How do I choose between KDP, IngramSpark, and Draft2Digital?
- KDP is Amazon's own platform — best reach and margins on Amazon.
- IngramSpark reaches bookstores and libraries through wide print distribution.
- Draft2Digital distributes ebooks to many non-Amazon retailers at once.
- They are not exclusive — a common setup combines them.
- The right choice depends on print vs ebook and Amazon vs wide.
Choose by what each does best. KDP gives you the strongest reach and royalties on Amazon for both ebook and print. IngramSpark provides true wide print distribution into bookstores and libraries that KDP cannot. Draft2Digital pushes your ebook to Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and more from one dashboard. Many authors combine them — KDP for Amazon, IngramSpark for print elsewhere, D2D for wide ebook — rather than picking just one.
Chapter i·Why it matters
New self-publishers often treat this as an either/or and miss reach as a result — going KDP-only leaves bookstore and library print sales on the table, while ignoring KDP sacrifices the largest book market. Understanding that these platforms serve different channels lets you build a distribution setup that matches your goals instead of accepting whichever one you happened to start with.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Your priority: Amazon reach, wide reach, or both.
- Print needs: Amazon-only (KDP) vs bookstore/library (IngramSpark).
- Ebook needs: Amazon (KDP) vs wide retailers (Draft2Digital).
- Royalty and cost differences per platform.
- Whether KDP Select exclusivity fits your plan.
- A combined setup if you want both channels.
Chapter iii·Example
An author wants Amazon sales plus bookstore availability. She publishes her ebook and Amazon print through KDP, uses IngramSpark for print distribution to bookstores and libraries, and adds Draft2Digital to reach Apple and Kobo. One book, three platforms, each doing the job it is best at.
WriteLoom's Sell studio tracks every platform and edition in one place, so a multi-channel distribution setup stays organized.
See the Sell studio