How to put a QR code in your book

A reader finishes your book at 11 p.m. on a Sunday. They liked it enough to wonder what else you've written, and they're holding the one object you've designed every inch of. On the last page there's an "About the Author" paragraph and a website address they won't type in. If you want to put a QR code in your book, this is the moment it's for: the reader who just finished and wants more, wherever they got the copy.

Textiful turns the back matter into a sign-up. A QR code and a line like "Scan for the bonus chapter, or text BONUS to 33777" opens a text on the reader's phone. They send it, give their email, and the bonus arrives in their inbox while they join your list.

The problem with the back of a book

Your book reaches people your events never will. Library borrowers, secondhand buyers, the friend who was handed a copy. None of them went through a store that gave you their details, and most of them will never see your social posts.

The usual back-matter ask is a URL: "Join my newsletter at yourname.com." It asks the reader to put the book down, open a browser, type an address correctly, find the form, and fill it in. Most won't, and you'll never know how many tried.

There's also the problem of time. A book stays in print for years. A sign-up link that points at a specific landing page or a particular form breaks the day you change your website.

Why the usual fixes fall short

• A website address asks readers to type it in later, and you can't tell how many came from the book.
• A QR code to a web form works, but a form on a phone is more effort than a text.
• A QR code to your homepage drops the reader somewhere with no clear next step.
• Social handles in the author bio get followers you reach only when the platform shows them your post.

How to set it up with Textiful

1. Choose the offer and upload it to Handouts: a bonus chapter, a deleted scene, a reading group guide, or for nonfiction the workbook or templates that go with the book. Start from the "Give away a download" template, which asks for an email and a name and emails the file.
2. Add a free QR code to the flow. It's free and unlimited on every plan and counts its own scans. You can set the text it fills in (up to 140 characters), such as "Send me the bonus chapter." See QR codes.
3. Add a keyword too, for ebook and phone readers who can't scan. BONUS, the book title, or the series name. One keyword is included on every plan (more are $10/month), and each is unique on its short code; if yours is taken on 33777, try 55444.
4. Connect your list. Add the contact to Kit, Mailchimp, or ActiveCampaign and tag it with the book, so readers from the book get a different welcome sequence from readers who met you at an event.
5. Download the SVG and give it to your designer with the keyword line. Test it on a printed proof before the print run.

What should you offer?

Something that continues the book. Fiction readers want more of the story: a bonus chapter, an epilogue, a scene from another character's point of view, or the first chapter of the next book. Nonfiction readers want help using what they just read: the workbook, the checklist, a reading group guide, or the templates from chapter four.

Say exactly what they get. "Scan for the deleted final chapter" gives a reason; "Join my newsletter" doesn't. How many readers respond depends most on what you offer. More ideas are in what to offer for texting in.

Where and how to print it

Put it in the back matter, right after the last page of the story or the conclusion, while the reader is still in the book. A second mention in the author bio is fine. If the book has exercises, a code at the start of each one, pointing at the matching worksheet, works too.

A few print tips:

• Size it for a book. A common rule of thumb from QR code vendors is about 1 inch of code width for every 10 inches of scanning distance (QRStuff, checked November 2026). A book is held close, so a code around an inch and a quarter wide is a reasonable floor.
• Leave white space around it. Scanners need a quiet zone of four modules around the code (ISO/IEC 18004, via QR vendor guides). Don't let a border or text run up against it.
• Keep it out of the gutter and away from the trim edge, and print it dark on a light background.
• Print the keyword beside it for phone readers and anyone whose camera won't focus.
• Scan a printed proof with two or three phones before approving the run.

Before and after

	Website address in the back	QR code and keyword in the back
What the reader does	Types a URL and fills in a form	Scans or texts, then replies with an email
What they get	Your homepage	The bonus, by email, right away
Changing the offer	Update the page and hope the link holds	Edit the flow in your account
Knowing it works	You can't tell	Scans counted per code, contacts tagged by book
Cost to keep it working	Your website	An active Textiful account

Who this is for, and who should skip it

It fits authors in the US, and coaches and speakers whose book is part of how they find clients. A different QR code per edition or per book shows which one brings in readers. It pairs well with growing your reader list at signings.

Be honest with yourself about the caveat: the code works only while your Textiful account is active. If you don't plan to keep the account for as long as the book is in print, a URL to a page you control is the safer choice. Skip it too if most of your readers are outside the US.

Plans start from $19/month, and you pay per conversation: one per reader who starts the flow. See pricing and the authors guide.

Try it at your next event → Start a free trial