Coins are the unit readers spend and you earn. This is the whole chain, end to end, with the actual numbers.
What a coin is worth
A coin cashes out at a fixed $0.50 USD. That rate doesn't move with pack size, chapter price, or how many readers you have.
We take a 7% platform fee at cashout, so:
| Per coin | |
|---|---|
| Gross value | $0.50 |
| Platform fee (7%) | −$0.035 |
| You receive | $0.465 |
That's the number to plan around: every coin a reader spends on your chapter puts $0.465 in your pocket.
The chain, start to finish
- A reader buys coins. They pick a pack on the coins page. Larger packs cost less per coin — that discount is ours to absorb, and it never changes what you earn.
- You lock a chapter and set its price. In the editor, open Paywall Configuration for your story, select chapters, and set a coin price. Free chapters stay open to everyone.
- A reader unlocks the chapter. Your price in coins moves from their balance to yours. No middleman, no algorithmic cut, no per-transaction skim.
- You cash out. Connect Stripe once, then withdraw whenever you like. Minimum cashout is $10.00 — that's 20 coins. The minimum is measured before the fee, so a 20-coin cashout clears the bar and pays out $9.30. See How cashouts work for the steps.
How to price a chapter
Multiply your chapter price by $0.465 to see what one unlock earns you:
| Chapter price | You earn per unlock |
|---|---|
| 2 coins | $0.93 |
| 5 coins | $2.33 |
| 10 coins | $4.65 |
| 20 coins | $9.30 |
Then work backward from your goal. If you want $100 from a chapter priced at 5 coins, you need about 43 unlocks. Priced at 10 coins, about 22.
A few things worth knowing as you set that number:
- There's no floor but 1 coin, and no ceiling. The price is entirely yours.
- Volume can beat margin. A 2-coin chapter that 200 readers unlock earns $186; a 20-coin chapter that 12 readers unlock earns $112. Which way your story lands depends on your audience, so it's worth experimenting.
- Keep your opening free. Readers who can't sample your writing won't pay for it, so it's worth leaving the first several chapters open and starting the paywall once the story has hooked.
- Unlocks are permanent. A reader pays once for a chapter and owns it. You're not charging rent; you're selling a copy.
What we take, and what we don't
7% at cashout. That's the entire fee on your earnings.
There's no monthly fee, no listing fee, no fee to lock a chapter, and no fee for the tools — the editor, the Wiki (including AI Wiki generation), and text-to-speech are all included at no cost. We only earn when you earn.
The one thing billed separately is AI cover generation, which runs on its own credit balance: every story gets 180 free credits, and beyond that you can buy more. It's a purchase you choose to make, not a cut of what you earn, and it never touches your coin balance.
Questions
Does the fee change as I earn more? No. It's a flat 7% at every volume.
Do I get paid when a reader buys coins, or when they spend them? When they spend them on your work. Coins sitting unspent in a reader's balance aren't attributed to anyone yet.
Can I change a chapter's price later? Yes, at any time. Readers who already unlocked it keep their access at what they paid — a price change only applies to unlocks from that point on.
What if I unlock a chapter back to free? It becomes free for everyone immediately. Readers who already paid to unlock it are not refunded, so it's worth thinking of that as a one-way door.
Are coin purchases refundable? Coin purchases are generally non-refundable — see the Terms. Coins already earned and sitting in your balance aren't clawed back.
Still stuck on a number? Email support@ilorisnovel.com and we'll help you work it out.