The Urban Writers
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
The Urban Writers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Urban Writers
- Legal name
- Dibbly Inc.
- Website
- https://theurbanwriters.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Urban Writers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Freelance Content Creation Marketplace
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Book Publishers (51313), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services (MPAJAJAI), Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH), Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals) (MPAJAJAA), Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)
Keywords
Where The Urban Writers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Urban Writers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Project-based Freelancer Services: Customers pay for content creation services (writing, editing, design, etc.) where The Urban Writers connects them with freelancers and provides the platform, quality assurance, and project management. Customers pay upfront or upon freelancer assignment. Revenue is generated through service fees on top of freelancer costs.
- All-in-One Book Bundles: Comprehensive packages combining multiple services (writing, editing, cover design, formatting, description) at discounted bundle rates compared to individual services.
- Pre-written eBook Marketplace (Dibbly Marketplace): Marketplace for pre-written eBooks with separate purchase terms including no refunds and no modifications once delivered. Customers acquire rights to existing content.
- Affiliate Program: Commission-based revenue sharing with partners who refer customers. Monthly commission payouts with detailed reporting.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fiction Writing - Rising Package at $4.13/100 words |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Nonfiction Writing - Rising writer starting at $6.60/100 words |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Content Translation - English to Spanish at $3.99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | SEO Articles - Starting at $7.03 per article |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Editing - Essential at $23/1000 words |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cover Design - Silver Package starting at $144.99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Illustration - Starting at $47 per illustration |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Book Description - $113.99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Book Bundles - Silver Bundle at $588 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Narration - Audiobook at $206 per finished hour |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Urban Writers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Urban Writers operates a freelancer marketplace platform that connects customers (self-publishers, authors, and businesses) with a vetted network of over 5,000 creative professionals spanning writers, editors, designers, illustrators, formatters, and narrators. Through its proprietary cloud-based platform, customers post projects, browse and select freelancers, track content live, and pay for services such as ghostwriting books, editing, cover design, illustration, audiobook narration, SEO articles, and content translation. Bundled all-in-one packages combine multiple services for end-to-end book publishing support.
Product overview
The Urban Writers (operated by Dibbly Inc.) is a freelancer marketplace platform connecting authors and businesses with over 5,000 vetted creative professionals for on-demand content creation. The core offering is a project management platform where customers post projects, browse freelancer profiles, communicate via dedicated chat, and track order progress in real-time through document view and comments. The product portfolio spans ghostwriting services (Fiction Writing Packages, Nonfiction Writing Package, Children's Fiction Bundle), editing services (Editing Services with Essential, Line, and Developmental tiers), supplementary creative services (Cover Design, Illustration Package, Book Descriptions, Narration Package), business content (SEO Content Writing Services, Content Translation), and bundled packages (Book Bundles in Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Ultimate tiers). The company also offers AI-specific offerings including an AI Nonfiction Package and AI-to-Human Editing service. Supporting tools include Dibbly Create (the main project management platform) and Dibbly Marketplace (pre-written ebook catalog). The platform is built on Shopify for the storefront and includes Stripe for payment processing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Dibbly Create: Content creation platform component for managing projects
- Dibbly Marketplace
Products and services
- Fiction Writing Packages Ghostwriting services for fiction books delivered by vetted creative writers through the platform, available in Rising ($4.13/100 words), Urban ($4.86/100 words), Top ($5.36/100 words), and Premium ($5.61/100 words) tiers with 1-4 included content revisions. For self-publishers and authors seeking professionally written fiction manuscripts.
- Nonfiction Writing Package High-quality nonfiction ghostwriting with Rising, Urban, Top, and Premium writer tiers (Finance & Tech specialty starting at $6.60/100 words), including basic copy editing, proofreading, up to 20 commercially free images, and up to 4 content revisions. For self-publishers, thought leaders, and experts producing nonfiction books.
- Children's Fiction Bundle End-to-end children's book package providing a vetted children's fiction writer, custom illustrations, basic editing, up to 4 content revisions, ebook formatting, optional cover design, and professional fiction blurb. For authors creating children's fiction.
- Editing Services Professional editing and proofreading with three tiers: Essential Editing ($23/1000 words, copyeditor and proofreader), Line Editing ($27/1000 words, line editor), and Developmental Review ($31/1000 words, developmental editor). Includes grammar/spelling checks, vocabulary review, and sentence-level improvements. For authors who have written content needing refinement.
- Content Translation Translation services from English to Spanish ($3.99) and English to German ($4.44), with in-depth editing and proofreading by native editors, plus optional Kindle ebook and paperback formatting, and up to 2 revisions. For authors and businesses targeting Spanish or German-speaking audiences.
- SEO Content Writing Services Search engine optimized article and blog post writing by SEO-trained copywriters and editors. Packages include keyword optimization (up to 5 keywords), title and meta descriptions, internal/external linking, researched FAQ sections, with sliding pricing from $7.03 (1 article) to $7.25 each (30 articles). For businesses and content marketers.
