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The best self-publishing platforms, compared

Choosing where to publish feels like a big decision, and every platform says it’s the best. The good news is that you don’t have to pick just one, and the right mix is simpler than it looks.

The best self-publishing platforms for most authors are Amazon KDP for Amazon, IngramSpark for bookstores and libraries, and either Draft2Digital or the stores directly for ebooks everywhere else. All three are free to use. This guide compares every major platform side by side, with their 2026 royalties, costs and the kinds of books each one suits.

The short version

Amazon KDP: reach Amazon readers, in ebook, paperback and hardcover
IngramSpark: reach bookstores and libraries in print
Draft2Digital: send your ebook to many stores at once
Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo, Apple Books: sell your ebook directly in each store
Lulu and Blurb: special formats, photo books and art books

Compare the platforms Which platform for my book?

Written by the AuthorWings publishing team, who set up books on these platforms for self-publishing authors.

Self-publishing platforms at a glance

Every online self-publishing platform below is free to join. You pay only printing costs, which come out of each print sale, and any help you choose to hire.

Self-publishing platforms compared
Platform	What it sells	Ebook royalty	Print royalty	Best for
Amazon KDP	Ebook, paperback, hardcover on Amazon	70% at $2.99 to $12.99, otherwise 35%	60% of list price at $9.99 and up, 50% below, minus printing	Every author, as the starting point
IngramSpark	Paperback and hardcover to bookstores and libraries, plus ebooks	85% of what IngramSpark receives from each store	Set by your list price and wholesale discount, minus printing and a 1.875% fee	Bookstores, libraries and hardcovers
Barnes & Noble Press	Ebook, paperback, hardcover on BN.com	70%	55% of list price, minus printing, with a $14.99 minimum print price	Reaching Barnes & Noble shoppers
Kobo Writing Life	Ebook on Kobo worldwide	70% at $2.99 and up, 45% below	No print	Readers outside the US
Apple Books	Ebook on Apple devices	70% at any price	No print	Apple readers
Google Play Books	Ebook on Google Play	Varies, so check the current rate	No print	Android readers
Draft2Digital	Ebook to many stores and library apps at once	The store’s royalty, minus about 10% of the retail price	Paperback only, about 45% of list price minus printing	One upload to sell your ebook in many stores
Lulu	Print books, special formats, its own bookstore	You keep 90% of the profit	You keep 80% of the profit after printing and fees	Workbooks, coil-bound and specialty books
Blurb	Photo books, art books, magazines	Limited	In the Blurb Bookstore, you add your markup to the printing cost and keep 100% of it	Photographers and artists

Amazon KDP

What it sells: Ebook, paperback, hardcover on Amazon
Ebook royalty: 70% at $2.99 to $12.99, otherwise 35%
Print royalty: 60% of list price at $9.99 and up, 50% below, minus printing
Best for: Every author, as the starting point

IngramSpark

What it sells: Paperback and hardcover to bookstores and libraries, plus ebooks
Ebook royalty: 85% of what IngramSpark receives from each store
Print royalty: Set by your list price and wholesale discount, minus printing and a 1.875% fee
Best for: Bookstores, libraries and hardcovers

Barnes & Noble Press

What it sells: Ebook, paperback, hardcover on BN.com
Ebook royalty: 70%
Print royalty: 55% of list price, minus printing, with a $14.99 minimum print price
Best for: Reaching Barnes & Noble shoppers

Kobo Writing Life

What it sells: Ebook on Kobo worldwide
Ebook royalty: 70% at $2.99 and up, 45% below
Print royalty: No print
Best for: Readers outside the US

Apple Books

What it sells: Ebook on Apple devices
Ebook royalty: 70% at any price
Print royalty: No print
Best for: Apple readers

Google Play Books

What it sells: Ebook on Google Play
Ebook royalty: Varies, so check the current rate
Print royalty: No print
Best for: Android readers

Draft2Digital

What it sells: Ebook to many stores and library apps at once
Ebook royalty: The store’s royalty, minus about 10% of the retail price
Print royalty: Paperback only, about 45% of list price minus printing
Best for: One upload to sell your ebook in many stores

Lulu

What it sells: Print books, special formats, its own bookstore
Ebook royalty: You keep 90% of the profit
Print royalty: You keep 80% of the profit after printing and fees
Best for: Workbooks, coil-bound and specialty books

Blurb

What it sells: Photo books, art books, magazines
Ebook royalty: Limited
Print royalty: In the Blurb Bookstore, you add your markup to the printing cost and keep 100% of it
Best for: Photographers and artists

We checked these rates against each platform’s help pages in September 2026. Platforms change their terms, so confirm on each one before you publish.

