Self-Publishing Platforms - The Good, the Bad, & the Naughty

Amazon Kindle/KDP

Amazon KDP, formerly known as CreateSpace, is the most widely used print-on-demand service for self-publishing authors. It is relatively user-friendly and free to use. Books, both print and ebook, on KDP are easily accessible for most readers.
​
Amazon KDP does, however, have a reputation for inconsistent print quality, especially for authors printing high-resolution illustrations and graphics. Cuts made during printing are sometimes off, though most of the time they are correct.

Pros
​Relatively user-friendly
Straightforward
Accessible by all
Offers free ISBNs/barcodes (but cannot be used on another digital platform)
Can reupload corrections and make revisions for free 

Cons
​Inconsistent print quality
Saturated market
Starts fights with other digital POD platforms (e.g., IngramSpark) over expanded distribution
Limited trim sizes
No hardbacks with dust jackets

Apple iBooks

​Apple iBooks is for ebooks only and is associated with younger readers. It has good distribution, as it can get your book in front of people around the world, however, keep in mind that Apple isn’t a bookstore. It’s a tech company. It’s not set up for book distribution. 

Pros
Expansive ebook reach
Larger ebook reach than Amazon in countries outside of the United States
​

Cons
Readers must have an Apple product or be willing to get an Apple ID to preview product
Most readers don’t buy their books on Apple iBooks
​

Book Baby

​BookBaby is a print-on-demand service that offers cover design, formatting, editing, printing, global distribution, and multi-store publishing and ISBN acquisition. 

Pros
Multiple services with a relatively quick turnaround
Weekly royalty payments
Good customer support
Excellent quality
Very streamlined
Good for printing a small number of copies
​

Cons
​Incredibly expensive
Book design (basic vs. deluxe)—no other options
Not good for distribution of ebook
​

Draft2Digital

​Draft2Digital is a digital self-publishing platform that distributes ebooks only. It makes your ebook available on Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. 

Pros
Free!
Doesn’t charge for any other services
Large list of major partners (Amazon, iBooks, OverDrive, Hoopla, etc.)
Universal Book Links (UBLs)
Author pages/landing sites
Good customer service
​

Cons
D2D takes 10% of the retail price of your book
Print-on-demand (print) books is still in BETA
Must pay for revisions 90 days post publication
Recently acquired Smashwords
Has some cross-platform interference between Kobo and Google Play
Sales reports are not user-friendly​

Google Play Books

​While Amazon KDP is the biggest self-publishing platform in the U.S., it doesn’t have the reach that Google does. Google Play Books makes your books available on Android devices. 

Pros
Free!
Pays higher royalties on ebooks in most countries
Publishing through Google Play Books automatically adds it to Google Books and the previewable part of an ebook is crawled by Google’s search engine
Less ebook competition ​

Cons
Not a print-on-demand platform
Not as effective for U.S. audiences
Must make about a quarter (1/4) of your book previewable
Not user-friendly
Requires a gmail/Google account​

IngramSpark

​IngramSpark is Amazon’s enduring rival. IngramSpark also provides POD services in a wide variety of trim sizes as well as ebook services. The company is known for printing high-quality materials and has an extensive distribution network of brick-and-mortar stores.
IngramSpark, however, can be quite difficult to navigate and its customer service is left wanting. The company’s ebook distribution service is not as vast as KDP’s. As of May 2023, authors can list both print and ebook titles for free and revise files for free until they approve of the eproof. Once that’s been approved, “revisions or resubmissions for completed print and ebook titles are subject to a $25 revision fee” (IngramSpark User Guide, Version 2.3, August 29, 2023, p. 10-11). 

Pros
​High-quality printing
Vast distribution of brick-and-mortar stores
Variety of trim sizes
Offers hardbacks with dust jackets
​

Cons
Charges revision/resubmission fees
Poor ebook distribution
Starts fights with other digital POD platforms (e.g., Amazon KDP) over expanded distribution​

Kobo Writing Life

​Kobo focuses on the publishing and distribution of ebooks worldwide. 

Pros
Free!
Converts your manuscript to ePub
Distributes to other ebook platforms around the world
Can list box sets (ebook)
Pays higher royalties ​

Cons
Not a print-on-demand platform
Not as effective for U.S. audiences
Nonfiction books don’t do as well
Sales data for authors is hidden​

Lulu

​Lulu is a print-on-demand platform for self-publishing and global book distribution. It not only prints books, but other marketing materials such as calendars, journals, postcards, etc. 

Pros
Free to upload
Offers a variety of trim sizes and cover options, including hardback
Fast shipping
Better quality than Amazon KDP
Provides ebook distribution for Kindle, Kobo, iBook, Barnes & Noble, and others associated with Ingram
Generally affordable​

Cons
Services like printing, distribution, and other author services are not free
Moderate traffic
Basic interior formatting required, nothing complex
Do-it-yourself interface
Little customer support
Low author royalties​

Distribution Services To Avoid

​Blurb
 
Poor quality
Poor customer support
Expensive
Poor sales tracking 

​Publish Drive
 
Requires a subscription
Expensive and limited
Only worth it if you have a bunch of books to publish
Poor customer service
Unclear error statements