Bookabook – Platform statistics 2026
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Bookabook – Pros & Cons
About Bookabook
What it is
bookabook is a Milan publishing house, founded in 2014, that decides which books to publish through reader pre-orders. Readers buy a copy of an unpublished book in advance; if enough copies are pre-ordered, bookabook edits, prints and distributes it. Backers get the book they paid for and nothing else: no interest, no share of sales and no repayment. The company is bookabook srl, an active Italian book publisher; the site is in Italian.
How it works
Each campaign runs for 100 days. You pre-order a print copy, at a price set per title (€17 on a campaign live in August 2026), or the ebook at a fixed €9.99. At 200 pre-ordered copies the book is published and sent to bookshops through the distributor Messaggerie Libri; at 300 copies bookabook adds extra promotion. Delivery dates are shown on each book's page and are often several months after the campaign; one campaign live in August 2026 quoted April 2027.
Who can raise money
Authors who submit a manuscript and pass bookabook's editorial selection. In-house editors first read the synopsis and opening pages, then the whole manuscript, with a first answer in about 21 days. Authors pay nothing at any stage. They earn royalties of 10% to 50% of the cover price, depending on where the book is sold.
Fees
There is no platform fee for readers: you pay the book's price plus shipping. Shipping in Italy is €3.60 per order, free from three copies; shipping elsewhere in the EU costs €15, and there is no shipping outside the EU (help pages, October 2026). bookabook earns the publisher's margin on book sales.
What reaches the project
You are buying a book from the publisher, so your money goes to bookabook, which pays the author royalties. If a campaign ends below 60 copies, you get a full, automatic refund and the author gets the rights back. Between 60 and 199 copies, the book does not go to bookshops, but bookabook prints it at its own expense and you still receive your copy.
Track record
bookabook says more than 350 books chosen by readers have been published since 2014, with a community of about 215,000 readers and more than 1,000 bookshops reached. These figures carry no date. It publishes no total amount pre-ordered and no campaign success rate; its campaign archive shows both funded and failed campaigns.
Status and regulation
Operating (checked 30 October 2026). A pre-order is a consumer purchase of a book, not an investment, so bookabook needs no licence from Consob or the Bank of Italy. Italian consumer law on distance sales applies. Card payments are collected through Stripe. No escrow or separate account for pre-order money is disclosed.
Our view
We do not rate bookabook: you are buying a book in advance, not investing. What matters for a backer: if a campaign falls short you either get your money back (below 60 copies) or still get the book (60 to 199 copies). The wait for delivery can be eight months or more.
Regulation
License / Regulation: No financial licence — a pre-order is a consumer purchase of a book, outside the EU crowdfunding rules and Consob supervision; Italian consumer law on distance sales applies. Operated by bookabook srl, Milan.
Functionality
For Investors
Useful Information
Yes, as far as the book goes. Below 60 pre-ordered copies you get a full, automatic refund. Between 60 and 199 copies bookabook prints the book at its own expense and sends you your copy. No escrow is disclosed, though: until delivery you rely on bookabook srl to send the book.
The price of the book (the ebook is a fixed €9.99; print prices are set per title, €17 on one 2026 campaign) plus shipping: €3.60 per order in Italy, free from three copies, or €15 elsewhere in the EU. There is no other fee.
You are buying from the publisher, so the price goes to bookabook, which pays the author royalties of 10% to 50% of the cover price depending on the sales channel. Authors pay nothing.
Neither, exactly. Below 60 copies everyone is refunded. From 60 to 199 copies the book is printed for backers only. At 200 copies it is published and sold in bookshops, and at 300 copies it gets extra promotion.
Any author can submit a manuscript; bookabook's editors decide which ones go to a 100-day pre-order campaign, with a first answer in about 21 days.
No. You receive the book you ordered, print or ebook, and nothing else: no interest, no share of sales and no repayment.
The expected delivery date is on each book's page. Because printing follows the 100-day campaign, it is often several months away; one campaign live in August 2026 quoted April 2027. Books already published ship within a few days.
