Openai/6929d771-fc30-8010-ba46-601b29411176

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gpt-5

User: Need all platforms I can also publish just my ebook besides Amazon KDP

Need all platforms I can also publish just my ebook besides Amazon KDP

Assistant: Got it — you want all the other major platforms besides Amazon KDP where you can self-publish and sell your ebook.

Got it — you want all the other major platforms (besides Amazon KDP) where you can self-publish and sell your ebook. Here’s a breakdown of the main options:

These let you upload your ebook directly and sell to their audience:

• Apple Books (via Apple Books for Authors or an aggregator like Draft2Digital if you’re not on Mac)
• Barnes & Noble Press (reaches Nook readers)
• Kobo Writing Life (popular in Canada, Europe, Asia; integrates with Walmart in the U.S.)
• Google Play Books
• Smashwords (merged into Draft2Digital, but still a huge distribution network for indie ebooks)

Aggregators distribute your ebook to multiple retailers & libraries at once:

• Draft2Digital (D2D) (Apple, B&N, Kobo, libraries, etc.)
• PublishDrive (global, with subscription pricing model)
• StreetLib (good for international markets, especially Latin America & Europe)
• BookBaby (distribution + print + services, but fees apply)

Great for exposure, royalties vary:

• Scribd
• OverDrive / Libby (library system, via Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, or StreetLib)
• Hoopla (library service, via aggregators)
• Bibliotheca

If you want paperback alongside ebooks:

• IngramSpark (wide print distribution + ebook option)
• Lulu (print-on-demand + ebook distribution)
• Blurb (strong for illustrated/photographic books, plus ebook distribution)

Sell directly without retailers taking a big cut:

• Gumroad (sell PDFs/ebooks directly to readers)
• Payhip (ebook sales with built-in storefront & VAT handling)
• Sellfy
• Ko-fi / Patreon (great for serials, bonus chapters, early access)
• Substack (newsletter + ebook sales for your audience)

✅ Pro Tip: Many authors combine platforms — e.g., KDP for Amazon (since it’s dominant), then Draft2Digital for “everywhere else,” plus Gumroad/Payhip for direct sales at higher royalties.

Do you want me to create a side-by-side comparison table (fees, royalties, reach, best use cases) so you can easily decide which mix of platforms works best?

User: Actually if you are published with ebook, paperback and hardback through Amazon isn’t it true you can only sell your e…

Actually if you are published with ebook, paperback and hardback through Amazon isn’t it true you can only sell your ebook only in other places

Assistant: Great question — this comes down to Amazon’s exclusivity rules.

Great question — this comes down to Amazon’s exclusivity rules. Here’s how it works:

- Standard KDP (non-exclusive) - If you just publish your ebook, paperback, and hardback on Amazon KDP without enrolling in KDP Select, you’re free to sell your ebook, paperback, and hardback anywhere else (Apple, B&N, Kobo, IngramSpark, etc.). - Amazon has no exclusivity requirement by default.

• KDP Select (exclusive program for ebooks) - If you enroll your ebook in KDP Select (to access Kindle Unlimited and the 70% royalty in certain countries), you must keep the ebook exclusive to Amazon for the 90-day term. - You cannot distribute that ebook to Apple, Kobo, Google Play, etc. while it’s enrolled. - Print editions (paperback & hardcover) are never exclusive — you can publish those anywhere (IngramSpark, B&N Press, Lulu, etc.), even while your ebook is Amazon-exclusive.

✅ So the key point:

• If you choose KDP Select, your ebook is locked to Amazon only.
• If you don’t choose KDP Select, you can sell your ebook, paperback, and hardback anywhere else.

Would you like me to draft a decision flowchart that shows when to go exclusive vs. wide, depending on your goals (like maximizing royalties, reaching global markets, or building direct reader sales)?

User: Yes

Yes

Assistant: Perfect — here’s a clear decision flowchart you can use when deciding between Amazon exclusivity KDP Select and “wide” …

Perfect — here’s a clear decision flowchart you can use when deciding between Amazon exclusivity (KDP Select) and “wide” distribution (multiple platforms):

📊 Ebook Publishing Flowchart

Step 1: What’s your main goal?

➡️ Maximize royalties from Amazon readers  ⤷ Consider KDP Select (ebook exclusive to Amazon).

• Benefits: Kindle Unlimited (KU) page reads, 70% royalty in some regions, extra promo tools (Countdown Deals, Free Promotions).
• Limitation: Can’t publish ebook on Apple, Kobo, Google Play, etc. for 90 days at a time.
• Paperback/Hardback: Free to publish elsewhere.

➡️ Reach the widest audience worldwide  ⤷ Go wide (non-exclusive).

• Use Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, or direct upload to Apple, Kobo, Google, B&N.
• You miss out on KU, but gain exposure in multiple ecosystems, plus libraries.
• Easier to build a long-term author brand outside Amazon.

➡️ Build a direct relationship with readers  ⤷ Go wide + direct sales.

• Sell ebooks via Gumroad, Payhip, or your own site (highest royalties, keep emails).
• Still list on Amazon and major retailers for visibility.

