free book publishing websites

8 Best Free Self-Publishing Sites [2024]

You’ve embarked on the road of self-publishing. Whether you’re in the process of writing or finalizing your manuscript, you ask yourself: “where can I get my book published for free?” Well, what we love about being an indie is just how accessible it is to publish online.

Here are the 8 best free self-publishing sites to know in 2024 .

But First, Things to Do before Using Free Publishing Companies

I want to make sure you’re aware of everything you need to publish properly. (Feel free to skip this section if you’re already in the know.) The journey is quite simple:

The first step is self-explanatory. If it’s your first time writing a book , there are a ton of resources you can tap into. Read Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Check out these lectures by Brandon Sanderson. Or learn from bestselling books in your desired genre.

After completing your first draft, you want to edit the heck out of it . I strongly recommend hiring a professional editor. You can also ask your network, look for beta readers, or do a swap with another writer.

Every book needs a cover design . I suggest outsourcing this work to a professional, too. Find a designer on sites like Upwork or Fiverr. But if you’re under a budget, try out Canva. It’s a free tool for folks with no design skills. And do brush up on how to create a book cover for free .

Using free book publishing sites involves uploading files in the right formats . The exact requirements differ depending on the store you pick, plus the book format you wish to publish: ebook, audio, or print. Generally, you’ll need your 1) cover file and 2) main manuscript file formatted correctly. See these guides on how to format an ebook , how to create an audiobook , and how to print-on-demand .

(Important note: don’t forget to develop a marketing plan. See these cost-effective tips on how to market a self-published book .)

After taking care of the basics, you’re ready to self-publish with any of these free book publishing companies. ⬇

Self-publishing means taking on a lot of the work yourself. Lighten the load with PublishDrive, an online self-publishing platform that helps with distribution, marketing, royalty reporting, and beyond.

It’s free to publish your 1st ebook on PublishDrive. Or try out a paid plan and get your money back if you’re not satisfied.

Publish with free plan

Voilà, 8 Best Free Self-Publishing Sites to Know in 2024

Without further ado, the rundown –

1. Amazon KDP

If you’re familiar with the topic of self-publishing, then you know Amazon KDP is THE place to publish as an indie author or publisher. That’s because the online retailer captures at least half of the digital book market. Out of all the free ebook publishing sites out there, KDP is king.

Formats available

Ebook, audiobook, print

Royalty payout

70% for books between $2.99 and $9.99, 35% if below $2.99

Kindle stores in 13 countries, over 200 million monthly visitors on Amazon.com

Start for free

Go to kdp.amazon.com

Amazon also has KDP Select , but this one requires an exclusivity period. That means for the first 90 days your ebook is up on Amazon, you can’t sell it anywhere else. This can limit your earning potential. Let me share why…

Self-publishing indies don’t have the backings nor the budget that comes from a traditional publishing house or agency. To get noticed, marketing becomes significant. Another way to maximize reach – therefore selling potential – is by distributing in as many stores, countries, and formats as possible. This is called “going wide.”

And this strategy works. Tens of thousands of indies doubled their book sales in 2021 by going wide via PublishDrive. Remember, half of the digital book sales come from Amazon; don’t miss out on the other half of the pie.

Maybe you’re okay with starting out with KDP Select. You can definitely go wide and try other free publishing sites after your 90-day period. But if maximizing three months’ worth of royalties sounds vital for you, go wide from the get-go. This brings me to –

2. PublishDrive

PublishDrive is an aggregator site, meaning it distributes to multiple spaces. The platform reaches all major channels in this list, such as Amazon, plus thousands more . If you were wondering how to start publishing a book for free  and   reach a global audience, here’s the answer.

PublishDrive is free for your first ebook, forever. You can publish to our 35 ebook channels like Amazon and Barnes & Noble without any upfront fees or having to add your credit card info. Since PublishDrive is a subscription-based platform and does not take sales commissions, you keep 100% of your royalties.

If you start a paying plan to publish more than one ebook or test other formats like print and audio, you can cancel within 30 days and request a full refund .

100% of what you earn for each store (PublishDrive takes 0 sales commission)

400+ digital bookstores and thousands of libraries

Go to publishdrive.com/register (30 day money-back guarantee on subscriptions; free plan for 1 book for life)

That being said, PublishDrive offers book promotion features , print-on-demand converter, a print cover template generator, a free ebook converter, and much more.

3. Barnes & Noble Press

The other half of the book market not occupied by Amazon KDP includes Barnes & Noble, where you can enjoy free publishing . In fact, Barnes & Noble is the main competitor of KDP. The renowned bookstore reaches millions of readers on its book site BN.com and e-reader NOOK.

“If you’re interested in selling print books, Barnes and Noble has one of the best services when it comes to the quality and printing options available.”

See this guide to learn about Barnes and Noble self-publishing .

Ebook, print

70% for ebooks, 55% for print books

Millions of readers on BN.com and NOOK devices

Go to press.barnesandnoble.com

4. Apple Books

That’s right, you can list your book on Apple Books for free. With the app pre-installed on every Apple device, that’s a pool of over a billion users all over the world. 

Ebook, audiobook (for audio, you must go through one of Apple’s approved partners like PublishDrive)

70% for most books

Over 1.4 billion Apple users in over 50 countries

Go to authors.apple.com

Ooh, get this. PublishDrive can recommend your book to Apple’s editorial team for a promotional feature (with a 90% approval rate). Learn more about PublishDrive’s book promotion services .

5. Google Play Books

The Google Play Books app is pre-installed on every Android device. And it’s Google, the largest search engine that has ever existed.

How to get a book published for free and get noticed fast? Go with Google Play Books. Creating a dedicated books page under Google can help you rank higher in organic searches and boost your online advertising efforts. Read more on how to sell books on Google .

