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 