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Selling audiobooks direct

Sell your audiobooks direct, with no delivery fee per hour.

Audiobooks cost a lot to make, and selling them direct lets you keep more of each sale. Upload your chapter files once. Readers listen in their browser on any phone or computer, or download the files into the player they like. Lanternbee does not charge per listening hour.

Join the waitlistSee the plans

How it works

  1. Add the audiobook edition

    On the book, tick audiobook as a format. It sits next to the ebook and print editions of the same title.

  2. Upload the chapters

    Upload one file for the whole book, or one per chapter in reading order.

  3. Set the price

    Price it on its own, or bundle it with the ebook so readers who want both pay less.

  4. Publish

    The audiobook shows in your store once the files are in place and the book is published.

Files and details

MP3
Up to 2 GB per file. Plays in every browser and player.
M4B
Up to 2 GB per file. The usual audiobook file, with chapters inside.
Several files
Add as many files as the book needs. Readers see them as a track list in your order.

What readers get

Listen in the browser
In their library, readers press Listen and play the book chapter by chapter. Nothing to install.
Download the files
Readers can download each file and play it in any audiobook or music app.
Same library as ebooks
Ebooks, audiobooks and orders from your store all sit together, behind one email sign-in link.

What it costs to sell a audiobook

Your plan, Stripe’s card fee on each sale and, for print, the printer’s price.

Card fees are Stripe’s standard rates for the country your Stripe account is in.
WhatCostDetails
Lanternbee, Free plan5% per saleTaken only when you sell. No monthly bill.
Lanternbee, Author plan$35€29£25 a month, paid yearlyOr $45€39£35 month to month. No fee on your sales.
Card payment, US account2.9% + 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 account1.5% + 20pStandard 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% + €0.25Standard EEA cards. UK cards are 2.5% + €0.25, other international cards 3.15% + €0.25, plus 2% when the currency is converted.
Stripe Tax0.5% per saleOnly on sales where you are registered to collect tax. This is the pay-as-you-go rate for Stripe’s own checkout.
Streaming and downloadsIncludedNo charge per listening hour or per download.
For comparison, BookFunnel audiobook add-on$2 a month + $0.04 per hourOr $20 a year plus usage. Prepaid plans start at $10 a month.

Limits to know about

  • There is no Lanternbee listening app. Readers use the browser player or their own app.
  • Audio files are not watermarked.
  • Audiobooks cannot be sent to a Kindle.
  • If your audiobook is under an exclusive distribution deal, check that the deal lets you sell it direct.

VAT and sales tax

Audiobooks are digital, so VAT or sales tax follows the reader’s country, and some countries tax them differently from ebooks. Stripe Tax works out the amount at checkout. You are the seller, so you file and pay it.

VAT on books, country by country

Questions about selling audiobooks

Can readers listen on their phone?

Yes. The player works in the phone’s browser, and readers can also download the files.

Can I sell the ebook and audiobook together?

Yes. Make a bundle of the two editions, and readers who already own one pay less for the other.

Which file should I upload, MP3 or M4B?

Either works. One M4B keeps the chapters inside a single file. MP3s, one per chapter, give readers a clear track list.

Works with

StripeBeing builtReaders pay you through your own Stripe account. You are the seller, and Stripe pays out to your bank.MailerLiteLiveReaders who sign up or buy in your store are copied to your MailerLite group.KlaviyoLiveReaders are copied to Klaviyo as profiles, with the books and formats they own as tags.Shopify importerLiveBrings your books, readers, orders and discount codes over from Shopify, and keeps old links working.

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