Ebook, audiobook

Over 3+ billion Android users in over 75 countries

Go to play.google.com

6. IngramSpark

IngramSpark is among the self-publishing websites perfect for those interested in distributing print books. Ebook is available, too. But Ingram super specializes in print-on-demand, reaching over 39,000 channels.

“Print-on-demand (POD) is a printing technology and business process that prints a book only when an order is made. This became a game-changer for indies (especially small and medium-sized publishers), where you no longer have to print a ton of books in advance. It lets you list your book online without having prints in stock. This not only gets rid of the logistics hassle, but it saves money too.”

Read more about print-on-demand distribution with Ingram .

65-70% depending on the market

Over 39,000 stores

Go to myaccount.ingramspark.com/account/signup (free set up)

7. Kobo Writing Life

Heard of Walmart? Kobo can get your self-published book on Walmart’s website. In case you haven’t heard of Walmart, it’s one of the largest retail stores in the U.S. Along with the infamous Walmart, Kobo reaches other prominent stores around the globe.

70% for books above $2.99, 45% if below $2.99

Online book stores in over 190 countries, over 275 million monthly visitors on Walmart.com

Go to kobo.com/writinglife

“Dreame is the newest reading service on the block. The niche reading app from Southeast Asia was in fact PublishDrive’s #1 store with the most growth in 2020. Indies made a whopping 92,441% more royalties.”

See this guide on how to self-publish on Dreame .

Ebook (e-stories)

Millions of readers

Go to starywriting.com

There you have it, the best places to publish your digital book to physical copy for free. If you can, go wide!

Ready to Grab PublishDrive’s Free Publishing Plan?

Sign up is easy. No credit card is required. Publish and reach PublishDrive’s 35 ebook channels in no time.

Publish for free

Related posts

July 2020 book market update: best book genres & more.

We are paying close attention to the book market this year. Although there can…

Introducing PublishDrive’s Free Public Ebook Conversion Tool

Our free ebook conversion has been a huge help for PublishDrive authors, but our…

Top 8 Best Book Formatting Software

Nowadays, ebooks can be as beautiful as physical books. All you needhttps://prowritingaid.com/best-free-writing-apps is the…

Are you looking for something on PublishDrive?

This website uses cookies

Select which cookies to opt-in to via the checkboxes below; our website uses cookies to examine site traffic and user activity while on our site, for marketing, and to provide social media functionality. More details...

8 Amazing Free eBook Publishing Platforms & Sites for Beginners

• August 9, 2023
• Book Design Software , Book Publishing Software , Ebook Creation , Ebook Publishing , Publishing Tool

Ebook publishing has evolved significantly over time. You may remember a time when writers had to submit their manuscripts to publishers and hope someone would find them worth publishing. Many writers were left defeated and dejected when their work was rejected and many books that could have been great were left unpublished. Then came the birth of self-publishing. Writers can now take advantage of an eBook publishing platform to publish books online without the use of traditional publishing houses. In this article, we look at eight amazing eBook publishing platforms that you can use for free.

1. FlipHTML5

FlipHTML5 is a free eBook publishing platform that lets users create, store, and distribute digital content. You simply need to upload a PDF copy of your eBook to FlipHTML5 and it will be automatically converted to a dynamic flipbook. From there, you can go straight to publishing the eBook or use the tools available in the interface to enhance your eBook’s appearance and effect. There are multiple templates to choose from for the layout as well as backgrounds and themes to beautify the eBook. Add multimedia elements like images, audio, video, animation, and hyperlinks to improve the reading experience.

When you’re completely satisfied with your eBook, upload it to the FlipHTML5 cloud for secure storage; there, it will be accessible to millions of FlipHTML5 users worldwide. You can even make money selling ebooks there. All ebook sales revenue will go straight to your PayPal. With FlipHTML5 as your ebook publishing platform, you will enjoy

• PDF to ebook conversion
• Free ebook publishing and hosting
• Adding video, images, gifs, and pop-ups to content
• Selling ebooks online without commission
• Virtual bookshelf to manage all your ebooks
• SEO enhancement on each ebook published
• Google Analytics tracking integrated

Start Your eBook Journey on FlipHTML5 ebook Publishing Platform

2. Amazon KDP

With Amazon KDP, you can publish books online quickly and easily. It’s probably the leading eBook publishing site currently. You’re allowed to self-publish a variety of content types and also publish eBooks that have previously been published elsewhere once you own the rights. This eBook publishing platform gives you full rights to your eBook, direct access to the book on Amazon, and the option to make the eBook available globally. They do take a percentage of the profit for each eBook you sell.

3. Barnes & Noble Press

Part of the Barnes & Noble enterprise, this eBook publishing platform is a fast, easy way to publish books online. Get set up and add your eBook in as little as twenty minutes; your book will be available for purchase within three days of publishing. You’re allowed to publish your book on any other eBook publishing site and you get 70% of the royalties from each eBook sale.

4. Kobo Writing Life

Kobo is an eBook publishing platform that takes you through a step-by-step process to publish books online. You decide your prices, handle the promotion of your books, and own the rights to them. Your eBook will reach people in online bookstores worldwide through Kobo’s extensive partnerships and you’re also free to sell on any other eBook publishing site.

5. Smashwords

Smashwords makes it easy, fast, and free for any writer or publisher to publish books online. With this eBook publishing site, you can put your eBook within reach of major retailers and countless libraries, ensuring its success. They also offer free tools for distribution, marketing, metadata management, and sales reporting. You’ll have full control over every aspect of your books.

Bookrix is a free eBook publishing platform where independent writers can publish books online. When you publish with Bookrix, you can sell the eBooks on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other eBook stores. Your royalty payments are made monthly – you get 70% of the net proceeds from the sale of your book. Bookrix converts your eBook to the right format, checks and optimizes your work before publishing, and even gives you a free ISBN.

