--- source_url: "https://books.by/compare/best-self-publishing-platforms" title: Best Self-Publishing Platforms 2026 โ€” Complete Comparison Guide mirrored_at: 2026-09-02T13:02:04.442Z host: books.by cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/books.by/compare/best-self-publishing-platforms" --- > **Original source:** https://books.by/compare/best-self-publishing-platforms 2026 Guide Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, BookBaby, Lulu, Draft2Digital, Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo Writing Life, and Books.by. Here's an honest breakdown of every major platform โ€” what each does well, where they fall short, and which is right for your book. ![Ash Davies](https://books.by/static/images/ash-davies-avatar.jpg) Ash Davies Founder of Books.by ยท Helped 50,000+ authors self-publish since 2014 The Full Picture ## All platforms compared This table covers the key decision factors. Scroll down for detailed breakdowns of each platform. Platform Type Cost Print Royalty\* Ebook Royalty Payout Best For **Amazon KDP** Marketplace Free $5.74 (29%) 35-70% 60 days Amazon sales, ebooks **IngramSpark** Distributor $49/title $3.75 (19%) 40-70% 90 days Bookstores, libraries **Books.by** Direct sales $99/year $9.60 (48%) 100% Daily Your own traffic **Draft2Digital** Distributor Free Via partners ~60% net Monthly Wide ebook distribution **Lulu** POD + Marketplace Free ~50-80% 90% Monthly Specialty formats **BookBaby** Full-service $399-$1,999+ Varies 100%\*\* Monthly Done-for-you publishing **B&N Press** Marketplace Free 55% 45-65% Monthly B&N ecosystem **Kobo Writing Life** Marketplace Free N/A 45-70% 45 days International ebooks \*Print royalty based on $19.99, 200-page B&W paperback. \*\*BookBaby ebook distribution: 100% of net from retailers (after retailer cut). Key Concept ## Three types of platforms (know the difference) Before diving into individual platforms, understand that they fall into three categories. This shapes everything about how they work and what you can expect. ### ๐Ÿ›’ Marketplaces **Examples:** Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo, Lulu **How it works:** You publish on their store. They have the customers. You get a percentage of each sale. **Upside:** Built-in traffic, no marketing required to get started. **Downside:** You don't own the customer relationship. They take 30-65% of every sale. ### ๐Ÿ“ฆ Distributors **Examples:** IngramSpark, Draft2Digital **How it works:** They make your book available to retailers (bookstores, Amazon, Apple, etc.) who then sell to customers. **Upside:** Wide reach. Get into stores you couldn't access directly. **Downside:** Multiple middlemen = lower royalties. You still don't own the customer. ### ๐Ÿช Direct Sales **Examples:** Books.by, Shopify, Gumroad **How it works:** You sell directly to readers through your own storefront. No middleman retailer. **Upside:** Highest royalties. You own the customer relationship. Fast payouts. **Downside:** You have to bring your own traffic. No discovery from the platform itself. Most successful indie authors use a combination โ€” typically a marketplace for discovery, a distributor for reach, and direct sales for their owned audience. Let's look at each platform specifically. Platform Breakdown ## Every major platform, honestly reviewed ### ๐Ÿ“š Amazon KDP The 800-pound gorilla. Where most books sell. Cost Free Print Royalty 60% โˆ’ print cost Ebook Royalty 35% or 70% Payout 60 days Amazon dominates book sales. Period. If you're only going to use one platform, this is it. KDP gives you access to the world's largest book marketplace with hundreds of millions of active shoppers. Their recommendation engine can surface your book to readers who've never heard of you. Kindle Unlimited (via KDP Select) offers additional reach for ebooks. #### โœ“ Pros - Massive built-in audience - Free to use โ€” no upfront costs - Excellent for ebooks (Kindle dominance) - Prime shipping for print books - Simple, fast publishing process - Free ISBN option available #### โœ— Cons - 40% cut on print, 30-65% on ebooks - No customer data โ€” you never know who bought - 60-day payment delay - No bookstore or library distribution - KDP Select requires exclusivity - Ebook pricing restrictions for 70% royalty **Best