Amazon KDP

Amazon’s free platform is where many self-published books start, because Amazon sells most of the ebooks bought in the US and a large share of print books.

Sells: Kindle ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers on Amazon stores worldwide.
Earnings: 70% on ebooks from $2.99 to $12.99, and 60% on print books at $9.99 and up, minus printing.
Strengths: The biggest audience, Kindle Unlimited through KDP Select, and free tools such as Kindle Create.
Limits: Fewer hardcover sizes, and its print books rarely reach bookstores.

See every step in our guide on how to self-publish on Amazon.

IngramSpark

IngramSpark self-publishing runs through Ingram, the book distributor that bookstores and libraries order from.

Sells: Paperbacks and hardcovers to more than 45,000 retailers and libraries, plus ebooks.
Earnings: Your list price, minus the wholesale discount you offer stores, often 40% to 55%, minus printing and a 1.875% market access fee.
Strengths: Bookstore and library reach, many hardcover sizes, and free title setup.
Limits: Lower earnings per copy than KDP on Amazon sales, so many authors use it alongside KDP.

Barnes & Noble Press

Barnes & Noble self-publishing runs through B&N Press, its free platform for BN.com and the Nook app.

Sells: Ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers on BN.com and in the Nook app.
Earnings: 70% on ebooks, and 55% of the list price minus printing on print books.
New in 2026: Since April 22, 2026, print books on B&N Press must be priced at $14.99 or more, and lower-priced listings were removed from sale in May.
Strengths: A large US audience outside Amazon, with no exclusivity.
Limits: The $14.99 minimum can be too high for short books, and sales are smaller than on Amazon.

Kobo, Apple Books and Google Play Books

These three sell ebooks directly, with no print option. Publishing with each one yourself keeps a little more per sale than using a distributor.

Kobo self-publishing runs through Kobo Writing Life, which pays 70% on ebooks priced $2.99 and up, 45% below. Strong in Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia.

Apple Books: 70% at any price, including low-priced first books in a series. Reaches readers on iPhones, iPads and Macs.

Google Play Books self-publishing reaches Android readers worldwide. Its royalty terms vary, so check the current rate before you price.

Draft2Digital and Smashwords

Draft2Digital sends your ebook to many stores and library apps from one upload. Smashwords merged into Draft2Digital in 2022.

Sells: Ebooks to Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, library apps and more, plus black-and-white paperbacks.
Earnings: Each store’s royalty, minus about 10% of the retail price, which Draft2Digital keeps.
Strengths: One dashboard for going wide, free formatting tools and library reach.
Limits: You earn slightly less than going to each store directly, and print is limited to black-and-white paperbacks.

Lulu and Blurb

These two suit books that need special formats or premium printing.

Lulu self-publishing is free, with coil-bound, hardcover and workbook formats and its own online bookstore. On print, you keep 80% of the profit after printing and distribution fees, and 90% on ebooks. Sales through Lulu’s own bookstore pay more, because there are no distribution fees. Lulu also lists books with more than 40,000 online retailers and libraries, including Amazon and Ingram.

Blurb self-publishing is built for photo books, art books and magazines, with premium paper. In the Blurb Bookstore, you add your markup to the printing cost and keep 100% of it. Printing usually costs more than on KDP.

Which self-publishing platform is best for your book?

The right mix depends on your book and where your readers shop.

Novel or seriesKDP (often with KDP Select), then Draft2Digital or the stores directly if you go wide

Nonfiction or business bookKDP plus IngramSpark, so bookstores and event venues can order it

Picture bookKDP paperback plus an IngramSpark hardcover for bookstores and libraries

Photo or art bookBlurb or Lulu for premium printing, plus KDP for Amazon reach

Workbook or journalLulu for coil binding, or KDP for a standard paperback

Book for a local audienceKDP plus B&N Press, and author copies for events

For picture books, see how to publish a children’s book. For photo books and cookbooks, see specialty book publishing.

Exclusive to Amazon, or wide?

