Built for UK independent publishers
The direct-to-consumer platform built for UK independent publishers. Branded storefront, ebooks and audiobooks under one roof, full reader data — and EAA-ready out of the box.
Confiado por más de 1000 organizaciones en todo el mundo
From trade giants to indie presses and US university publishers — over 1,000 publishers in 50+ countries.
If two of these sound familiar, the rest of this page is for you.
The European Accessibility Act has been in force since 28 June 2025. UK publishers exporting digital titles to EU readers — 63% of all UK publishing revenue — must meet a strict EPUB3, TTS, ONIX a11y and WCAG checkout specification. Building this in-house is prohibitive for most independents.
Every sale through Amazon is an anonymous transaction. You get a revenue report; Amazon gets the customer. You cannot email that reader, you cannot see what else they want, you cannot build loyalty. The margin question is the easy one.
UK audiobooks carry the standard 20% VAT versus 0% for ebooks. Add the 65% retained by streaming aggregators and the publisher's share is a single-digit percentage. The market grew 31% in 2024. The publisher's share of that growth is a fraction of the headline.
EAA compliance and audio D2C economics — built into the same stack.
Cross-border regulatory peace of mind. Your storefront, reader and checkout are EAA-compliant on day one.
The 20% VAT still applies. The 65% Audible commission does not. Keep more than double the net per audiobook sale.
Maximise your revenue with multiple monetisation options tailored to your publishing goals and your readers in the UK and beyond.
Recurring revenue streams with flexible plans for ebooks and audiobooks.
Single-purchase options for readers who prefer à la carte access.
Combine strategies to maximise revenue and reader satisfaction.
Build stronger relationships with your readers and keep them coming back for more.
Provide your readers with a beautiful, intuitive reading experience — built on Readium and refined over a decade serving millions of readers.
Content adapts to any device, from desktops to smartphones.
Customise font size, background colour and layout to suit each reader.
Automatic bookmarking and progress tracking across devices.
Download content for offline access, including audiobooks.
Showcase your unique brand identity with customisable storefronts and reading experiences.
Apply your brand colours, logos and design throughout the reading experience.
A seamless branded experience with no third-party branding.
Host your digital content on your own domain.
Choose from various templates or design your own to match your brand guidelines.
Engage readers with comments, highlights and sharing options.
Readers share thoughts and engage in discussions around your content.
Highlight passages and take notes within the reading experience.
Easy sharing of content and recommendations across networks.
"This chapter was incredibly insightful!"
"The future of publishing lies in creating meaningful connections..."
Gain insights into your content performance and reader behaviour with a comprehensive analytics dashboard.
Track how readers interact with your content, including reading time, completion rates and popular sections.
Monitor sales performance, subscription growth and revenue streams with detailed financial analytics.
Understand your audience with demographic data, geographic distribution and device usage.
Honest take. We work where we work; the others work where they work. Sometimes you need both.
Swipe to compare all platforms
| Capability | Publica.la | Glassboxx | Supadu | CloudPublish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup fee | £0 | £15,000+ | Bespoke | Setup + hosting |
| Time to launch | 4-6 weeks | 3-6 months | 2-4 months | 6+ months |
| EAA-ready out of the box | Partial | No | Partial | |
| EPUB3 + TTS native | Yes | No | Partial | |
| Audio D2C native | Yes | No | No | |
| Branded reading apps (iOS/Android/Mac/Win) | No | No | Limited | |
| Accessible DRM (Readium LCP) | Proprietary | No | No | |
| Reader analytics | Yes | Limited | COUNTER only | |
| Pricing transparency | Clear SaaS | Opaque enterprise | Modular fees | Hosting + setup |
| Best for | Mid-size independents | Enterprise corporates | Big sites + metadata-heavy | Pure academic |
Source: vendor websites and public pricing as of May 2026. Glassboxx pricing per "eCommerce Publisher Partnerships" page.
From multinationals to one-person presses. We've built D2C channels for the full spectrum.
Mid-size academic press, US — early D2C launch with Publica.la
Publica.la gave us a direct channel to readers we had never been able to reach before. For the first time, we know who is reading our books — and we can build a relationship with them.
— Tony Sanfilippo, Director, Ohio State University Press
We're new to the UK independent segment, and we're choosing partners carefully. If you're an IPG or Faber Alliance publisher exploring D2C and want to be one of the first UK case studies, talk to Iggy — there's an inaugural cohort programme running through Q4 2026.
Shift just 10% of revenue to D2C and the retained margin difference funds your next imprint. Run your own numbers below.
If you have a question we haven't answered, hit reply on any email or book a 20-minute call with Iggy.
We import ONIX 2.1 and 3.0 — the same format Nielsen BookData publishes. Export your ONIX feed from Nielsen and import it directly into Publica.la, no manual remapping required.
Audiobooks in the UK carry the standard 20% VAT, while ebooks are zero-rated since March 2021. Publica.la handles VAT calculation, collection and reporting automatically for both — including EU distance-selling thresholds and digital VAT for cross-border sales.
Yes. EPUB3 reflowable text with WCAG 2.1 AA conformance, integrated TTS, ONIX accessibility metadata, accessible DRM (Readium LCP) and a fully accessible checkout funnel. Current as of the EAA's enforcement date (28 June 2025).
Glassboxx is excellent for enterprise publishers with budget for a six-figure build. Publica.la is built for mid-size independents — £0 setup, 4-6 week launch, branded reading apps included, and EAA compliance native.
Monthly SaaS, no long-term contract. You can cancel any time. Pricing scales with your catalogue size and volume.
Yes. D2C is additive — you keep all existing distribution relationships. Most publishers find their distributor sales remain flat or grow slightly after launching D2C, while direct sales open a new margin layer.
Our reader and audio player are built on the Readium framework, with additional security and UX layers refined over a decade serving millions of readers worldwide. The same engine protects ebooks and audiobooks across browsers, iOS, Android and desktop. DRM uses Readium LCP — accessibility-compliant and optional. You can also operate DRM-free or with social watermarking.
Yes. Full export anytime — readers, orders, analytics, content files — in standard formats (CSV, JSON). GDPR-compliant, no lock-in.
It depends on you as much as on us. Four to six weeks from contract to live storefront is typical for a 100-200 title catalogue — and meaningfully faster when the publisher is fully committed and the assets are ready on day one. Larger or more complex catalogues may take up to eight weeks. Minimal IT resource required on your side, typically 2-5 hours during onboarding.
Ready to get started?
Twenty minutes with Iggy. No pressure, no pitch — your catalogue, your numbers, what a UK D2C launch would look like for you.
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