Self-Publishing And 17 Book and E-Book Hosting Platforms You Must Know About

And The Hidden Truth: Your Book’s Success Lies Beyond Its Content. Find Out How Publishing Platforms Can Make Or Break Your Sales.

(Not a Medium Member? You can read the full story here.)

“Everyone has a story inside them, waiting to be told. It’s just a matter of finding the courage and discipline to bring it to life.”

If you’re reading this, chances are you have already endured the process of wiring a book or might be pondering the idea.

I remember being full of hope and excitement after publishing my first e-book.

I had put many weeks of effort and dedication into writing and designing it. I was eager to reap the rewards, except that, twelve long months passed, and I struggled to give one copy away for free. I ended up feeling stupid and drowning in self-doubt.

Long story short, I made a small change to my distribution strategy, and I went from trying hard to give my books away for free to selling over 15,000 copies in the last two years.

If you’re an author stuck in a disheartening place I was in just two years ago, struggling to find a home for your beloved creation, I have a guide for you that will answer one of the most important questions: where to publish your book to increase your chances of making a sale.

I put together the top 17 self-publishing sites I’ve experimented with that have the potential to skyrocket your book sales.

While coping with the countless heartbreaking rejections, I started noticing a few key differences among these online hosting platforms — disparities that seem to have a direct impact on your ability to maximize your earnings from your craft.

Making Sense Of The Online Publishing Maze

Creative souls like us find it overwhelming to pick from the endless book and e-book publishing platforms available today.

Especially since every single one of them promises fame and fortune. ( but very few deliver)

The reality is that if you’re a new indie author with only one published book, you likely won’t even reach 250 book sales in your first year.

If you market your books at $0.99 — that’s barely enough to treat yourself to a spa day and a full-body hot stone massage. (my favourite)

Who wants to think about distribution and marketing after you’ve just put tons of blood, sweat and tears into a new world phenomenon. Right?

Like it or not, finding the right platform for our precious creations is part of the process.

Without them, all our hard work would remain unnoticed.

The Top 5 Book and E-Book Publishing Platforms for fiction and non-fiction writers

If you’ve authored a romantic novella, a hair-raising thriller or a philosophical masterpiece, these top 5 publishing platforms are for you. It’s important to note that not all platforms offer equal support and benefits.

How long it will take you to break the bank has a lot to do with hosting your book on the right platform so it can grow, flourish and get the love and attention it deserves.

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Date of Launch: November 2007
Books Published: 38.2 million, active authors — over 1 million
Popularity: Amazon Kindle has around 90 million users around the world — that makes up approximately 45 % of e-book readers
Top 10 Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Children’s Books, Memoir, History, Adult Books, History, Children’s Books
Formats available: E-books & Paperback / Audiobooks
Publishing Costs: FREE
Payment Structure: 35% royalties for books priced between $0.99–$2.98 and over $9.99. 70% royalties for books priced between $2.99–$9.99
Payment Frequency: 60 days (you get paid every two months via bank transfer)
Distribution: KDP SELECT (If you choose to enrol your book in KDP Select, it becomes available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers and Kindle Owners’ Lending Library users. You earn royalties based on the number of pages read by subscribers.)
Marketing Opportunities: Amazon runs promotional campaigns, Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions
Pros: E-books and paperback are supported/ Audiobooks / you can get your own paperback copy at a wholesale rate/ no publishing limit other than stick to no more than 3 books a day/ sell worldwide/ appear on the main Amazon platform
Cons: 90 day exclusivity clause (you can’t sell anywhere else) / large competition/ expensive advertising/ no affiliate distribution like on other platforms / you have to wait two months to get paid :( / many glitches and bugs

2. Smashwords / Draft2Digital

Date of Launch: May 2009 — Smashword and Draft2Digital became one company in March 2022
Books Published: 871,397 — active authors 160,000
Popularity: compared with KDP, Smashwords is a small fish in the sea, yet, it wins over KDP for royalties, allows pay-what-you-want, better affiliate marketing features and much better distribution
Top Genres: the most downloaded books on Smashwords seem to cater to fiction, romantic novella and fantasy lovers
Formats available: E-books & Paperback / Audiobooks
Publishing Costs: FREE
Payment Structure: 80% royalties if sold direct, up to 60% if sold through a third-party retailer
Payment Frequency: 90 days (you get paid every three months via bank transfer)
Distribution: SMASHWORDS MAIN STORE, BARNES & NOBLE, APPLE BOOKS, KOBO, SCRIBD
Marketing Opportunities: You can generate coupons, generate a widget you can add to external websites, allow pre-orders
Pros: E-books and paperback are supported/ Audiobooks / you can generate free coupons for your paperback/ extensive distribution/ daily sales reports/ exclusive marketing tools
Cons: you have to wait 90 days to get paid! /The website is very outdated/ no preview available when you upload your book

In conclusion, Smashwords/ Draft2Digital are a great place if you’re a fiction writer specialising in romance and erotica.

