From Thesis to Thriving Platform: PublishDrive’s First 10 Years

Ten years ago, PublishDrive was a dream — one sparked by a personal need to publish a master’s thesis. Today, it’s a global digital publishing platform that empowers thousands of authors and publishers to get their books into the world with ease, speed, and confidence.

This is the story of how we went from an ambitious student project to a trailblazer in publishing tech — and the pivotal milestones, challenges, and innovations that defined our first decade.

The Origin Story: A Thesis, Two Friends, and a Big Idea

It all started with a simple desire: I wanted to publish my master’s thesis. But as I explored the world of digital publishing, I realized it was more complicated than it needed to be. There were too many barriers for indie creators — and too few tools that offered real, scalable solutions.

That’s when Róbert and Ádám stepped in — two friends with deep knowledge in programming and database management. With their help, we built the first version of what would become PublishDrive. What started as a one-time publishing project quickly turned into a mission: to simplify digital publishing for authors and publishers worldwide.

Early Struggles: Breaking Through as Outsiders

One of the most challenging aspects of our journey was earning credibility in a conservative industry, especially given our original background in Hungary, a country not often associated with global tech innovation or publishing. We were young, unproven, and, to many, from a “funny country.”

Building partnerships with major ebook retailers like Apple Books, Google Play Books, and Kobo wasn’t easy. We faced skepticism and rejection. But we were persistent. We knew if we could deliver great content and reliable service, partners would start to take us seriously.

And they did.

As we began bringing in key titles and proving our reliability, those same partners started to open their doors — not just to us, but also to the authors and publishers we represented.

Opening Up: From Invite-Only to Global Access

Initially, PublishDrive was an invitation-only platform. We wanted to build quality over quantity and gather feedback from trusted early users. In 2015, we opened our doors to the public.

That marked a significant milestone: our first international, fully digital clients came on board. Suddenly, we weren’t just a regional solution — we were global.

Tackling Complexity at Scale: The Early Engineering Hurdles

As our customer base expanded, we faced massive technical challenges:

• Handling royalties across international markets with various tax, currency, and legal frameworks.
• Managing thousands of books and updating them seamlessly across dozens of platforms.
• Ensuring reliable, fast metadata and content delivery to a growing list of partners.

We didn’t have all the answers at first, but we built, iterated, and optimized until we did.

Key Product Milestones

1. Transparent Sales Analytics

From the outset, we recognized that authors and publishers required more accurate data. The traditional publishing industry often obscures or delays access to sales figures. We flipped that model.

PublishDrive introduced real-time, transparent sales analytics, allowing users to track performance by country, retailer, format, and more. It wasn’t just a reporting tool — it became a strategic dashboard for every author and publisher using our platform.

2. A More User-Friendly UX

As our user base grew to include more self-published authors, user-friendliness became critical.

Over the years, we’ve made significant UX overhauls, including:

• Intuitive onboarding flows
• Drag-and-drop content uploads
  
• Smart metadata suggestions
  
• Cleaner, faster dashboards
  
• Mobile-friendly interface
  

We designed the platform to be powerful for professionals, but intuitive enough for first-time users.

3. Abacus: Scalable Royalty Management for Publishers

One of our proudest innovations is Abacus, our royalty management solution for publishers handling multiple authors and imprints.

Abacus automates:

• Royalty calculations for different contract types
  
• Splits for co-authored works
  
• Royalty statement generation
  
• Secure delivery of statements to contributors
  

Publishers can easily manage hundreds of author agreements, saving countless hours and enhancing trust and transparency in author relationships.

4. Expansion to New Stores & Business Models

We have consistently added new distribution channels to ensure our users can reach readers wherever they are — across continents and various platforms.

Some key highlights:

• Partnerships with regional stores across Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
  
• Integration with subscription services like Dreame and Perlego.
  
• Expansion to library platforms and corporate content hubs.
  
• New business models like shared revenue, license sales, and AI-generated insights for pricing strategies.
  

We made it possible for even the smallest publisher or solo author to access the same networks as the largest publishing houses.

5. Publishing Assistant: AI-Powered Optimization

In recent years, we have leveraged the power of AI to help authors and publishers make more informed decisions.

Our Publishing Assistant is a game-changer. It leverages the latest large language models to:

• Analyze books and suggest optimal metadata.
  
• Generate compelling book descriptions.
  
• Recommend keywords and categories tailored to retail algorithms.
  
• Offer cover generation tools to improve discoverability.
  
• Help refresh and republish backlist titles for renewed sales.
  

It’s like having a personal publishing strategist, always on call.

Startup Ecosystem: A Strong Network of Support

We wouldn’t be here without our mentors and early supporters. Some pivotal moments:

• Startup Wise Guys (Estonia) — our first accelerator, and the place where we honed our startup mindset.
  
• Google Launchpad (San Francisco) — where we refined our global strategy and received expert mentorship on scaling tech products.
  
• Credo Ventures and Lead Ventures, whose investments helped fuel our development and expansion.
  

These programs provided us with the skills, confidence, and network to continue pushing forward.

Going Global: Opening Our U.S. Office

By 2018, the majority of our clients were from the United States. We took the next big step: we opened our US office and began operating under US legal and tax frameworks.

This was more than symbolic — it brought us closer to our largest customer base and positioned us as a serious player in the international publishing market.

By 2018, the opening of our U.S. office had solidified our position in the global publishing market. It allowed us to better serve American authors and publishers, understand local legal and tax compliance requirements, and build stronger relationships with key partners, such as Amazon and Ingram.

This expansion was also a commitment: we were ready to play on the global stage, with the same agility and innovation that we had shown in our early years.