Your ebook can be exclusive to Amazon through KDP Select, which puts it in Kindle Unlimited, or “wide,” which means sold on every platform above. Print books are never exclusive. Many fiction authors start exclusive, while nonfiction authors and anyone who wants library readers often go wide. See how to decide in our guide on how to self-publish a book.

Which platforms give you a free ISBN?

Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital and Lulu give you a free ISBN, but each one works only on the platform that issued it. An ISBN identifies one format of your book, such as the paperback or the hardcover.

Free ISBNs by platform
Platform	Free ISBN	When you need one
Amazon KDP	Yes, for print, usable only on KDP	Print books. Ebooks don’t need one
IngramSpark	Yes, for US authors, usable only through IngramSpark	Every format
Draft2Digital	Yes, usable only through Draft2Digital, which is then listed as the publisher	Optional for ebooks
Barnes & Noble Press	Bring your own (recommended)	Print books
Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play Books	Not needed	Not needed for ebooks, though Kobo can’t send a book without one to all its partner stores
Lulu	Yes, for print	Print books

If you plan to sell the same print edition on more than one platform, buy your own ISBN. In the US, Bowker sells one for $125 or 10 for $295, and your own publisher name appears on every listing.

How and when each platform pays you

Most platforms pay monthly, between 45 and 90 days after the month of the sale, and some hold your money until you reach a minimum.

How each platform pays
Platform	When you’re paid	Minimum payment
Amazon KDP	About 60 days after the end of the month of the sale	None for direct deposit
IngramSpark	About 90 days after the end of the month of the sale	Depends on the payment method
Kobo Writing Life	45 days after the end of the month of the sale	CAD $50
Barnes & Noble Press	Monthly, by direct deposit	$25
Draft2Digital	Monthly	Depends on the payment method
Lulu	Monthly	Check your account
Blurb	Monthly, for bookstore sales. Sales through Ingram can take up to four months	$25

For Apple Books and Google Play Books, check each dashboard for timing and minimums. We checked the ISBN, payment and audiobook terms on this page against each platform’s help pages in September 2026. On every platform, complete the tax information first, or your payments can be held or taxed at a higher rate.

Print cost and quality compared

Printing comes out of every print sale, so a lower print cost means more money per copy.

Usually the lowest

Amazon KDP is usually the cheapest for a standard paperback. A black-and-white paperback of 110 pages or more costs $1.00 plus $0.012 per page on Amazon.com, so a 200-page book costs $3.40.

Close to KDP

IngramSpark is close to KDP for standard paperbacks, with more paper, color and hardcover options.

55% minus printing

Barnes & Noble Press prints paperbacks and hardcovers, with the printing cost taken out of its 55% royalty.

Higher, special bindings

Lulu costs more per copy but offers special bindings, such as coil.

Usually the highest

Blurb offers premium paper and color for photo books, usually at the highest cost.

Before you set a price, run your page count and trim size through each platform’s free print calculator. Order a proof from every platform you use, because paper and color can vary.

Audiobook self-publishing platforms

The main audiobook self-publishing platforms are ACX for Audible, Voices by INaudio for more than 40 other stores, and Spotify for Authors. Audiobooks are published separately from ebooks and print books.

ACX is Amazon’s audiobook platform for Audible, Amazon and Apple Books. For titles set up since May 26, 2026, sales earn 50% if exclusive to those stores or 30% if not, up from 40% and 25%, and membership listens are paid through a new pooled system.

Voices by INaudio, formerly Findaway Voices, has been independent since August 2025. It sends audiobooks to more than 40 stores and library platforms, pays about 80% of what it receives and needs no exclusivity.

Spotify for Authors is Spotify’s own portal for uploading audiobooks directly.

Many authors use ACX without exclusivity for Audible, plus Voices by INaudio for everything else. We produce audiobooks from $899 as a publishing add-on.

How to get your book into libraries

To get your book into libraries, list the ebook with Draft2Digital, the print book with IngramSpark and the audiobook with Voices by INaudio. Libraries buy each format through a different route.

Ebooks: Draft2Digital sends ebooks to library apps such as OverDrive and Hoopla, where libraries can buy or license them. Ebooks in KDP Select can’t be offered to libraries, because Select is exclusive to Amazon.

Print books: libraries order print books through Ingram, so an IngramSpark listing is how they find yours. Baker & Taylor, long a major library supplier, closed in early 2026.

