Deal highlights 

• Marketplace pairing romance authors & readers through 'Bites'—excerpts specifically chosen by the author—including exclusive sneak peeks, serials and bonus scenes
• Romance is the #1 best-selling genre in the U.S. at $1.4B+ annually
• Over 45,000 registered users on the platform, including more than 3,400 authors 
• Readers from 150+ countries on Book+Main
• $20K+ in advertising and affiliate revenue

Publishing is a $40B industry in the U.S. alone 

Romance novels are #1 in book sales 

Romance is the highest grossing genre representing almost one-third of all fiction sold. Over 75M Americans (estimated at 2-3x globally) read romance novels each year, with 46% reading more than one novel per week. As the romance genre lends itself towards self publishing, authors are turning to online platforms to help them promote their publications and are willing to pay a premium to display their work. There is a huge market not only for those interested in buying and reading romance novels, but also for the authors who’d like a place to share their work in a space dedicated to romance readers.

Visibility & Discoverability

In an extremely competitive, over-saturated market, authors spend too much time and too much money marketing their books to the wrong readers. Readers waste inordinate amounts of time and money trying to find their next read, because the way they find books today is broken. Currently, readers are only presented with book covers and ‘blurbs,’ synopses oftentimes not written by the author, but also mismatched categories and searches that are weighed down by a retailer’s algorithms. 

Book+Main gives readers a search tool that uses a vast array of keywords that connect them directly to an author’s words, while also giving authors the tools they need to immediately connect their work to readers in search of what they’re writing.

Book+Main: literary matchmaker for readers and authors 

Book+Main provides a sales and marketing tool hosted on a platform comprised of an all-romance audience. Authors upload Bites—excerpts or bonus content from their novels—that are searchable with more than 350 genre-specific keywords. This creates interest in their work, allows the reader to immediately get immersed in the story, and prevents their novel from getting lost. For our authors, Bites not only introduce them to new readers, they have also proven to be a powerful tool in exposing old and new readers alike to their entire catalog of books, not only new releases. And, Bites have no shelf life. If an author posts a Bite today and a reader searches for related keywords, that Bite will be served up for years to come. Bites posted over a year ago still sell books today.  

Readers search the 350+ genre-specific keywords to find Bites that match exactly what they’re looking for. Bites have proven to be an accurate and efficient way for a reader to find and experience a book before they buy. Readers agree that Bites are better than samples because they are curated by the author to show the highlights of the book. 

Finally, Book+Main builds a community of romance enthusiasts, by incorporating social media components (like, comment, share, etc.), to help create discussions around the books readers love, while also giving more exposure to an author’s work. Book+Main has a social media feel, but is a discovery tool first and foremost.  

Three revenue sources

1. Affiliate Fees: Book+Main earns an affiliate fee on books sold from each of the retailers available on the platform—Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and Audible.

2. Advertising: In a niche market, the right balance between advertising and engagement is critical. At Book+Main, we are developing three forms of advertising that give the author exceptional access to the RIGHT readers—those seeking what they're writing, who do not already follow them— while ensuring that a reader is served up advertising content that truly speaks to them. This will allow for greater reader engagement and increased author interest based upon its efficacy.

3. Author Subscriptions: We have been transparent since day one that Book+Main Bites will be a paid platform for authors. Once subscriptions go into effect, authors will enjoy a 30-day trial with a guided experience to ensure they make the most of their trial period. Standard subscriptions will be $9/month or $99/year. Premium subscriptions will be introduced later in the year. Only published romance authors are eligible for author accounts. This ensures authors are not competing with non-published authors and increases the value of establishing an author account on Book+Main. Reader accounts are free.

Engaging a global audience

Since launch, Book+Main has engaged over 45,000 registered users, including 3,400+ authors, in more than 150 countries. 

Authors on the platform range from debut authors to New York Times bestsellers. Of the 3,400 authors on Book+Main Bites:

Amazon updates author rankings every hour based on sales. These numbers are based on rankings from March 12, 2019 @ 8 PM.

Our financial models predict the following growth trajectories over the next three years. These financial projections are contingent upon raising at least $600K in 2019 from this and possibly subsequent offerings. 

Please note, Book+Main has a limited history upon which an estimation of the Company's future performance can be made. The Company’s proposed operations are subject to all business risks associated with new enterprises.  The likelihood of the Company’s success must be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications, and delays frequently encountered in connection with the expansion of a business, operation in a competitive industry, and the continued development of advertising, promotions and a corresponding customer base.  There is a possibility that the Company could sustain losses in the future.  There can be no assurances that we will operate profitably.

As seen in:

Rakuten Kobo features interviews with bestselling authors and industry experts. who share practical advice you can use to improve your writing and sell more books.

Kobo interviewed our CMO, Melissa Saneholtz, about her journey in this industry and the important role a virtual assistant can play. Having worked one-on-one with a New York Times bestselling author as a virtual assistant {as well as 150+ other authors in a variety of roles}, she was able to shed light on the career path one can take and the knowledge one can gain working your way up through this industry. You can listen to the podcast here.

Book+Main is a go-to platform for romance enthusiasts

Book+Main is loved by both authors and readers alike. For authors, Book+Main provides a platform for their work to be discovered and purchased from both current and new readers. This gives readers direct access to their favorite authors and opportunities to explore and discover other great reads and authors in the genre.

The perfect mix of discoverability and community—because one without the other is not enough

It is also important to note that many platforms censor content, not only images, but words as well. While we do not allow nudity, we are an 18+ site and we do allow risqué imagery. We do not censor explicit language. We believe an author should have the freedom to connect with their readers without those restrictions, and readers should have the right to read and see what they deem appropriate. All Bites are given a "flame rating" by the author to denote how "hot" the Bite is. Readers can then select their Max Flame Rating preference to ensure they see what they want and what they don't. The power to choose is in the reader's hands.

Growing our readership and platform

In addition to bootstrapping the first twelve months, Book+Main has raised over $300K from Angels and Friends & Family. With funds raised in this round, Book+Main plans to expand the platform and team as well as dedicate marketing dollars to customer acquisition. We will also provide more resources to readers, including a more robust algorithm for recommendations based on their preferences and activity. We will also develop new, proprietary functionality to connect authors and readers that doesn't exist on any other platform, and flesh out opportunities for Book+Main to be integrated into third-party sites and platforms.

Fall in love with Book+Main!

Together, we can change the romance industry to better connect authors with readers, save them both time and money, and give this massive market a place to call home.