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A sales funnel for authors is two different things depending on who is asking: for a fiction indie it is a reader magnet, a welcome sequence and a direct-sales page that keeps the share Amazon would take; for a nonfiction author it is the book at the front and a call, a course or a workshop at the back. systeme.io builds either on a free plan at 0% platform fee. BookFunnel stays for delivering to Kindles and running promos, and this page says which tier of it you still need.
Two author funnels
Fiction, direct sales. Reader magnet (a novella or first-in-series), welcome sequence, then the next book sold from your own page with the EPUB delivered by email. Nonfiction, book to client. The book or a free chapter as the magnet, a sequence that teaches, then a page that books a call or sells the course the book was written to introduce. Both are one funnel and one workflow on the free plan.
The reader magnet and the welcome sequence
The magnet page has one field. The sequence is five emails over two weeks: the download, a note on why you wrote it, a scene or a chapter that did not make the book, what is coming next, and the offer. On systeme.io the sequence is the free plan’s one workflow; the list holds 2,000 contacts.
Direct sales: checkout, delivery, and what Amazon would have kept
Upload the EPUB and PDF as a product, put an order form on the sales page, connect Stripe or PayPal. systeme.io takes 0%; the card fee is about 2.9% plus 30 cents. Amazon’s royalty split depends on price and programme and is not quoted here; the point is that on a direct sale the share you keep is decided by the card fee alone. Two caveats: there is no send-to-Kindle flow, so readers get a download link and sideload, and VAT on digital goods is yours to handle unless you sell through a merchant of record such as Payhip or Gumroad.
The backend: a course, a workshop, a call
Nonfiction authors earn behind the book. A course in the course area, a paid workshop sold as a one-lesson course with a Zoom link, or a consultation booked through the calendar with a deposit, all sit in the same account as the magnet and the sequence. That is the funnel the “7-figure book funnel” pages describe, without the $97 a month tool.
Where BookFunnel still earns its fee
BookFunnel’s First-Time Author plan is $30 a year for 500 downloads a month with group promos and swaps, but no mailing-list integration and no direct-sales delivery. Mid-List at $200 a year adds both, plus watermarking and ARC delivery. If you run promos, ARCs and Kindle delivery, keep it; if the magnet is a PDF to a list you own, systeme.io’s delivery is enough.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a sales funnel for authors?
A reader magnet behind an email form, a welcome sequence, and a page that sells the next book direct or books the call and course behind a nonfiction title.
Can I sell my book directly from a funnel?
Yes. Upload the EPUB and PDF as a product on systeme.io, add an order form, connect Stripe or PayPal. The platform fee is 0%; readers sideload the file.
Do I still need BookFunnel?
For Kindle and Kobo delivery, ARCs, promos and swaps, yes; Mid-List at $200 a year adds list integration and direct-sales delivery. For a PDF magnet to your own list, no.
Which funnel builder suits authors on a budget?
systeme.io: three funnels, 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, a course area and a checkout on the free plan.
Related: email marketing for authors, how to sell an ebook without a website, web design for authors.