From your website
to a reader’s device.
You’re already sold on direct sales. This page explains exactly what happens — the transaction flow, the money, the narrator contracts, and the tools — from the moment a reader clicks “buy.”
What actually happens when someone buys.
Most authors already have landing pages for their books. HANDS adds — or replaces — the Amazon/Audible link with a direct purchase path. Here’s the full journey, end to end.
Reader lands on your book page
Nothing changes here. Your author website, your book landing page, your cover, your sales copy — all yours. You’ve done the promotional work that brought this reader here.
Reader clicks your HANDS buy link
Instead of — or alongside — an Amazon link, your page includes a direct purchase link to the HANDS storefront built on FluentCart. The reader stays within your ecosystem, not Amazon’s.
Reader completes the purchase
Payment is processed through FluentCart’s integrated payment system. You never touch the merchant account, sales tax management, or payment processor setup — that’s all handled within the HANDS infrastructure.
FluentCart provides a non-DRM download link
Immediately after purchase, the reader’s customer account is created and can be accessed to download a book at any time after the purchase.
You see the sale — and own the customer
Your sales dashboard shows the transaction in real time. You receive the purchaser’s name and email address — something Amazon never provides. That reader is now in your ecosystem, reachable directly for future releases, newsletters, and promotions.
Exactly what gets deducted and when.
Net revenue is gross sales minus two small deductions. Here’s the full breakdown for a $14.99 ebook under each plan, so there are no surprises.
| Item | Plan 80 | Plan 60 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover price (example) | $14.99 | $14.99 | You set the price |
| Payment processor fee | ~2.9% + $0.30 | ~2.9% + $0.30 | Standard card processing rate |
| Campaign expenses (Plan 60 only) | — | Variable | Ad spend, promotions — agreed in advance |
| You receive (approx.) | ~$11.54 | ~$8.54 | On a $14.99 sale, before narrator split |
How the Royalty Payoff works.
The Royalty Payoff arrangement solves the biggest barrier to working with a human narrator: the prohibitive upfront cost. Instead of paying a flat Per Finished Hour (PFH) fee before the audiobook earns anything, the narrator accepts a royalty split until their agreed PFH amount is paid off through sales.
After the narrator’s PFH amount is fully paid off, 100% of net revenues flow to the author. The narrator has been fairly compensated; the author now owns the full upside of a book they didn’t have to self-fund.
HANDS can execute disbursals based on any arrangement the author and narrator agree to — from simple royalty splits to serialization deals, narrator buyouts, or hybrid arrangements. The contract arrangements spreadsheet documents the full range of options.
Royalty Payoff
Narrator earns a revenue share until their PFH amount is recouped, then revenues revert fully to the author.
Per Finished Hour (flat fee)
Author pays narrator a fixed rate per finished hour of audio upfront. Narrator has no ongoing royalty stake.
Ongoing royalty split
Author and narrator split revenues at an agreed percentage indefinitely — no payoff threshold.
Hybrid / custom
Any combination the parties agree to — partial upfront payment, tiered splits, serialization deals, etc. HANDS can administer it.
Example uses approximate figures. Use the payment calculator spreadsheet for precise modelling at your price point and split rate.
The specifics people ask about.
Ready to see it in action?
The mechanics are straightforward. The harder part is getting accepted — HANDS is selective because the platform only works when every author is actively promoting. If that’s you, apply.