Unfortunately, my ‘HOW TO’ e-books don’t stand a chance on platforms like Amazon and Smashwords.

Moving on…

3. Apple Books For Authors

Date of Launch: April 2010
Books Published: over 8 million
Popularity: compared with KDP, Apple Books has over 100 million monthly users
Top Genres: romance, fiction, thriller, self-help
Formats available: E-books / Audiobooks
Publishing Costs: FREE
Payment Structure: 70% royalties regardless of the cost of the book
Payment Frequency: 45 days (you get paid via bank transfer)
Distribution: Apple Books is a great place to sell your books because, unlike KDP, it doesn’t have an exclusivity clause. Just like books published on Smashwords get distributed to Apple Books, Apple Books welcomes a wide range of publishers to host their books on the platform.
Marketing Opportunities: Apple Books encourages you to sign up to an aggregator. (Draft2Digital/ Smashwords is one of them.) They will help you produce and distribute your books. Such Apple Partners are: BOOKWIRE, DE MARQUE, DRAFT2DIGITAL, FINDAWAY VOICES, INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER GROUP, INGRAM: CORE SOURCE, INNODATA, KONTOR, LANTERN, MPS LIMITED, OTOBANK, PUBLISHDRIVE, ZEBRALUTION
Pros: E-books and Audiobooks are supported/ extensive distribution/ no exclusivity clause/ next-day sales data/a wide range of marketing tools/ super easy to upload, all you need is an iTunes Connect account/ affiliate marketing options.
Cons: pay is every 45 days on Fridays

4. Barnes and Noble Press

Date of Launch: 1886
Books Published: 5 million books, 3.6 million e-books, 300,000 audiobooks
Popularity: 3rd most popular after KDP and Apple Books
Top Genres: fiction, thriller, romance, self-help, memoir
Formats available: E-books delivered on NOOK/Paperback/ Audiobooks
Publishing Costs: FREE
Payment Structure: 70% royalties for e-books/ 50% royalties for prints
Payment Frequency: every month (minimum pay of $10 via bank transfer)
Distribution: Barnes and Noble distributes your books to large retailers like KDP and Apple
Marketing Opportunities: BN.com, in-store for prints, featured in their monthly newsletter, via email to their subscribers, offers sales and special offers exclusive to B&N, pick from one of their ads options, affiliate marketing.
Pros: E-books, prints, and Audiobooks are supported/ extensive distribution/ no exclusivity clause/same-day analytics/ a wide range of marketing tools/ very easy to get started, just set up an account on B&N.
Cons: pay is every month, but you have to have a minimum balance of $10.

5. Kobo Writing Life

Date of Launch: 2012 (it is part of Rakuten, a Japanese Financial Technology Company)
Books Published: over 2.2 million e-books and audiobooks
Popularity: over 12 million users in 190 countries
Top Genres: fiction, romance, thrillers, children’s books, self-help, poetry
Formats available: E-books/ Audiobooks
Publishing Costs: FREE
Payment Structure: 70% royalties
Payment Frequency: every 45 days (minimum balance $50 via bank transfer)
Distribution: No exclusivity clause and KOBO helps your book get discovered via their main website
Marketing Opportunities: Kobo offers a great variety of marketing options. You can set promotional offers, sales, discounts and limited-time offers.
Pros: A large market and extensive distribution/ no exclusivity clause/same-day analytics/ a wide range of marketing tools/ a user-friendly website/ super easy to get started
Cons: pay is every 45 days, but you have to have a minimum balance of $50.

These are the top 5 book and e-book publishing platforms that could make a perfect home for your fiction, romance, thriller, children’s book or non-fiction like self-help, memoir, biography and much more.

Other platforms to check out:

Lulu — Lulu offers free self-publishing and print-on-demand services, with the ability to reach a range of online retailers and bookstores.

BookBaby — BookBaby specializes in services for E-book and print distribution. They also offer professional editing, design, and marketing services.

Scribd — Scribd is a platform that hosts a million titles in their subscription service, giving authors like us a chance to reach a vast audience.