Also, our logo changed with this move:

Impact Stories: How Our Users Grew with Us

Over the past decade, our most significant success stories have consistently originated from our users — indie authors, hybrid publishers, and traditional publishing houses that have enhanced their digital presence with PublishDrive.

Real Stories from Real Authors and Publishers

Marc Reklau: Bouncing Back After Amazon Account Closure

Marc Reklau, author of the international #1 bestseller 30 Days – Change Your Habits, Change Your Life, faced a significant setback when his Amazon account was accidentally closed. Seeking a more reliable and expansive distribution solution, he turned to PublishDrive.

With PublishDrive, Marc expanded his reach to over 50 stores and more than 10,000 libraries, increasing his royalties and saving time with automated tools. He appreciated the platform’s flat fee structure, which enabled him to retain a larger portion of his earnings.

"Because it's user-friendly and saves a lot of time, and if you sell many books, the flat rate is actually a better deal."

Lauren Smith: Turning Passion into Profit

Lauren Smith, a former attorney, ventured into self-publishing to reach a broader audience. She successfully transitioned to a full-time writing career, making a significant portion of her income from her books through PublishDrive.

Quinn Loftis: From Nurse to Bestselling Author

Quinn Loftis, once a nurse, discovered her passion for writing and self-published her first book in 2011. Now, with 36 novels and a dedicated fan base, she attributes part of her success to the tools and support provided by PublishDrive.

Michael Anderle: Streamlining Royalty Management

J-Novel Club: Efficiently Managing a Vast Catalog

J-Novel Club, a digital publishing company specializing in Japanese content, releases around 20 volumes a month. With over 100 freelancers and sales from various stores and countries, they needed an efficient system. PublishDrive provided them with the tools to manage their extensive operations seamlessly.

Serving a Wide Audience: Authors and Publishers Alike

Over time, we realized our mission wasn’t just to simplify distribution — it was to help creative entrepreneurs grow their publishing business. That’s why we gradually expanded our features and business models to serve both:

• Individual authors, including debut writers and bestselling indies.
  
• Small publishers, with growing catalogs and unique needs.
  
• Hybrid publishers, offering full services to their authors.
  
• Large-scale publishers, looking to automate and optimize.
  

By 2020, we had become the go-to platform for anyone serious about digital publishing, regardless of their operation's size.

Technology-Driven, Human-Centered

Our platform is powered by sophisticated technology, but behind it, there’s always been a team that deeply cares about authors, publishers, and the future of books.

Some of our most significant innovations over the years include:

1. Publishing Assistant (AI-Powered)

Helps users:

• Generate book descriptions
  
• Suggest keywords and categories
  
• Refresh backlist metadata
  
• Create new covers using AI tools
  

2. Abacus

Royalty management made simple for publishers managing dozens (or thousands) of contributors.

3. Transparent Sales Analytics

Track earnings, trends, and sales by country, platform, and format — all in one place.

Building a Team to Support Growth

Behind every line of code and feature rollout was a dedicated team of engineers, product managers, customer success reps, marketers, and publishing specialists.

We started in a small shared office in Budapest and have since grown into a fully remote, international team. We have team members from across Europe and the United States. We’ve hosted team retreats, traveled together to conferences, and built a strong internal culture of support and ambition.

More Than a Company: Growing PublishDrive and Our Families

The past 10 years haven’t just been about growing PublishDrive — we’ve also grown as people, as parents, and as friends.

Between the three founders, we’ve welcomed seven children into the world over the past decade. From building dashboards and debugging code late into the night, to school pickups and bedtime stories — we’ve learned to juggle startups and strollers in equal measure.

As the only woman among the founding team, Kinga gave birth to her first child, Benjamin, at the end of 2023 — a deeply personal milestone after years of nurturing a different kind of “baby” with PublishDrive.

“Starting PublishDrive was like raising a first child — unpredictable, messy, full of firsts. Now I get to experience both at the same time, and it’s made me appreciate the meaning of growth even more.”

Meanwhile, Robert and Adam were quite productive on the parenting front — together, they brought six children into the extended PublishDrive family: three girls and three boys who’ve been part of our virtual meetings, team calls, and office visits over the years.

These little ones have grown up hearing about ebooks, metadata, and royalty reports at the dinner table — and maybe, just maybe, one of them will write the next PublishDrive success story someday.

This balance of work and life, of ambition and care, is what makes PublishDrive unique. We’ve built something not just scalable, but sustainable, human, and deeply meaningful.

PublishDrive by the Numbers (2015–2025)

And we’re just getting started.

What We’ve Learned in 10 Years

Here are just a few lessons we’ve taken to heart on this journey:

• Start with a real problem and embrace your fear and curiosity to make that a reality. Our thesis couldn’t be easily published.
  
• Technology can empower creativity. The right tools unlock new opportunities.
  
• Being “from a funny country” doesn’t mean you can’t build something global.
  
• Transparency builds trust. Especially in an industry where authors often feel left out.
• You grow faster when your users grow. Our customers’ success is our north star.

Looking Ahead: The Future of PublishDrive

As we enter our second decade, we’re more focused than ever on delivering innovation and value to the publishing world. Our roadmap includes:

• Deeper AI integration to boost marketing and discoverability.
  
• Expansion to new content formats like audiobooks and AI narration.
  
• Advanced pricing tools using market data and dynamic modeling.
  
• Even more stores and subscription services to sell books.
  

Whether you’re a first-time author or a growing publishing house, we’ll continue to provide the tools and insights to help you thrive.

Share Your PublishDrive Story

We’d love to hear from you! If PublishDrive has played a role in your publishing journey, please share your story, photo, or quote with us. We’ll feature it in our upcoming anniversary content. Get in touch on socials here;