What platforms do indie authors use?
- Amazon KDP is the largest single retailer for indie ebooks and print-on-demand.
- IngramSpark handles print and distribution into bookstores and libraries.
- Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble Press cover non-Amazon ebook readers.
- Draft2Digital and PublishDrive are aggregators that push to many stores at once.
- The core choice is "Amazon exclusive (KDP Select)" versus "wide."
Indie authors mainly use Amazon KDP for the largest single audience and print-on-demand, IngramSpark for print and bookstore or library distribution, and Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble Press for non-Amazon ebook readers. Aggregators like Draft2Digital and PublishDrive push a book to many stores from one dashboard. The first strategic choice is Amazon-exclusive (KDP Select) versus going wide.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Platform choice determines reach, royalty rate, and whether a book can appear in bookstores and libraries. Going Amazon-exclusive unlocks Kindle Unlimited but forfeits every other store; going wide trades some Amazon promotion for broader availability. Picking without understanding the tradeoff is how authors lock themselves out of channels they later need.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Amazon KDP: ebook and print-on-demand, largest reach.
- IngramSpark: print distribution into bookstores and libraries.
- Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble Press: direct non-Amazon ebook reach.
- An aggregator (Draft2Digital, PublishDrive) if you want one dashboard.
- A decision: KDP Select exclusivity versus wide distribution.
- A direct-sales option (your own store) for the highest royalty.
Chapter iii·Example
A romance author goes Amazon-exclusive for her first three books to use Kindle Unlimited page reads, then switches to wide for book four — adding Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble through Draft2Digital and ordering print through IngramSpark. The exclusivity built early momentum; going wide later opened library sales she could not reach inside KDP Select.
Chapter iv·Related questions
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