Gift copies let you send a complimentary copy of your book directly to anyone, for free, with no purchase required on their end. It is a great way to reward loyal readers, send copies to the press, support giveaways, or share your work with people who matter to you.
Who Can Send Gift Copies
Gift copies are available for books that are:
- Live on Sọna (approved and published)
- Paid (not free books, which are already accessible to everyone)
If your book meets both conditions, the Gift Copies option will unlock on your book's detail page in the Publish Dashboard.
How to Send Gift Copies
- Go to Publish Dashboard > Books
- Click on the book you want to send
- Select Gift Copies
- Enter the email addresses of your recipients, one per line or comma-separated
- Click Send Gift Copies
What happens next depends on whether the recipient already has a Sọna account.
What Recipients Experience
If the recipient already has a Sọna account (their email matches an existing account), the book is added to their library automatically the moment you send it. They receive a notification email letting them know that a book has arrived and will be waiting for them in their library. No link to click.
If the recipient does not have a Sọna account, they receive an email with a personalised claim link. When they click the link, they are prompted to create a free account, and the book is added to their library immediately.
Either way, the book is theirs permanently and behaves exactly like a purchased book in their library. They can read it on the Sọna app or on the website.
Things to Know
Gift links are tied to the recipient's email. Each link can only be claimed by the person it was sent to, using an account registered to that email address. It can only be claimed once. If you want to send the same book to multiple people, enter all their email addresses at once: each person gets their own unique link.
There is no cost to you per copy sent. Sending gift copies does not affect your earnings or deduct from your balance. Think of it as the author's prerogative to give their work directly.
Recipients need a Sọna account. If someone does not have one, they will be prompted to create a free account when they click the claim link. It takes less than a minute.
Track who has claimed. You can see the claim status of each gift from your book's detail page, showing who has claimed their copy and who has not yet.
Tracking Claims and Following Up
Go to Publish Dashboard > Books, open the book, then tap Gift Copies. You will see a list of every gift copy you have sent for that book, with one of these statuses next to each recipient:
- Sent: The email was delivered, but the copy has not been claimed yet
- Claimed: The book is in the recipient's library
Use this list to know who to follow up with personally. A quick nudge to someone who has not yet claimed their copy often gets it done.
If a Recipient Did Not Get the Email
A few things can cause this:
- The email went to their spam or promotions folder: ask them to check
- The email address was entered with a typo: check the gift list for how it was recorded
- There was a delay in delivery: sometimes a few minutes
If the email genuinely did not arrive after 24 hours, contact Sọna support via Report a Problem in your Publish Dashboard. Note that each email address can only receive one gift copy per book, so entering the same address again will not send a new link.
When to Use Gift Copies
Press & Media: sending copies to book bloggers, journalists, or podcast hosts who might cover your work.
Giveaways: running a social media giveaway and want to deliver prizes digitally? Gift copies are the cleanest way to do it.
Thank-you Copies: sending appreciation copies to people who supported your launch, including newsletter subscribers, early backers, and community members.
Collaborators: sending to editors, cover designers, or other people who worked on the book and deserve a copy.
Send your first gift copy from Publish Dashboard > Books > [your book] > Gift Copies.
Related Posts
- How to Market Your Book on Sọna: How gift copies fit into your launch and long-tail press strategy
- Your Sọna Publish Dashboard: A Complete Guide: An overview of everything you can do from the Publish Dashboard