store yet. Until it is, buy postage as you do today and add the tracking number when you mark the parcel shipped.
- Labels have no customs forms yet, so a label for a parcel going abroad may be refused.
- Under your store’s default refund terms, signed and personalised copies cannot be returned unless they arrive damaged.
VAT and sales tax
Signed copies are printed books, so they follow the print rules for the reader’s country. Stripe Tax applies them at checkout.
Questions about selling signed copies
Can readers ask for a dedication?
Yes. On a signed copy they type a short dedication before adding it to the basket. It shows on the To ship page, on the packing slip and on the order.
Can I sell signed copies of a book that is not out yet?
Yes. A book with a future release date sells as a pre-order, and its signed copies wait in the queue with the rest.
Not open yet
Sell your signed copies direct
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.