Hachette Book Group partners with Gumroad to sell books and ebooks direct

Hachette Book Group has partnered with Gumroad, the powerful platform that enables creators to sell products to their audience, on a new social media commerce initiative to enable book purchases natively within Twitter. The promotions will launch on December 11 with print books by Amanda Palmer, Chris Hadfield, and The Onion available for purchase for a limited time and in limited quantities, each accompanied by an exclusive bonus item. Since partnering with Twitter on a commerce pilot this fall, Gumroad has worked with major and independent musicians and charities on unique social commerce initiatives. Hachette is its first publishing partner.

Within the authors’ tweets, promotional buy buttons will appear for Amanda Palmer’s book The Art of Asking, Chris Hadfield’s You Are Here, and The Onion’s The Onion Magazine: The Iconic Covers That Transformed an Undeserving World so readers can purchase their books without leaving the Twitter platform. Palmer’s book will kick off the promotion on December 11, and will be accompanied by an original manuscript page, with notes from the author and editor, as well as from Palmer’s husband, bestselling author Neil Gaiman. Ex-astronaut Chris Hadfield will launch a promotion on December 15, with the book plus a signed original photo, a stunning aerial image of the island of Corfu; and The Onion’s special Twitter promotion begins on December 18, with the new book accompanied by a set of note cards featuring twelve of the editors’ favorite magazine covers.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Hachette and their authors to Gumroad. We’ve been really impressed by Hachette’s commitment to exploring new opportunities for their authors to make money and engage directly with readers through social commerce. They don’t shy away from new technology—they’re genuinely committed to exploring what the future of publishing looks like,” says Sahil Lavingia, founder and CEO of Gumroad.
(The above from Hachette Book Group press release)

***    ***    ***

Hachette, tired of dealing with the likes of Amazon, is just the first of many traditional publishers seeking ways to bypass companies like Amazon and reach readers directly. I’ve always liked Gumroad and have been using them for a year or so. It is free to join and allows authors to keep about 95% of the retail price. Authors should explore Gumroad as an additional location for promotion and sales of your works.