10 Best Self-Publishing Companies For eBook Authors
You’ve put in a lot of time and work to finish your book. You’ve created a fantastic cover for it and are eager to see it published. You’ve taken the first step toward becoming a self-published author.
Because authors have realized the benefits of self-publishing, it has taken the world by storm. Traditional publishing has significant advantages, particularly in terms of the amount of help available with packaging and getting your book market-ready. Self-publishing, on the other hand, gives authors more control over their time, content, and marketing, which a traditional publisher may not be able to deliver.
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What is a Self-Publishing Company?
Each method has a unique publication process. Numerous companies have emerged in the contemporary digital era to give a self-publishing platform that positions writers for a prosperous career. They introduce the author to a large client base, and the author makes money from royalties on book sales.
When considering self-publishing firms for your book, your initial idea may be that you would be dealing with e-book sales only, but the reality is that some of them also provide print-on-demand services.
Even if nearly one in every four books sold in the United States today is an e-book, there is something about having a book in your hand and the fragrance of freshly turned pages that readers crave.
Previously, self-publishing meant being responsible for everything from printing to promoting your book, but self-publishing businesses have significantly simplified the process for authors. Each business is unique, and each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
To help you decide which self-publishing company is best for your self-publishing journey, here are the 10 best self-publishing companies of 2022.
1. MindStir Media
MindStir Media is an award-winning self-publishing company that specializes in helping authors from all walks of life with self-publishing, distribution, and marketing. MindStir Media interacts with hundreds of bestselling and award-winning authors. MindStir Media understands that the best chance for eBook authors to earn money from their work is to collaborate with a publishing partner who is capable of marketing their eBook effectively through well-established distribution networks that reach their intended consumers.
eBook authors who choose to self-publish their work, which is substantially less expensive than the usual printed book approach, and may even be completely free if done independently, will be able to significantly reduce their initial expenditure. However, it is always prudent to partner with a marketing organization that has established PR platforms; this may be the greatest path for eBook authors to adopt in order to continually increase income from sales over time. It is one of the most prudent strategies for eBook authors to earn a consistent income from eBook sales.
eBook auhtors have the potential to earn a lot of money from their work; they simply need to be prudent in their approach. They can amass enormous wealth if they are able to produce fresh and high-quality content, but also if they are able to find a stellar marketing partner who understands the publishing and eBook industries, as well as the audiences they are attempting to reach, regardless of whether they self-publish or work with a publishing company like MindStir Media.
2. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Without a question, Amazon is the world’s largest book store. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing program enables authors to self-publish their books on their platform, which already has a massive customer base of 310 million active customers worldwide.
Amazon currently has over 6 million e-books, the majority of which are self-published. KDP supports material and metadata in a variety of languages.
Additionally, it offers print-on-demand (POD) for your books, while also allowing you to convert your e-book into a paperback print book edition (provided that you have an ISBN for it).
Additionally, they enroll their authors in two extremely beneficial bonuses that are not offered by others, namely KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited. With KDP Select, you can promote your book and even make it available for free for a limited time. You can subscribe to Kindle Unlimited and read an unlimited number of books every month.
However, there is a caveat to all of these KDP benefits. If you enlist in KDP Select, you are only permitted to sell your book on Amazon. You may upload your book for free, and if it is priced between $2.99 and $9.99, you may earn a 70% royalty on each book sold.
Given Amazon’s existing colossal size, this also establishes Amazon KDP as the world’s best self-publishing enterprise.
Are there any other market participants? Before you pick Amazon exclusively for your self-publishing career, it’s worth noting that there are other market players that are stepping up their game in unique and significant ways. While Amazon may be sufficient for some authors, it is highly encouraged to keep the other players in mind in order to diversify your portfolio.
3. Kobo
Kobo is a self-publishing company based in Canada that is a division of Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce behemoth. Kobo alone accounts for roughly 25% of all ebook sales in Canada.
You may upload your manuscript and get it added to the Kobo catalog within 72 hours using their Kobo Writing Life (KWL) self-publishing service. It has been lauded for its ease of use, with some claiming that it is the simplest way to self-publish an e-book.
As with KDP, Kobo rewards and promotes self-publishing authors, as long as they do not deliver to aggregators. As of 2019, Kobo had a delivery capacity of more than 150 countries and a user base of more than 38 million. This has been made possible by its collaboration with the largest booksellers in the otherworld. Among them was the French distribution partner FNAC, which was responsible for their print-on-demand capacity.
Kobo is now ranked #5 in terms of market share in the United States as of March 2021. Even though Amazon has a broader global reach, Kobo has been viewed as a strong competitor to Amazon in various regions due to its continued expansion.
With over 5 million titles accessible in multiple languages and the possibility to earn 70% royalties on books priced at $3 or more, Kobo should absolutely be on your list of self-publishing companies.
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4. Apple Books
Not only is Apple well-known for its Mac and iOS platforms, but it is also well-known for its e-book offerings. By 2012, it was estimated that the Apple Books platform had been used to download more than 400 million books.
In 2010, Apple debuted its self-publishing arm for Apple Books. While monetizing your book is not as simple as it is with Amazon KDP or Kobo, the client base is enormous because to the company’s direct marketing to iPhone and Mac customers.
The royalties rate for the majority of books is set at a flat 70%. There are a few considerations to bear in mind. You must be a Mac user to upload to Apple Books, but uploading is free. Additionally, you must utilize the epub format, which is not yet universally compatible, but is gaining popularity.
