The Best Self-Publishing Platforms to Publish Your Book!

If you have been looking to self-publish your book but you’re not sure what self-publishing platforms are available or which one to focus on, then keep reading, and we’ll break it down for you!

When it comes to self-publishing your book, there’s a variety of choices and self-publishing platforms available. Self-publishing can be intimidating for any first-time author who has written a book and is looking to take the next step.

Which self-publishing platform should you choose? Luckily, Australian authors self-publishing are spoiled for choice with a wide variety of self-publishing platforms available to choose from.

Which self-publishing platform offers you the best ROI (return on investment), and which self-publishing platform is best for your book? They’re all great questions, and in the following article, a guide to self-publishing platforms, we’ll look at some of the best self-publishing platforms available.

If you’re looking to self-publish your book or manuscript, and you’ve already had it professionally edited and formatted, you’re ready to start uploading. For Australian authors who need any self-publishing help, remember you’re not alone. If you need help with self-publishing services, our experienced team at Author Services Australia is here to help.

Check out this article on How Much Does Self-Publishing Cost? To learn more about the costs associated with self-publishing your book.

The Best Self-Publishing Platforms to Publish Your Book

In no particular order, here are some of the world’s best self-publishing platforms to help you start your career as an Australian self-published author.

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Amazon KDP is one of the most popular and largest self-publishing platforms for Australian and New Zealand authors. Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), owned by Amazon, is one of the largest ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook platforms worldwide. It’s hard to ignore one of the biggest publishing platforms in the world. They also offer a range of e-readers that allow users to download e-books directly to their devices.

According to Statista, Amazon accounts for nearly 90% of ebooks sold in the United States, almost 90% in the United Kingdom, and over 50% in Canada. Whatever way you look at it, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) holds a significant market share in ebook and paperback sales.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited Explained

One of the ways Amazon KDP attracts new authors is with its Kindle Unlimited program. You must grant Amazon KDP exclusive rights to your digital books for Amazon Kindle for a period of 90 days. In exchange, you can take advantage of five free days every 90 days, discount deals, price countdowns, and a share of the Kindle Unlimited author earnings fund, which gives you a certain amount of money for every page read. In exchange, anyone enrolled in Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime can read your ebook for free. It’s like the Netflix version of book lending. It also exposes your book to more readers. It’s a decision you’ll need to weigh up carefully. If you’re planning a broad, multi-platform self-publishing release, it might not be suitable for you. However, it’s something that every author should consider.

What Formats Does Amazon Kindle Accept?

Depending on the price of your book, you’ll get either 35% or 70% royalties on every sale of your ebook. For print titles, the amount you get depends on the cost of printing the book and how much you’re selling it for. When you upload your print book, Amazon will tell you the minimum price you can charge.

Createspace used to be the paperback or POD (print-on-demand) arm of KDP, but now all new titles are managed through the KDP dashboard. Createspace was discontinued almost a decade ago.

Most fiction ebooks on Amazon KDP are now accepted in a reflowable ePub format. However, if you’re self-publishing a children’s book, you’ll need to have it formatted in a fixed-format Mobi file. IngramSpark Publishing accepts ePubs for children’s books, but Amazon KDP has not yet transitioned to that file format for its illustrated children’s books.

Amazon KDP Offers Paperback, Hardcover, Audio, and Ebook Options to Authors

Paperback and ebook editions will be linked on Amazon Marketplace and available under your Amazon Author Central profile. Check the Complete Guide to Amazon Author Central for Authors to learn more about setting up your Amazon Author Central profile and why it’s so important for authors.

If you want to add an audiobook or a hardcover book, you’ll need to upload it to another platform and publish it to Amazon. After a set period, all versions of your book will be linked. If this doesn’t happen, you can contact the support department and ask them to link them.

To learn more about Amazon KDP, check out our article, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing for Australian Authors: The Complete Guide to Amazon KDP, where we cover everything there is to know about Amazon KDP.

2. Apple iBooks

The next self-publishing platform on our list is Apple iBooks, which Apple owns and operates.

Once upon a time, you needed a Mac and an iTunes account to upload your ebook to iBooks or push your book to Apple iBooks via other sites such as IngramSpark Publishing or Smashwords Publishing. However, anyone can now upload and sell their books on Apple iBooks if they use the correct file format. iBooks is the second-largest e-book retailer in the world, after Amazon, primarily due to Apple’s ongoing promotion of iBooks through applications preloaded on new Apple iPhones and iPads.

iBooks has over 40 country-specific ebook stores that let users download ebooks directly to their iPad, iPhone, or Mac. iBooks allows authors to set their own prices and schedule free promotions and discount offers, and you don’t have to sign any exclusive distribution rights.

