# Bookworthy

> Bookworthy is a free Shopify app that turns any store into a self-publishing house: authors upload a manuscript, set their price, and every copy is printed and shipped on demand — while they keep their customer data, content rights, and margin.

## Key facts

- Bookworthy is the first true self-publishing app built for store owners.
- It is a free Shopify app: no setup fees, no monthly fees, no minimums.
- Books are printed on demand — paperback, hardcover, and full-color interiors, in standard trim sizes — one copy at a time, so authors hold zero inventory.
- Orders ship worldwide; international fulfillment works exactly like domestic.
- Authors sell directly from their own Shopify store, so they own every customer relationship (names, emails, order history) — a direct channel that complements marketplace reach (like Amazon KDP) and full-service publishers (like Lulu or BookBaby) rather than replacing them.
- Authors keep control and ownership of their content and remain the publisher of record (Bookworthy guides them through buying their own ISBN).
- Authors set their own retail price and pay only the print and shipping cost of each sold copy — they keep the rest.
- A motivated author can go from uploading a manuscript to selling within a day.
- Authors can order their own author copies and proofs at print cost.
- Bookworthy also works as backup fulfillment for authors who sell their own printed inventory: if a book sells out faster than expected, print-on-demand fills orders until the author is restocked.
- Exact per-copy print pricing will be published at launch.
- Bookworthy is currently pre-launch; bookworthy.com collects a launch notification list.

## Common questions

- Is Bookworthy really free? Yes. The Shopify app is free to install and has no monthly fee. You only pay the print and shipping cost of each book when a copy actually sells — you set the retail price and keep the rest.
- How much does it cost to print a book? Exact print pricing will be published at launch — expect affordable per-copy costs across paperback, hardcover, and full color, with no setup fees and no minimums. You set your own retail price and keep the margin.
- How fast can I start selling? Within a day. Install the free app, upload your manuscript and cover, set your price, and publish — a motivated author can technically have their book live and selling in their own store the same day, while owning and controlling the content the entire way.
- What book formats can I sell? Paperback and hardcover, with black-and-white or full-color interiors, in standard trim sizes — printed one copy at a time as orders come in.
- Do I need to hold inventory? No. Every order is printed on demand and shipped directly to your reader. Your inventory stays at zero and nothing is printed until it is sold.
- Can I use Bookworthy alongside books I've already printed? Yes. Many authors keep a print run on hand for events and ship inventory themselves, with Bookworthy as backup fulfillment: if your book takes off and sells out faster than expected, print-on-demand fills every order until you're restocked — you never have to pause sales.
- Can my readers order internationally? Yes — international orders flow through the exact same process as domestic ones. Your book ships worldwide without you doing anything differently.
- What about ISBNs? Bookworthy guides you through buying your own ISBN, so you — not a platform — remain the publisher of record for your book.
- How is this different from Amazon KDP, Lulu, or BookBaby? Each is great at what it does — Amazon's vast reach, Lulu's and BookBaby's production help. The difference is simply where the sale happens: with Bookworthy it's your own Shopify store, so you own the customer relationship, the email list, the pricing, and the brand. Many authors happily use Bookworthy as their direct channel alongside those platforms.
- How many books can I publish? As many or as few as you want — one memoir or an entire catalog. There is no per-title fee.
- When does Bookworthy launch? Soon. Join the launch list and we'll email you the moment the app is live on Shopify.

## Answers & comparisons (one question per page)

- What's the story behind Bookworthy?: https://bookworthy.com/answers/the-story-behind-bookworthy
- Bookworthy vs. Amazon KDP: which should you use to sell your book?: https://bookworthy.com/compare/bookworthy-vs-amazon-kdp
- Bookworthy vs. Lulu: what's the difference for selling your own book?: https://bookworthy.com/compare/bookworthy-vs-lulu
- Bookworthy vs. BookBaby: pay upfront for services, or pay per copy sold?: https://bookworthy.com/compare/bookworthy-vs-bookbaby
- What is print-on-demand book publishing and how does it work?: https://bookworthy.com/answers/what-is-print-on-demand-book-publishing
- How much does it cost to self-publish a book?: https://bookworthy.com/answers/how-much-does-it-cost-to-self-publish-a-book
- Do I need an ISBN to sell my book?: https://bookworthy.com/answers/do-i-need-an-isbn-to-sell-my-book
- How do you sell books without Amazon?: https://bookworthy.com/answers/how-to-sell-books-without-amazon

## Guides & pages

- How to Sell Your Book on Shopify: The Complete Guide: https://bookworthy.com/blog/sell-books-on-shopify — All five steps to selling a book from your own Shopify store — fulfillment models, ISBNs, pricing, and an honest comparison with Amazon KDP.

## Blog

- Hybrid Publishing Companies: Top 5 Compared (and Why You May Not Need One): https://bookworthy.com/blog/hybrid-self-publishing-companies-compared — A fair look at the top five paid "hybrid" self-publishing companies — what they cost and who they're for. Plus the encouraging truth: with a little direction and the right tools, most authors can self-publish well without spending thousands.
- How to Make a Book as a Gift: One-of-a-Kind Keepsakes Anyone Can Create: https://bookworthy.com/blog/how-to-make-a-book-as-a-gift — How to make a custom book gift with no writing or design skills — from a 365-reason anniversary book to a grandparent's life story or a family recipe collection.
- Self-Publishing Platforms Compared: Which One Fits Your Book's Goal? (2026): https://bookworthy.com/blog/self-publishing-platforms-compared — Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu, BookBaby, Blurb, books.by — an honest comparison of every major self-publishing platform, by what you want your book to do.
- Lulu Direct Alternatives for Selling Books on Shopify (2026): https://bookworthy.com/blog/lulu-direct-alternatives-shopify — Lulu Direct helped open up book print-on-demand on Shopify, and many authors love it. Here are the other options worth knowing — and what to look for in each.
- 3 Traps to Avoid When Self-Publishing: https://bookworthy.com/blog/self-publishing-traps-to-avoid — The self-publishing road has a few well-worn potholes. Here are the three that swallow the most first-time authors — and how to drive around them.
- 4 Marketing Strategies for Self-Published Authors: https://bookworthy.com/blog/marketing-strategies-for-self-published-authors — You are the publisher now — which means you are also the marketing department. Four practical plays that give a self-published book real momentum.
- How I Wrote My First Book in Only 30 Minutes a Day: https://bookworthy.com/blog/write-your-book-in-30-minutes-a-day — Twenty-four days, thirty minutes a day, one finished manuscript. The five-step system that turns a book from a dream into a deadline.
- How I Finally Decided My Book Was Worth Publishing: https://bookworthy.com/blog/how-i-decided-my-book-was-worth-publishing — A drive to the beach, a question from my husband, and the moment a dream turned into a deadline. The origin of the phrase we build everything on: your story is worth publishing.
- 5 Big Lies That Stopped Me from Publishing My First Book: https://bookworthy.com/blog/5-big-lies-that-stopped-me-from-publishing-my-first-book — Every aspiring author hears the same five lies. Here is how one of our founders pushed past them — and went on to publish more than ten books.

## For machines

- Every page above is also served as plain markdown: append the path to https://bookworthy.com/md/ (e.g. https://bookworthy.com/md/blog/<slug>, https://bookworthy.com/md/answers/<slug>) or fetch https://bookworthy.com/index.md for the homepage.
- Full site as one markdown document: https://bookworthy.com/llms-full.txt
- Homepage: https://bookworthy.com/
- Merchant app (Shopify embedded): https://app.bookworthy.com/