📚 Paperbacks & Hardbacks

• Always non-exclusive on Amazon — you can publish print with IngramSpark, Lulu, B&N Press at the same time.
• Many authors use Amazon for cheap printing + IngramSpark for bookstore/library reach.

⚖️ Quick Summary

• Choose KDP Select (exclusive) if:  ✔ You want Kindle Unlimited readers (big in romance, litRPG, genre fiction).  ✔ Amazon sales are 90%+ of your audience.  ✔ You want Amazon promo tools.
• Choose Wide if:  ✔ You want to reach global readers (Apple, Kobo, Google Play, libraries).  ✔ You’re building a long-term brand, not just chasing KU page reads.  ✔ You want direct sales & control over pricing.

👉 Do you want me to actually draw this as a visual flowchart graphic so you can use it in your publishing notes (or even as a quick-reference guide)?

User: I need more information on costs if any to publish my paperback and hardback on Ingram spark.

I need more information on costs if any to publish my paperback and hardback on Ingram spark. After I buy my own ISBN and re-compile so it’s on my copyright page do up just include that number like on an email for Ingram Spark to use when I sell on their print on demand.

Assistant: Good questions — yes, there are costs or at least trade-offs to publishing paperbacks and hardbacks via IngramSpark, bu…

Good questions — yes, there are costs (or at least trade-offs) to publishing paperbacks and hardbacks via IngramSpark, but it’s more nuanced now than it used to be. And yes, if you own your ISBN, you can use that with IngramSpark. Let me break it down in two parts: costs & fees and using your own ISBN / metadata setup.

💸 Costs & Fees with IngramSpark

Here’s what to expect as of the most recent IngramSpark policies and community updates:

| Type of cost / fee | Status / amount | Notes / caveats | | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Account setup / title setup | Free now | In May 2023, IngramSpark removed the title setup fee for new books. Reddit +3 IngramSpark +3 IngramSpark +3 | | Revision (“make changes after publishing”) | Free window + paid afterward | You get a 60-day free revision window from your book’s first production date. After that, changes (cover, interior) may incur revision fees. On The Cobblestone Road +3 Reddit +3 IngramSpark +3 | | Print cost / manufacturing | Varies by size, pages, color, binding etc. | You pay the printing cost whenever a copy is sold (or when you order author copies). Use IngramSpark’s “Print & Ship” / “Publisher Compensation” calculators to estimate costs. AuthorImprints +4 IngramSpark +4 IngramSpark +4 | | Distribution / “market access” / wholesale discount | ~1% of list price (for wide distribution) | As of a recent policy change, IngramSpark introduced a 1% market access fee applied on distributed sales (i.e. through their global wholesale / retail network). On The Cobblestone Road +1 | | Returns handling | Depends on how you set return policies | If retailers return unsold copies, you either pay for return shipping + wholesale refund or choose “destroy returns” option. In the U.S., return handling may cost ~$3 + wholesale cost if you have returned books mailed to you. AuthorImprints +2 IngramSpark +2 | | Shipping / fulfillment | You or the system pays shipping cost | When you (or a buyer) orders a printed copy, there’s a shipping / handling charge. That’s part of the cost you or the buyer bears. IngramSpark +2 AuthorImprints +2 |

Example / ballpark numbers

• A 200-page black-and-white paperback might cost ~ US$4.00+ to print (depending on trim size, paper, etc.).
• If you set a standard 55% wholesale discount (so retailers buy at 45% of list price), your royalty is: List Price – (wholesale discount) – printing cost. Blue Paper Technology
• Because of the 1% market access fee, for each distributed sale, you’ll lose an extra 1% of the list price from your royalty pool.

So the more expensive your book (or the higher your discount), the more that 1% eats into your margin.

Also, returns are real: if a bookstore orders 100 copies and returns 20 unsold, you may need to refund them (or pay for their return), which reduces your effective earnings. Blue Paper Technology

📖 Using Your Own ISBN & Metadata for IngramSpark

Yes — if you buy your own ISBN, you can include that in your book’s copyright page, and you can supply that ISBN to IngramSpark in their setup process. Here’s how it typically works:

• IngramSpark requires (for distribution) that each format (paperback, hardcover, etc.) has its own ISBN. IngramSpark
• In your setup (metadata) you’ll enter your ISBN for the format (e.g. your paperback ISBN, your hardcover ISBN).
• On your copyright page in your interior file, you should list your ISBN in the standard way (e.g. “ISBN 978-1-2345-6789-X”) for that edition.
• When IngramSpark publishes your book, they’ll use that ISBN for that edition in their distribution metadata.

So yes: after you compile your interior + cover with your ISBN correctly shown, you just provide that metadata in IngramSpark and they’ll use it when distributing.

One caveat: make sure your ISBN is registered correctly (you own it) and that you don’t accidentally assign another ISBN in IngramSpark or allow them to provide a free/assigned one (unless you intend that).

If you like, I can run cost estimates (print cost, royalty, net revenue) for your specific book dimensions (say ~200 pages, 6×9 trim, black & white) using IngramSpark’s current rates so you see a real example. Do you want me to do that?