About Inside Story
Hi! I'm Rachel: thriller author, book coach, and now amateur programmer.
I wanted to build a book distribution platform to help me release my first novel. My coder sister talked me out of it at the time (probably wise - I had little to no idea what I was doing, and it would've served as quite the distraction to actually publishing). I jumped on BookFunnel instead and absolutely loved it.
Fast forward a year and a half, some serious learning about what authors actually need, and a pivot into the author-support world... and here we are! December 2025, Inside Story opened to the public!
Inside Story is what happens when you take BookFunnel, NetGalley, Goodreads, and Bookmory, throw in some proper beta reading features, and say: why can't all these live happily in one place?
A hub where authors can share their work, readers can discover new books, and everyone gets the tools they need for all their book-loving antics, without having to jump between five different platforms.
The Visionaries
I didn't build this alone. These five legends shaped Inside Story into what it is today, and what it will be in the future:
Billie Jean Wiley of the KILLER THRILLERS Facebook group is my #1 hype person, Inside Story bug hunter, and feature-requester extraordinaire. She's tried everything, reported every glitch, and suggested a million and one new ideas. Her biggest win? The Calendar feature - thank you for that one, Billie!
Daniel McBreakneck of book blog Avid Readers Club has been championing my work since he ARC-read my debut. When I pitched the idea of gamifying the reader experience, he immediately suggested badges for reading achievements. Trophy Case? Yes please!
Tracy Wright Hopkins of indie press Literal Obsessions LLC was the first publisher to jump on board, and her genius idea for auto-populated social media images is now available as our Story Studio. Authors are able to generate launch graphics, readers can celebrate their latest finish, and everyone gets to share the book love more easily.
Matt Dudley, reader extraordinaire, has been with Inside Story from the very start, and basically taken it as his life partner (sorry Iain). Feature checking, bug-zapping, and everyday hype-man on Facebook, Matt is also credited with bringing the yearly reading goals to life!
And speaking of Iain Elkington, his brilliant idea of having an Upcoming Release Calendar means we now have a tidy little feature where we can celebrate all of our Inside Story authors' new books! You can check it out here.
Our Brave Pioneers
These fearless authors were the first to set up a book and campaign on Inside Story, helping zap countless bugs along the way. And a huge thank you to their readers for all the patience and excitement as we built this together!
What's Next?
This is just the start. Inside Story will keep growing, keep improving, and keep making the author-reader connection easier and more fun.
If you've got any ideas, I'm all ears! (Or eyes…) You can let me know via email!
Thanks for being here. Let's build something great together!
— Rachel Graham
Founder, Inside Story
Author: Unlocked
Upcoming Features:
Publisher Accounts:
Handling book distribution on behalf of others? Sign up for a publisher account and your authors will be able to participate in all the fun of Inside Story without having to set up their own campaigns (that's all you!).
Group Promos:
Team up with other authors to run special promos or giveaways.
Analytics:
Authors get to see how often their profile and books are accessed through Inside Story.
Promotional Content:
Generating QR codes for bookmarks and giveaways, running competitions, and more.
Want to be part of the journey?