BookFunnel Release Notes

You’ve probably heard that people only use 10% of their brains. That myth was debunked years ago, but there’s a good chance you’re only using 10% of BookFunnel.

Most authors set up a landing page, plug in a reader magnet, join a few promos, and then… nothing else. And while that works, there are small settings inside the features you are already using that can make them work harder for you. And most are already on your plan if you’re a Mid List Author or above.

Here are 5 to get you started.

1. Your thank you page

Turn your sign-ups into a second chance.

When a reader signs up on an email collection page, they’re sent to a thank you page to download their book. Most authors customize the landing page carefully and never touch the thank you page. Some even give the landing page a custom theme and leave the thank you page on the default, so the two don’t look like they belong together.

At the very least, make them match! But the thank you page is fully customizable, just like the landing page, and it’s one of the best places you have to ask for a next step.

Think about who’s on that page. These are readers who’ve already given you their email. They’re more committed than someone who looked at your landing page and left. That makes it the right moment to show them:

• Your author bio, so they know who you are
• Your series reading order, so they know where to go next …

When we ran our Author Direct Sales Survey, a lot of you told us you’re already selling face-to-face at signings, markets, and local events, and a good number more said you’re planning to start within the next year. But “I’m doing it” and “I feel confident doing it” aren’t the same thing. And we get it, the idea of standing behind a table pitching to a complete stranger is super stressful.

But the good news is selling at in-person events is a learnable skill. There’s a predictable rhythm to it, a handful of tools that do most of the work for you, and a way to practice that doesn’t require flying to a huge convention on day one. 

So here’s how to get your first event right, or at least how to get more comfortable if you’re already out there doing it.

Start Small, Start Local

It can be tempting to dive right into a big reader event as your first convention. That’s where the readers are, right? 

The problem is bigger events come with higher table fees, travel costs, and a lot more pressure to perform. This is not the best situation for a first attempt.

Instead, we suggest looking for lower-stakes venues close to home. Places like:

• Local malls or retail pop-ups
• Craft fairs and art festivals
• Farmers markets and community events
• Library-adjacent or downtown events …

Hey, BFFs!

Almost every author learns the same lesson early: you need a reader magnet. Write something good, offer it in exchange for an email address, and start building your list.

That advice is correct. It’s just not the whole picture.

A reader magnet is one thing a reader can get from you. Once they’ve claimed it, read it, and reached the last page…what’s next? For a lot of authors, the answer is “wait for book two.” That’s a long time to ask someone to stay interested.

The good news is your author bonus content can fill that gap, and it doesn’t require you to write another book.

Why Go Beyond the Free Book

1. You can create more without writing more. The biggest hurdle for authors is drafting speed. How fast can you write, edit, and publish? And a reader magnet is essentially another book, which means it competes for the same limited hours. But bonus content doesn’t have to compete. A bonus scene, an audio commentary, or a reading order guide are all low-cost to produce and can extend your world without slowing your main writing pipeline.
2. You stand out. Most authors offer one free book for one email address. That’s the standard. When you offer a range of content, you immediately feel different, and your audience feels like there’s something worth exploring. …

Short answer: it depends on whether your book is enrolled in KDP Select, not just whether it’s on Amazon. If it’s in Select (or Kindle Unlimited), the ebook can’t be sold or given away anywhere else, but your paperback, your audiobook, and a separate non-KU reader magnet are all fair game.

If there’s one question we answer more than any other in our live Q&As it’s, “Can I Use My Book in BookFunnel Promos If It’s in Kindle Unlimited?” or many other variations of the same question. What you can and can’t do with KDP Select confuses a lot of authors.

So let’s clear it up once and for all. 

First: KDP and KDP Select are not the same thing

KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is just how you get your book onto Amazon. Uploading a book to KDP doesn’t restrict you in any way. You can sell that same book on Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, your own direct store, anywhere you like. KDP by itself is not exclusive.

KDP Select is a separate, optional program you enroll a book in and it is exclusive. When you enroll a book in KDP Select, you’re agreeing that for 90 days, that book’s ebook edition will be available only through Amazon. This is also what makes a book eligible for Kindle Unlimited. If your book is in Kindle Unlimited, it’s in KDP Select. They’re the same commitment. …

Short answer: You don’t need any subscribers to join a BookFunnel group promo. You need something to give away and a mailing list service to send it to. Everything else builds from there.

If you’ve been putting off joining a group promo because you keep thinking “I’ll do that once my list is bigger” we want to stop you right there. That’s backwards. Promos are how you build the list in the first place and you don’t need to have a big one to get started.

