Self-Publishing: Which Formats & Platform Should You Use?

You should at least format your book for print and eBook. Your print format should be paperback. As an unknown or relatively unknown author it isn’t likely potential readers will pay the extra cost for the hardbound book. I advise starting out with a paperback. If sales warrant it, consider putting out a hardbound edition. 

Creating an audiobook is quite a bit more expensive and time consuming. I’ve been involved in the production of only one audiobook. It wasn’t difficult, but it is a lot of work and you have to pay the reader(s) quite a bit of money. 

The retail market shares for new books are from 2024 Nielsen data:

  • eBooks: Amazon Kindle = 70%; Barnes & Noble Nook = 25%; Apple, Kobo, Google Play = 4%; Everyone else = 1%
  • Print: Amazon = 41%; Independent bookstores = 50%; Everyone else = 9%

Unfortunately, your odds of being on an independent bookstore shelf are extremely low. So, your best play for print is Amazon and either KDP’s expanded distribution or IngramSpark.

KDP

  • KDP is free, including revisions
  • As mentioned in the beginning of this section, it is the biggest market for self-published print, eBook and audiobook categories. You have to be on Amazon.
  • KDP Select is a program for your eBook version. It allows you to get paid when someone borrows your book (Amazon Prime and Amazon Unlimited participants can borrow your book rather than buy it). You, the publisher, get paid based on the number of pages the borrower reads. For some of my clients they make more money some months based on “pages read” than outright sales. The catch: you have to be exclusive on Amazon / KDP for at least 90 days to participate. You can quit after 90 days, but your involvement in KDP Select is for 90 day increments. 
  • When you upload your book to KDP you have the option to select their Expanded Distribution option. This allows your book to be listed in other distributors’ catalogs (for example, Ingram or Baker & Taylor). If you want to participate in expanded distribution you are restricted to certain trim size, print color and paper type combinations. Some clients elect not to be part of this program. You make much less money through this program as the other platforms take their cut. You do much better selling direct to consumers from the Amazon marketplace than you do through orders coming from bookstores or libraries. 

IngramSpark

  • IngramSpark offers better access to bookstores than KDP’s expanded distribution program. Ingram allows you to set a discount level (traditionally 55!) and a return policy that bookstores find acceptable. However, self-published books rarely appear on bookstore shelves. This benefit has to be weighed against the additional costs that Ingram charges.
  • IngramSpark offers far more printing options than KDP or Draft2Digital: cloth bound hardcovers with or without dust jackets, perforated pages, printing on the inside of the covers, 38#, 50# or 79# weight paper, and more.
  • You will make less money. IngramSpark no longer charges a fee to upload books, either print or eBook. However, they do charge a 1% distribution fee on each sale, and a $25 fee for revised file uploads after the first 60 days of publication. Revisions within the first 60 days are free.
  • Beware of the return policy! Bookstores generally insist on a very generous return policy. They can return unsold books, even months later. You can end up owing Ingram more than the royalty you received if the bookstore returns you work. You can read the detail on Ingram’s help page. You have been warned!

You can read all the details of the Ingram return policy here:

https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/making-your-book-returnable

Draft2Digital

  • Draft2Digital (D2D) is best if you want to “go wide” with your eBook distribution as opposed to being part of KDP Select and remaining exclusively on Kindle. You can choose which eBook platforms you want to use.
  • D2D allows you to upload once and they will put your eBook on many different platforms (including Amazon if you don’t want to use KDP!). As of this writing they have agreements with 16 eBook distributors!
  • Your eBook can be included in library platforms like Overdrive (Libby) and Baker & Taylor.
  • If you choose to use D2D you cannot participate in KDP Select. The option to go wide is a genre specific decision. Some genres do well on some of the alternative platforms or foreign platforms. Depending on your genre, you might be better off sticking with KDP. You will have to do some research.
  • I’m not a big fan of D2D for print. You have only 6 trim sizes to choose from and they do not offer any hardbound options. You can upload print revisions once for free every 90 days. If you need to upload a revision sooner than 90 days after the initial publication date or more often it will cost you $25 per upload.
  • You will make less money than going direct to each platform because D2D takes a 10% cut. For example, if you used D2D to put your eBook on Amazon you would earn a 60% royalty as opposed to the 70% royalty KDP gives you on eBooks. In my opinion, it’s best to use KDP for Amazon and D2D for everyone else. The additional work to upload to each of the 15 platforms is worth the 10% fee.


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