Note: This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but to highlight key players in the industry, and the diversity of options available

 

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Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): 

This is Amazon.com's self-publishing platform and it comes with all the advantages (and downsides) to using Amazon.

 

Royalties:

Print - 60% after print costs. You can expect to get 30-40% of the money.

Ebook - 70% on ebooks priced $2.99-$9.99. 35% on ebooks priced below $2.99

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Advantages:

1. Ease of use - intuitive, easy to navigate

2. Cost - minimal cost to take your book from manuscript to published

3. Speed - go from final draft to publishing in a matter of days/weeks (timing depends on ebook or physical copies)

4. Distribution - you are part of the Amazon network, you can enroll in Kindle Unlimited (KU), and you don't have to do anything to get your book out there

 

Disadvantages:

1. Exclusiveness of the Amazon ecosystem - if enrolled in Kindle Select (the only way to get books on KU), you cannot sell your ebook anywhere else for 90 days (or until you unenroll).

2. Book Quality - many authors find the book quality of physical copies is lower for KDP than other self-publishers

3. You are part of the Amazon machine - some indie authors shy away from being at all connected with Amazon's predatory business practices

 

 

Draft2Digital (D2D):

 

D2D markets itself as the best ebook distributor, and it's hard to argue. D2D will distribute your ebook in a readable format to Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Kobo, and iBooks users.

 

Royalties:

Ebook - 90% minus distributors cut (30% for amazon), so you would get ~60% of the money from an Amazon sale

Print - 60% minus the print cost, you can expect to get 30-40% of the money.

 

Advantages:

1. Ease of use - probably the most user-friendly interface of any option

2. Broader ebook and print distribution than Amazon

 

Disadvantages:

1. Print quality - the print services for D2D are fairly new, and the quality and consistency varies.

2. Lower Royalties for Amazon ebook, so if you are only interested in Amazon distribution, KDP would be better.

 

 

IngramSpark:

 

IngramSpark is the self-publishing arm of Ingram, the largest book wholesale distributor in the world. They have connections to all major book stores/retailers and include the possibility that your book will end up in a physical book store. They are established, connected, and cheap to use.

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Royalties:

Ebook - 85% minus distributors fees (for Amazon, it comes out to around 55% per book)

Print - 70% minus print cost. You can expect receiving between 35-45% of the money.

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Advantages:

1. Largest distribution network

2. At least a theoretical possibility of getting your book into stores

3. High print quality (sometimes, see below)

 

Disadvantages:

1. Inconsistent print quality, some authors have complained about crooked pages, missing pages, poorly fitted dust covers, etc

2. Ease of use - not a very user friendly interface for getting your book ready to publish.

3. Poor customer service

4. Connecting to Amazon can be difficult and/or confusing at first and some authors choose to use both services together to get the distribution they want.

 

 

Lulu

 

A newer player in the self-publushing game, Lulu seeks to be as customer-friendly as possible, while remaining fairly low-cost and having a larger distribution network.

 

Royalties:

Ebook - 90% minus distributors fees (for Amazon, it comes out to ~ 60% per book)

Print - 80% minus print cost minus distributors cost. You can expect receiving between 30-40% of the money.

 

Advantages:

1. Ease of use - very streamlined, maybe even more intuitive than KDP

2. Easily connects and integrates with Amazon

3. Good print quality

4. Good customer service

 

Disadvantages:

1. Print costs are significantly higher than most

2. Options of book style are more limited

3. Longer time to get your book printed, smaller operation

 

 

Indie Publishers

 

There are many small independent publishers that are doing incredible work for indie authors. Indie Reads is growing our connections and relationships with indie publishers to provide you with options, should you choose this route.

 

Royalties: varies by publisher

 

Advantages:

1. Support for editing, book cover, distribution, and (maybe) marketing

2. Working with a small business

3. Traditionally published in most senses

 

Disadvantages:

1. Quality of services and print will vary widely.

2. You may lose some rights and control over your book

3. They may take a royalty cut

4. Have to submit for consideration. While most don't require an agent, you will still be going through a selection process. Your book may not be chosen, and if it is, it may take a long time to get it into print.

 

 

One-stop Shops: Bookbaby/Spines

 

Bookbaby and Spines offer similar services, though Bookbaby has been around much longer. The idea is simple. They will do everything a traditional publisher will do for you - edit, cover art, marketing, etc. But you keep the rights to your book and full control over every step of the process. The catch? You pay for it all, and everything is expensive.

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Royalties:

Ebook - 90% minus distributors fees (for Amazon, it comes out to ~ 60% per book)

Print - 70% minus print cost minus distributors cost. You can expect receiving between 25-30% of the money.

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Advantages:

1. Simple, hassle-free. Don't worry about whether your cover will look right, whether the interior will look good, how to get an ISBN, optimize your metasearch, or market your book.

2. Excellent print quality

3. Excellent customer service

 

Disadvantages:

1. Cost. Cost. Cost. They know they have a premium service that makes publishing as simple as possible. And they make you pay for it. The more you do on your own, the less you pay, but then you lose what makes it attractive in the first place.

2. Time - quality checks at each stage of the process means it takes several months to publish

3. Paying for book marketing doesn't guarantee sales

 

 

WARNING - Vanity Publishing

 

We mention vanity publishing here because it may look on the surface like a one-stop shop self-publisher. They are not. In our opinion, vanity publishers represent the worst aspects of both self-publishing and traditional publishing. You pay for all the services, but YOU LOSE THE RIGHTS TO YOUR BOOK. This is not self-publishing. It is also not traditional either, because they are not taking on any risk. It is predatory and we do not advise anyone to use a vanity publisher.