Type of business | Private |
---|---|
Founded | January 2012 |
Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
Founder(s) |
|
Industry | |
Employees | 120 |
URL |
bookbub |
Registration | Optional |
Users | 15 million [1] |
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]
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]
The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. [1]
BookBub was founded in January 2012 by Josh Schanker and Nicholas Ciarelli. [9]
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. [10]
In May 2015, BookBub raised $7 million in new equity and debt financing [11] from its existing investors. [12]
In 2019, BookBub had 120 employees, tens of millions of subscribers, and launched an audiobook division called Chirp. [1]
The newsletter is free to customers, but authors and publishers pay to be featured in the newsletter. [9] Authors and publishers use BookBub to gain exposure with the intention to increase future sales. [9] The cost to have your book feature depends on the genre and price of the book. [10] In 2014, the cheapest slot was $40 to advertise a free book of African-American interest. [10] BookBub rejects about 80 to 90 percent of requests for eBooks to be featured. [13]