Pricing

Start free. Keep every sale when you’re ready.

Free takes 5% when a book sells, so a quiet month costs nothing. Author is $35€29£25 a month and takes nothing from your sales.

Shown in your currency: euros in the euro area, pounds in the UK, US dollars everywhere else.

Free

Pay only when a book sells.

$0€0£0 a month

No subscription. Nothing to cancel.

5% fee, only when you sell
Up to 5 titles
Ebook, audiobook and print editions
Your own store address

Join the waitlist

Author

No fee on sales

For authors who sell most months.

$35€29£25$45€39£35 a month

Billed yearly, $420€348£300 a year. You save $120€120£120.Billed monthly. Cancel any time.

No fee on your sales
Unlimited titles and series
Everything in Free
Bundles, reader reviews and release-day emails

Join the waitlist

Studio

Coming soon

For more than one pen name.

$105€89£75$139€119£99 a month

Billed yearly, $1,260€1,068£900 a year. You save $408€360£288.Billed monthly. Cancel any time.

Several pen names under one login
Seats for your assistant or team
Priority support
Everything in Author

Stripe’s card fees go to Stripe, with nothing added by us. Printing costs what the printer charges.

01Compared with Shopify

About $111 a month on Shopify. $45 on Lanternbee.

The usual Shopify setup for an author who sells ebooks, audiobooks and print, priced app by app.

Shopify plus the usual book apps

Shopify BasicThe store and checkout$39
BookFunnel Mid ListSending ebooks and audiobooks to buyers$20 + audiobook add-on
A bundles appSeries and format bundlesabout $20
An email toolNewsletter and automated emailsabout $17
A reviews appReader reviews on your book pages$15
A print-on-demand appPrinting and shipping paperbacks$0 + print costs

Every monthabout $111

Lanternbee Author

Your store and checkoutIncluded
Ebook and audiobook deliveryIncluded
Series and format bundlesIncluded
Your reader list and release-day emailsIncluded
Reader reviewsIncluded
Print on demandSending orders to the printer is being builtPrint costs only

Every month$45

US prices on monthly billing, checked on November 3, 2026. Lanternbee Author is $35 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 more. Or see what selling books direct costs at three store sizes.

02FAQ

Pricing questions

Tax by country: VAT and sales tax on books.

Which plan should I choose?

Start on Free. The 5% fee only applies when you sell, so a quiet month costs nothing. Once you sell more than about $900 (€780, £700) a month, Author works out cheaper. You can switch whenever you like.

What else will I pay?

Stripe’s card fees, charged to your own Stripe account. Lanternbee adds nothing to them. Printing costs what BookVault or Lulu charge. There are no setup fees and no charges per download.

Is VAT or sales tax included in the price?

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.

Can I cancel?

Yes, whenever you like. Download your readers and orders first. Your books stay yours wherever you sell them next.

Is the comparison fair?

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.