7. Draft2Digital

This eBook Publishing platform epitomizes ease of use. They offer a one-stop shop where you can get set up to publish books online with multiple outlets. They handle things like formatting, leaving you free to focus on what you’re good at. Upload your manuscript in any format that Word can read and they’ll take care of the rest, including covers, table of contents, front and end matter. Sales and pricing are easy for you too; they really handle everything! Your eBook will be listed on major retailers and will be automatically assigned a free ISBN unless you provide one. You still retain full rights to your eBook. And they only take 10% of the eBook’s sales price. Plus, you get dedicated customer service and 24-hour support.

Kitaboo is an eBook publishing platform that also lets you create feature-rich eBooks. It’s cloud-based and available for use on Windows, Android, and iOS devices. Easily convert your eBooks to EPUB format and keep your content secure with DRM protection and encryption. You can also render your digitally enriched content via augmented reality (AR). Get cutting-edge user analytics for evaluating your eBook’s performance when you publish books online with Kitaboo. Your readers will be able to read your books offline once they download them.

If you’re new to publishing, there’s no need to be apprehensive. Of course, you want to choose the best way to publish your eBook to ensure its success. You may think this means you have to use a publishing house that’s experienced in the publishing business. But take heart! All of the eBook publishing platforms that we’ve talked about offer you the support you need to make sure you’re doing things right. We hope we’ve convinced you that an eBook publishing site is the right way for you to publish books online. Happy publishing!

Enjoy the interactive eBook published with FlipHTML5

Convert PDF to eBook Like This

• Digital Magazine & eBook Publishing Platform , ebook creation software , eBook editing software , ebook publishing platforms , ebook publishing tool

Turn Content to Flipbook

Home » eBook » Ebook Publishing » 8 Amazing Free eBook Publishing Platforms & Sites for Beginners

Related Posts

10 Best Ebook Generators: Your Gateway to Digital Publishing

As the digital landscape is advancing by leaps and bounds, the emergence of ebooks has transformed how we read. In contrast to traditional printed books,

From Manuscript to Ebook: How to Self-Publish Your Ebook?

Ebook reading is becoming more and more popular among readers as ebook is easier to access than traditional printed books. Under the general trend, it’s

7 Creative Ebook Promotion Ideas That Will Help You Stand Out from the Crowd

Congratulations! You’ve created an amazing ebook and now it’s time to let the world know. But in today’s digital world, it can be challenging to

Top 5 Digital Magazine & eBook Publishing Platforms 2020

With the development of technology, the digital magazine and eBook companies have increased dramatically on the Internet today. Digital Magazine is a great way to

Latest Posts

Top 7 Free AI Talking Photo Creators That Animate Your Images into Videos Online

Have you ever imagined bringing life to your static images? As we step into the era of AI, this is made possible! You may have

20 Fashion Mood Board Examples to Inspire Your Idea

Are you struggling to get inspiration or creativity for your upcoming design project? This blog provides the go-to fashion solution for your predicament. Here, we

7 AI Writing Assistants Free to Empower Your Content

Writing content is an important part of a writer’s job. In a competitive market, quality content is always essential to gain more engagement. However, making

15 Football Party Invitation Templates for Soccer Extravaganza

The European Cup 2024 has already begun from the 14th of June to the 14th of July this year. Now that people are getting excited,

• deneme bonusu veren siteler .
• deneme bonusu
• bonus veren siteler
• deneme bonusu veren siteler
• bahis siteleri

take your content to the next level

Publish to the World

• Help Center
• Online Magazines
• Animation Maker
• AI Video Generator
• AI Video Maker
• Whiteboard Animation Software
• Presentation Maker

Create Now​

Convert PDF/PPT/Word/Images to Flipbook Online

Select your preferred language

Welcome to Kindle Direct Publishing

The Best Free Self Publishing Sites

Self-publishing is arguably easier and more affordable than ever before. Aided by the best free self publishing sites, it provides an excellent alternative that reduces common issues associated with traditional publishing.

Self publishing allows the author or creator to earn a more significant share of the earnings from their book. In turn, it also means that the content owner bears the risks and costs of publishing. 

Fortunately, there are many free self publishing sites to help you get your work out there without accruing too many upfront costs. But how do you know where you get started when self publishing or if you should even go down this path? 

Let’s start by enumerating some important reasons why self-publishing is an excellent alternative to engaging established publishers.

Why You Should Self-Publish 

I’m not going to lie. The allure of receiving recognition for your work from an established publishing firm that assures them six-figure royalties. This is the typical dream for many writers.

Though enticing, there are several issues associated with the traditional model of publishing. They can frustrate the writer and, in some worst-case scenarios, kill the creative process.

Self-publishing significantly eliminates problems associated with conventional publishing. It is the prime candidate to advance the dreams of the writer. And here are good reasons to self-publish:

You Set and Follow Your Own Timeline 

Most publishing firms and literary agents are not open to new authors. Even established authors have no guarantee that previous publishers will accept their new manuscripts. Thus, writers often go through lengthy and complicated processes before their manuscripts are accepted for review or worked upon.

It may take years for a manuscript to finally see daylight. Editors also have the power to reject or postpone manuscripts if they aren’t happy with them. At times, it is because the content doesn’t fall within their company’s specific publishing guidelines and preferences.

Self-publishing, however, removes these obstacles. The author has the power to dictate their content and publishing pace.

You Gain Power 

Often, manuscript changes made by publishers can significantly alter the final output of your book. These changes are usually made in the interest of branding, marketability, avoiding controversies, and the whims of those in charge. In most cases, you can bet your ass that these changes bother the book’s original creator.

With self-publishing, you retain total control. You can express and preserve the genuineness of your objective. You have complete control over the format, design, cover page, pricing, and other features of your work.

Also, adding a sequel or supplementary online course to your work is up to you. Self-publishing enables you to get right to writing your book or creating your guide without fear of not getting published. You control the trajectory of your creative works and ideas.

You Have Better Reward Ratios 

Generally, royalties determine the income of authors. Royalties are the percentage of the revenue made from the sales of your creative works that you get to retain at the end of the day. With traditional publishing, royalties range from 7% to 25%.

