BookBub
Book discovery service
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BookBub is a book discovery service that was created to help readers find new books and authors.[2] The company features free and discounted ebooks selected by its editorial team,[3] as well as book recommendations,[1] updates from authors,[4] and articles about books.[5] The service is free for readers[6] and includes a website and personalized email newsletters.[1] The Guardian called BookBub the “Groupon of e-books.”[7]
- Josh Schanker
- Nicholas Ciarelli
| |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 2012 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Founders |
|
| Industry | |
| Employees | 120 |
| URL | bookbub |
| Registration | Optional |
| Users | 15 million[1] |
BookBub has millions of users in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.[1] For publishers and authors, BookBub provides marketing tools that are intended to help them reach readers and sell more books.[1] The company also operates an audiobook retailer called Chirp[8] and a website-builder for authors, Author Websites.[9]
The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[1]
History
BookBub was founded in January 2012 by Josh Schanker and Nicholas Ciarelli.[10]
In May 2014, BookBub raised $3.8 million in a Series A round led by NextView Ventures and Founder Collective, and joined by Avalon Ventures and Bloomberg Beta.[3]
In September 2014, BookBub launched in the UK.[11]
In May 2015, BookBub raised $7 million in new equity and debt financing[12] from its existing investors.[13]
In 2019, BookBub had 120 employees, tens of millions of subscribers, and launched an audiobook division called Chirp.[1]
Business model
The newsletter is free to customers, but authors and publishers pay to be featured in the newsletter.[10] Authors and publishers use BookBub to gain exposure with the intention to increase future sales.[10] The cost to have a book featured depends on the genre and price of the book.[11] In 2014, the cheapest slot was $40 to advertise a free book of African-American interest.[11] BookBub rejects about 80 to 90 percent of requests for eBooks to be featured.[14]
