The indie publishing journey: Choosing a platform

To indie publish your book, you need to use a publishing platform that will get the book into readers’ hands. There are many such platforms out there these days, but how do you choose one? How do they differ from each other? Today’s post explores the most popular publishing platforms and what you should consider when deciding which one to use! →

SERIES CONTENTS

🤷‍♀️ What, why and how | 💰 Business mechanics | 📝 Editors and editing | 📚 Choosing a platform | 📜All things “legal” | 🎨 Designing the book | 📈 Marketing 101 | 🎁 Wrapping up

Key terms to be aware of

One of the questions I often get is: how does indie publishing actually “work”? The short answer is that you need to use a publishing platform that gets your book into the hands of readers. There are several such platforms out there, and this post will take you through the basics. But before we get started, here are a few platform-related terms you should familiarise yourself with:

Retailer: A publishing platform/company that will sell your book through their online store. In some contexts this term is used in relation to ebooks only.

Aggregator: A publishing platform/company that will circulate your book to several retailers at the same time. This term is also used solely in relation to ebooks in some contexts.

Distributor: A company that supplies/sells your book to online booksellers and brick-and-mortar bookstores. This term is generally used for print books only.

Indie publishing platforms

As mentioned above, there are several platforms out there these days that enable you to indie publish your book. Below is an overview of some of the most popular platforms being used by indie authors. Click on the platform logo to go to their website for more information!

PLATFORM	TYPE	FORMATS	NOTES
	Aggregator / distributor	ebook, paperback, hardcover	Best option for reaching brick-and-mortar bookstores
	Retailer*	ebook, paperback, hardcover**	Owned by Amazon; dominates the ebook market
	Aggregator / distributor	ebook, paperback	This platform acquired aggregator Smashwords in 2022
	Retailer	ebook, paperback, hardcover	Almost all sales are made in the US
	Retailer	ebook	Doesn’t require exclusivity
	Aggregator / distributor	ebook, paperback, hardcover	Many support options but high set-up costs

*KDP has an “expanded distribution” option that can sell to other retailers, but many booksellers won’t order books through Amazon; **KDP only publishes case laminate hardcover books, whereas other platforms offer both a case laminate and a jacketed option

Considerations when choosing a platform

It’s important that you thoroughly research the platform(s) you’re interested in before you proceed with publishing. You need to understand what you’re getting yourself into and ensure the platform will address your needs. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of things to think about when choosing a platform:

• What format(s) you want your book published in: Not all platforms publish books in every format. Some only publish ebooks, while others can publish paperbacks and/or different types of hardcovers. So if there’s a format you want your book to be published in, you’ll need to choose a platform that offers that kind of format to its users.

• Where you want your book to be sold: Each platform enables your book to be sold in a different suite of bookstores. If you’re publishing through a retailer (e.g. Barnes & Noble Press), then your book will only be available in their store. If you really want your book to be available in brick-and-mortar stores, you’re best to go with IngramSpark. Also keep an eye on exclusivity requirements: some platforms may require you publish exclusively with them, while others don’t.

• What kind of royalty rates you’re after: All platforms provide different royalty rates to their authors, so make sure you look into how much you’re likely to earn per sale on each platform if this is something that’s important to you. Keep in mind that many platforms pay different royalty rates depending on the price of the book.

• What fees you might need to pay: Every publishing platform also has a different schedule of fees. Some have set-up fees or regular account fees, while others don’t, and these can change over time. It’s vital you understand what fees you may have to pay for using each publishing platform so you’re never caught off guard by an unexpected bill!

• The level of support you require: Taking your finished manuscript and converting it to a publishable format can be finicky. This is true of both ebooks and hardcopy books. Some platforms provide resources and support services to help you with this. If that’s something you’re interested in, you might want to choose one of these platforms.

• Whereabouts in the world you live: The majority of publishing platforms out there are very much geared towards US users, so it can sometimes become confusing if you live anywhere else in the world. Some platforms have specific US tax treaty requirements if you’re a non-US user. If you’re publishing a hardcopy book and don’t live in the US, try and find out where proof copies of your book will be printed and shipped from, as this influences shipping times and costs.

What platform did you use to indie publish your book? How and why did you choose it? Do you have any tips or comments about choosing a publishing platform?