But with self-publishing, royalty percentages can range from 30% up to 80%. And that’s not all. You may receive additional revenues such as adaptations of your work into stage plays, blockbuster movies, etc.

In self-publishing, the author receives a large chunk of additional revenues, unlike traditional publishing. The effort put into creating a manuscript is of no low measure, so it only makes sense to get rewarded for the sleepless nights and the many dates you canceled to have your manuscript ready. That’s why you need to find the best self-publishing sites that can help you earn these rewards. 

The Best Free Self-Publishing Sites 

There are several free websites available to make self-publishing possible for you. That way, you can get your book out in your way and on your schedule. However, it is essential that you know which of these sites to visit. That’s because bad selections can lead to regrets. And you don’t want to ruin the whole process. 

I’ve sampled various free self publishing sites to select a few that I believe to offer the best services. From here, it’ll be up to you to select the one that best suits you and your creative endeavors.

Kindle Direct Publishing wi t h Amazon

Owned by Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing offers an excellent marketplace for your book. They offer a widespread reach and lucrative royalties. They are a prime option that an independent author should not ignore.

To begin publishing, you have to sign in to your Amazon Kindle account. If you do not have one, you can easily create one for free. Meanwhile, to operate an Amazon Kindle account, you need to fill in your tax information.

You can sell hard copies of your book directly from KDP by simply enabling paperbacks when uploading your book files. It allows you to serve customers that love paperbacks. Having a hardcopy version of your book on Amazon is valuable as it gives your eBook a high perceived value, which can increase your sales overall.

If you wish, you can enroll in KDP Select, which grants you an exclusive distribution of your work for 90 days. KDP Select is a marketing program that helps authors market books, usually through discounts and countdown deals. KDP select also grants you five free promotion days for your book each month. 

And one great thing about the program is that you can re-enroll as many times as you want. Participation in KDP Select makes your eBook available to subscribers of Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners Lending Library for Amazon Prime members. Here, you will receive additional payments depending on the number of pages that subscribers read.

Personally, this is the platform I used to publish A Journal From The John Muir Trail and Reflections from My 25th Year . So if you have any questions about the self publishing process through Kindle Direct, feel free to shoot an email to [email protected] . 

Apple Books (iBooks)  

After Amazon, Apple Books (iBooks) is the most extensive book retailer globally, accounting for a 10% share in the industry. Its strength comes from the significant advantage of having direct access to Mac and iPhone users with brand loyalty. Take this self-publishing site seriously because, within the Apple ecosystem, users download the iBooks app even more than the Kindle app.

Apple eBook stores are available in more than 40 countries, thereby giving authors unique benefits. Also, you can price your books differently in each nation, depending on the prices of comparable texts. You’re also allowed to set prices in the local currencies of these countries. 

Authors can schedule free books and discount offers anytime. Another plus for the Apple Books self-publishing site is that there is no exclusive distribution contract. Apple Books offer a flat royalty rate of 70% for all prices and territories.

However, publishing on iBooks requires the iTunes Producer program, which is only available for Macbooks. If you don’t have the software that allows your PC to run Macbook programs, you’ll need to choose how to publish your books on the platform.

You either have to borrow a Macbook or use major book aggregators to submit your files. Examples are the BookBaby, Draft2Digital, Smashwords, etc.

Barnes and Noble Press (BNP)

Barnes and Noble Press is a free, fast, and easy-to-use self-publishing service platform. It enables authors to publish and sell eBooks or print directly to millions of readers. The Barnes & Noble Press helps authors create their books the way they want.

It has been a leading free self-publishing site for many years. The site operates a premium eBook platform that competes highly with the rest of the eBook market.

This free self-publishing site accounts for almost 3% of eBook sales in America. It offers print on demand (POD) services in addition to online publishing. Creating an account and uploading your work takes only about 20 minutes, and within 72 hours of publishing, the book is on their official website.

BNP offers professional quality hardcover and paperback books for friends, family, business, prospective readers, reviewers, and yourself. Depending on the pricing of the book, royalties range from 40% to 65%.

Barnes and Noble Press offers resources to help authors with the publishing process. They have strong affiliations with some of the best service providers in the industry. For instance, they collaborate with Reedsy for editorial, 99 designs for cover design, Inkubate for marketing solutions, and Girl Friday Productions. 

Rakuten Kobo

Rakuten Kobo has its headquarters in Canada, and I haven’t yet worked with a Canadian client that didn’t prove trustworthy! Popularly called Kobo, Rakuten Kobo is a subsidiary of the Japanese e-commerce conglomerate, Rakuten, the world’s 14th largest internet company.

Kobo is an anagram of ‘book’. It accounts for about 2% of the eBook market and about 25% of eBook sales in Canada. And their royalty rates are either 45% or 70%, depending on the book’s price.

A perfect reason to consider self-publishing with Kobo is its international presence. Kobo is available to readers in up to 190 countries. Similar to Kindle, Kobo offers an e-reading device and an app for reading on other devices.

The open platform supports popular formats. These formats include EPUB, EPUB3, and PDF. Its versatility allows readers to buy and read digital content from various sources.

This free self-publishing site is also quite simple to use. And distributing through the Kobo Writing Life comes with its benefits. One of them is that you gain access to exclusive discounted opportunities.

There is a Kobo eReading Program with the American Booksellers Association, which gives their customers access to Kobo’s more than five million titles. Kobo also collaborates with eBook retailers around the world. So you can be sure that your content will reach a vast array of readers.

Smashwords is one of the best free self-publishing sites for independent book authors. Mark Coker set it up in 2008. Apart from being the oldest, the aggregator site has an extensive reach.

The self-publishing site allows you to distribute your titles to notable retailers such as OverDrive, the world’s largest library ebook platform. Self-publishing on this site can have your title recorded in Baker & Taylor Axis 360, Califa’s Enki, and other notably used libraries. And that puts you before many readers across several countries. 

