Sell ebooks direct to readers the easy way

Lemon Squeezy acts as the Merchant of Record and will collect & remit sales tax and VAT for you

Direct Sales Illustration
Sell ebooks direct without worrying about sales taxes or VAT
Avoid Tax Registrations

Lemon Squeezy (payment processor) collects & remits sales tax and VAT for you

Custom Domain

Host your Direct Sale Ebook pages on a custom domain with the Website Builder

Upsales Built-in

Add an upsell for another direct sale ebook (for example, a boxset of the series)

Easy Downloads

Readers can download files directly to their preferred e-reader

Reader tech support

StoryOrigin handles tech support for any readers that run into issues

Multiply Your Reach

Promote your Direct Sale Ebooks via Group Promos or Newsletter Swaps

What other authors have to say...

StoryOrigin's Direct Sale Ebooks feature has been a game-changer for me. Since Lemon Squeezy is listed as the seller of record, they handle all the VAT and sales tax, which makes my life so much easier!

Carrie Pulkinen
Full review

I have been searching for a way to sell my ebooks directly from my website, and StoryOrigin fits the bill perfectly. With the upsell feature built in, I couldn't ask for a smoother process or easier solution.

Marcus Williams
Full review

My current series is in KU, but the next one will be wide, and I'm looking forward to selling it on my author website with the new Lemon Squeezy integration. That was also easy to set up.

Carole Marples
Full review
Optionally Show Other Retailers

Allow readers to buy direct from you via Lemon Squeezy, and optionally show other retailers where the book is available for purchase.

Clear info shown below the page to assuage any concerns readers might have about purchasing direct.

Example Direct Sales Page
Screenshot of Upselling a Series Bundle
Upsell Readers on Buying the Series

Entice readers with a discount and link to a Direct Sale Ebook page for the full series.

Selling higher priced products increases your profits as less goes towards transaction processing fees.

Checkout on the Direct Sale Page

Readers checkout straight-away with when they hit the "buy now" button.

Readers can pay by card or Paypal.

Screenshot of Paying for a Book
Example Direct Sale Page on Custom Domain
Sell from Your Domain

Remove the StoryOrigin branding and make the page yours.

StoryOrigin can host the page on own domain using the Website Builder feature.

Ready to earn more from your books?
Create Direct Sales Page
Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which payment processor platforms does StoryOrigin integrate with?

StoryOrigin currently only supports using Lemon Squeezy, though adding more is on the to-do list.

Why Lemon Squeezy only for now? It's the perfect solution for 99% of authors.

Shopify, Stripe, etc. make you responsible for collecting / remitting sales tax in any jurisdictions where you become liable, which is a huge pain (calculating sales tax due, registering in multiple foreign countries, quarterly filings, making international wires, etc.).

Lemon Squeezy takes that off your plate.

To make it even better, StoryOrigin has negotiated a discounted fee with Lemon Squeezy, so authors that integrate Lemon Squeezy with StoryOrigin will get a discounted rate of $0.30 + 5% (instead of the normal $0.30 + 5% transaction processing fee).

I'm in KU now, but might want to sell direct later. Should I set this up now?

Yes!

StoryOrigin has negotiated a discounted fee with Lemon Squeezy, so authors that integrate Lemon Squeezy with StoryOrigin will get a discounted rate of $0.30 + 5% (instead of the normal $0.30 + 5% transaction processing fee).

Lock in Lemon Squeezy's discounted transaction fee pricing for StoryOrigin authors now (even if you don't start selling direct immediately). To do so:

  1. Create a Lemon Squeezy account
  2. Integrate it with StoryOrigin

That should get you Lemon Squeezy's discounted transaction fee pricing for StoryOrigin authors ($0.30 + 5% instead of $0.50 + 5% per transaction).

That $0.20 savings per transaction really adds up if you're selling $2 or $3 books!

Also, Lemon Squeezy doesn't charge monthly fees, so setting the account up now and keeping it won't cost you anything.

I live outside the US, can I use this?

YES! Lemon Squeezy supports payouts to merchants in 200+ countries. See the Supported countries for merchants and affiliates of their support docs.

Same for readers purchasing books. Lemon Squeezy acts as the merchant of record, so you can sell your ebooks pretty much anywhere without needing to deal with sales tax or VAT.

There's only 14 countries where Lemon Squeezy won't act as the Merchant of Record (for example, North Korea).

How do I get paid?

Lemon Squeezy is technically the seller. Readers pay Lemon Squeezy, and Lemon Squeezy pays you. See their support docs on how they pay you.

Can I sell books from my own domain?

Yes, you can optionally use StoryOrigin's Website Builder feature to host your direct sale ebook pages on your own domain.

Can I upsell my series on a Direct Sale Ebook page?

Yes, you can create a Direct Sale Ebook page for an entire series (just package the series into a single downloadable file) and sell the series as a whole.

You can then list the series as an upsell on your other individual books.

A 1-stop-shop for authors
Get more reviews for ebooks or audiobooks

Need more Amazon, Audible, Goodreads, & BookBub reviews? Cross-promote your ARCs on StoryOrigin

Read more
Gather & manage beta reader feedback

Readers unlock each chapter by leaving feedback on the previous chapter or answering questionnaires

Read more
Build your author email list

Want more subscribers on your mailing list? Cross-promote your reader magnets on StoryOrigin

Read more
Increase Book Sales with Universal Links

Make sure you're serving readers the correct link for their country or their preferred retailer

Read more
Word count tracker and writing planner

Increase your daily writing output and manage both writing and editing deadlines with Goal Trackers

Read more
Build your complete author website

Want to quickly build a beautiful author website to collect newsletter subscribers and sell direct?

Read more
Sell ebooks direct to readers the easy way

Lemon Squeezy acts as the Merchant of Record and will collect & remit sales tax and VAT for you

Read more
Arrange Author Newsletter Swaps

Cross-promote your books in other authors' newsletters and reach new readers

Read more
Join Author Group Promotions

Collaborate with a group of authors to build your mailing list, increase page reads, sales and more

Read more
Why do authors recommend StoryOrigin?

Is there a 5 star rating system on this? Because StoryOrigin is at least 6 stars. At least! I've used the other platforms... and none of them approach the flexibility and power of StoryOrigin

W.H. Lock
Full review

I used to use several sites and groups to facilitate things like newsletter swaps, multi-author book promos, reader magnets, and reviews, but I can do it all and better on StoryOrigin.

A. F. Stewart
Full review

I love StoryOrigin. I've used other sites for promotions and newsletter swaps but this one is easier and more author-focused. Highly recommend for new or serious authors.

Gina Kincade
Full review

StoryOrigin changed my life, and it's the BEST tool that actually works with increasing sales, subscribers, and reaching new readers.

Anca-Melinda Coliolu
Full review

... compared to a lot of similar sites designed to help authors, StoryOrigin has the best UI, the most features and a great community of authors.

Dave Walsh
Full review

StoryOrigin is absolutely the must-have author tool. You can build your newsletter list with interested people, sell your books, find newsletter swaps, get reviews, and more

Katherine Gilbert
Full review
See 150+ more reviews
Have more questions? Just shoot me an email
Evan Gow, indie developer of StoryOrigin
Evan Gow, Indie Developer
evan@storyoriginapp.com