The Top 17 Best Self-Publishing Companies for Authors

The five main companies where you can self-publish your book and make the most money are:

1. Amazon: Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program allows you to self-publish your books on their platform for free, with Amazon taking a percentage of your sales. As the largest player in the publishing world, Amazon is where you'll make most of your money from self-publishing.

2. Apple Books: Apple also has a self-publishing platform where you can make your book available in their ecosystem. If you're not in the KDP Select program, you can publish on Apple Books alongside other platforms.

3. Kobo: Kobo is a surprisingly big player, especially in the Canadian market, and makes it easy for authors to publish and distribute their books.

4. Barnes & Noble: As one of the biggest retail chains for books in the US, publishing on Barnes & Noble's online platform can help you reach their Nook readers.

5. Google Play Books: While a relatively newer platform, Google Play Books is still an important one to consider if you want to publish your book as widely as possible.

In addition to these "Big Five," the author also recommends considering Shopify as a platform to sell your books directly to readers on your own e-commerce store.

Shopify is a powerful platform that allows authors to sell their books directly to readers. Unlike the other platforms discussed, Shopify is not a place to simply upload and publish your book. Instead, it enables you to create your own online store to sell your books.

The key benefits of using Shopify include:

1. Full Control: With Shopify, you have complete control over the branding, design, and customer experience of your online store. This allows you to create a unique and personalized sales channel for your books.

2. Higher Margins: By selling directly through your own Shopify store, you can keep a larger percentage of the book sales revenue, as you avoid the commissions taken by other platforms.

3. Customer Data: Shopify provides you with valuable customer data and analytics, allowing you to better understand your readers and optimize your sales strategies.

4. Scalability: Shopify is a highly scalable platform that can grow with your publishing business, handling increased traffic and sales as your audience expands.

5. Integrations: Shopify seamlessly integrates with a wide range of tools and services, making it easy to streamline your publishing and sales workflows.

According to the data from the Kindle Preneur survey, successful authors who sell directly to readers are overwhelmingly using Shopify as their platform of choice. This makes Shopify a must-consider option for authors who want to take control of their book sales and maximize their profits.

Draft2Digital is a popular aggregator that can distribute your book to various platforms like Amazon, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble. They take a 10% royalty, but handle the distribution for you, which can save time. You can opt-out of certain platforms and upload directly if you prefer.

Publishdrive is an alternative aggregator that charges a flat fee per book instead of a royalty percentage. This can be beneficial if your books are selling well, as the fees won't scale with your earnings. However, the monthly fees can add up if you have a smaller catalog.

Ingram Spark is not a traditional aggregator, but is important if you want to get your books into physical bookstores. Most stores source their books through Ingram, so having your book available through their platform increases your chances of getting stocked. However, Ingram Spark can be more complicated to work with compared to other options.

Findaway Voices is the audiobook-focused counterpart to Draft2Digital. It allows you to distribute your audiobooks widely, including to platforms like Spotify. There was a recent issue with their terms, but it has since been resolved, and Findaway Voices remains a valuable tool for audiobook authors.

Publisher Rocket is a powerful tool that helps authors optimize their books for Amazon search. It provides valuable insights into Amazon's algorithm, allowing you to:

• Identify profitable niches and keywords for your book
• Analyze the competition in your genre
• Optimize your book's title, description, and keywords for maximum visibility
• Track your book's performance and rankings

With Publisher Rocket, you can ensure your book is positioned for success on the world's largest book marketplace. By leveraging the tool's data-driven approach, you can make informed decisions to improve your book's discoverability and sales.

Whether you're a seasoned author or just starting out, Publisher Rocket is an essential resource for navigating the competitive world of Amazon self-publishing.

Attacus is by far the best formatting tool out there for authors. It's not only a formatting tool, but it's also turning into a great writing tool to actually just do your writing inside of Attacus.

I format every single one of my books in Attacus, and it makes the whole process really easy. With Attacus, you can format ebooks to look pretty, and you can also get your print books ready to go for any kind of paperback or hardcover that you were looking for on either Amazon, Ingram Spark, or any of the other aggregators.

All you have to do is a few clicks, and your book is ready to go to any of those platforms in any different format. The leading competitor to Attacus is Vellum, but it is only available on Mac and costs $100 more to get all the same features that Attacus has. Attacus is like if Vellum, Scrivener, and Google Docs had a baby.

