Which Self-Publishing Platform Should I Choose?

If you have always dreamed of becoming a published author, there is no better time than now. Gone are the days of submitting your manuscript and hoping a publisher will choose you. Now you can self-publish your work in a variety of formats including ebooks, hardcover, paperback, and audiobooks from a variety of different companies. Here’s a brief overview of some that you might consider self-publishing with. 

Amazon KDP Publishing

When it comes to self-publishing, one of the most widely known programs is KDP or Kindle direct publishing. KDP allows you to self-publish print and digital books for readers around the world. The publishing tools are free and easy to use, and it only takes three steps. 

Once complete, your book will be live in Amazon stores across the globe in a matter of days. KDP publishing allows you to retain full rights and control over your content, and you can publish on additional platforms. As far as royalties are concerned, you’ll keep 60% of the revenue from paperback books and  70% on ebooks priced from $2.99 and $9.99. Something to note is that while royalties are paid monthly, they are paid out within a 60-day window. This means that if you sell $100 in May, you won’t receive it until July. 

Bookbaby 

Bookbaby has an easy-to-use interface and excellent customer service, but unlike some of the other self-publishing companies listed here, it’s not free or inexpensive. Bookbaby offers editing and proofreading packages, hardcover and paperback printing, and ebook and audio services, as well as audiobook conversion and marketing services.

If you’re looking for a done-for-you option, they offer everything you need, but this does come at a premium price. If you’re looking to stay on a budget, this might not be the best option for you. 

Draft2Digital 

Draft2Digital is a self-publishing company that has free tools that you can use to get your ebook in front of people fast. The tools that they offer are easy to use, and you can make changes to your book or cover as often as you want with no fees involved. Draft2Digital only makes money when you do, and they receive 10% of the retail value that your book sells for. 

Draft2Digital only offers ebook services at this time. They do offer some tools other publishers don’t. For example, each book you publish with them has a universal link that authors can use to make their books easy to find. They also offer an “automated back matter” tool, which automatically adds an “also by this author” to any book you have published through the platform.  

IngramSpark 

If you know much about the publishing world, you may already know that Ingram is the world’s largest wholesale book distributor. IngramSpark is their self-publishing arm for paperbacks, hardcovers, and ebooks.

Uploading your book to IngramSpark is free, but the interface is not user-friendly or intuitive. Changes in the cover or formatting of your book will also cost you. Royalties are between 45-85% depending on the format of your book, and if your goal is to get your book on bookstore shelves, this is the company bookstores buy them from. 

Lulu 

Lulu is a self-publishing company with a decade of experience that offers authors a full range of services from covers and layouts to distribution. Once published, your book will be available on the Lulu, Amazon, IngramSpark, and Barnes and Noble websites, as well as direct sales from your website.

 Lulu offers a wide variety of publishing options, particularly for print books, and there is a calculator you can use to see the cost per book with different features. Royalties with Lulu are 35-50%, with a 50% royalty for books sold on the Lulu platform, but not many books are sold from the site itself. 

Deciding which publisher to go with is a personal decision and depends on what features and services are the most important to you. While these are far from all of the self-publishing options you have available to you, this brief overview should give you enough information to get started exploring your options.