For authors
Royalties, fees, and what you actually take home.
The whole pricing page on one screen. No calculator tricks. No hidden carveouts.
Your share of every sale
Flat royalty by format. No membership tiers, no promotional rates that expire. What you see here is what you earn from day one.
Of every ebook purchase, after Stripe’s payment processing. Paid out monthly to your connected bank account.
Audiobook production is on us — Penworth-managed voice (Cartesia, OpenAI, or Azure). The lower share funds narration, mastering, and per-minute streaming costs.
Cinematic companion experience produced by Penworth. Costs the author zero. When readers watch a Livebook, you’ve already earned your royalty on the ebook — we don’t double-charge anyone.
How we compare
Same price per book on every platform. The difference is how much reaches you.
| Format | Penworth | Amazon / Audible | Your advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ebook | 75% | 70% (only in the $2.99–$9.99 price band; 35% outside it) | +5 to +40 pts |
| Audiobook | 45% | 40% (ACX exclusive) or 25% (non-exclusive) | +5 to +20 pts |
| Livebook | On us | Not available | Only on Penworth |
Competitor percentages sourced from public royalty schedules; vary by region, exclusivity, and list price. The point isn’t the exact basis point — it’s that you keep more on Penworth, always.
What publishing costs
Two paths. Both end at the same Store, same 75%/45% royalty, same reader.
Writers with an active Penworth.ai membership (Plus, Premium, or Max) publish as many books as they want. No per-book fee, no ISBN fee, no conversion fee.
- 7-agent writing pipeline
- Editor + publishing flow
- Direct publish to Penworth Store
- Livebook production included
Already have your manuscript? Skip the writing tools and publish straight to the Store. One yearly fee covers any number of titles.
- Upload finished manuscripts
- Same royalty rates
- Livebook production included
- Cancel anytime; your catalogue stays live through the paid period
Penworth is digital-only.
No paperback, no hardcover, no print-on-demand. Print means warehouses, returns, and 60% of the cover price disappearing into distribution. We don’t want that economics, and we don’t want you to have to carry it. If a reader wants a physical copy of a Penworth book, they can print their own — but we’re not in that business.
What we never charge you for
- Listing your book on the Store
- Livebook production — you never see a bill for it
- Audiobook voice (Penworth covers the provider cost)
- Storage, bandwidth, or reader delivery
- Reader acquisition / marketing take-rates on top of the royalty
- Discounts or promos we run — we share the cost proportionally with you, never unilaterally from your share
Ready to publish?
Start with a Penworth.ai membership if you want the writing tools, or publish direct if you already have your book.