Subscription management
Print, digital and bundle plans, start and end issues, automatic renewals and failed-payment retries.
Publisher software: subscriptions, back issues & royalties
Publishers: readers, books and back issues in one place. Sell direct to readers.
Subscribers live in a spreadsheet, back issues get sold by email, digital editions sit on someone else's platform taking a cut and royalty statements take a week every six months. We build subscription, store, digital access and royalty systems for independent publishers that all talk to each other. Then we host them and look after them.
Looking for publishing software that handles subscribers, stock and royalties?
An independent publisher is a lot of jobs at once: editor, retailer, mailing house, rights manager and accounts department. Most small presses and magazine publishers end up running it on a subscriber spreadsheet, a Shopify store that doesn't know who's subscribed, a digital platform that keeps a slice of every sale and a royalty workbook only one person understands. Every new issue or title means exporting, copying and checking the same names in four places.
Wollopit builds custom publishing software around how your press actually works. Subscribers manage their own plans and renewals bill themselves. Back issues and new titles sell from your own store. Digital editions open in your readers' accounts, not on a third-party app. Mailing lists for the printer come out in one click and royalties and contributor payments add themselves up. We connect the tools you already like, replace the ones holding you back and look after the lot on our own servers.
01The problems
What we hear from publishers
Does your publishing business have these problems? Here's how we'd fix them.
Most publishers we talk to put out beautiful work and run the business side on spreadsheets and late nights. It holds together until the new issue lands or royalty season rolls around.
- The problemSubscribers in a spreadsheetWho's paid, who's lapsed and who's on a gift sub lives in a workbook with five tabs and a lot of yellow highlighting.How we fix itA proper subscriber database with plans, start and end issues, payment history and a self-serve reader account.
- The problemRenewals slip throughSubs run out quietly, renewal reminders go out late or not at all and loyal readers drift off without noticing.How we fix itAutomatic renewals with card retries, plus reminder emails before the last issue for anyone who pays manually.
- The problemBack issues sold by emailSomeone asks for issue 14, you check the shelf, send bank details and post it whenever you get a minute.How we fix itA back issue store with live stock counts, bundles and sold-out flags that never sells what isn't on the shelf.
- The problemDigital editions cost a cutThird-party digital platforms take fees on every copy and own the relationship with your readers.How we fix itYour own digital library: subscribers log in and read on your website, with access tied to their plan.
- The problemMailing day by handExporting the list, fixing addresses, splitting overseas copies and printing labels or sending a file to the mailing house.How we fix itOne-click mailing lists for each issue, sorted for Australia Post or your mailing house, with labels ready to print.
- The problemGift subscriptions are a fiddleGift subs bought in December need cards, start dates and a note to self to tell the recipient.How we fix itGift subscriptions sold online with a chosen start issue, a gift message and an email to the recipient on the day.
- The problemRoyalty statements take a weekSales from your store, the distributor and ebook retailers pasted into a spreadsheet twice a year, then a statement per author.How we fix itRoyalty tracking that pulls in sales, applies each contract's rates and advances, then produces statements ready to send.
- The problemContributors chasing paymentWriters, illustrators and photographers email to ask when they'll be paid and nobody's quite sure.How we fix itContributor records with fees per piece, payment status and remittances pushed through to Xero or MYOB.
- The problemSubmissions in an inboxPitches and manuscripts pile up in email, readers lose track and writers never hear back.How we fix itA submissions portal with reading rounds, reader notes, status updates and polite rejections sent in batches.
- The problemAuthor pages are missingYour authors have no proper home on your website, so people search their name and land on a big retailer instead.How we fix itAuthor profiles with bios, photos, every title, events and a buy button that sells from your own store.
- The problemPre-orders and launches by DMA new title is coming and pre-orders, signed copies and launch RSVPs arrive by message, email and phone.How we fix itPre-orders with release-day shipping, signed copy options and launch event RSVPs on the title page.
- The problemBookshop orders by emailBookshops and stockists email orders, then someone retypes them as invoices and chases payment.How we fix itA trade portal for bookshops and stockists with their own discount, order history and invoices into Xero.
