FastPencil
FastPencil is a cloud-based self-publishing platform founded in 2008, headquartered in Conshohocken, PA, that enables authors and writers to create, publish, and sell books, operating with 11-50 employees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersConshohocken, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
FastPencil firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FastPencil
- Website
- https://fastpencil.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Unknown
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- FastPencil is a cloud-based self-publishing platform founded in 2008, headquartered in Conshohocken, PA, that enables authors and writers to create, publish, and sell books, operating with 11-50 employees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FastPencil industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Self-Publishing Software
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mass Market & Paperback Publishing (MPAJAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)
Keywords
Where FastPencil is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Conshohocken
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
FastPencil business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
FastPencil product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FastPencil is a cloud-based publishing platform that enables users to create, publish, and sell books online. It provides self-publishing tools and services for authors and small publishers, combining authoring, production, and distribution capabilities in a single hosted environment. Following its 2016 acquisition of Infinity Publishing, the company also offers traditional publishing service capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use FastPencil
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
FastPencil technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
FastPencil competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BookBaby: BookBaby provides self-publishing services including editing, design, printing, ebook conversion, and distribution. It directly competes with FastPencil for independent authors seeking bundled publishing services.
- Smashwords: Smashwords is an ebook self-publishing and distribution platform that helps independent authors publish and reach major retailers. It competes with FastPencil in the digital self-publishing workflow.
- Lulu: Lulu operates a cloud-based self-publishing platform offering book creation tools, print-on-demand, and global distribution. It is a direct competitor to FastPencil in serving independent authors with a similar end-to-end workflow.
- Draft2Digital: Draft2Digital is a self-publishing aggregator and ebook formatting/distribution platform serving independent authors. It overlaps with FastPencil on the digital-publish-and-distribute workflow.
- Blurb: Blurb offers a cloud-based platform for creating, printing, and selling books (trade books, photo books, magazines). It is a direct peer in the book-creation-plus-print SaaS category.
- iUniverse: iUniverse is a Penguin Random House-affiliated self-publishing imprint offering editing, design, printing, and marketing services. It is a direct competitor in the assisted self-publishing segment.
Emerging players
- Vellum: Vellum is a book formatting and production tool for independent authors, with strong traction among indie fiction writers. It represents an emerging, design-led entrant competing for the same author workflow.
- Reedsy: Reedsy is a marketplace and toolset connecting authors with editors, designers, and marketers, plus a free book production tool. It is an emerging competitor focused on the author-services workflow FastPencil also touches.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): Amazon's free self-publishing platform for ebooks and print-on-demand paperbacks. It is the dominant incumbent in the same end-to-end create/publish/sell workflow FastPencil targets, and defines the competitive baseline for distribution reach and royalty structure.
- IngramSpark: IngramSpark is the self-publishing arm of Ingram Content Group, providing print-on-demand and wide distribution to bookstores and libraries. It competes with FastPencil on the publish-and-distribute side of the workflow.
Market position
Customer concentration
FastPencil social profiles
Digital presenceFastPencil financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FastPencil leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
FastPencil funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FastPencil M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FastPencil
What does FastPencil do?
FastPencil is a cloud-based publishing platform that enables users to create, publish, and sell books online. It provides self-publishing tools and services for authors and small publishers, combining authoring, production, and distribution capabilities in a single hosted environment. Following its 2016 acquisition of Infinity Publishing, the company also offers traditional publishing service capabilities.
When was FastPencil founded?
FastPencil was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is FastPencil based?
FastPencil is headquartered in Conshohocken, United States, in the North America region.
Who are FastPencil's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BookBaby, Smashwords, Lulu, Draft2Digital, Blurb and iUniverse. Emerging players are Vellum and Reedsy. Broad incumbents are Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark.
Does FastPencil have an API?
No public API is recorded for FastPencil.
What industry is FastPencil in?
FastPencil's product category is Self-Publishing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAD, Mass Market & Paperback Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAMAB, E-book Subscription & Bundling Services. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.