Choosing the Best Publishing Platform
Understand your main options and choose the platform that fits your goals.
Once your book is ready, the next step is deciding where to publish it.
Each platform offers different benefits depending on your goals — speed, control, distribution, or simplicity.
Amazon KDP (Most Popular Choice)
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is the most widely used platform for self-publishing.
Why authors choose it:
- massive audience
- simple setup
- print and ebook support
- no upfront cost
For many authors, this is the fastest and easiest way to publish.
Expanding Beyond Amazon
Once your book is published on Amazon, you can expand to other platforms to reach a wider audience.
Platforms you can use now
- Kobo – strong international ebook presence
- Apple Books – built into the Apple ecosystem
- Goodreads – useful for visibility and reader engagement (not a publishing platform)
A note on wider distribution
Some platforms offer expanded distribution to bookstores and libraries, such as IngramSpark.
These are typically used later, once your book has gained traction or if you’re aiming for broader physical distribution.
Other Platforms (Optional)
Some platforms allow you to distribute your ebook to multiple stores from a single place, rather than uploading to each one individually.
Common Options:
🔹 Draft2Digital
Draft2Digital is a distribution service that lets you publish your ebook to multiple platforms at once.
What it does well:
- distributes to Apple Books, Kobo, and others
- simple upload process
- automatic formatting tools
- centralized dashboard for updates
Good for:
authors who want a simpler, all-in-one publishing process.
🔹 Smashwords
Smashwords is another distribution platform that offers access to a wide network of ebook retailers and libraries.
What it does well:
- broad distribution network
- access to library systems
- long-established platform
Smashwords has a more manual formatting process compared to newer tools like Draft2Digital.
These platforms don’t require upfront payment — instead, they take a small percentage of your royalties in exchange for distributing your book.
Which One Should You Choose?
The best platform depends on your goals.
If you want simplicity:
→ Amazon KDP
If you want broader distribution:
→ Amazon + Kobo / Apple Books
If you want full control:
→ Own ISBN + multiple platforms
You Can Always Expand Later
Many authors start with Amazon and expand to other platforms over time.
You don’t have to do everything at once.