Can I get my self-published book on Blinkist?
You can ask, but you can't list it yourself. If your book is nonfiction, Blinkist accepts title suggestions from authors and from publishers who own the rights, then decides which ones to summarize. It says selected books can take several months to appear, and it does not reply to the ones it turns down.
Blinkist does not cover fiction. getAbstract and Headway also invite authors and publishers to get in touch, while Shortform takes requests from readers rather than authors.
Whatever you hear back, you can put a summary of your book in front of readers now: on your own Amazon page, and in libraries such as BookGist that take author submissions.
At a glance
- Blinkist: nonfiction only. Email a suggestion to cp@blinkist.com.
- getAbstract: a free content-partner program for rights holders, plus a title Wish List.
- Headway: invites authors and publishers to write in.
- Shortform: requests come from readers, not authors.
- BookGist: submit your own book, fiction or nonfiction, free or $49 one-time.
How each summary service takes books
None of these services lets an author list a book directly. Most will let you put one forward, and then their editors decide.
| Service | Can an author put a book forward? | Who decides, and how |
|---|---|---|
| Blinkist | Yes, for nonfiction. Email cp@blinkist.com with your name and the book title. Publishers who own the rights can also partner with Blinkist directly. | Blinkist chooses. It says it scans the nonfiction market, researches trends and listens to members' suggestions, adds around 25 new titles a week, and cannot turn every suggestion into a Blink. |
| getAbstract | Yes. Authors can suggest a book through getAbstract's Wish List, and rights holders can join its content-partner program, which it says is free of charge. | getAbstract's editorial team chooses, drawing on publishers' catalogs, book fairs, the web and Wish List suggestions. It says every summary is published with the publisher's consent. |
| Headway | Yes. Its FAQ tells authors who want to promote a book to email support@get-headway.com, and its partnerships page lists publishers@makeheadway.com. | Headway says it reviews every partnership request. It describes itself as turning bestselling nonfiction into summaries. |
| Shortform | Not as the author. Readers can request a book, which goes on Shortform's shortlist. | Shortform says the more often a book is requested, the sooner it publishes a guide. |
| BookGist.ai | Yes, and you do not have to be chosen. You submit the book yourself and confirm you hold the rights. | You decide. Your book gets a public summary page in the free BookGist library, fiction or nonfiction. We may hold a listing if its rights are in question. |
Checked against each service's own pages on 29 September 2026: Blinkist help · Blinkist content partners · getAbstract for publishers · getAbstract for authors · Headway FAQ · Headway partnerships · Shortform. Policies change, so check the service directly before relying on this.
Why summary apps pass over most indie books
Summary apps sell subscriptions, so their editors spend their time on the books their members already want to read. Blinkist says it builds its list from market scanning, trends and member suggestions. Headway's FAQ says it works from bestselling nonfiction. Shortform moves a book up its list the more often readers ask for it.
That makes a new or niche title hard to get picked, however good it is. A silence from them is not a verdict on your book. It reflects what these services are built to do.
Fiction is harder still, because Blinkist covers nonfiction only, in 27 categories.
Four things you can do this week
Three of them cost nothing. The fourth is our own service, and we would rather say so plainly.
Ask the summary services anyway
Email Blinkist at cp@blinkist.com, suggest your book on getAbstract's Wish List, and write to Headway. It costs an email each, and some books do get picked.
Summarize it on your Amazon page
Amazon's KDP help suggests a book description of about 150 words that readers can scan quickly. A+ Content, set up from the KDP Marketing page, adds images, text and comparison tables.
KDP A+ ContentClaim your Goodreads and BookBub profiles
Any published author can join the Goodreads Author Program for free, and claiming a BookBub author profile is free too. Both let you correct your book listings.
Goodreads Author ProgramPublish a BookGist summary
Submit your book and it becomes a public summary page with a link to buy the full book. Standard adds narrated audio, editing, bookstore links and reader analytics.
Submit your bookWhat about unauthorized “Summary of” books on Amazon?
Amazon's KDP content guidelines say it does not allow companion books based on copyrighted works, such as summaries and study guides, to be published outside the U.S. without written permission from the copyright holder. Its Kindle content quality guide says companion guides are not allowed, with limited exceptions for guides with positive reader engagement.
If you believe a listing infringes your rights, Amazon asks you to submit an infringement report, which it says it will investigate. Whether a particular summary infringes is a legal question, so a report is not a promise that the listing will come down.
Either way, a summary you control, with a link to your real book, gives readers a better option than a knockoff.
Put your own summary in front of readers
Start free with an ebook summary, or choose Standard for narrated audio, editing, bookstore links and analytics. One-time pricing, no subscription.
Free
per book
- AI-generated ebook summary
- Published to library — free worldwide audience
- ~15-minute read
- 1 free book listing
- No audio narration
- No editing after submission
- No analytics
Standard
per book
- Everything in Free
- Key Takeaways, Chapter Summaries, Notable Quotes & Who Should Read This
- AI-narrated audio summary
- Edit all listing details + 1 audio regeneration
- Custom bookstore links
- Qualified views, listens, downloads & retailer-click analytics
- Embeddable audio-summary player
- SEO boost + placement above free listings
Featured
per book
- Everything in Standard
- 8 exact-text social images (4 square + 4 vertical)
- "As seen on BookGist" badge
- Priority in browse & search
Questions authors ask
Can I submit my self-published book to Blinkist?
Does Blinkist summarize fiction?
How do I get my book on getAbstract?
Can authors submit books to Shortform?
Do these services charge authors?
How is BookGist different?
What can I do about an unauthorized summary of my book on Amazon?
Your book does not have to wait to be chosen.
Submit it to BookGist and it gets a public summary page that readers can find, read and follow to the full book.
Submit your bookBlinkist, getAbstract, Headway and Shortform are trademarks of their respective owners. BookGist.ai is not affiliated with any of them.