Google Play Books — Google Play Books provides a platform that places your eBooks in front of millions of Android users on the Google Play store.

IngramSpark — IngramSpark gives you tools for independent publishing with wide distribution and access to print-on-demand services.

Wattpad — Wattpad is a great platform that allows you to serialize your work, engage with readers, and potentially get discovered by publishers and media.

Leanpub — Leanpub is tailored for independent authors and offers a unique “in-progress” publishing model that allows ongoing updates to your E-book.

PublishDrive — PublishDrive offers an e-book and audiobook publishing platform with an expansive reach, including major retailers like Amazon and Google Play.

StreetLib — StreetLib is an online publishing hub that allows you to distribute your e-books, audiobooks, and print titles worldwide.

XinXii — XinXii is a European-based self-publishing platform that offers e-book distribution, analytics, and marketing services.

Outskirts Press — Outskirts Press is a self-publishing service, with options for customization, marketing, and distribution to major online retailers.

Package A Solution As An E-book — One Of The Best Ways To Make Money From A Book

I don’t write fiction. At least, not yet. Yet, I make a full-time living from writing books.

Instead of fantasy and fiction, I write ‘How To’ tutorials, packaged as e-books that answer a specific question or address a pain point.

And I have great fun writing them.

Some of my most successful e-books helped thousands of readers how to make money through affiliate marketing. Others helped them learn a skill like becoming a better SEO copywriter.

Packaging your knowledge into an e-book is by far the best way to start generating some extra income from your writing. It is also an excellent way to build up an audience and subscriber base.

Even if you’re secretly aspiring to become a best-selling thriller author, you should consider putting together a quick ‘How To’ guide.

Your e-book could be about your journey from the first idea to the execution and promotion of your book.

As long as it gives a step-by-step guide and helps someone solve a problem, with the right platform and marketing strategy you could be well on your way to turning your passion for writing into a reliable income stream.

But these kinds of books, no matter how good, don’t seem to do well on traditional publishing platforms.

The audience visits those websites and apps with a very different motive.

They often want to be entertained instead of learning a specific skill.

Luckily, there are platforms where ‘How To’ e-books thrive and help make a substantial amount of money for creators.

And one of these platforms, my absolute favourite, is GUMROAD.

While ETSY is a great marketplace, and so is LULU for ‘How To’ e-books, I owe my success to GUMROAD.

Gumroad

Date of Launch: 2011
Digital Products Published: 1.6 million and 172,112 creators
Popularity: 53.3 million monthly traffic
Top Genres: ‘how to’ tutorials, coaching, e-learning courses
What to Sell on Gumroad: Anything — from e-books to audio to membership. You can sell anything with Gumroad. Fiction too!
Publishing Costs: FREE
Payment Structure: 90% royalties — Gumroad takes a 10% flat fee. This does not include Debit and Credit card processing fees. Standard fees are between 1.5% and 2.5%.
Payment Frequency: every Friday if opting for bank transfer. Other methods: Stripe, PayPal – this options is a same day payout but you will be charged an extra 10% fee for using PayPal, and bear in mind that PayPal can take 1–3 business days to process your payment, Apple Pay, Google Pay are also available.
Distribution: No exclusivity clause. Gumroad Discover and Affiliate Marketing, email marketing
Marketing Opportunities: If you have no followers to advertise your new products to, Gumroad will recommend your products for you. You can set the Gumroad recommendation fee which starts from 30%. Gumroad has over 53 million monthly visitors and holds a 47.49% share of the social-commerce market. That’s huge!
Pros: A large market and extensive distribution/ great affiliate marketing options/ no exclusivity clause/real-time analytics/ a wide range of marketing tools/ the most user-friendly website
Cons: I can’t think of any

To Sum Up:

Gumroad was the first platform that helped me distribute my books via their Gumroad Discover marketplace without having a following.

Gumroad put my e-books in front of 53 million monthly users, and thanks to their Gumroad Affiliate Program, I not only make money from my e-books, I also get paid through the affiliate program even when another creator makes a sale.

To learn more about how to create and sell an e-book, check out my guide, CONTENT WRITING 101, here.

Over to You!

So there you have it.

Seventeen similar yet very different platforms where your inspiring and entertaining books could thrive.

Are you a published author? Which platform is your favourite? Do you have any tips for other writers that could help them achieve their publishing goals?

Sign up for my newsletter and get 50% off my ‘Ultimate Guide To Making Money From Writing On The Internet’ bundle.