for:** Everyone. Start here. Use for Amazon sales and ebooks, then add other platforms for bookstores (IngramSpark) and direct sales (Books.by). ### ๐Ÿ“ฆ IngramSpark The gateway to bookstores and libraries. Cost $49/title Print Royalty Varies (low) Ebook Royalty 40-70% Payout 90 days IngramSpark is owned by Ingram, the company that supplies books to most bookstores in the world. Publishing through IngramSpark makes your book orderable through their catalog โ€” which is what bookstores and libraries use. It's not about selling books through IngramSpark directly; it's about access. #### โœ“ Pros - Access to 40,000+ retailers worldwide - Library distribution - Higher print quality than KDP - More paper/finish options - Returns enabled for bookstore orders - Your own ISBN (professional credibility) #### โœ— Cons - $49 setup fee per title - Steep learning curve - Requires 55% wholesale discount for bookstores - Low per-book royalty after discount - 90-day payment delay - Must provide your own ISBN **Best for:** Authors who want bookstore and library access, do speaking/events where stores need to order your book, or prioritize premium print quality. Use alongside KDP (disable IngramSpark's Amazon distribution). ### ๐Ÿš€ Books.by Your own bookstore. 100% royalties. Cost $99/year Print Royalty 100% Ebook Royalty 100% Payout Daily Books.by is different from every platform above. It's not a marketplace or distributor โ€” it's your own direct-to-reader storefront with built-in print-on-demand. You keep 100% of royalties, get customer email addresses with every sale, and receive daily payouts. The tradeoff: you bring your own traffic. #### โœ“ Pros - 100% royalties (only pay print + processing) - Daily payouts - Full customer data (email, address) - Your own branded storefront - Built-in POD + Cover Builder - Free ISBNs included - 100-day money-back guarantee #### โœ— Cons - $99/year subscription - You bring your own traffic โ€” no discovery - Not a substitute for Amazon/bookstore presence **Best for:** Authors with their own audience (email list, social media, podcast, speaking). Use alongside KDP and IngramSpark โ€” send Amazon organic traffic to Amazon, but send YOUR traffic (your email list, your social links) to Books.by where you keep everything. ### ๐ŸŒ Draft2Digital Wide ebook distribution made easy. Cost Free Print Royalty Via partners Ebook Royalty ~60% net Payout Monthly D2D is the easiest way to distribute ebooks to multiple retailers (Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc.) from one dashboard. They take 10% of what you earn after the retailer's cut. Their print distribution uses IngramSpark under the hood. Author-friendly with great tools like Universal Book Links. #### โœ“ Pros - Free to publish - One dashboard for all retailers - Excellent author tools (UBLs, endmatter) - Friendly, helpful support - Easy to use interface - No exclusivity requirements #### โœ— Cons - 10% cut on top of retailer fees - Print is distribution only (via IngramSpark) - No direct sales storefront - Lower royalties than going direct to retailers - Slower metadata updates than direct **Best for:** Authors who want wide ebook distribution without managing multiple retailer accounts. Great for romance/genre fiction authors who want to be "wide" (non-exclusive to Amazon). ### ๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ Lulu Specialty printing and niche formats. Cost Free Print Royalty ~50-80% Ebook Royalty 90% Payout Monthly Lulu is one of the original POD platforms. They offer unique formats (spiral binding, calendars, photo books) that other platforms don't. Their global distribution network includes Amazon and other retailers. Good for specialty projects but less competitive for standard trade books. #### โœ“ Pros - Free to use - Unique format options (spiral, calendar, etc.) - Good print quality - Direct-to-consumer selling option - API for bulk/enterprise users - Long track record (since 2002) #### โœ— Cons - Lower royalties through their marketplace - Limited marketing/discovery - Slower distribution updates - Less competitive for standard books - Interface feels dated **Best for:** Photo books, calendars, cookbooks, workbooks, and other specialty formats. Also good for bulk print orders at cost. Less recommended for standard trade