June Mid-Month Update: A Lot Has Shipped

It's been a very productive couple of weeks. Here's the full rundown of what's new on AuthorLoft.

🧲 Reader Magnets — Free for Every Plan

This one's big. You can now mark any direct-sale format as a free reader magnet — readers enter their name and email, and instantly receive a secure download link. They're automatically added to your newsletter subscriber list at the same time.

No Stripe account needed. No paid plan required. It works on the FREE plan, making AuthorLoft a direct replacement for tools like BookFunnel for list-building. Find it in the Direct Sales tab on any book — add a format, upload a file, and toggle Give it away free.

🛒 Shopping Cart

Readers can now add multiple books and formats to a cart and pay in a single checkout. The cart appears as a slide-out drawer on your book pages. Discount codes apply across the whole cart. If you already sell directly, this is live for your readers right now with nothing to set up.

📅 Pre-Orders

Pre-order support is now built in. Enable Coming Soon / Pre-Order on any book, set an expected release date, and readers can sign up on your book page to be notified at launch. When you're ready to go live, one click sends the launch email to everyone who signed up.

⏱ Book Launch Countdown

A new Launch Countdown toggle on the Organisation tab puts a live days/hours/minutes/seconds countdown on your public book page in your site's accent colour. It counts down to the second and disappears the moment the launch date passes, automatically. Use it for a new release, a relaunch, a paperback drop, or any limited-time event. Available on all plans.

🚀 Launch Toolkit

Every book edit page now includes a Launch Toolkit panel — a 5-point readiness checklist (cover, description, genre, buy links, published/pre-order) and a pre-written social announcement ready to copy for Instagram, X/Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. No formatting needed. Available on all plans.

📊 Sales Revenue Charts

The Sales dashboard now has three new data panels: an area chart tracing revenue day by day, a bar chart ranking your top 10 books by revenue earned, and a format breakdown (eBook, Audio, Flip Book, Print) with progress bars. A period selector — 30 days, 90 days, or 12 months — controls all three at once. Available on Standard and Premium plans.

🎧 Audio Tracks

Upload audio tracks to any book — sample chapters, a full audiobook, or anything you want readers to stream on your author site. Find it in the Audio tab on any book edit page. To sell an audiobook as a downloadable purchase, use the Direct Sales tab and add an Audio format item.

🔗 Affiliate & Referral Links

Generate trackable referral links for your books — ideal for newsletters, book clubs, or anyone helping promote your work. Set your own commission percentage, create as many labelled links as you need, and track clicks, sales, and earnings per link. Find it in the Affiliate tab on each book. Direct Sales must be enabled first.

📱 Book QR Codes

Every book now has a downloadable QR code on the Organisation tab linking directly to the book's public page. Download it as an SVG — ready for bookmarks, event table cards, newsletters, author swag, or print. Available on all plans.

📄 Media Kit

Generate a downloadable press PDF — bio, headshot, key stats, featured book covers — to share with journalists, podcasters, and event organisers. Find it at Admin → Marketing → Media Kit. Available on Standard and Premium plans.

📚 AuthorLoft Bookstore — Now Free + Quick View

The AuthorLoft Bookstore is now available on the FREE plan. Opt any book in from its Organisation tab. We've also added a Quick View modal so readers can preview a book's details — cover, blurb, formats, price — without leaving the store.

📧 Newsletter — Now Free

Newsletter sending is now available on the FREE plan. Capture subscriber emails on your author site and send campaigns from your admin — no paid plan required to start building your list.

📥 CSV Book Import

Moving to AuthorLoft from another platform? The new Book Import wizard (Admin → Books → Import) lets you upload a CSV — including a Goodreads export — and walks you through mapping columns, previewing, and importing your catalogue in minutes. Books land as drafts for you to review before publishing.

✏️ Book Editing — Easier to Use

• Save stays on the same tab — no more bouncing back to the book list after every save.
• Ctrl / Cmd + S saves the book from anywhere on the page.
• Unsaved changes warning — navigating away prompts you before discarding edits.
• Sticky book title — the book name stays pinned at the top while you scroll.

🗂 Admin Navigation Reorganised

The admin sidebar has been regrouped by job-to-be-done: Catalog, Website, Audience, Sales, Tools, and Account. Analytics is now pinned at the top next to Dashboard. If something seems to have moved, check the new group names in the sidebar.

📚 Help Centre

Six new help articles added covering all of the above, with several existing articles updated too. The Help Centre is a good first stop if you're unsure how anything works.

More coming. As always, reply to any email from us if you have feedback or something you'd love to see — we read every one.

— The AuthorLoft Team