To self-publish on Smashwords, sign up and you’re ready to be published. The site offers tools and services that will help you with branding, publishing, and marketing. It also provides clear and easy-to-follow publishing guidelines and vast resources that help you self-publish like a pro.

Smashwords gives 80% or more of the net sale revenues and tools to authors for promoting their creations. Authors are charged 15% of the sales they receive, after the retailers’ cost has been taken out. Also, it takes a 10% cut on books sold through its retail channel and 15% on books sold through other retailers.

Other Resources for Self-Publishing

Before you even get to uploading your final manuscript to one of the best free self publishing sites, you’ll need to explore other resources for self publishing. Whether you need help with proofreading, formatting, story creation, or the final editing process, you can find almost any tool you need online these days. 

The downside of this is that more people can self publish than ever. So you must ensure that your self-published book stands out from the rest. Thankfully, there are many available resources to make this possible. 

Here are three useful resources for self-publishing:

Grammarly  

Grammarly is an American multinational technology company that developed an English language digital writing tool. The resource uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to automatically detect errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, tone, and style. 

Algorithms flag potential issues in the text and suggest context-specific corrections for grammar, spelling, wordiness, style, punctuation, and plagiarism. Some features are, however, only available for premium users.

Wrong spellings and grammatical errors can adversely affect your credibility. The same goes for misused commas and other punctuations. My 2018 article, Why Spelling and Grammar Matter , will show you why Grammarly is a valuable resource for self-publishing.

Grammarly highlights writing issues and suggests corrections. The self-publishing resource pinpoints wordy sentences and suitable alternatives to give you sentences better context. 

It also guides your writing tone by suggesting more appropriate words in place of slang terms. Grammarly is particularly useful when writing for a broad audience and it scrutinizes your vocabulary and suggests words to ensure you don’t overthink your writing.

Grammarly is available as a web or desktop editor and opens on browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. It also has an app for both iOS and Android.

The Book Designer (TBD) Book Cover Design

The Book Designer is headed by Joel Friedlander, who has a wealth of experience in advertising and book design. It is an excellent resource if you want comprehensive knowledge about navigating the world of self-publishing. 

The Book Designer has an extensive resource of self-publishing guides, templates, and toolkits. And it has been available for 16 years and won 20 awards. That’s because it has served over 400 trade publishers and 1000 indie publishers.

This particular resource offers cover designs, book layout designs, audiobooks, eBook conversions, and editorial services. They also help with book trailers, author websites, publisher branding and printing.

Books are mostly judged by their covers. Therefore, you must have an excellent book cover that attracts readers. To determine the best cover design, The Book Designer asks questions, reads your manuscript, and researches your audience and competitive titles.

After this, they’ll provide you with a range of custom cover designs to choose from. These steps help the author achieve the most appropriate look for the target audience.

The BookCore resource is free to use. And it works well on MacBook, desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets of all sizes.

BookCore provides a reliable book sales tracking platform for self-publishers. It is a must-have web service for independent book publishers and self-published authors. Using the BookCore resource saves you time because it puts all your book sales in one place.

BookCore serves as a virtual assistant that regularly connects you to your vendors and collects your book’s sales data. It will automatically transform the data into an easily comprehensible form and present it to you.

It employs a fully automated sales tracking and analytics service that generates reports, monitors rankings, and tracks reviews on multiple marketplaces. Also, it helps authors track and analyze numbers to effectively market and approach more readers.

BookCore will tell you clearly how much readers enjoy your work and how they engage with your self-published book. With this information, you’ll be able to make real-time decisions to cause their sales skyrocket.

The step after signing up is to add the stores where your books are for sale. Within a short time, all your books, status, reviews, rankings, and sales are automatically downloaded.

Final Thoughts

Self-publishing has many benefits when you use the right resources to get your book ready and visit the best sites to get published. Our selections for the best free self-publishing sites will help you earn royalties from your early works as you continue to share your thoughts and ideas with the world. 

Also be sure to check out The 12 Best Self-Publishing Companies of 2020 on the Reedsy Blog to find out more about the best free self-publishing sites.

8 thoughts on “The Best Free Self Publishing Sites”

Great article full of knowledge ! looking forward to read more from this author.

I didn’t really know there are such a great self publishing sites. Thanks for the list and description of those for free. I think I would definitely go for Kindle Direct Publishing as it offers great marketplace for the book. Grammarly seems to be like a great tool for the errors of all kinds. I always had a problem with commas and Grammarly might be also worth trying for me.

Hi Ola Bee! 

I found the Kindle Direct Publishing process easy and straightforward for the two books I’ve published. 

I wish you the best of luck using KDP and Grammarly for your future publishing needs! 

Wow, maybe I actually need to sign up for some of this because I have always loved writing really short stories so I would be very happy to be able to start shooting with my pens in one of this self publishing sites. I understand that it can help me widen the range of my readers but which of this website do you think has more readers?

Hi Jay! 

The right answer for you might depend on where you’re located and what type of devices you think the majority of your readers will be using to view your work. 

Feel free to shoot me an email to [email protected] and we can discuss further!

For an up and coming writer yet to actually have the resources to go big, it is a good thing to actually self publish through the right resources and sites. What you shared here is massive and to be very honest, I value this a lot. I must say that I have quite a few books with me that I was planning to just give away for free before but thankfully I came across this here. Thanks!

You are very welcome Kimberly! 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any more detailed questions about getting some of your books onto one of these self publishing sites. 

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

The Literature Times

Free Book Publishing Companies and How to Publish with Them

Table of Contents

Introduction: Free Book Publishing Options

Because new and upcoming authors aren’t having the chance to publish their works with Traditional Publishers , there is a great demand for free book publishing companies and self publishing platforms . Authors may now publish quickly and without any effort, thanks to free book publishing portals. This post may be very helpful to you if you’re wondering how to publish a book for free.

