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
WriteLoom’s Sell studio tracks retailer setup across KDP, IngramSpark, Apple, and Kobo in one place, so you can see your whole distribution footprint at a glance.
See the Sell studio