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.
How it works in Lanternbee
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.
Upload the chapters
Upload one file for the whole book, or one per chapter in reading order.
Set the price
Price it on its own, or bundle it with the ebook so readers who want both pay less.
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 Lanternbee plan, Stripe’s card fee on each sale, and anything a printer or other service charges. Nothing else.
| What | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lanternbee, Free plan | 5% per sale | Taken only when you sell. No monthly bill. |
| Lanternbee, Author plan | $35€29£25 a month, paid yearly | Or $45€39£35 month to month. 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. |
| Streaming and downloads | Included | No charge per listening hour or per download. |
| For comparison, BookFunnel audiobook add-on | $2 a month + $0.04 per hour | Or $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.
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
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Sell your audiobooks direct
Join the waiting list and we’ll email you when your store is ready to set up.
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