Interesting fact: Apple and Kobo combined to sell 15 million ebooks and account for roughly two-thirds of Canadian ebook buyers. With millions of Apple goods sold each year, Apple Books is a self-publishing company worth keeping an eye on.
5. Barnes and Noble Press
Previously known as Nook Press, Barnes and Noble Press seamlessly integrates print on demand into a single platform. It’s straightforward to self-publish and simple to utilize.
Unlike other brick and mortar businesses, the American book retailer has a history of attempting to compete with Amazon and maintaining a high barrier to entry when it comes to acquiring print books for its physical stores. However, this does not negate the fact that it is an excellent platform for self-publishing authors.
Preparing a book for POD may not be a viable long-term strategy with Barnes and Noble Press, as they sell only through their online and physical bookstores. They do, however, provide useful materials for their authors. They launched an advertisement platform in 2021 to enable authors to construct marketing campaigns for their publications.
The royalty rate for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 is 65 percent, which isn’t awful at all. Unlike their competitors, they do not impose exclusivity limitations on self-published books on their site. They’ll even offer you discounted printing services if you opt out of third-party printing.
Not so worldwide: B&N Press’s author services are only offered in the United States, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
6. Lulu
Lulu offers an array of author services and its own retail store for your books, so you can be certain that your book will be published when you work with them. By 2014, Lulu has published approximately two million titles and over 900,000 e-books by 2016.
Self-publishing on Lulu is a straightforward process. Simply upload the book, and they will distribute it to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and other retail outlets. They will guide you through the self-publishing process from start to finish.
Not everything on Lulu is available for free. Their royalty rates are likewise competitive, at 80% for print books and up to 90% for e-books. Although self-publishing is completely free, additional services such book cover design, formatting, and marketing are not.
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7. PublishDrive
They assert that you should concentrate on content creation and delegate everything else to them. PublishDrive is a relatively new firm that gives self-published authors with international ease of access.
It is an Apple-approved and Google-partnered company, which means that your book will be published and distributed to over 400 global retailers, including KDP, Kobo, Apple Books, Scribd, Bookmate, and Google Play Books.
Their subscription strategy, on the other hand, is somewhat distinctive. If you commit to paying $100 per month, you will earn 100% of all sales. This is an excellent fit for both best-selling authors and established authors. However, as with other self-publishing organizations, if you do not agree with the monthly membership model, PublishDrive will charge 10% on all sales.
8. Draft2Digital
Another aggregator on this list, Draft2Digital offers the same features and convenience of use as the industry’s major companies. They’ve received numerous recommendations for their user-friendly UI and excellent customer service.
They give free uploading and ebook formatting (something many other publishing companies and even established publishers do not), but demand a 10% royalty on all sales. However, you can also upload your book for free.
Amazon, Scribd, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, and Bibliotheca are among their distribution channels. Additionally, they are one of the aggregators that Reedsy, a British author services and self-publishing services company, recommends.
What distinguishes them?
They provide Universal Book Links to self-published writers (UBLs). These links connect readers directly to each of the author’s books at their preferred store.
9. StreetLib
This Italian aggregator maintains a robust international supply chain with a particular emphasis on the market and self-publishing in Europe and Latin America. It has even penetrated some of Africa’s largest stores and markets following its 2019 targeting of Egypt.
StreetLib’s rapid growth can be attributed to their aggressive expansion into Europe, Latin America, and Africa in a relatively short period of time, while also maintaining relationships with other online retailers and distributors such as Amazon, Kobo, Indigo, Tolino, Apple Books, Google Play, and Scribd. If you wish to include the United States of America and the United Kingdom in your distribution list, StreetLib has you covered.
Their website is available in a variety of languages, and they charge a 10% royalty on sales. Therefore, if you’re looking to sell your self-published books internationally, keep an eye out for StreetLib.
10. Self-publishing School
Founded by self-published bestselling author Chandler Bolt, Self-publishing School offers the most comprehensive training tools available to jumpstart your self-publishing career in as little as 90 days. Perhaps the prospect of experiencing each step of the publication process is intimidating to you. The Self-publishing School is on your side.
Self-publishing School has graduated over 5,000 authors, many of whom have had numerous works published. The courses offered here assist students and potential authors in gaining an understanding of the available self-publishing services and the necessary suggestions for success in the self-publishing sector.
This school provides everything necessary for aspiring self-published authors to get a head start, including excellent courses and one-on-one consultations and coaching.
Other than the self-publishing firms mentioned previously, there are more POD providers with a lower starting cost than the ones described previously. While not all self-publishers will choose this route, it is available to those who believe their work is best served by a print book.
Print-on-demand publishing firms include BookBaby, Blurb, and IngramSpark. You can find pricing information on their websites, but you can rest assured that your books will be viewed on major distributors such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Apple Books, and Kobo. Additionally, they offer additional services such as book cover design, book editing, and formatting.
The POD service will almost certainly include your book in their own bookstore. However, if you are considering them, you need understand what differentiates their print-on-demand services from traditional publishing.
While POD is not for every self-publishing author, it is appropriate for those who have seen some success with their books’ proof of sales. This is primarily due to the discoverability that POD services provide.
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Conclusion
Self-publishing businesses each provide their own unique offerings. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It’s a little more complicated than personal preference and straightforward marketing.
Choosing the best self-publishing company comes down to your preferred method of travel planning. To begin, you may choose to avoid costly or print-on-demand services. Additionally, you’ll need to determine which distribution channel works best for you and, depending on the channel, which sections of your target market you’d like to see your self-published book first.
