Curious About Curios? The Direct Sales Platform Shaking Up Publishing
Mar 4, 2025
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Join Grant Powell, the innovative founder of Curios—a direct sales platform revolutionizing how authors connect with readers—and Greg Keogh, SVP of Customer Success, as they explore the future of book sales. They discuss empowering indie authors to sell directly and engage with their audience, emphasizing independence over traditional publishing models. Learn about overcoming the social media hurdle, leveraging free content for visibility, and the importance of creator control in today’s digital landscape.
Curios empowers indie authors by enabling direct sales and full control over their audience, bypassing traditional publishing barriers.
The Creator Fund incentivizes authors to engage readers with free content, providing financial support while promoting sustainable creative careers.
Deep dives
Understanding Curios and Its Mission
Curios is a platform designed to empower creators by allowing them to engage directly with their audience, eliminating the need for intermediaries such as publishers or agents. The founders, Grant and Greg, emphasize their commitment to helping independent creators retain control over their work and monetization opportunities. With backgrounds in technology and a passion for supporting creators, they aim to ensure that authors can sustain their careers without having to rely on traditional publishing avenues, which often diminish their profits. The platform’s mission revolves around making it easier for authors to make a living from their work while promoting the creation of diverse and rich content.
The Direct-to-Reader Model
Curios operates on a direct-to-reader model, enabling authors to bypass traditional gatekeepers and connect directly with their audience. This model not only allows creators to keep 100% of their sales revenue but also grants them access to crucial data, such as the email addresses of their fans. Unlike platforms like YouTube or TikTok, where follower counts do not guarantee true ownership of an audience, Curios ensures that authors can nurture their readership without the risk of sudden deplatforming. This flexibility promotes engagement through various content types, allowing authors to share free samples and exclusive insights directly with their readers.
Creator Fund and Monetization Opportunities
Curios has established a Creator Fund to financially support authors who join the platform, providing an innovative alternative to traditional monetization strategies. This fund rewards creators based on their content's engagement metrics, allowing them to earn money even when offering free content to attract new readers. By tapping into this fund, authors can build their audience while generating income, which contrasts sharply with conventional platforms that take a significant share of sales. This fundraising approach empowers creators to focus on producing quality content while affording them financial security in a challenging marketplace.
Promoting Independent Careers
Curios is dedicated to educating authors about leveraging the platform to build independent careers, emphasizing the importance of community collaboration. By aligning efforts with networks like Author Nation, the platform plans to facilitate group promotions that can elevate authors' visibility and help them find their fans. Additionally, Curios aims to distinguish itself from competitors like Shopify and Amazon by offering a no-cost solution that requires minimal setup. By encouraging authors to maintain ownership of their fanbase and monetize their content independently, Curios strives to create a more sustainable ecosystem for creators in the digital landscape.
The future of book sales is evolving, and direct-to-reader strategies are at the forefront. This week on State of the Nation, Joe Solari is joined by Curios Founder Grant Powell and SVP of Customer Success Greg Keogh to discuss how their platform is revolutionizing direct sales for authors. Learn how indie authors can use Curios to sell books, offer exclusive content, and build stronger reader relationships—all without relying on traditional retailers.
Episode Resources: 🚀 Check out Curios here. 🌐 Join the Author Nation Community: Connect with like-minded authors and access exclusive resources in our online community here. 💬 Join Our Discord: Dive into real-time discussions and connect with authors across the globe in our Discord group here. 🎟️ Buy Show Tickets: Don’t miss out on the next Author Nation event! Secure your spot here.
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