According to Kindleprenuer, a vetted and well-respected platform for self-publishers headed by Dave Chesson (who has listed me among its Ultimate List of Best Book Review Blogs under Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews), these are some of the best platforms for writers who self-published in 2023. (I put them in my own order, though, lol.)
- Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (Retailer)
- IngramSpark (Aggregator)
- Barnes and Noble Press (Retailer)
- Draft2Digital (Aggregator)
- PublishDrive (Aggregator)
- Apple Books (Retailer…direct access to Mac users)
- Bookbaby (Aggregator)
- KOBO (Retailer)
But what’s the difference between a retailer and an aggregator?
Book retailers are platforms where you can upload your book directly to their site and sell on their market. These are your Amazons, B&Ns, Kobo’s and more.
Book aggregators are third-party platforms where you may submit your book, and it will be distributed to book merchants all over the world. It is one of the simplest ways to get your book on practically every online retailer’s website without much effort. Draft2Digital and PublishDrive are two of the most prominent book aggregators.
What I Use
Amazon has an 85% market share over all these platforms, so I will start with Kindle Direct Publishing to get my books on Amazon.
While other platforms, such as Bookbaby and IngramSpark, can send your book to Amazon, I have found it best to use Amazon for Amazon to decrease the chances of my book not showing up or being out of stock.
However, I opt-out of expanded distribution while on Amazon, which will put my book into Ingram’s database under Amazon. I want it under my own company.
After I upload my files to KDP, I head over to Ingram.
Under my own Ingram account, I publish my book to IngramSpark. I have not done this with every book, but I have done it with my last two and in the future. I do this for easier distribution to bookstores and libraries but under my own company name (Literary Korner Publishing), not Amazon.
This is where having bulk ISBNs comes in handy, as you will need one for Ingram different from what you used on Amazon. Ya’ll know I don’t do free ISBNs except for with ebooks.
Then, I log into my account on Draft2Digital and upload my files there to get my ebook on all major online retailers—however, I opt-out of Amazon since I have already uploaded my book there separately.
I also have yet to use their print book version, now available for authors who want to use the feature. I only use them for the digital version of my book so if you’ve tried their paperbacks let me know how it turned out! How’s the quality compared to KDP?
When it’s said and done, I’ll have my book available on Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, and everywhere books are sold online with the option to get it into bookstores, libraries, and schools.
The PBS Blog 
Thank you for compiling this list!
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You’re welcome!
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INGRAM to AMAZON: “to decrease the chances of my book not showing up or being out of stock.”
Yes. This is a whole problem. My cover didn’t show until last month, and and and when I was in Canada, that was the message folks were getting “out of stock.”
There is so much to the whole publishing industry, self- or not. Thanks for always telling us what’s up.
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You’re welcome! And it certainly is. I cannot remember the source, but I read years ago to use Amazon for Amazon separate from anything else. I’m sure the Zon has it like that on purpose. 😩
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Grrrr….I need an assistant just to help me figure out the self-publishing stuff. Thanks for this detailed info. It helps. I want to do the whole purchase ISBNs in bulk, but the book that I’m about to publish may not even make as much as the ISBNs costs. LOL! It’s poetry. It’s haiku. That’s just not sexy to everyone and I don’t expect it to be. I’ve gotten some good advice from a friend who also independently published that I will put to good use. But tell me, what’s wrong with Amazon’s free ISBNs if that’s the only place I’m interested in dealing with?
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Nothing is wrong with it, so long as you don’t mind Amazon being the publisher of record. Free ISBNs (no matter who you get them from) also tend to limit self-publishers who wish to sell their books to bookstores because Amazon doesn’t allow for returns. Amazon is also the biggest competitor to store owners, so as soon as they see Amazon as the publisher, it’s almost an instant turn-off.
Also, when you buy your ISBN from Bowker you can use it on Amazon or anywhere you wish to publish so it’s not like you won’t be dealing with Amazon. You’ll just have your own ISBN.
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