Leanpub
Leanpub is a bootstrapped self-publishing platform that lets authors write, publish, and sell ebooks and online courses with 80% royalties, serving individual authors, technical readers, and learning organizations through subscriptions, AI tools, and a global storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersVictoria, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Leanpub does
Leanpub, operated by Ruboss Technology Corp and founded in Vancouver, BC in 2010, is a bootstrapped self-publishing platform that enables individual authors, subject-matter experts, and practitioners to write, publish, and sell ebooks and online courses directly to readers. The platform centers on the proprietary Markua book markup format with GitHub and Dropbox synchronization, an in-browser editor, and multi-format output (PDF, EPUB, web). Leanpub pays authors an 80% royalty on sales of $7.99 or more and has paid out more than $15.5M cumulatively across its author base, which includes recognizable technical authors such as Taylor Otwell (Laravel), Henrik Kniberg (former Spotify), and Jeff Geerling (Ansible for DevOps). The product portfolio extends beyond books and courses to include bundles, tracks, an iOS reading app, and a suite of AI services (CourseAI, GhostAI, TranslateAI, IndexAI).
The business model blends transaction-based book sales with subscription memberships — Reader, Learner (Standard $69, Pro $119, Max $199 monthly), and Organization Memberships — alongside paid author services including workshops (Book Kickstart, Book Marketing, GhostAI), Book Bootcamp 1-on-1 coaching, GlobalAuthor premium membership, Marketing Packages, and a 'Publish on Amazon' distribution service. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through leanpub.com and the iOS app, with no third-party resellers.
Customer segments span individual authors and readers, technical professionals in software development, AI/ML and DevOps, and engineering teams and organizations using Organization Memberships for continuous learning. Content marketing through the Frontmatter podcast (300+ episodes since 2012), the Authors Forum community, founder-led workshops, SEO from the large catalog, and email newsletters drive a product-led, content-led acquisition motion. The company remains privately held, bootstrapped, and operates with 1-10 employees under the continued involvement of co-founders Peter Armstrong and Len Epp.
Leanpub firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Leanpub
- Legal name
- Ruboss Technology Corp
- Website
- https://leanpub.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Leanpub is a bootstrapped self-publishing platform that lets authors write, publish, and sell ebooks and online courses with 80% royalties, serving individual authors, technical readers, and learning organizations through subscriptions, AI tools, and a global storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Leanpub industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Self-Publishing Platform
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals) (MPAJAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF), E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB), Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE), Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG)
Keywords
Where Leanpub is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Victoria
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Leanpub business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Author Royalties: Leanpub pays authors 80% royalties on purchases of $7.99 or more, and 80% minus $0.50 flat fee on purchases between $0.99 and $7.98. Authors can earn $8 on a $10 sale and $16 on a $20 sale. Total author payouts exceed $15 million.
- Learner Memberships: Subscription memberships providing book credits and course credits monthly. Standard ($69/month), Pro ($119/month), and Max ($199/month) tiers with varying credit allocations.
- Reader Memberships: Subscription memberships for book-only access with book credits and Free With Membership access to about 2000 books.
- Organization Memberships: Team-based plans with shared book credits, course credits, and Free With Membership access for enterprise and team learning.
- Individual Book/Course Sales: Direct purchase of individual ebooks and online courses at author-set prices, with optional pick-your-price model.
- Marketing Services: Additional paid services for authors including marketing packages, Amazon publishing, and promotional tools.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Author royalties: 80% of sale price |
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Learner: 1 book credit/month + 1 course credit every 3 months |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro Learner: 2 book credits/month + 1 course credit every 2 months |
| Subscription | Monthly | Max Learner: 3 book credits/month + 1 course credit every month |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Learner Memberships |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Leanpub product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Leanpub is a self-publishing platform that combines a book-writing environment with an online storefront. Authors write in a proprietary Markdown-based format called Markua or upload PDF/EPUB files, sync via GitHub or Dropbox, and publish ebooks and online courses to readers. The platform pays authors 80% royalties, supports iterative "lean publishing" of in-progress works with free reader updates, delivers content in PDF, EPUB, and web formats without DRM, and offers AI-powered author services (CourseAI, GhostAI, TranslateAI, IndexAI) along with subscription memberships for individuals and organizations.
Product overview
Leanpub is a self-publishing platform that enables authors to write, publish, and sell ebooks and online courses. The core Leanpub Platform supports Markdown-based writing with iterative publishing, offering 80% royalties on sales of $7.99 or more. The platform's product portfolio includes the Leanpub iOS mobile app for offline reading, AI-powered services (CourseAI for course creation, GhostAI for editing, TranslateAI for translations, IndexAI for indexing), author services (GlobalAuthor membership, Marketing Packages, Publish on Amazon), and subscription offerings (Learner Membership, Reader Membership, Organization Memberships) for readers and teams. Content is distributed as Books, Courses, Bundles, and Tracks, with The Leanpub Podcast providing author interviews. Additional services include workshops (Book Kickstart, Book Marketing, GhostAI) and coaching programs (Book Bootcamp). The platform has paid out over $15 million to authors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Leanpub Platform (Self-Publishing Platform) Self-publishing platform where authors write in Markua (Markdown) or upload PDF/EPUB, sync via GitHub or Dropbox, and sell ebooks and online courses to readers with 80% royalties, iterative publishing, free updates, and multi-format delivery (PDF, EPUB, web).
- Leanpub iOS Mobile App Native iOS application for reading Leanpub books offline, with progress tracking, highlights, notes, free updates, and credit purchasing for Reader Membership holders. Available on the Apple App Store.
