What Are the Best Self-Publishing Platforms for Indie Authors?

There is no single best platform, and most authors don't pick just one. The usual setup has three parts: Amazon KDP for the Kindle and Amazon print editions; a route to the other ebook stores, either direct (Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play) or through an aggregator (Draft2Digital, PublishDrive); and IngramSpark if you want print in bookshops and libraries. Three questions decide your version of it: do you want Kindle Unlimited, do you need bookshops, and how much admin will you take on?

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The longer version

The platforms side by side

These are the nine platforms in the AuthorAZ Publishing Database. Every figure below is quoted from its record, with its source and the date it was last checked.

Question 1: do you want Kindle Unlimited?

This decides the rest, so answer it first.

Kindle Unlimited income comes through KDP Select, and Select is exclusive. Each term lasts 90 days, renewing automatically unless you opt out, and during it there can be no digital distribution of the book anywhere else, including your own website or blog; print is unaffected.

• If yes: the ebook lives on KDP alone and the other ebook platforms are off the table for that title. You can still print anywhere.
• If no: you are going wide, and every platform in the table is open to you.

The choice is per title, not per account. See Should indie authors use KDP Select?

Question 2: do you need bookshops and libraries?

KDP prints for Amazon well. Bookshops and libraries order through wholesalers, and that is where IngramSpark comes in: it reaches over 40,000 bookstores, online stores, libraries, schools and ebook retailers.

Being orderable is not the same as being stocked. Shops expect trade terms; IngramSpark advises 53% to 55% with returns enabled for the widest availability, and returns can be charged back to you. Most authors therefore use KDP for the Amazon print edition and IngramSpark for everywhere else. See KDP vs IngramSpark and Should I make my book returnable on IngramSpark?

If your readers buy online and you have no plan for bookshop events or library sales, KDP print alone is a reasonable start.

Question 3: how much admin will you take on?

Going wide means reaching Apple, Kobo, Google Play and the rest, and there are two ways to do it.

Direct. A separate account at each store. You keep the store's full rate and get each store's own promotional tools, which is where wide authors find traction. The cost is more dashboards, more contracts and more payment thresholds.

Through an aggregator. One upload reaches many stores, and the aggregator takes its share:

• Draft2Digital keeps about 10% of retail, taken after the retailer’s own cut, and charges $20 one-off activation, then $12 a year unless you earn $100+.
• PublishDrive charges a monthly subscription instead of a sales cut, from about $13.99/month, plus a limited free plan, which means 0% commission on paid plans — you keep 100% of the store royalties and set your own prices.

A commission costs most when you sell a lot, and a subscription costs most when you sell little. Run your own numbers in PublishDrive vs Draft2Digital.

The common compromise is to go direct to the two or three stores that sell your genre and use an aggregator for the long tail. See Should I publish direct or use an aggregator?

Which platform suits which author

• Box sets and higher-priced ebooks. Amazon's higher ebook rate applies only within $2.99–$12.99. Kobo's upper limit on its higher rate: none — every price from the threshold up earns 70%, however high. Apple pays 70% of list price on every ebook, with no price bands. A bundle priced above Amazon's band earns more per copy on those two stores.
• Authors worried about AI training. Kobo's position: works are excluded by the terms — Kobo agrees that works will not be used to train generative AI. PublishDrive's: the terms state your content is not used for AI training or shared with third parties to train their models. See Do publishing platforms train AI on my book?
• Wide authors who still want Amazon in one place. PublishDrive's Amazon channel is available without an invitation, for ebook and print-on-demand, while Draft2Digital's is by invitation only. Most Draft2Digital authors publish the Kindle edition through KDP directly.
• Children's and colour books. On KDP a colour paperback needs 24 pages in premium colour, but 72 in the cheaper standard colour. For hardcovers, IngramSpark offers Premium and Ultra-Premium colour, both of which IngramSpark describes as ideal for children's books. See How do I self-publish a children's book?
• Authors watching cash flow. Payment terms differ more than royalty rates do. IngramSpark pays 90 days after the end of the month of sale. Kobo's threshold is $50, paid within 45 days of the month end. Google's is $100 — Google is not obliged to pay while the earned balance sits below it. PublishDrive pays a single monthly payout about a month after the earnings report, with a $5 minimum. B&N Press pays once $25 has accrued, about 30 days after the end of the month of sale, and Lulu pays monthly by electronic payment once $20 has accrued, or quarterly by cheque from $75.

Decide your ISBN plan before you upload

Which platforms you use decides how many ISBNs you need, and some of these choices cannot be undone later:

• KDP's free ISBN is offered for paperback and hardcover only, registered to “Independently published”, and it can't be used with another printer.
• On Apple an ISBN must be supplied with the initial submission — it cannot be added to a title later.
• On Google Play an ISBN is not required; a book without one gets a GGKEY identifier used only inside Google.
• Kobo offers no free ISBN; Kobo assigns an internal identifier that partner stores will not accept.
• B&N Press's free ISBN is for print only, and usable only on B&N Press, and your own ISBN is accepted only if it has never been submitted to another retailer, bn.com included.
• Lulu's ISBN is free for Global Distribution, with Lulu.com named as publisher of record.

If you plan to go wide in print, buy your own ISBNs from the start. See KDP ISBN vs your own ISBN

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Common exceptions

• Platforms not covered here. This comparison covers only the platforms recorded in the Publishing Database, so we make no claims about any others.
• Audiobooks are a separate decision. These are ebook and print platforms. See Should my audiobook be exclusive to ACX?
• Apple's price parity reaches other stores. On Apple, you must drop your Apple price to match a cheaper store within two days of noticing it, so a discount elsewhere can oblige you to discount on Apple too.
• Don't publish one title both direct and through an aggregator to the same store. It creates duplicate listings that split reviews and rankings.
• Rates change. Every figure here is quoted from the Publishing Database with its verification date. Check the platform's current terms before setting a price.

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Related questions

• Should I publish direct or use an aggregator?
• KDP vs IngramSpark: what is the difference?
• PublishDrive vs Draft2Digital: subscription or commission?
• How much do Apple, Kobo and Google pay per ebook?
• Can I publish on Amazon and other stores at the same time?

Sources

• Amazon KDP Help: ebook and print royalties, KDP Select terms and ISBNs.
• Apple: eBook Agency/Commissionaire Distribution Agreement and Apple Books for Authors.
• Rakuten Kobo: Kobo Writing Life Terms of Service and earnings help pages.
• Google: Google Books and Google Play Books Agreement, and Partner Center help.
• IngramSpark: Publisher Compensation and Distribution terms, and returns documentation.
• Draft2Digital and PublishDrive: pricing, terms and distribution documentation.
• Barnes & Noble Press: Author Membership Agreement, Royalty and Payment Terms, and help centre.
• Lulu: Membership Agreement and Terms of Use, and knowledge base.

Every figure is quoted from the AuthorAZ Publishing Database. Platform facts verified between 4 September and 21 October 2026; each record carries its own date.