Self-Publishing (KDP, Draft2Digital, IngramSpark)

Indie publishing in 2026 is two big lanes: Amazon KDP (huge majority of indie revenue, easy onboarding) and wide distribution (every-other-store via aggregators). Most indie authors run both. For interior layout see writing-book-formatting; for audiobook distribution see writing-audiobook-production; for marketing see writing-marketing-launch.

Amazon (the dominant indie path)

• ★ ★ Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) — free; ebook + paperback + hardcover. Royalties: 70% on $2.99-$9.99 ebooks (35% otherwise); paperback / hardcover net the printing cost. KDP Select (90-day Amazon-exclusive) trades wide for Kindle Unlimited page-reads + free promo days. The dominant indie path; most indies start here.
  • AI disclosure required since 2023 — Amazon asks whether AI generated text / images / translation in your book.
• KDP Print — included; print-on-demand for paperback / hardcover.
• Author Central — free; Amazon's author profile + book-page management; analytics.
• ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) — free; the Amazon / Audible audiobook arm. See writing-audiobook-production.

Wide distribution (everything-not-Amazon)

• ★ Draft2Digital — free; ★ ★ the wide-distribution default. Upload once, push to Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, Tolino, Scribd, libraries, etc. Free; takes a small cut of each sale. Acquired Smashwords in 2022 — the merged catalog is the indie-wide standard.
• PublishDrive — paid subscription model (no per-sale cut); ★ if you sell at high volume. Aggregator with library access.
• Smashwords — free; now part of Draft2Digital; the original aggregator; still has its own storefront.
• StreetLib — free + paid; international / Italian flavor; broad reach.

Print / library distribution

• ★ IngramSpark — paid setup (~$49 / title, sometimes free promo); ★ for **library
  • bookstore** distribution (the Ingram catalog is what bookstores order from). Paperback + hardcover + ebook. The pro indie path for "I want this in actual bookstores."
• Lulu — free; print-on-demand; long history; supports hardcover + photo books.
• BookBaby — paid (high upfront fees); full-service; controversial pricing for what you can do free elsewhere.

Hybrid services / pro support

• ★ Reedsy — free directory + paid marketplace; ★ for finding pro editors, cover designers, formatters, marketers. Vetted freelancers; free Reedsy Studio formatter + free Reedsy Discovery for review submissions.
  • https://reedsy.com/
• Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) — free directory; non-profit; another vetted freelance editor source.
• Scribendi — paid; editorial service.
• Upwork / Fiverr — paid marketplaces; mixed quality, cheap entry.

Asia-specific

• Kakao Page — Korean comics / web novels.
• Webnovel — paid + free; Tencent-owned; Chinese / English web fiction; predatory contracts have been flagged; read carefully.
• Tapas — see writing-comics-graphic-novels.

Royalty / income tracking

• See writing-royalty-tracking for Book Report, ScribeCount.

Author Central / discoverability

• Amazon Author Central — free; profile, author follows, sales analytics.
• Goodreads Author Program — free; author profile, giveaways, Q&A.
• BookBub Author Profile — free; the BookBub mailing-list audience.

Hybrid publishers (mixed reputation)

• Hybrid publishing — paid contracts that promise distribution; quality varies wildly; Writer Beware (writerbeware.blog) is the canonical scam-watcher resource.

ISBN

• Bowker (US) — paid; $125 single, $295 for 10; required if you want your name as the publisher of record.
• Free ISBN from KDP / D2D / IngramSpark — free; lists the aggregator as publisher; fine for most indies.

Pick this if…

• Just starting: KDP + Draft2Digital (covers ~95% of stores; free).
• Library / bookstore distribution: add IngramSpark.
• Need an editor / cover designer: Reedsy or EFA.
• Don't want Amazon exclusivity: skip KDP Select; go wide via D2D from day one.
• High volume / sub model: PublishDrive over D2D.
• Hate Amazon: D2D + IngramSpark only (you'll lose ~60-80% of your potential income; honest trade-off).