Self Publishing Guide

How it All Started?

One of the technological revolutions of the twenty-first century is undoubtedly ebooks. Isn’t it? Well, technically, the story of ebooks started within the previous century, when in 1971, Michael S. Hart of The University of Illinois launched Project Guttenberg .

However, it has gained worldwide charm only recently with the proliferation of enabled mobile devices. As a result, the expansion trend inside the ebook class is spiralling upward. The Guardian states that ebook and audiobook sales for the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland publishers were at an incomparable high during the pandemic. The ebook market is growing at a staggering pace as publishers have lowered the barriers to entry for all budding writers.

Also Read: How to Publish a Book in India

The Need of FREE Book Publishing Platforms

Whether or not you wish to become a consecutive author, writing an ebook is an excellent medium to comprehend your goal. You now need not be at the mercy of the Traditional Publishers to realise entry within the literary field by changing into an associate author. All you need is to make an ebook and the basic skills to publish your ebook at no cost.

How can you be a published author without paying a rupee? While it’s a fact that anything that sounds too good to be true probably isn’t, there’s an exception when publishing an ebook. You can become the next bestselling author without spending any money. Several Traditional/Self-publishing houses have online portals that allow you to self-publish your book for free. So whether you’re thinking about writing a book, are halfway there, or have already written a book, you’ll save a lot of time and effort by reading the following popular places where you can publish your ebook for free.

Also Read: Contribution Of Self-Publishing In The Growth Of Modern Authors

Free Book Publishing Companies

Based on the popularity and ease of use, we have shortlisted some free book publishing companies for you. Many of these platforms provide the ability to publish in Paperback and Hardback versions as well, so it’s not simply ebooks. However, only a few counties can access them in paperback editions.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a free Publishing website that allows you to publish your book without paying a single rupee to the publisher. While uploading your book, you may need to convert it to Amazon’s proprietary format. The site automatically converts Word (Doc), PDF, Html, and E-Pub formats to Kindle’s proprietary format.

You can also use Calibre or Mobi pocket ebook Creator to easily convert the ebook to the format you want without paying additional fees. The free software allows you to convert from a variety of formats.

Additionally, the conversion software can scale the ebook’s font size to ensure it conforms to Amazon specifications. Finally, when you publish your ebook, you have the option to make it exclusive to Amazon Kindle for a limited time. This way, your ebook will be listed in the Lending Library for Kindle owners, allowing you to earn a percentage of sales. More information about the KDP Select program can be found here.

You now have the option to publish your book in both paperback and hardback formats thanks to the merger of Createspace and KDP. You may publish print and digital editions of your book using KDP in a matter of minutes if you know how to create the cover and inner layout of your book. In our earlier article, we have explained How to Publish a Book in KDP in detail.

Visit KDP: https://kdp.amazon.com/

Barnes & Noble Press™

Formerly known as Nook Press, Barnes and Noble Press™ became part of the bookselling company’s offering in 2018. The relaunch changed the print shop’s name and made it more accessible to self-publishing authors. ‘B & ‘N Press’ website offers much simpler, smoother, and more streamlined user experiences and has been gaining popularity quickly. When you have completed your manuscript, edited and made it ready for the world, it takes you less than 72 hours to set up an account and see your book on ‘B & N’s online bookstore for readers. The platform is fast and free to use and competes with KDP. If you’re looking to take your desktop publishing business to the next level, the site also offers printing services, where customers can order paperback or hardcover versions of your ebook.

Visit: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Smashwords, one of the pioneers of ebook publishing, boasts a choice of revealed books containing works of 40,000 plus authors. You can conjointly publish your ebook while not paying any money. You’ll be able to quickly publish your ebook to an online store in no time. Publishing your ebook at Smashwords is a lot of a DIY task. You must first transfer your ebook and a canopy image using the ‘Meatgrinder’ tool on the site. The web tool will create an ebook within the needed format in a few minutes. That’s it! You sell and promote the ebook directly on the self-publishing platform.

Additionally, you can market the ebook to Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble’s ebook store, Baker & Taylor’s Bilo, Kobo, and many major online business platforms.

Now, Smashwords doesn’t support publishing the ebook to Amazon’s KDP. And it’s seemingly not aimed to amendment anytime soon. In addition, Amazon doesn’t enable the automatic transfer of Smashwords titles. Therefore, you should either upload the ebook onto KDP or use another third-party business platform.

Visit: https://www.smashwords.com/

Apple eBook Store

Apple’s iBook shop and iTunes U have unfastened self-publishing structures that let you maximise the publicity of your ebook. Both the net shops have special necessities for importing virtual books. You need to convert the report to E-Pub or iBooks format to put up your ebook in the iBooks Store or iTunes U. You can use the unfastened conversion equipment referred to formerly to transform the books.

For publishing in iTunes U, the report should be stored as an an-E-Pub report or an I-book. You can upload your ebook to the iBook Store without spending a rupee via iTunes Connect. This calls for you to finish a web application. Once registered to the web website, you may download the iTunes manufacturer to promote the ebook at the iBook shop. You could make your virtual paintings to be had at the shop without spending anything or setting a particular rate for the ebook. To put up your ebook on iTunes U, you ought to create an iTunes U web website online. Don’t worry; it’s smooth to make the web website online following some easy steps. To create the internet site, you have to go to this web website online and comply with the onscreen instructions. Once you’ve posted the ebook on Apple’s shop, you’ll keep exclusive rights to the ebook content. The royalty fee provided by using Apple to ebook authors is much like one provided to iPad and iPhone app developers. The publisher, author, or the proper ebook holder gets 35 to 70% of the income proceeds. To receive the royalty fee, the rate of the ebook should fulfil listing rate necessities.

One pricing situation is that the listing is set 20 % below the bottom rate fixed for a bodily book. Moreover, the ebook name should be made for all locations wherein the writer has rights.