Apple iBooks offers all its authors a 70% royalty. To learn more about Apple Books, check out our article, the Australian Authors Guide to Self-Publishing on Apple Books, where we cover everything you need to know about Apple Books.

3. Barnes & Noble Press

Barnes & Noble Press was formerly known as Nook.

They offer a self-publishing platform for authors. They offer both ebook sales and POD options for paperbacks. Books published by Barnes & Noble Press are available only through Barnes & Noble’s physical stores and online platforms.

Depending on what price you set on your book, authors can expect between 40% – 65% royalties when they publish their books via Barnes & Noble Press. One thing to note about Barnes & Noble Press. If you upload your book to IngramSpark Publishing and select its expanded distribution option, IngramSpark will automatically add it to Barnes & Noble.

4. Kobo

Kobo has about 2% of the ebook sales market in the top five English-speaking countries, but over 25% in Canada.

The great thing about Kobo is that it offers authors the opportunity to use its self-publishing platform and also distributes and sells its own range of e-readers and devices. In addition to its own reading platform, Kobo has also partnered with several high-profile book retailers worldwide.

Depending on the size and price of your book, authors can expect to receive between 45% and 70% royalties on their books.

5. IngramSpark Publishing

IngramSpark Publishing is part of the Lightning Source network. Lightning Source is for book publishers only, but IngramSpark Publishing caters to all authors, including self-published Australian and New Zealand authors, and offers a comprehensive self-publishing platform. IngramSpark Publishing distributes its books to some of the world’s biggest retailers, including Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.

One of the great things about IngramSpark Publishing is that not only do they offer hardcover options, but they also offer more trim sizes than Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Hardcovers are available only in limited trim sizes and without the dust jacket options IngramSpark offers through its POD program for authors. Check out What Is Print On Demand for Authors? to learn more about what Print On Demand (POD) is and how it assists self-published authors.

If you ever want to see your book in a brick-and-mortar store, the returns option on paperback and hardcover books available through IngramSpark Publishing is a great option.

While IngramSpark Publishing previously charged self-published authors a setup fee and an alteration fee for existing book listings, it recently changed its policy, and the new title setup is now free. Royalties at IngramSpark Publishing depend on your book’s size, quality, printing costs, and distribution rights.

To learn more about IngramSpark Publishing, check out The Complete Guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Australian Authors, where we do a full breakdown of IngramSpark and how to self-publish your book.

6. Smashwords Publishing

For authors only interested in ebook options, Smashwords Publishing might be the best self-publishing platform for you. Smashwords distributes all its ebooks to the biggest retailers, including iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. The format required by Smashwords Publishing can be challenging to master. You also need to upload different formats for the other retailers.

You’ll lose 10% of all sales through Smashwords Publishing, as well as 15% on books that are sold through their list of retailers.

7. BookBaby

BookBaby offers a full suite of author services, including the design and production of your ebook, paperback, or audiobook. In addition to their book services, they have a well-designed bookstore where authors can list their books for sale.

All printed books sold through the BookBaby store will generate a 50% royalty for the author. For other retailers, depending on printing costs, book size, and retail price, authors can expect a royalty of 10%-30%.

Self-Publishing Platform Ebook Cover Size Requirements

If you plan on uploading an ebook to any of the self-publishing platforms above, then check out the cover size requirements table below for useful ebook cover information. To learn more about ebook and paperback book covers, check out The Complete Guide to Book Cover Design for Authors!

Creating your own self-publishing platforms to sell your books!

Authors also have the option to have their books printed and to create their own website platform. You could do this with ebooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, and audiobooks. It’s going to take quite a lot of work. However, at the end of the day, you won’t lose any of your royalty percentage to self-publishing platforms. It will require careful stock management and inventory, and you’ll need to set up your own author website, but it can be well worth it. All it takes is a little hard work.

If you have any questions about the self-publishing process, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

At Author Services Australia, we support Australian and New Zealand self-published authors and writers with a full range of affordable self-publishing services, including ghostwriting, copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, ebook and paperback formatting, book cover design, children’s book illustrations, graphic design services, Amazon KDP Keyword and Category Research, animated book cover reveal videos, beta reading, and social media and marketing.

If you have another self-publishing platform that you believe we should add to our self-publishing platforms list, drop a comment below. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to avoid missing out on any future author news and updates.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed our post on the best self-publishing platforms. If you need any assistance throughout your self-publishing journey, then don’t hesitate to contact us at Author Services Australia.

Our Top Seven List of Self-Publishing Platforms Summary

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Amazon KDP – https://kdp.amazon.com/
               2. Apple iBooks – https://www.apple.com/au/ibooks-author/
               3. Barnes & Noble – https://press.barnesandnoble.com/
               4. Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/
               5. IngramSpark – https://www.ingramspark.com/
               6. Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/
               7. BookBaby – https://www.bookbaby.com/