02What we build
Solutions
What we build for publishers. Usually all talking to each other.
Pick the one that's hurting most or join the whole lot up. Everything is built around how your team works, not the other way round.
Reader accounts
Readers update addresses, switch plans, pause or renew and see every issue they're owed.
Back issue store
Every past issue with covers, contents, live stock, bundles and sold-out toggles.
Book store & pre-orders
New titles, backlist, signed copies and pre-orders that ship on release day.
Digital editions
Issues and ebooks readable on your website, unlocked by plan or purchase.
Mailing & shipping
Issue mailing lists, Australia Post and Sendle labels, overseas splits and tracking.
Gift subscriptions
Sold online with a start issue, gift message and recipient email on the day.
Royalties & statements
Contract rates, advances and earn-outs with statements generated per author.
Contributor payments
Fees per piece, payment status and remittances synced to Xero or MYOB.
Submissions portal
Pitches and manuscripts with reading rounds, notes and batch replies.
Author pages
Bios, photos, titles, events and buy buttons that sell direct.
Trade & stockist portal
Bookshop accounts with their own discount, reorders and invoices into Xero.
Launches & events
Book launches, readings and festival sessions with RSVPs or tickets.
Newsletters & reader emails
New issue alerts, renewal reminders and author news through Mailchimp or Klaviyo.
A website that reads well
Hand-built, quick on mobile and easy to update, built to be found when people search your titles and authors.
03The systems
The big ones
Your whole press, on one system.
These are the systems publishers ask us about most. Each one works on its own and they get properly useful once they share the same readers, titles and stock.
Subscriptions
Subscribers who renew themselves.
Every reader, plan and issue entitlement in one place. Renewals bill automatically, lapsed readers get a nudge before their last issue and readers handle their own address changes without emailing you.
- Print, digital and bundle plans
- Start and end issue tracking
- Automatic renewals and card retries
- Renewal reminders before the last issue
- Readers switch between print and digital
- Pause, address change and cancel online
- Gift subscriptions with start dates
- Institutional and library subs
- Overseas rates and postage
- Churn and renewal reports
Store & back issues
Every issue and title, selling from your own shelf.
A store for back issues, new titles and backlist that knows your stock and your subscribers. Subscribers get their discount automatically and nothing sells once the last copy is gone.
- Back issues with covers and contents
- Live stock counts and sold-out flags
- Back issue bundles and box sets
- New titles and backlist
- Pre-orders shipped on release day
- Signed and limited editions
- Subscriber pricing applied automatically
- Gift cards
- Australia Post and Sendle labels
- Sales feed into Xero or MYOB
Digital editions
Your digital edition, on your own website.
Readers log in and read on your website instead of a third-party app. Access follows their subscription or purchase, so print subscribers can get digital included and lapsed readers lose access on their end date.
- Read online on any device
- Access tied to plan or purchase
- Digital included with print plans
- Single digital issues for sale
- Full archive for subscribers
- Ebook downloads for buyers
- Searchable archive by issue and author
- Preview pages for non-subscribers
- Library and institution logins
- Reading and access reports
Royalties & contributors
Royalty season without the week of spreadsheets.
Sales from your store, your distributor and ebook retailers come into one place and each author's contract rates and advances are applied for you. Contributor fees are tracked per piece and payments flow through to your accounts.
- Contract rates per title and format
- Advances and earn-out tracking
- Distributor and retailer sales imports
- Statements generated per author
- Author logins to view statements
- Contributor fees per piece
- Payment status and remittances
- Payments synced to Xero or MYOB
- Rights and permissions notes
- Grant and funding reports
Submissions & trade
Manuscripts in, bookshop orders out.
Submissions come through a portal with reading rounds and notes, so writers actually hear back. Bookshops and stockists get their own login to reorder at their discount, with invoices landing in Xero.
- Submissions portal with open and close dates
- Reading rounds and reader notes
- Status updates to writers
- Batch replies and shortlists
- Bookshop and stockist accounts
- Trade discounts per account
- Reorders and order history
- Invoices into Xero or MYOB
- Sale or return tracking
- New title alerts for stockists
04How it changes
Before and after
A new issue, wolloped.
