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Michael Adams
Not too long ago, traditional publishing was the only viable option for authors to publish a book that audiences could see and love. Of course, many authors didn’t get to publish a book because of how selective traditional publishers are.
With the advent of self-publishing companies, this is no longer the case. Self publishing has allowed authors to introduce the world to their work without the need for traditional publishers.
There is an ongoing conversation about the pros and cons of traditional publishing versus self publishing. However, there’s no denying that self publishing has many benefits.
If you’ve decided to self publish your work, you’re in the right place. Here’s all you need to know about self publishing a book.
Self Publishing a Book: All You Need to Know
Before we introduce you to the best self publishing companies, here’s a quick guide to self publishing a book. This should bring you up to speed with the industry lingo and nuances and help you while you select a self-publishing platform.
Difference Between Self Publishers and Traditional Publishers
Self-publishing and traditional publishing are two different paths to getting a book to the reader. With traditional publishing, an author submits their manuscript to a publishing house, which handles the editing, design, printing, distribution, and marketing of the book.
The drawback is that traditional publishers are highly selective with the manuscripts they accept. Even if they accept a manuscript the actual publishing takes a long time and the authors get a significantly lower royalty share than they would with self-publishing.
With self publishing, authors have to handle the entire publishing process themselves, from manuscript creation to marketing and distribution. They pay for everything and then pocket a larger royalty share.
Read our blog to learn more about how the pros and cons of traditional publishing vs self publishing.
Self Publishing Options
As a self-published author, you bear all the book publication costs, from editing to cover design. Therefore, you must be strategic with where you invest your money.
Unless you have an established audience, it’s best to avoid bulk publishing. Here are some alternative options for self-published authors that won’t put a significant financial burden.
eBooks: To publish an eBook, you need to format the manuscript according to the self-publish platform’s guidelines and distribute it through online retailers like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble Press. The best part? There is no distribution fee! You can reach millions of readers without paying to publish your book.
Print-on-Demand (POD): Self publishing companies like Amazon, Draft2Digital, and IngramSpark provide a print-on-demand service. This enables authors to publish paperback or hardcover copies of their books when there’s a request for it, avoiding the need for large print runs or inventory storage.
Types of Book Distributors
Before getting to the list of self publishing companies, it is essential to understand the different types. There are three types of book distributors: book retailers, aggregators, and full-service distributors.
Book Retailers: Book retailers directly sell books to the readers. Authors can upload their books to these platforms and directly reach their readers. Book retailers include Amazon KDP, Kobo, and Apple Books.
Aggregators: Aggregator services, such as PublishDrive and Draft2Digital, streamline the book distribution process for authors by distributing their books to multiple retailers through a single platform. This saves authors time and broadens the reach of their books.
Full-service companies: From writing a book and editing it to finally publishing and marketing it, full-service companies offer assistance in every aspect of book publishing. BookQuill is a great example of a full-service company.
10 Best Self Publishing Companies
Now that you have a better understanding of self publishing, let’s take a look at some options. Here are some of the key players in the self publishing industry:
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
- Barnes & Noble (B&N) Press
- Draft2Digital (D2D)
- Kobo
- Apple Books
- XinXii
- IngramSpark
- Streetlib
- PublishDrive
- BookQuill
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Author Royalty Share: 70% on books priced $2.99-$9.99 and 35% for books less than $2.99.
Distribution: Over 200 million monthly visitors on the Amazon website and Kindle stores in 13 countries.
KDP is Amazon’s self-publishing wing and is different from its traditional publishing platform, Amazon Publishing. Amazon is a giant in the self-publishing space, providing millions of authors the opportunity to publish their work and reach a global audience.
Amazon offers a lucrative royalty structure for authors. For books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, KDP pays 70% of the sale price, whereas it pays 35% for books priced below $2.99. However, the best part of KDP is the KDP Select program.
If you sign up for the KDP Select program, you grant Amazon exclusive publishing rights for 90 days. This means you cannot publish your book with any other distributor during this period.
In exchange, Amazon offers countdown deals, promotions, and discounts to help market your book to its audience. If the KDP Select program proves beneficial for you, you can opt for it again after your 90-day contract ends.
If you plan to publish with KDP, make sure your book is formatted into Amazon-accepted file formats like MOBI or AZW.
Barnes & Noble (B&N) Press
Author Royalty Share: 70% on eBooks and 55% on printed books minus the printing costs
Distribution: Nooks devices and millions of monthly visitors on the BN website
Barnes & Noble (previously known as Nook) ranks among the most popular self-publishing platforms. Unlike Amazon KDP, B&N doesn’t require an exclusivity agreement, allowing you to publish your book with other distributors to enhance its reach.
B&N offers the added advantage of a print-on-demand service. This way you can your readers the option of owning a physical copy of your book.
POD ensures that you won’t be left with stacks of unsold paperbacks while also ensuring that those who prefer physical books can buy your work.
Barnes & Noble Press offers feature collections, exclusive online discounts, and deal newsletters to help promote your book. However, it’s important to note that with B&N, your book’s reach will be limited to the US.
Draft2Digital (D2D)
Author Royalty Share: 60% of the book’s price for eBooks and 45% for printed books minus printing cost.