Visit: https://authors.apple.com/

Draft2Digital

This ebook publishing platform epitomises ease of use. They provide a one-stop store in which you may get the installation to post books online with a couple of outlets. Upload your manuscript in any layout that Word can examine, and they’ll cope with the rest, along with covers, desk of contents, the front and cease matter. Sales and pricing are clean for you, too. Your ebook might be indexed on predominant outlets and mechanically assigned a loose ISBN, except you offer one. You nevertheless keep exclusive rights on your ebook. And they handiest take 10% of the ebook’s income price. Plus, you get devoted customer support and 24-hour assistance.

Visit: https://www.draft2digital.com/

If you’re new to publishing, there’s no need to be apprehensive. But, of course, you must select a suitable platform with an excellent matter for your ebook to ensure its success. Since you are about to go with Free publishing options, you need to make sure your manuscript is perfect in terms of designing and editing. You must edit your book carefully or you can take additional help of Book Editing Companies . If you need a professional writing support, you can take help from best ghostwriters in India . All the ebook publishing structures we’ve listed provide you with the assistance to ensure you’re doing it correctly. If you are stuck somewhere and would need any support, you may reach out to Self Publishing Companies who can help you publish easily at a nominal fee. We hope we’ve satisfied you with our article ‘free book publishing companies’ that an ebook publishing web page is the proper way to post books online. Write your comments if you have any suggestions or feedback to share.

Happy publishing!

Check this too

N X N The Beginning by Author Anil Prabhu : Book Review

Echoes of Hastinapur by Author Sukriti Jaswal : Book Review

An Interview with Author Aarya Author of the Book Kitani Mohabbat Hai: Do Juda Dilo Ke Ishq Ki Dastan

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Publishing Support
• Editing And Proofreading
• Book Marketing

5 Awesome Sites where you can Publish your eBook for Free

One of the technological revolutions of the 21st century is most definitely the eBooks. Isn’t it?

Well, technically the story of eBooks started in the previous century in 1971 when Michael Hart of the University of Illinois started Project Guttenberg. However, it has gained worldwide appeal only recently with the proliferation of enabled mobile devices.

The growth trend within the eBook category is only growing upward. According to a report published by Mordor Intelligence, the global eBook market valued at $18.13 billion at the end of 2019 and is on its way to reaching $23.12 billion by the year 2025.

This has been especially more apparent during 2020 when people turned to books and eBooks to escape the cabin fever that ensued post lockdown and stay-at-home orders. In fact, an article published in The Guardian mentioned that eBook and audiobook sales for UK publishers were at an all-time high during the pandemic.

The eBook market is growing at a rapid pace as eBook publishers have lowered the barriers to entry for all budding writers. Whether you want to promote your business, or become the next millionaire author, writing an eBook is the perfect medium to realize your goal.

You no longer have to be at the mercy of the publishers to gain entry in the literary field by becoming an author. All you need to do is to create an eBook and know how to  publish your eBook  for free online .

‘What! I can be an author without paying any penny?’ you ask?

While it’s is a fact that anything that sounds too good to be true is probably not true, but there is an exception when it comes to publishing your eBook.

The reality is that you can become the next best-selling author without spending any money. A number of online publishing companies allow you to self-publish your eBook at no cost at all. You should consider publishing your eBook on every free self-publishing online site to give maximum exposure to your eBook.

So, whether you are thinking about writing an eBook, are more than halfway there or have already written an eBook, you will save a lot of your time and hassles by reading our list of 5 great sites where you can publish your eBook for free.

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a free e-publishing site that allows you to publish your eBook without paying a single penny to the publisher.

To upload the eBook to the site, you may have to convert it to Amazon’s proprietary format. The website automatically converts word (Doc), Pdf, Html, and ePub format to Kindle’s proprietary format.

However, you can also use Calibre or Mobipocket eBook Creator to easily convert the eBook to the required format without paying any additional amount. Using the free software you can convert from a large number of formats. What’s more, the conversion software can rescale the font size of the eBook to ensure that it complies with Amazon’s specifications.

When you publish the eBook, you have the option of making it exclusive to Amazon’s Kindle for a limited time period. In this way, your eBook will be included in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library allowing you to earn a certain percentage on sales. You can read more about the KDP Select program here .

2. Barnes & Noble Press™

Known previously as Nook Press, Barnes & Noble Press™ became a part of the bookseller company’s offering in 2018. The relaunch rebranded the press, making it more approachable for self-publishing authors.

Providing much easier, fluid, and simplified user experiences, the B&N Press website has gained popularity quite rapidly. In fact, the company covered 3% of eBook sales in the U.S.

If you have a complete manuscript, edited and ready for the world, it will take you less than 72 hours to set up an account and have your book show up in B&N’s online bookstore for readers to see.

The platform is fast and free to use, competing with KDP. If you want to take your self-publishing venture to the next level, the website also offers printing services where customers can order hardcover or paperback versions of your eBook.

3. Smashwords

Smashwords is one of the pioneers of eBook publishing. It boasts off a large selection of published books containing works of more than 40,000 authors. You can also publish your eBook on the site without paying any money.

Using the online resource, you will be able to quickly publish your eBook to a wide variety of online stores in no time.

Publishing your eBook at Smashwords is more of a DIY task. You have to first upload your eBook and a cover image using the ‘Metagrinder’ tool on the site. The online tool will create an eBook in the required format within just a few minutes. And that’s it.

You can sell and promote the eBook directly on the self-publishing platform. Additionally, you have the option of selling the eBook to Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore, Baker & Taylor’s Bilo, Kobo, and many other major online publishing platforms. The online publisher also has made deals with third-party companies such as Axis360 owned by Baker & Taylors for having the eBooks distributed to public libraries.

At the moment, Smashwords does not support publishing the eBook to Amazon’s KDP. And it’s likely that this is not going to change anytime soon. Amazon does not allow automatic upload of Smashwords titles. So, it’s best you either upload the eBook directly to KDP or use another third-party publishing platform.