Questions like: “I have zero subscribers, will anyone let me in?” comes up in almost every single live Q&A we host each month. If you’ve been worried you’re too small to bother, you are in very good company and  you should know the answer is: no, you’re not.

You need zero subscribers for a group promo

The actual bar for joining your first group promo is:

• An account with a mailing list service (Mailerlite, MailChimp, Kit, etc.) and most are free to start
• Something to give away. This does not need to be a finished novel. For ideas on what to share in a promo check out our Author’s Guide to BookFunnel Promos and Swaps or our Reader Magnet series.

That’s it. You don’t need existing subscribers, a big backlist, or a polished newsletter. Authors build entire mailing lists from a standing start of zero using exactly this process. …

Hey, BFFs!

You’ve built your reader magnets. You’ve got a prequel, maybe some bonus chapters, and your welcome sequence is humming along. But there’s one tool that most authors either overlook entirely or use in a way that quietly frustrates the very readers they’re trying to reach.

Samples.

Done right, a sample isn’t just a teaser. It’s a strategic asset that lets readers try your writing with almost zero commitment, meets them wherever they are, and does the conversion work for you without ever asking anything in return.

Done wrong, it creates confusion, disappointment, and the kind of first impression that’s very hard to walk back.

This post lays out the ground rules for using samples well, followed by a playbook of strategies you can mix, match, and deploy based on what fits your workflow and your books. You don’t have to do all of these. Pick one, get it working, and go from there.

First: Rethink What a Sample Actually Is

Most authors think of a sample as chapter one of book one. A little taste before the buy. That’s a reasonable starting point, but it undersells how flexible samples can actually be. …

Hello, BFFs!

If you’re selling on WooCommerce, we have an upgrade for you. We’ve built a dedicated BookFunnel plugin for WooCommerce that makes the whole setup a lot easier and more reliable than the previous integration.

How the Plugin Works

The BookFunnel plugin connects directly to your WooCommerce store and handles everything after the sale. When a reader completes a purchase, BookFunnel automatically emails them a unique download link. BookFunnel also handles all delivery emails and reader support, so you can focus on writing.

A few features worth highlighting:

• Automatic delivery of ebooks and audiobooks after purchase
• Supports free and paid orders
• Refund and cancellation support: when you issue a refund or cancel an order from your WooCommerce dashboard, BookFunnel automatically removes the book from the reader’s library
• Delivery log: see exactly what was sent and when, right inside your WooCommerce admin
• Automatic retry: if a delivery notification fails, the plugin retries automatically and sends you an alert if there’s a delay
• Confirmation on the thank you page: readers see a delivery confirmation message right after purchase so they know their book is on the way …

Hello, BFFs!

Another week, another integration. BookFunnel now integrates with Stripe, and this is one a lot of you have been asking for.

If you’ve been using Stripe to sell your books and wanted automatic BookFunnel delivery for your buyers, it’s now here.

This is the fourth integration in our Spring into Direct Sales series, and we’re not done yet. We’ve added Wix, SamCart, Square, and now Stripe, with more integrations still to come.

You Sell Direct, We Deliver

If you have read our other announcements, you know the drill. With BookFunnel Delivery Actions, every time someone buys your book through Stripe, BookFunnel automatically sends them a unique, private download link. We handle tech support too, so if a reader has trouble getting their files to their device, they’re covered. …

Hey, BFFs!

At some point most author’s will hear the advice “You should write a short story or novella to use as a reader magnet.” But the hard part is actually doing it.

Short fiction sounds simple in theory. Less words, right? Well, if you’ve ever sat down to write a 10,000-word story and ended up with 70,000 words (it happens more than you’d think), or if you’ve written something that felt more like a synopsis than a story, you know that short doesn’t always mean easy.

But, writing a reader magnet isn’t just a creative exercise, it’s a strategic one. And once you understand what a short reader magnet is actually supposed to do, the writing decisions become a lot clearer.

Why Short Fiction Works as a Reader Magnet

Short stories and novellas convert well for a few reasons that have nothing to do with word count and everything to do with reader psychology.

First, they lower resistance. A reader who’s never heard of you doesn’t know if they’re going to like your writing. A short story is a low-commitment way to find out. Instead of investing days into a 100,000-word novel they can dip a toe in.

Second, they deliver a fast emotional payoff. This is the part that makes short fiction so powerful as a marketing tool. When a reader finishes your story and feels satisfied, moved, or eager for more, that feeling transfers to you as an author. They now trust that you can deliver. And that trust is what makes them buy book one. …