Distribution: 15+ digital stores and worldwide reach via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
Draft2Digital is an eBook aggregator and the undisputed king in the space. D2D acquired Smashwords back in 2022 and has since become a prominent name in the self-publishing industry. D2D publishes your book as an eBook on multiple sites including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others.
Alongside a competitive royalty share, D2D offers authors access to interesting features including universal book links and an automated end-matter tool.
With the universal book line feature, authors can view all the retailer’s links and sales across platforms on one sale page. This provides a hassle-free way of keeping track of book sales.
The automated end-matter tool adds all your new works to the “Also By This Author” section so people can learn more about your work.
Kobo
Author Royalty Share: 70% on books more than $2.99 and 45% on books less than $2.99
Distribution: Over 12 million readers in 190 countries
Kobo is a retail platform similar to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Based in Canada, it has a global reach spanning 190 countries. If you want to reach an international audience with your book, Kobo is an excellent choice.
The self publishing giant offers a 70% royalty share for books more than $2.99 and 45% on books less than $2.99. Additionally, Kobo provides promotional opportunities to help spread the word about your book, to attract more readers.
Kobo allows authors to submit their book titles directly to the merchandiser for promotion. It also offers detailed sales analytics, enabling authors to track their books’ performance.
Apple Books
Author Royalty Share: 70% on all eBooks
Distribution: Over 1 billion users
Apple Books is one of the biggest names in the self-publishing space, with millions of active users. It might not be as large as Amazon, but it is still a key player in the industry.
To reach Mac users, you must make your book available on Apple Books. The process is simple: create an iTunes Connect account and publish your book with Apple.
Truth be told, Apple doesn’t require an exclusivity contract, nor does it offer any special promotional tools. Therefore, it is best to distribute to the platform through an aggregator so you can publish your book on multiple platforms and broaden its reach.
XinXii
Author Royalty Share: 70% of net sales for books more than $3.20 and 40% for books less than for books between between $1.02 and $2.15.
Distribution: Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Hugendubel, Buecher, Angus & Robertson, Fnac, and others.
XinXii is a Germany-based aggregator with a strong presence in the European region. With XinXii, your book is shared on American retailers like Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books, as well as prominent international retailers like Buecher and Fnac.
For authors who want to ensure a global reach, XinXii is a great option. While the customer support and user interface can be improved improvement, the pros, including excellent royalty share and impeccable reach, make XinXii a trustworthy distribution partner.
IngramSpark
Author Royalty Share: Up to 70% of the book price
Distribution: 40,000+ stores worldwide
IngramSpark has over 15 years of experience in self-publishing and print-on-demand services. This book aggregator is one of the most popular options among self-published authors, offering access to more than 40,000 marketplaces in over 190 countries.
If you’re looking for a print-on-demand option, IngramSpark is an excellent choice. It offers a wide selection of print formatting options. While its POD services are not cheap, the high printing quality is worth the price.
In addition to an excellent royalty share, IngramSpark provides free publishing tools like a book print and ship calculator, a cover template generator, and book-building tools. Not all authors may need these tools, but they can be helpful for indie authors working on a limited budget.
Streetlib
Author Royalty Share: 70% of net revenues
Distribution: more than 250 distribution partners
Streetlib is a savior for new authors who may struggle with getting their books internationally available to their audience. It reaches more than 39,000 retailers and libraries globally.
Streetlib offers authors access to a powerful dashboard and real-time sales analytics to help them make smart decisions about their books. Authors can review and monitor sales, use the data to optimize their publication process and take advantage of digital monetization.
PublishDrive
Author Royalty Share: 100% on ebooks
Distribution: Amazon, Apple Books, Bookmate, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and more.
Like D2D, PublishDrive is a book aggregator that can help you publish your book to all major retailers, including Apple Books, Amazon, Kobo, and more. While most companies take a royalty share, PublishDrive offers authors a subscription pricing model.
Authors get to keep 100% of their book royalties if they subscribe to this model and pay PublishDrive $100 a month. This isn’t a bad deal considering PublishDrive can distribute your book to over 400 stores and 240,000 libraries.
PublishDrive has a simple dashboard with a modern interface, including sales reports you can review to stay updated with your profits.
BookQuill
Author Royalty Share: 70%
Distribution: Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, etc.
If you’re hoping to self-publish your manuscript and need more than just publishing help, BookQuill is an excellent choice. Yes, that’s us! From editing and formatting your book to designing its cover to get it publish-ready, BookQuill has you covered.
At BookQuill, we have a team of experts ready to assist you with all your book-related dilemmas. We offer publishing assistance and help publish your book to the biggest retailers, including Amazon and Apple Books, so your work can reach a wide audience.
The best part about getting your book published with us is that you don’t need to worry about anything. From editing to cover design and publishing, we handle it all. We even offer writing assistance if you need it.
BookQuill provides a one-stop solution so you don’t have to go to an editor, cover designer, book formatting expert, and then a distributor to publish your book. We do it all!
To Wrap Up
Choosing a self-publishing company is one of the most important decisions you will make as an author. Consider all the facts and information we have provided in this guide to make an informed decision.
Remember, selecting the best self-publishing company and distribution system isn’t just about opting for the most popular choice; it’s about choosing the one that is best for your book and publishing goals.
