Books2Read
Books2Read is a free, web-based indie book discovery platform operated by Draft2Digital, generating single Universal Book Links that route readers to their preferred digital bookstore across 180+ countries. It serves indie authors, self-publishers, and book readers without any paid tiers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersOklahoma City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Books2Read does
Books2Read is a free, web-based reader-facing book discovery platform operated by Draft2Digital, L.L.C., a privately held Oklahoma LLC founded in 2012 and headquartered at 2524 N Broadway, Edmond, OK. The platform's core product is the Universal Book Link (UBL): a single URL that resolves to a book across multiple digital bookstores (Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, Google Play Books, Tolino), with automated metadata extraction (cover, title, author) from a single reference URL and geolocation-based redirect to the appropriate country-specific Amazon storefront across 180+ countries. The platform architecture layers Reading Lists, New Release Notifications, Author Pages, and Book Tabs on top of the UBL primitive, with a UBL Dashboard exposing click-through analytics, custom URL names, affiliate code registration, and support for ebook, audiobook, and print formats.
The business model is freemium-to-affiliate: every Books2Read service is free for both authors and readers, with no premium tiers, paid features, or signup requirements for basic use. Revenue is generated only when authors do not register their own bookstore affiliate codes — Draft2Digital then inserts its own codes into the UBL and earns referral commissions on resulting book purchases. Authors publishing through Draft2Digital are automatically enrolled into the UBL system, providing a structural, no-CAC supply of new links. GTM is product-led and direct-to-consumer: a self-serve web app for readers, an auto-onboarding flow for Draft2Digital authors, and community-led amplification through Reading Lists and social sharing on Facebook/Twitter.
Books2Read is 100% indie-focused, serves primarily indie authors/self-publishers and book readers (with book bloggers/reviewers as a secondary segment), has 1–10 employees, is bootstrapped with no disclosed funding, and holds registered trademarks on the Books2Read and Draft2Digital/D2D names. The firm's offices are listed at Edmond, Oklahoma (D2D headquarters) and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (Books2Read mailing address), with US and Australian customer support lines.
Books2Read firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Books2Read
- Legal name
- Draft2Digital, L.L.C.
- Website
- https://books2read.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Books2Read is a free, web-based indie book discovery platform operated by Draft2Digital, generating single Universal Book Links that route readers to their preferred digital bookstore across 180+ countries. It serves indie authors, self-publishers, and book readers without any paid tiers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Books2Read is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oklahoma City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Books2Read business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Free Service for Authors and Readers: All core services including Universal Book Links, New Release Notifications, Author Pages, Book Tabs, and Reading Lists are completely free for both authors and readers.
- Affiliate Revenue Share: When authors don't provide their own affiliate codes, Draft2Digital uses its own affiliate codes in Universal Book Links, earning referral revenue from bookstore purchases made through the links.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free - All Features |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Books2Read product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Books2Read is a free, web-based book discovery platform that generates Universal Book Links (UBLs)—single URLs that point to a book across all major digital bookstores (Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play) with automatic metadata extraction and geolocation-based store routing. The platform serves indie authors and self-publishers with link management, author pages, book tabs, reading lists, and new release notifications, while helping readers locate indie books at their preferred retailer.
Product overview
Books2Read is a reader-facing book discovery platform operated by Draft2Digital that offers a suite of free services centered around Universal Book Links (UBLs), which provide a single URL pointing to a book across multiple digital bookstores. The core product portfolio includes UBLs (with geolocation support, analytics, and custom naming), Reading Lists (curated book collections with affiliate monetization), New Release Notifications (automated email alerts), Author Pages (author profiles aggregating all titles), and Book Tabs (book detail pages with editable descriptions). The UBL Dashboard enables link management, analytics viewing, and affiliate code registration across ebook, audiobook, and print formats. The platform is 100% indie-focused and designed to help readers find books at their preferred retailer.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Universal Book Links (UBL)
- Reading Lists
- New Release Notifications
- Author Pages
- Book Tabs
Quantifiable outcome
- Authors can share one link instead of maintaining separate pages for each book with multiple store links
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Books2Read
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Books2Read technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Books2Read partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Draft2Digital, LLCcoreDraft2Digital, LLC is the parent company that owns and operates Books2Read. It is an ebook formatting, conversion, and distribution service founded in 2012. All Books2Read infrastructure, legal terms, and privacy policies reference Draft2Digital as the operating entity. Authors who publish through Draft2Digital automatically receive Universal Book Links.
- AmazoncoreAmazon is a fully supported bookstore for Universal Book Links. Books2Read provides automatic geolocation support for Amazon stores, routing readers in 180+ countries to their local Amazon storefront.
- Apple BookscoreApple Books is a fully supported bookstore for Universal Book Links. Authors can link to their books on Apple Books and readers can set Apple as their preferred store.
- Barnes & Noble (Nook)coreBarnes & Noble Nook is a fully supported bookstore for Universal Book Links. Authors can create store-specific links using the ?store=bn parameter.
- KobocoreKobo is a fully supported bookstore for Universal Book Links. Authors can direct readers to their Kobo storefront.
- Google Play BookscoreGoogle Play Books is a fully supported bookstore for Universal Book Links.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Books2Read competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Customer concentration
Books2Read social profiles
Digital presenceBooks2Read financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Books2Read leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Books2Read funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Books2Read 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 Books2Read
What does Books2Read do?
Books2Read is a free, web-based book discovery platform that generates Universal Book Links (UBLs)—single URLs that point to a book across all major digital bookstores (Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play) with automatic metadata extraction and geolocation-based store routing. The platform serves indie authors and self-publishers with link management, author pages, book tabs, reading lists, and new release notifications, while helping readers locate indie books at their preferred retailer.
Is Books2Read a public or private company?
Books2Read is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Books2Read founded?
Books2Read was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Books2Read based?
Books2Read is headquartered in Oklahoma City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Books2Read make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Free Service for Authors and Readers are the primary driver. The others are affiliate Revenue Share.
Does Books2Read have an API?
No public API is recorded for Books2Read.