- Cover Design Custom book cover design for eBook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook (ACX) formats. Three tiers: Silver ($144.99 starting, 1 concept), Gold ($184.99, 2 concepts), and Platinum ($279.99, 3 concepts with unlimited revisions). Includes print cover design and brand elements, plus optional source file add-on. For self-publishers and authors.
- Illustration Package Custom illustration services starting at $47 per illustration, delivered by professional illustrators vetted for various styles and niches. Includes up to 2 revisions, optional $75 source file add-on, and collaboration via the all-in-one platform. For authors needing custom artwork, including children's book creators.
- Book Descriptions
- Book Bundles Comprehensive all-in-one book packages: Silver Bundle ($588), Gold Bundle ($692), Platinum Bundle ($1,057), and Ultimate Fiction Bundle ($1,132). Each bundle includes cover design, manuscript services, paperback/hardcover formatting, professional description, outline, plot outline, and fiction blurb. For authors seeking one-stop publishing support.
- Narration Package Audiobook narration services at $206 per finished hour (~$2.43/100 words) by vetted professional narrators. Includes up to 4 content revisions, collaborative platform access, and high-quality edited and mastered audio files. The Audiobook Bundle (starting $1,282.98) bundles narration with full Platinum Bundle services. For authors publishing audiobooks.
- AI Nonfiction Package AI-powered nonfiction book writing package designed for faster manuscript creation. Links to a dedicated landing page at try.theurbanwriters.com for accelerated nonfiction authoring.
- AI-to-Human Editing Editing service that transforms AI-generated content into humanized, natural-sounding text. Links to a dedicated landing page at try.theurbanwriters.com. For authors and businesses wanting to polish machine-generated drafts.
- Dibbly Marketplace Marketplace for pre-written eBooks where customers can purchase ready-made content. Operates under separate terms (no refunds, no modifications once delivered). Customers acquire rights to existing content authored by platform freelancers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1 billion words written and edited by freelancers on the platform
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Urban Writers
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Urban Writers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration18 records
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
The Urban Writers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Urban Writers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Upwork: Generalist freelance platform with deep penetration in writing, editing, design, and translation. Competes with TUW for freelance content services but without the curated, author-centric specialization.
- ACX (Audible): Audiobook creation and distribution platform connecting authors with narrators/producers. Directly comparable to TUW's audiobook narration service and represents the dominant marketplace in this category.
- Fiverr: A large freelance marketplace covering writing, design, illustration, translation, and voiceover. Overlaps with TUW across nearly every service category but at much broader scale and lower price points.
Direct peers
- Verblio: Content creation marketplace pairing vetted freelance writers with businesses needing blog posts, articles, and SEO content. Highly comparable to TUW's SEO and business content service line.
- 99designs: Crowdsourced design marketplace specializing in logos, book covers, and illustration. Directly comparable to TUW on the cover design and illustration service line.
- DesignCrowd: Crowdsourced graphic design marketplace with strong book cover and illustration offerings. Comparable to TUW's design services and freelance-pool model.
- Reedsy: A vetted marketplace connecting self-publishing authors with professional editors, designers, and ghostwriters. Most directly comparable to TUW in terms of curated talent marketplace model and author-services focus.
- BookBaby: Self-publishing services company offering editing, cover design, illustration, formatting, and distribution. Closely comparable to TUW in the end-to-end author services stack for self-publishers.
- Lulu Press: Self-publishing platform offering design, editorial, and printing services for independent authors. Comparable to TUW for the bundled author-services and self-publishing workflow.
- Kirkus Media: Editorial and review services provider for authors and publishers, including editing. Comparable in the editorial/pre-publication services layer of TUW's offerings.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Urban Writers social profiles
Digital presenceThe Urban Writers compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Urban Writers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Urban Writers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
The Urban Writers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Urban Writers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Urban Writers
What does The Urban Writers do?
The Urban Writers operates a freelancer marketplace platform that connects customers (self-publishers, authors, and businesses) with a vetted network of over 5,000 creative professionals spanning writers, editors, designers, illustrators, formatters, and narrators. Through its proprietary cloud-based platform, customers post projects, browse and select freelancers, track content live, and pay for services such as ghostwriting books, editing, cover design, illustration, audiobook narration, SEO articles, and content translation. Bundled all-in-one packages combine multiple services for end-to-end book publishing support.
Is The Urban Writers a public or private company?
The Urban Writers is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Urban Writers founded?
The Urban Writers was founded in 2017. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is The Urban Writers based?
The Urban Writers is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does The Urban Writers make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Project-based Freelancer Services are the primary driver. The others are all-in-One Book Bundles, pre-written eBook Marketplace (Dibbly Marketplace) and affiliate Program.
Who are The Urban Writers's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Upwork, ACX (Audible) and Fiverr. Direct peers are Verblio, 99designs, DesignCrowd, Reedsy, BookBaby, Lulu Press and Kirkus Media.
Does The Urban Writers have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Urban Writers.
What industry is The Urban Writers in?
The Urban Writers's product category is Freelance Content Creation Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAB, Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services), with a secondary code of MPAJAJAI, Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7330.