Here's how release week could change. Every press is different, so we map yours first.
Before
- Export the subscriber spreadsheet and hope it's current
- Fix addresses from three weeks of emails
- Print labels by hand or send a file to the mailing house
- Upload the digital edition to a third-party platform
- Email renewal reminders one by one
- Answer back issue requests from the inbox
After
- Subscriber list is always current
- Readers already updated their own addresses
- Mailing list and labels come out in one click
- Digital edition unlocks in every subscriber's account
- Renewal reminders send themselves
- Last issue moves into the back issue store automatically
05Services
Everything under one roof
Software, websites and systems for publishers.
Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading what you've got, it's one team from the first sketch to the support call.
Custom software for publishers
Built around how your publishing business actually runs: subscription management, reader accounts and the admin in between, in one system you own.
Websites for publishers
Fast, hand-built websites that rank for the searches your customers make and turn visits into enquiries, bookings or orders.
Publishing business system upgrades
Running on spreadsheets, old software or a platform you've outgrown? We move your data across and upgrade in stages so the business never stops.
Apps and portals for publishers
Back issue store and book store & pre-orders: customer and staff portals that work on any phone without an app store.
Integrations and automation
We connect Shopify, WooCommerce and Stripe so information moves on its own and nobody retypes it.
Hosting, support and care
Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for your publishing business, looked after by the people who built it.
06Integrations
Connections
Plays nicely with what you already use.
We connect to the tools you rely on, work alongside platforms you're happy with or replace the ones holding you back.
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Xero
- MYOB
- Mailchimp
- Klaviyo
- Australia Post
- Sendle
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- IngramSpark
- Thorpe-Bowker
- Issuu
- Zinio
- Readly
- Submittable
07How we work
The process
Some people dip their toe in. We turn up in a rebreather.
We get properly below the surface of your publishing business: the systems, the busy days and the jobs everyone hates. Then we fix the bits that matter most first.
- 01
Think
We sit with your editors, your mailing day and your royalty spreadsheet, then work out what's actually eating your time.
- 02
Archi-tech
We plan it before writing code: your plans, readers, issues, titles, stock, contracts, hosting and cost.
- 03
Build
Real engineering, shown to you early and often. Usually subscriptions or the store first, so you get a win before your next issue.
- 04
Look after
We host it, maintain it and keep improving it. When something breaks you call the people who built it.
08Questions
FAQ
Things publishers ask us.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0423 011 252 and ask the people who'd build it.
Can readers switch between print and digital?
Yes. Readers can change plans in their own account and their entitlements and billing update to match. You can also include digital with print plans.
Can we move our existing subscribers across?
Yes. We import your spreadsheet or your current platform's data, tidy up duplicates and keep each reader's start and end issues intact.
Do we have to leave Shopify or our digital platform?
No. If Shopify, Issuu or Zinio is doing its job, we build around it and connect it to your subscriber records. If something's costing you too much, we'll show you what replacing it would involve before anything changes.
Can it work out royalties from our distributor sales?
Yes. We import sales reports from your distributor and ebook retailers, apply each contract's rates and advances and generate statements per author.
Can it produce the mailing list for our mailing house?
Yes. Each issue gets a mailing list in the format your mailing house or Australia Post needs, with labels ready if you post them yourself.
How much does a publishing system cost?
It depends on what you need, so we quote up front once we understand it. No surprise invoices, no lock-in and you own what we build.
How long does it take?
Smaller jobs like a back issue store or gift subscriptions can be quick. Bigger systems are planned in stages so you get the first win early instead of waiting for everything at once.
Who looks after it once it's built?
We do. We host it on our own managed servers and keep it updated and secure. When you need something you ring the people who built it.
We already have systems. Can you upgrade them instead of starting again?
Usually, yes. Most publishers we work with keep what's working and upgrade the rest in stages. We move your data across, connect the old and new while we switch and retire the old system only when the new one is proven.
Contact
Got a publishing business problem? Consider it wolloped.
Tell us what's slow, broken, manual or missing. You don't need a spec, just describe what's going on.