Gumroad: A New Way to Self-Publish

I love my dad. He often sends me links to websites that might be interesting to feature on my blog, and this one is no different. Gumroad is a brand new way to sell your content online, eliminating the middlemen (read Amazon and Barnes & Noble), and netting the author more in the process.

Created by Sahil Lavingia, a Pinterest designer, Gumroad is a no-frills, no-fuss way for entrepreneurs to put their products in the hands of their followers.

Gumroad hosts, takes payment, and delivers your product for you. Whether it's an ebook, a photo, or software. Any kind of digital file. Here's an example of a book for sale on Gumroad.

Gumroad gives creators the bulk of the money. The cost for using Gumroad is just 5% + $0.25 for each transaction. If you sold your ebook fo $2.99, you keep all but $0.40, which is immediately deposited in your PayPal account. There's no earning cap, or pricing restrictions.

Gumroad makes buying easy. It doesn't have a long form for buyers to fill out with their name and shipping address. Why collect all that information, when the product is sent via email. Check out how easy it is to make a purchase with this simulation. As Lavingia says in this interview, "I just want the online equivalent of handing you a dollar in person!"

Gumroad is designed to go hand in hand with social media. Having been so connected to social media already, Lavingia wanted to make it easy for creators to sell their products to those they were already friends with. Gumroad is intertwined with both Facebook and Twitter, making it simple to connect with those you already know. See how it works.

For more info, see the FAQ page, or this review on Wired.com.

What do you think about a new way to sell books? Do you think you'd give it a try?