- Learner Membership Subscription providing monthly book credits and course credits for accessing Leanpub's library of books and courses on AI, software development, data science, and more. Includes free access to ~2,000 Free With Membership books. Available in Standard ($69/month), Pro ($119/month), Max ($199/month), and annual discounted tiers.
- Reader Membership Subscription providing monthly book credits for accessing Leanpub's ebook library, with free access to Free With Membership titles.
- Organization Membership Team-based enterprise subscription offering shared book and course credits, with centralized access management and Free With Membership access for team members pursuing continuous technical learning.
- CourseAI AI-powered service that automatically converts a Leanpub book into a structured online course with exercises and quizzes, allowing authors to repurpose existing content into a new paid product.
- GhostAI Workshop / Editing Tools AI-powered editing tools and accompanying workshop offered to authors to improve their writing using AI technology developed by Leanpub founders.
- TranslateAI AI-powered translation service that translates author manuscripts into multiple languages for expanded global distribution.
- IndexAI AI-powered indexing service that automatically generates indexes for Leanpub books to improve navigation and discoverability.
- GlobalAuthor Membership Premium author membership offering enhanced publishing tools, marketing support, and increased visibility for authors on the Leanpub platform.
- Marketing Packages Paid marketing services that help authors promote their Leanpub books and reach more readers through promotional channels managed by Leanpub.
- Publish on Amazon Service that helps authors distribute books published on Leanpub to Amazon's Kindle store in addition to the Leanpub storefront.
- Book Kickstart Workshop Live 2-hour Zoom workshop led by Leanpub founders to help prospective authors kickstart their book projects and make real progress on their first chapter.
- Book Marketing Workshop Live 2-hour workshop on book marketing strategies with actionable plans for reaching readers and increasing sales, run by Leanpub founders.
- Book Bootcamp Coaching Private 1-on-1 coaching with Leanpub founder Peter Armstrong, offered in 4, 6, or 8 session packages with a money-back service-credit guarantee to help authors finish their books.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% author royalties (vs 35-70% typical publishing)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Leanpub
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Leanpub technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability5 records
Feature5 records
Leanpub partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Leanpub competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gumroad: Direct-to-consumer digital marketplace that lets creators (including authors and course creators) sell ebooks, courses, and other digital products with a take-rate model. Closely comparable in self-serve publishing and royalty/sales mechanics.
- Draft2Digital: Ebook distribution and self-publishing aggregator that helps authors publish once and distribute to multiple retailers. Comparable as a self-publishing platform serving independent authors with royalty-based economics.
- Smashwords: Ebook self-publishing and distribution platform with a focus on indie authors. Comparable in offering a marketplace for self-published ebooks with author-friendly royalty terms.
- Podia: All-in-one platform for creators to sell courses, ebooks, memberships, and digital downloads. Directly comparable to Leanpub's combination of book publishing, course creation, and subscription/membership offerings.
- Lulu: Self-publishing platform offering print-on-demand books and ebook distribution. Comparable in serving indie authors with DIY publishing tools and royalty-based economics.
- Blurb: Self-publishing platform for books (print and ebook) with author-set pricing and royalties. Comparable in serving independent authors who want direct control over publishing and pricing.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing: Dominant self-publishing platform for ebooks and print-on-demand books run by Amazon. Competes with Leanpub for the same author and reader base but offers vastly greater distribution, retail placement, and Kindle Unlimited exposure.
- Teachable: Established course-creation platform with a marketplace and subscription tools. Comparable to Leanpub's course product (especially the CourseAI-converted content) and team/organization plans.
- IngramSpark: Major print-on-demand and ebook distribution service from Ingram, reaching bookstores and libraries worldwide. Comparable as a self-publishing distribution channel for indie authors, with much broader retail reach.
Emerging players
- Substack: Creator publishing platform with paid newsletters and subscriptions. Comparable as a creator/author monetization platform with subscription mechanics, though Substack focuses on serial written content rather than books and courses.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Leanpub social profiles
Digital presenceLeanpub financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Leanpub leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Leanpub funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Leanpub 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 Leanpub
What does Leanpub do?
Leanpub is a self-publishing platform that combines a book-writing environment with an online storefront. Authors write in a proprietary Markdown-based format called Markua or upload PDF/EPUB files, sync via GitHub or Dropbox, and publish ebooks and online courses to readers. The platform pays authors 80% royalties, supports iterative "lean publishing" of in-progress works with free reader updates, delivers content in PDF, EPUB, and web formats without DRM, and offers AI-powered author services (CourseAI, GhostAI, TranslateAI, IndexAI) along with subscription memberships for individuals and organizations.
Is Leanpub a public or private company?
Leanpub is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Leanpub founded?
Leanpub was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Leanpub based?
Leanpub is headquartered in Victoria, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Leanpub make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Author Royalties are the primary driver. The others are learner Memberships, reader Memberships, organization Memberships, individual Book/Course Sales and marketing Services.
Who are Leanpub's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gumroad, Draft2Digital, Smashwords, Podia, Lulu and Blurb. Broad incumbents are Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Teachable and IngramSpark. Substack is listed as an emerging player.
Does Leanpub have an API?
Yes. Leanpub exposes a public API. Developer documentation is at leanpub.com/help/api.
What industry is Leanpub in?
Leanpub's product category is Self-Publishing Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAA, Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals), with a secondary code of BPAMAJAF, Self-Publishing & Author Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.