Sales Studio

Direct2Readers

Sell your books directly to readers and keep more of each sale. Direct2Readers handles payments, delivery, and customer service while you focus on writing.

What is Direct2Readers?

Direct2Readers is a platform that lets authors sell ebooks, audiobooks, and other digital products directly to readers—without going through retailers like Amazon.

Benefits of direct sales:

  • Higher royalties — Keep 70-90% instead of 35-70%
  • Own the customer relationship — Get buyer emails
  • No platform restrictions — Price however you want
  • Instant payments — No 60-day wait for royalties
  • Bundle flexibility — Create any package you want

Tip

Direct sales work best alongside retailer sales, not instead of them. Many authors use direct for bundles, exclusive content, and super fans while maintaining retailer presence for discoverability.

Connecting Direct2Readers

  1. Create a Direct2Readers account at their website
  2. Set up your store and payment processor
  3. Go to Settings → Integrations in StorytellerOS
  4. Find Direct2Readers and click Connect
  5. Enter your API credentials:
    • API Key
    • Store ID
  6. Click Test Connection
  7. Save

Note

You need an active Direct2Readers account before connecting. StorytellerOS does not create Direct2Readers accounts—it connects to existing ones.

Creating Products

Products in Direct2Readers can be:

  • Single ebooks — One book, one price
  • Audiobooks — Audio files for download
  • Bundles — Multiple books together
  • Box sets — Complete series packages
  • Special editions — Exclusive versions

Linking Products to Titles

When you create a Direct2Readers product, link it to your StorytellerOS title:

  1. Open the book in Project Studio
  2. Go to Variations tab
  3. Click + Add Retailer Link
  4. Select Direct2Readers
  5. Enter the product ID or URL
  6. Save

This connects your StorytellerOS data to your direct sales.

Pricing Strategy

With direct sales, you control pricing completely:

  • Match retailer prices — Same as Amazon for consistency
  • Discount direct — Lower price to incentivize direct purchases
  • Premium direct — Add exclusive content and charge more
  • Bundle deals — Discount when buying multiple

Price Parity

Some retailers require price parity—you cannot sell cheaper elsewhere. Check your agreements before pricing direct lower than Amazon.

Book Delivery

Direct2Readers handles delivery automatically:

  • Customers receive download links via email
  • Files can be delivered to Kindle via email
  • Multiple file formats (ePub, MOBI, PDF) per product
  • Re-download available if files update

Payments

Direct2Readers connects to payment processors:

  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Other regional options

Money goes to your payment processor account. Payouts depend on your processor settings—typically much faster than retailer royalties.

Viewing Sales Data

StorytellerOS pulls sales data from Direct2Readers:

  • Total revenue — Money earned
  • Units sold — Number of purchases
  • Top products — Best sellers
  • Recent orders — Latest transactions

View this in Sales Studio → Analytics with Direct2Readers as the source filter.

Customer Data

One advantage of direct sales is customer information:

  • Buyer email addresses
  • Purchase history
  • Location data (country)

You can import buyers to your email list (with their permission, usually granted during checkout via checkbox).

Build Your Audience

Every direct sale is a reader who chose to buy from you personally. These are often your most engaged fans. Treat them well!

Marketing Direct Sales

Ways to promote your direct store:

  • Email list — Tell subscribers about direct options
  • Book back matter — Link to your store in your books
  • Social media — Share direct links
  • Exclusive content — Offer things only available direct
  • Bundles — Create packages not available elsewhere

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

  • Verify your API key is correct
  • Check that your Direct2Readers account is active
  • Ensure API access is enabled in Direct2Readers settings

Sales Not Syncing

  • Sales may take a few minutes to appear
  • Check that products are linked correctly
  • Verify the connection is still active

Products Missing

  • Only active products sync
  • Draft or unpublished products will not appear
  • Try refreshing the product list

Best Practices

  • Start with your email list — Your subscribers are most likely to buy direct
  • Offer something exclusive — Bonus content, signed bookplates, etc.
  • Make checkout easy — Fewer clicks means more sales
  • Provide excellent service — Respond quickly to customer issues
  • Track everything — Know which promotions drive direct sales