Audiobooks: Voices by INaudio reaches library audio platforms.

Help a library say yes: a professional cover, reviews and readers who ask their library to order the book all make a difference.

Selling direct from your own website

You can also sell from your own website, alongside the platforms.

You keep more per sale, because no store takes a share, but you handle payment, delivery and customer questions.
Ebooks can be delivered as a download. Some print platforms can print and ship orders from your own store. Lulu, for example, connects to Shopify, Wix and WooCommerce stores and prints and ships each order.
It works best once readers come to you directly, through an email list or events.
KDP Select ebooks can’t be sold direct, because Select requires exclusivity.

Free platforms vs paying a company to publish

Everything above is a platform: a free tool you upload your own files to, where you keep your rights and royalties. A paid publishing service is different. You pay a company to prepare and publish your book, and the terms vary a great deal.

Does Simon & Schuster offer self-publishing?

Not directly. Searches for Simon & Schuster self-publishing lead to Archway Publishing, a paid package service created by Simon & Schuster with a company called Author Solutions. Archway’s own FAQ says it isn’t a Simon & Schuster imprint, meaning one of its own publishing brands, that authors aren’t published by Simon & Schuster, and that its services are provided by Author Solutions, the company behind brands such as AuthorHouse, Xlibris and iUniverse. Read any package contract closely, and compare it with publishing on the free platforms yourself.

Before you pay any publishing service

Ask whether the retail accounts will be in your name.
Check that you keep 100% of your royalties and rights.
Get every price in writing, including what happens if you leave.
Compare the package with what the free platforms and hired freelancers would cost.

At AuthorWings, we set up your book on these same platforms, with every account in your name, every price published and 100% of your royalties yours. See our self-publishing services.

Self-publishing platforms: FAQs

What is the best self-publishing platform?

For most authors, Amazon KDP, because it reaches the most readers and costs nothing. Many authors add IngramSpark for bookstores and libraries, and either Draft2Digital or the stores directly for ebooks outside Amazon. The best mix depends on your book and where your readers shop.

Is Barnes & Noble self-publishing free?

Yes. B&N Press charges nothing to join or publish. It pays 70% on ebooks and 55% of the list price minus printing on print books. Since April 2026, print books must be priced at $14.99 or more, which can make short books hard to sell there.

Is IngramSpark better than KDP?

They do different jobs. KDP pays more on Amazon sales and reaches Amazon’s readers. IngramSpark reaches bookstores and libraries and offers more hardcover sizes. Many authors use both, publishing the same book on each with their own ISBN.

Can I publish on more than one platform?

Yes. Print books can be sold on every platform at once. Your ebook can too, unless you enroll it in KDP Select, which makes it exclusive to Amazon for 90 days at a time. To use the same print edition on several platforms, buy your own ISBN.

Is Lulu good for self-publishing?

Lulu is good for special formats, such as coil-bound workbooks and premium hardcovers, and for selling through its own bookstore. For books sold mainly on Amazon, earnings are usually lower than through KDP, because Lulu’s distribution fees come out before your share.

Which platform is best for ebooks?

The best self-publishing ebook platforms are KDP for Amazon readers, then Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play Books for everyone else. You can publish to each store yourself, or use Draft2Digital to reach them all with one upload, in exchange for about 10% of each sale’s retail price.

Which platform pays the highest royalty?

Per copy, selling direct from your own website usually keeps the most, because no store takes a share. Among stores, most pay 70% on ebooks within their price range. On print, KDP’s 60% on Amazon usually earns more per copy than B&N Press’s 55%, depending on printing cost. Your total earnings depend more on where your readers buy.

Do I need a different ISBN for each platform?

Not if you buy your own. One ISBN per format works on every platform. Free ISBNs are different, because each works only on the platform that issued it, so a book published with free ISBNs on KDP and IngramSpark ends up with two numbers.

Can I switch platforms later?

Yes. You can unpublish from one platform and publish on another, and you keep your rights. Reviews and sales rank don’t move with you, and a free ISBN can’t be reused, so you’ll need a new one. A KDP Select ebook can leave when its 90-day term ends.

Want your book on every platform, set up for you?

We publish your book on Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and more, with every account opened in your name and 100% of your rights and royalties yours. Five ebook stores plus the Amazon paperback start at $549, and adding IngramSpark hardcover, bookstores and libraries starts at $999.

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