My personal favourite online self-publishing platform is called Draft2Digital. It’s essentially a one-stop ebook distribution hub. I’m extremely picky about publishing platforms because you have to be very careful about not getting scammed as an indie author online, so companies that prove their integrity to me truly earn my respect. There are several things that make them stand out. |
If you’re the kind of person that would rather avoid having a middle man and likes to do a ton of work finding the dozens of ebook platforms available and setting up accounts with them and managing those accounts individually and tailoring your ebook to their specific requirements, knock yourself out. But the reality is that outside of Amazon your ebook sales on other platforms probably aren’t going to be worth writing home about. Personally, I can’t be bothered with all the work and trying to keep track of everything, so the small cut D2D takes is paltry compared to the huge value I get out of using their services. Plus, they never charge for their ebook conversion or distribution services, making changes or updates to your book, and they don’t try to spam you with any sales pitches.
Which leads to some other things that make them stand out: broad reach. D2D will distribute your ebooks to pretty much every ebook platform you can imagine, including the big ones like Barnes and Noble, Apple’s iBooks, Kobo, and yes, Amazon (though I would recommend that you do your own Amazon distribution, set up your own account, and get your full royalties there—and keep in mind that if you do so, you need to be careful not to accidentally select the Amazon box on D2D because you can’t have competing accounts distributing your book on Amazon). But they also distribute to a variety of ebook subscription sites, smaller-scale and lesser-known platforms, and even libraries. They’re constantly expanding their reach and services. All of this from one account and at the click of a button.
And of course (as should be standard with any reputable publishing platform) you completely retain the rights to your books and can remove your books from the site at any time. You control your book, your description and categories, your price, and where your book is distributed (and you can selectively delist your book from any or all platforms whenever you desire). The site and account is extremely easy to navigate, clean, and offers an easy-to-read reporting system to track your sales. |
Finally—especially valuable for new authors—D2D has exceptional customer service. I’m talking about real people you can write to who will answer your questions. They’ve helped me through more than a few issues with CreateSpace in the past that were really not their problem at all, and more than anything that’s why they’ve earned my loyalty.
So if you’re willing and able to navigate the tumultuous waters of ebook platforms alone, by all means do so. But if you’re looking for an easier way of getting your ebook out there without having to worry about keeping a hundred accounts organized and updated, Draft2Digital is probably the best option in the market right now and one that I always recommend to my authors.
Here’s a referral link to their site: https://www.draft2digital.com/r/V5Qn4q