What do I need to sell eBooks on Shopify?
- A Shopify store on any plan.
- Your book as EPUB (for e-readers and reading apps), PDF (for print-like layouts) and, if you have one, an audiobook as MP3, M4B or M4A, or a ZIP of MP3 files.
- A delivery app. Shopify’s own Digital Products app is free and sends a link; apps with protection add the buyer’s details to the file.
- Tax settings for digital goods. In the EU, VAT on eBooks follows the buyer’s country; Shopify can collect it. Ask your tax adviser which rules apply to you.
Step 1: Is my EPUB ready for every e-reader?
An EPUB that looks fine on your computer can break on a Kindle or a phone: missing fonts, images cut off, a fixed-layout picture book that falls apart. Check the file before you sell it. EPUBCheck is the standard validator; DAISY Ace checks accessibility. Pageseal runs both on upload and shows real pages from Apple Books, Android readers and Kindle (via Send to Kindle), with fixes in plain words.
Kindle buyers do not need a MOBI file any more: Amazon’s Send to Kindle accepts EPUB.
Step 2: How do I set up a digital product in Shopify?
- Create the productTitle, description, cover image and price, like any product.
- Turn off shippingUntick “This is a physical product”, so checkout asks for no address.
- Add variants if you sell formats separatelyFor example “EPUB + PDF” and “Audiobook”, or sell one bundle.
- Connect the fileIn your delivery app, assign the book to the product or variant.
Step 3: How do buyers get the file?
Buyers expect the download right after paying. Good delivery shows a download button on the thank-you page and the order status page and sends an email with the link. Pageseal does both, sends the email in your shop’s name, and lets you choose how many downloads each buyer gets and when the link expires. After a refund, the link is blocked.
Step 4: How do I protect my eBook from sharing?
There are two ways. Encryption DRM (Adobe, Readium LCP, Kindle DRM) locks the file to an account or app; buyers often need a special reader and a login. Social DRM, also called watermarking, puts the buyer’s details into the file instead. The book opens everywhere, and a shared copy points back to the order. Because buyers can read anywhere, social DRM is common for direct sales. More on social DRM and eBook watermarks.
Pageseal adds a note page with the buyer’s name and order number and a hidden identifier that stays in the file even if someone deletes the note page. If a copy turns up online, you upload it in Pageseal and see which order it came from.
Step 5: What does it cost to sell eBooks on Shopify?
Your Shopify plan, payment fees, and the delivery app. Pageseal has four plans: Free ($0 a month, first 5 copies free once, then $0.75 per copy), Starter ($15 a month, 40 copies included, then $0.69), Pro ($79, 200 copies, then $0.59) and Scale ($299, 1,500 copies, then $0.49). Paid plans start with 14 days free. One copy is one sale of a book, with all its formats.
Which app should I use?
It depends on what you sell. For many file types and videos, a general digital download app fits. For books, look at EPUB support, fixed layout, protection inside the file and a device check. We compare the options in the best Shopify eBook apps for 2027.