That's why I use Attacus for literally every single project that I work on that's writing-related. It goes through Attacus at some point in my process, and I cannot recommend it enough. The link I have down below is not even an affiliate link because they're not giving away affiliate links yet, but I still recommend it highly for any author out there. It's a fixed fee, so there is no recurring subscription that you're going to have to pay - you pay for it once, and you'll have it forever.

Pro Writing Aid and AutoCrit are two powerful editing tools that can help authors refine their writing and improve their books.

Pro Writing Aid is an excellent tool for proofreading and catching spelling and grammar errors. It is particularly well-suited for long-form projects like books, as it is more comprehensive than tools like Grammarly. Pro Writing Aid offers a lifetime subscription option, making it a cost-effective choice for authors.

AutoCrit, on the other hand, takes a more structural approach to editing. It provides in-depth analysis of elements like adverb usage, dialogue tags, and clichés, and allows authors to compare their writing to books in their genre. AutoCrit's AI-powered insights can be invaluable for developmental editing and improving the overall quality of a manuscript.

While both tools offer unique benefits, the author recommends using them in conjunction. Pro Writing Aid excels at proofreading, while AutoCrit shines in the realm of structural and stylistic analysis. By leveraging the strengths of both platforms, authors can create polished, professional-quality books.

Mibl Art and its cousin GetCovers are two platforms run by the same parent company that offer affordable and high-quality book cover designs.

Mibl Art provides a wide range of options for book covers, catering to various genres. In addition to the book cover, they also offer services like creating a brand kit for your website and social media content. Typically, a professional book cover artist would charge between $500 to $1,000 for a cover, but Mibl Art starts at around $220 for the basic package, making it a more budget-friendly option.

If you're just starting out and have a limited budget, GetCovers is an even more affordable alternative. While the quality may not be quite as high as Mibl Art, the prices are extremely reasonable, starting at just $10 for a basic cover and going up to $35 for their premium option. This makes GetCovers a great choice for authors who are looking to keep their costs low, especially in the early stages of their self-publishing journey.

Overall, both Mibl Art and GetCovers provide excellent value for authors seeking high-quality book covers without breaking the bank. Whether you choose the more premium Mibl Art or the budget-friendly GetCovers, these platforms offer a cost-effective solution to ensure your book stands out on the market.

The Urban Writers, soon to be rebranded as Dibl, is a platform that offers a range of book-related services, including ghostwriting. As the author notes, this is where they go to hire ghostwriters to bring their book ideas to life.

The key benefits of using The Urban Writers/Dibl for ghostwriting services include:

1. Vetted Writers: The platform vets all the writers that work for them, ensuring a certain base level of quality. This takes the guesswork out of finding the right ghostwriter for your project.

2. Affordable Pricing: The ghostwriting services offered by The Urban Writers/Dibl are competitively priced, making it a cost-effective option for authors.

3. Diverse Services: In addition to ghostwriting, The Urban Writers/Dibl offers other book-related services such as SEO articles, editing, cover design, illustrations, and audiobook narration. This allows authors to streamline their self-publishing process.

4. Convenience: By using The Urban Writers/Dibl, authors can focus on the creative aspects of their book while the platform handles the logistics of finding and working with a ghostwriter.

Overall, The Urban Writers/Dibl appears to be a reliable and convenient option for authors seeking ghostwriting services to bring their book ideas to life.

The self-publishing landscape is dominated by the "big five" platforms - Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play Books. These platforms offer authors the ability to self-publish their books and reach a wide audience.

In addition to the big five, Shopify is a valuable platform for authors who want to sell their books directly to readers through their own online store. Aggregators like Draft2Digital and PublishDrive can also help authors distribute their books to multiple platforms with ease.

For formatting, editing, and cover design, tools like Atticus, ProWritingAid, AutoCrit, and Mibel Art/GetCovers can streamline the self-publishing process. Finally, services like The Urban Writers can provide ghostwriting and other book-related services to support authors.

By leveraging this ecosystem of self-publishing platforms and tools, authors can effectively publish, distribute, and market their books to reach readers and maximize their success in the self-publishing world.