This page contains: Retailers,
Aggregators, Distributors, and POD
RETAIL ONLINE STORES
Amazon.com – Kindle eBooks, Kindle Print Books: https://kdp.amazon.com
Amazon is the biggest book publisher in the world.
Amazon has two Kindle lines: eBooks and print books.
Kindle eBooks offers two types of publishing: Regular and KDP Select.
KDP Select offers a range of promo opportunities not given to general Kindle publishing. The promos include Kindle Countdowns and Kindle Free Days. To qualify for these promotions, your eBook must be exclusive to Amazon, and be sold by no other retailer, wholesaler, or aggregator anywhere in the world.
- Royalties: 70% if the eBook price is between $2.99 and $9.99, under $2.99 it drops to 35%, and over $9.99 from 70% to 35%.)
Apple.com – Apple Bookss: https://www.apple.com/apple-books/ (This is a simple landing page).
Apple publishes eBooks on their Book division of Apple. They have no restrictions about where else you can sell your book; however, if there is a SINGLE LINK MENTION of Amazon in your book, they will not publish it.
The only other restriction is, at this time, you must use APPLE equipment to directly publish a book on Apple’s iBooks.
- Royalties: 70% Flat rate
Barnes & Noble – Nook Press:
https://press.barnesandnoble.com/self-publishing-services
Royalties:
$0.99 – $2.98 — 40%
$2.99 – $199.99 — 65%
I found no mention, any longer, of sales outside the U.S.
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/p/writinglife
Kobo is a worldwide publisher, headquartered in Canada, with a huge reach into the world’s markets outside the U.S., and makes for a good secondary source of foreign sales for U.S. authors.
Kobo publishes eBooks in the ePub format and accepts books without restrictions as to other sales venues.
Royalties:
$2.98 and below: 45%
$2.99 and above: 70%
GOOGLE Play: At the time of publication, Google Play was not accepting new authors. When they do, you need to apply to be accepted in the “Google Books Partner Program”
AGGREGATORS
Draft2Digital: https://draft2digital.com/signonpage
Draft 2 Digital is an all in one aggregator, distributing to all major online retailers and subscription services, and libraries. They also partner with print distributor Baker & Tayler. D2D’s POD division will begin soon. Draft2Digital Distributes to Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Playster, Scribd, Tolino, 24Symbols, OverDrive, Bibliotheca, Baker & Taylor, Google Play Book.
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com
Smashwords was the first aggregator and is the largest. Smashwords distributes to Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Enki, Blio, Inktera, Scribd, Tolino, Odilo, OverDrive, Bibliotheca, Baker & Taylor, Gardners, Smashwords Store, Smashwords Library Direct.
XinXii. https://www.xinxii.com
This Aggregator call themselves the Author’s European Gateway to the World. They do what all aggregators do, and distribute your eBook. One Caveat, while they do not charge to do an eBook, they charge (currently) 9.99 Euroes to publish non-fiction.
Book Baby: https://www.bookbaby.com/
BookBaby offers global distribution to major e-book retailers, Amazon, Kobo, Nook, and Apple Books. authors can upload their own e-pub file for free, or they can pay $99 for the conversion from manuscript.. Royalties are As does Kobo and KDP, BookBaby offers additional marketing opportunities for authors to promote their work.
Ebookit: https://www.ebookit.com
eBookIt is an e-book service (basically an aggregator) distributing to Amazon, Apple, B&N, Google, Ingram, and Kobo. The company offers a free DIY guide to formatting your own e-pub file and a free conversion service. HOWEVER, there is a $25 distribution fee (one-time). They also have a full formatting and conversion paid service of $149 plus the $25 distribution fee. More paid services include audiobook creation, press releases, and media blasts.
Publish Drive: https://publishdrive.com
StreetLib: https://www.streetlib.com/
Print / POD
IngramSpark — Pure Distributer https://www.ingramspark.com/
This Print On Demand distributer was established by Ingram, the world’s largest book wholesaler and the leading distributor of print books. It distributes to 39,000 bookstores, libraries, and online retailers in over 150 countries.
They also publish hardcover books, and they offer a premium level of printing which is best for picture books. Most importantly, IngramSpark offers you the ability to have a book returns option; Indie authors who use this option tend to have a better chance at competing for shelf space in the brick-and-mortar bookstores.
Ingram’s costs vary, so you’ll need to go through their website to know exactly what options you want to use, and they have some advertising and promotional services.
- Price: Varies from $50-$98 (But do look for coupons, they are usually available.)
- Royalties: Depends on your discount to bookstores. (A 304-page book, 6” X 9” in size, with a 50% bookstore discount will return a base royalty approximately $3.00.)
*Two important notes about IngramSpark: (1) If you want your print book distributed to all major non-Amazon online retail websites, they are the best option; and (2), I see their eBook distribution as more of a necessary convenience for their authors than a dedicated aggregation service—but that’s just me.
KDP Print — Print on Demand / Expanded Distribution https://kdp.amazon.com
Amazon’s new platform for print books using Print-On-Demand publishing is KDP Print. They have closed down the original POD program, CreateSpace. KDP Print retails exclusively on Amazon, unless you join the Amazon Expanded Distribution program. With the expanded distribution, KDP Print lets Indie authors make their books available to other online retailers as well as brick and mortar bookstores and through distributors such as Baker & Taylor and Ingram, IngramSpark’s parent company.
- Price: No charge
- Royalties: 40% royalty for Amazon retail sales. Expanded distribution varies, see note
Note: For some, the issue with Amazon’s expanded distribution, which after deducting Amazon’s 60% commission, a fixed charge, and a per-page charge from the book’s list price makes for a very small royalty.
Print On Demand All in One
BookBaby —All in one eBook Aggregator/Print Distributor/Retailer https://www.bookbaby.com/
BookBaby is an eBook aggregator, a POD distributor, and a retail sales site. BookBaby retails books in their ‘Bookshop’ and offers distribution to other retailers. Like all the aggregators, retailers, and distributers, BookBaby also offers extra services.
eBooks earn 100% royalties after deducting the retailer’s commission. Sales made through Bookshop, however, earn 85% royalties. BookBaby also has a Print-On-Demand service. Printed books generate royalties between 10% and 30%.
- Price: $299.00
- Royalties: eBooks earn 100% royalties after deducting the retailer’s average commission of 55%-70%; Direct sales through BookBaby Bookshop earn 85% royalties
Lulu — All in one eBook Aggregator/Print Distributor/Retailer https://www.lulu.com/
Lulu, one of the older online aggregator/publishers and popular distributor of digital and print books, retails your books in their bookstore, and distributes to other online retailers. They also distribute your print book to Ingram and Barnes & Noble. Lulu offers hardcover and paperback formats on print books. Lulu charges a 20% commission after deducting any book production costs applicable to print copies. Sales generated through partner retailers would additionally attract their own commission.
- Price: No charge
- Royalties: 20% commission on the Lulu site: like Amazon, they charge a high distribution fee which greatly reduces your royalty share
Blurb https://www.blurb.com/
Blurb is strong on its print book options, but offers fixed format e-books, which are sold through the Blurb Bookstore and Apple Books. Blurb has a one-time $9.99 e-book publishing fee.
Blurb is usually best for those who are doing color intensive books or books such as CookBooks or Children’s Books. Authors can choose from design templates using Blurb’s Bookify tool or find more options with the downloadable application BookSmart. Royalties are 80% of list priceless the