Bookshop.org, the online platform championing independent bookstores, has announced a new partnership with Draft2Digital, the leading digital publishing and distribution platform for independent authors and publishers.
For the first time ever, this means UK indie bookshops will be able to sell self-published ebooks to their customers, the UK partnership launch following the US launch earlier this month.
The partnership marks what the companies call “a transformative milestone for indie authors” and publishers, indie bookstores, and the ebook economy at large; bringing hundreds of thousands of self-published titles from Draft2Digital to Bookshop.org’s fast-growing ebook platform, which launched in the United States in January 2025 and the UK in October 2025.
The partnership brings hundreds of thousands of self-published titles from Draft2Digital to Bookshop.org’s fast-growing ebook platform, which has contributed to the almost £5 million generated for independent bookshops in the UK.
By adding Draft2Digital’s catalogue, Bookshop.org is expanding its offering for readers and opening a new, sustainable revenue stream for its network of 2500 plus indie bookshops in the US and UK.
When a Draft2Digital-distributed ebook is sold on Bookshop.org, 100 per cent of Bookshop’s ebook profit is passed directly to the affiliated bookshop.
“This is a watershed moment for independent bookstores,” said Andy Hunter, Founder & CEO of Bookshop.org. “Our mission has always been to help local bookstores thrive in the digital age.
“Partnering with Draft2Digital means self-published authors, an essential and rapidly growing part of the publishing landscape, can now work with indie bookstores, and they can support each other.”
“Following our exciting ebooks launch last October, we are thrilled to be partnering with Draft2Digital in both the UK and US,” commented Nicole Vanderbilt, Managing Director of Bookshop.org UK. “Bookshop.org are eager to stay at the forefront of what we can offer independent bookshops and their communities from the publishing ecosystem, and this partnership grows our author and reader community whilst adding another way to financially support indie bookshops.”
This partnership arrives at a time when, say Bookshop.org, indie authors are experiencing unprecedented cultural momentum. Long dismissed by the publishing establishment, indie authors have taken significant market share in multiple genres. Today, self-published titles frequently climb bestseller lists, attract film and streaming deals, and cultivate millions of devoted readers. A new generation of readers are actively seeking diverse and undiscovered voices, fresh storytelling, and the next great gem outside of mainstream publishing houses.
“Gone are the days of the self-publishing stigma,” said Jane Friedman, publishing industry expert and author of The Business of Being a Writer (Second Edition). “Indie authors have proven themselves to be talented writers, savvy marketers, and astute businesspeople. Retailers and libraries who ignore this essential inventory are only hurting themselves.”
Draft2Digital’s catalog of more than one million titles includes many of the most commercially successful ebooks across global platforms. Bestselling authors include Jan Moran, Piper Lawson, Kristen Ashley, Juliette N. Banks, and many others.
A large launch collection of ebooks from Draft2Digital is available for purchase through Bookshop.org in the US and will expand significantly in the weeks and months ahead. Indie authors and publishers who wish to distribute their ebooks to Bookshop.org must opt in through their publishing dashboard at Draft2Digital.
“Indie authors publish high-quality books that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with traditionally published works,” said Kris Austin, CEO of Draft2Digital. “Readers don’t care whose logo is on the spine, they care about a great read. All the major ebook retailers carry indie titles because they sell. Our partnership with Bookshop.org ensures independent bookstores can now participate in that success by enabling self-published ebooks to become a meaningful and permanent part of their inventory.”
The partnership builds on Bookshop.org’s significant growth and impact. Since launching in 2020, the platform has raised over £4 million for independent bookstores in the UK. Bookshop.org’s ebook platform, available through any web browser and the Bookshop.org apps for Apple and Android, allows readers to directly support their favourite bookshops while enjoying digital reading. Alternatively, profits from orders without a specified bookshop go to the shared profit pool, which is distributed among all participating bookshops on the platform, further benefitting the literary community.
• To learn more about Draft2Digital and its community of independent authors, visit Draft2Digital.com and follow @draft2digital on Instagram and TikTok
• For the latest developments, subscribe to Bookshop.org’s newsletter and follow them on social media at @bookshop_org_uk
Bookshop.org is an online bookselling platform and affiliate network with a mission to financially support independent bookstores and literary culture.
Bookshop.org first launched in the USA in January 2020 and has already raised over $25m for independent bookshops in the States. It launched in the UK in November 2020, and currently has over 600 independent bookshops and over 11,000 affiliates using the platform. The UK site has generated over £4m for independent bookshops since its launch, being named Retailer of the Year in the British Book Awards in 2022.
Independent bookshops receive 30 per cent of the cover price from each sale they generate on the platform. Books are offered to consumers at a small discount, with free shipping on all orders over £25, and in stock books are delivered within two to three days.
• For more about Bookshop.org, visit bookshop.org or visit their social media channels on Instagram @bookshop_org_UK, X @bookshop_org_UK, Facebook @BookshopOrgUK, Threads @bookshop_org_UK, and Bluesky @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social
Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Draft2Digital is the world’s leading publishing platform for self-published authors and independent presses. The company’s tools and services streamline ebook and print publishing, distribution, metadata management, and other publishing business operations. Draft2Digital serves more than 330,000 authors worldwide who have collectively released over one million titles by utilising its services.
• To learn more about Draft2Digital and its community of independent authors, visit Draft2Digital.com and follow @draft2digital on Instagram and TikTok
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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