fiction/nonfiction. ### ๐Ÿ’ผ BookBaby Full-service publishing packages. Cost $399โ€“$1,999+ Print Royalty Varies by package Ebook Royalty 100% of net Payout Monthly BookBaby offers done-for-you publishing packages that include editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution. They're not a platform for DIY authors โ€” they're for people who want to pay someone else to handle everything. High upfront costs but hands-off approach. #### โœ“ Pros - All-in-one packages - Professional editing and design included - 100% of ebook net royalties - Hands-off for the author - Good customer service #### โœ— Cons - High upfront costs ($399โ€“$1,999+) - Less control over process - Often cheaper to hire freelancers directly - Print distribution uses IngramSpark anyway - Ongoing revision fees **Best for:** Authors who have budget, don't want to learn the technical aspects, and prefer a one-stop-shop. For most authors, hiring individual freelancers (editor, designer, formatter) is more cost-effective. ### ๐Ÿ“– Barnes & Noble Press Direct access to B&N's ecosystem. Cost Free Print Royalty 55% Ebook Royalty 45-65% Payout Monthly B&N Press (formerly Nook Press) gives you direct access to Barnes & Noble's online and physical stores. Print books can be ordered through B&N stores and their website. The Nook ebook store is small compared to Kindle, but it's free and adds another sales channel. #### โœ“ Pros - Free to use - Direct to B&N stores - Print + ebook options - Simple publishing process - Physical bookstore presence #### โœ— Cons - Much smaller than Amazon - Lower ebook royalties than KDP - Limited international reach - Nook market share continues declining **Best for:** Authors who want direct Barnes & Noble access without going through IngramSpark. Worth adding if you're going wide, but shouldn't be your primary platform. ### ๐ŸŒ Kobo Writing Life Strong international ebook presence. Cost Free Print Royalty N/A (ebook only) Ebook Royalty 45-70% Payout 45 days Kobo is particularly strong in Canada, Australia, UK, and international markets where Amazon is less dominant. Kobo Plus (their subscription service) offers authors additional reach. Ebook-only platform โ€” no print option through Kobo directly. #### โœ“ Pros - Free to use - Strong international markets - Kobo Plus subscription program - Author-friendly promotional tools - Direct access to Kobo stores worldwide #### โœ— Cons - Ebooks only โ€” no print - Smaller than Amazon/Kindle - Lower royalty on cheap ebooks - US market share is small **Best for:** Authors with international audiences, especially Canada, UK, and Australia. Part of a "wide" ebook strategy alongside Apple Books and other retailers. Recommendations ## Best platform for your situation ### ๐Ÿ‘‹ First-time author with no audience **Start with:** Amazon KDP only. Learn the process, see if anyone buys. Add IngramSpark and direct sales later once you have traction. ### ๐Ÿ“ง Author with an email list or social following **Use:** KDP for Amazon + [Books.by](https://books.by/get-started) for direct sales. Send your own traffic to Books.by (keep 100%), let Amazon handle organic discovery. ### ๐ŸŽค Speaker, consultant, or business author **Use:** IngramSpark (so event venues can order) + Books.by (back-of-room sales with 100% margin + lead capture). Amazon optional. ### ๐Ÿ“š Fiction author going "wide" (non-exclusive) **Use:** KDP for Amazon + Draft2Digital for other ebook retailers + IngramSpark for bookstore/library print access. ### ๐Ÿ“ธ Photo book, cookbook, or specialty format **Use:** Lulu for specialty formats (spiral, calendar) + IngramSpark for standard trade distribution. ### ๐Ÿ’ฐ Maximizing royalties as priority **Use:** [Books.by](https://books.by/get-started) for all traffic you control. Accept lower-royalty platforms (KDP, IngramSpark) only for traffic you don't control. Common Questions ## Frequently Asked Questions ## Ready to keep 100% of what you earn? Add Books.by to your platform mix. Use KDP for Amazon discovery, but send YOUR traffic (email list, social, website) to your own store. 100% royalties. Daily payouts. [Start Your Bookstore โ†’](https://books.by/get-started) ![Books.by author dashboard showing real-time orders, sales and royalties](https://books.by/static/images/dashboard-screenshot.webp)