BookBub is a book discovery service, that was created to help readers find new books and authors.^[2] The company features free and discounted ebooks selected by its editorial team,^[3] as well as book recommendations,^[1] updates from authors,^[4] and articles about books.^[5] The service is free for readers^[6] and includes a website and personalized email newsletters.^[1] The Guardian called BookBub the “Groupon of e-books.”^[7]

BookBub has millions of users in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.^[1] For publishers and authors, BookBub provides marketing tools that are intended to help them reach readers and sell more books.^[1] The company also operates an audiobook retailer called Chirp.^[8]

The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[1]

BookBub was founded in January 2012 by Josh Schanker and Nicholas Ciarelli.^[9]

In May 2014, BookBub raised $3.8 million in a Series A round led by NextView Ventures and Founder Collective, and joined by Avalon Ventures and Bloomberg Beta.^[3]

In September 2014, BookBub launched in the UK.^[10]

In May 2015, BookBub raised $7 million in new equity and debt financing^[11] from its existing investors.^[12]

In 2019, BookBub had 120 employees, tens of millions of subscribers, and launched an audiobook division called Chirp.^[1]

The newsletter is free to customers, but authors and publishers pay to be featured in the newsletter.^[9] Authors and publishers use BookBub to gain exposure with the intention to increase future sales.^[9] The cost to have your book feature depends on the genre and price of the book.^[10] In 2014, the cheapest slot was $40 to advertise a free book of African-American interest.^[10] BookBub rejects about 80 to 90 percent of requests for eBooks to be featured.^[13]