Choosing a Publishing Platform

The eBook Market

 When we talk about exclusivity in self-publishing, we are talking solely about the digital version of a book. It has become clear that the digital landscape has changed the way we consume information, with figures suggesting that up to 60% of habitual readers prefer to read information in digital format over a physical copy.

• It is widely acknowledged that Amazon hold the lion's share of eBook sales when you consider markets such as the US and UK. (Recently published information suggests that Amazon's Kindle platform holds 83% of all US eBook sales.)
• Other eBook retailers to consider are Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Between these four retailers, as much as 80% of the market for eBook sales is covered. It's worth a mention that Kobo Plus is a subscription service, which works in a similar fashion to KDP, but has no exclusivity clause.

It is imperative that you consider your target audience when choosing which platform to publish through - if they are located outside of an area covered by your chosen retailer, your audience are not being served. In the case of KDP Select, their exclusivity period is based on a 90 day automatic renewal period, so a mistake here can impact a whole quarter's eBook sales.

With the global eBook sales expected to reach $28.73B by 2028, this is an important decision for the long term.

Going Wide

It's important to understand that going wide does not exclude you from benefiting from distribution networks such as Amazon for physical copies of your books. The only thing going wide will mean in relation to Amazon, is that you will be unable to include your eBook in Kindle Unlimited. You can still have your book available to purchase on the Amazon marketplace. The same is true for other retailers such as Apple Books - you just won't be benefiting from the extras that come with going exclusive with them. 

If you're happy to forfeit those benefits in lieu of hitting a wider market, or your target market is outside of those served by exclusive platforms, then you should consider publishing wide. There are things to be aware of here too, and research will be crucial. Social media groups focusing on these issues will help enormously as you'll be able to ask the prudent questions.

• Which of the Aggregator Publishers are best for eBooks?
• Which have the widest retailer network?
• Which retailers do you specifically want to be working with and do they work with your chosen publisher?
• How does your genre typically do with the retailers in a given network?
• Should you double up and go with multiple platforms?

As mentioned before, there is no right or wrong answer here. You might find benefits in both methods, and trial and error might be the best way for you to decide concretely which is going to work for you long term. Indeed, you may find that after a while, your chosen avenue may no longer be the best fit and you need to rethink. The good news here is that you alway have options. (Outside of needing to wait until the end of a 90 days exclusivity period. Just make sure to uncheck that auto-renew box!)

One of our clients has recently made the leap from Amazon KDP Select, and has instead chosen to explore the wide route. She has been seeing some positive sales trends and is finding that wide is working better for her, in her specific situation. 

Let us know in the comments where you're at in your publishing journey and what is (or isn't) working for you. If you'd like to ask a specific question on this topic, or anything else relating to your journey as an independent author, send us a message.