4. Apple eBook Store

Apple’s iBook store and iTunes U are two free self-publishing platforms that allow you to maximize exposure of your eBook. You can find out more about the self-publishing online platforms by clicking here . Both the online stores have different requirements for uploading digital books.

In order to publish your eBook to iBooks Store or iTunes U, you have to convert the file to either ePub or iBooks format. You can use the free conversion tools mentioned previously to convert the books. For publishing in iTunes U, the file must be saved as either an.ePub file or as an .ibook.

If you want to publish your work as a subscription product through the iBook Store, you should use the iBook format. For maximum exposure of the eBook, however, you should consider uploading the eBook as an ePub, PDF, or text file to have you digital work available for free on other platforms.

You can publish your eBook to the iBook Store for free through iTunes Connect. This requires you to complete an online application . Once you have successfully registered to the site, you can download iTunes producer to sell the eBook on the iBook store. You can make your digital work available at the store for free or set a specific price for the eBook.

In order to publish your eBook on iTunes U, you should create an iTunes U site. Don’t worry; it’s easy to create the site by following a few simple steps. To create the website you should just visit this site here and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Once you have published the eBook on Apple’s store, you will retain complete rights to the eBook content. However, if you distribute the eBook in the iBooks format, the digital work will be subject to certain restrictions that are mentioned in the terms of the agreement.

The royalty payment offered by Apple to eBook authors is similar to one that is offered to iPad and iPhone app developers. Publisher, author, or the eBook right holder will receive 35 to 70% of the sales proceeds. To receive the royalty payment, the price of the eBook must satisfy list price requirements . One of the pricing conditions includes that the list is about 20% below the lowest price set for a physical book. Moreover, the eBook title should be made available for all places where the publisher or the author has rights.

5. Rakuten Kobo Writing Life

Lastly, Rakuten Kobo’s Writing Life is another perfect website for shelving your eBook for prospective readers to find. Competing with Amazon’s Kindle, Kobo has its own e-reader tablet and its own library.

You have access to millions of readers. All you have to do is set up your account, describe your eBook, upload the content, choose relevant publishing rights, and choose a price.

If your book is professionally proofread, the platform will do the rest for you and will come out in the right (ePub) format in a matter of seconds. And there you have your eBook for everyone to read.

One of the most unique things Kobo offers in the land of eBooks is exposure to Canadian readers. Surprisingly, the platform accounts for 25% of eBook sales up north in Canada.

On a final note, the effort taken to get the eBooks published is well worth it in the end. For individuals, it can serve as an additional source of income. Businesses can benefit by publishing the eBook by not only boosting their income but also promote their products and services online. But most promising of all these websites offer is the realization and materialization of aspiring writers’ authorial dreams.

Recent Posts

Copyright © 2021 GhosteBookwriters. All Rights Reserved

Request A Free Proposal

Publish or Print a Book

Have a book custom printed or self-publish a book for free to sell around the world, how to self-publish a book, free resources & tools to get you started with self-publishing and print-on-demand books., sell your book, sell your books internationally using shopify, woocommerce, amazon, the lulu bookstore, and more., free automated book printing for your business, connect your business site with lulu's free book printing api. have copies professionally printed and shipped automatically., book pricing calculator, quality book printing at a reasonable price. check pricing, format variations, retail pricing, and shipping for custom books or calendars..

Sell Your Books Direct

Use Lulu Direct with Wix (NEW!), Shopify, or WooCommerce to sell books you create directly to your customers. Combine direct-to-consumer sales with the ease and flexibility of print-on-demand books.

Book Printing API

For businesses and publishers looking for printing services at scale, Lulu's Book Printing API offers a global network, no upfront costs, and complete control over the print-on-demand service.

Guides & Templates

Get the guides you need to self-publish a print book or ebook for yourself or to sell on all major book retail sites.

Order Import Tool

With the order import tool, you can take pre-orders from your online store or in-person at events and fulfill them all at once. or you can use it to dropship books whenever you need it’s never been easier to place bulk orders for your novel, photo book, manual, textbook, or any kind of book or custom calendar., get started, create a free lulu account today to self-publish your book and have your book printed for you, a friend, or readers all over the world..

K12 (School) Publishers

Empowering K-12 learning with comprehensive digital solutions

Higher-ed Publishers

Redefining academic excellence with our digital platform

Traditional Publishers

Pioneering excellence in digital content delivery and distribution

Associations & Non-profits

Amplifying your community and member engagement with digital learning experiences

Training Institutes

Our collaborative online learning platform for your mission-critical training needs

Why KITABOO?

Maximize your content's potential with secure distribution at scale.

KITABOO SDK

Build your own eReader App using KITABOO’s SDK

Ebook store

Your All-in-One eBook Store: Host. Manage. Sell

Training Solutions

Digitally deliver world-class training

Convert PDF to Reflowable

Automate and scale your static PDFs to Reflowable ePubs

State Textbook Adoptions

Streamline adoptions with state-aligned digital textbooks

Gain Industry Expertise: Dive Into Our Blog Resources

Infographics

Where Data Meets Design: KITABOO's Infographic Showcase

Case Studies

Our Partner success stories of digital transformation

Product Videos

Experience KITABOO in action with our product videos

Discover Best Practices in Publishing: Watch our Webinar series

Whitepapers

Dive Into Digital Publishing Expertise: Explore Our Whitepapers

How to Guides

Your Path to Digital Publishing Mastery: Our How-to-guides

KITABOO FAQ

Demystifying Digital Publishing: Your Questions, Answered

Connect with KITABOO: Explore Our Upcoming Industry Events and Conferences

• Request Demo

Top 5 Free Publishing Sites for Independent Publishing [2024]

Writing, editing, and designing an eBook is a tedious task. You need to invest your efforts to bring your dreams to reality – which is turning an idea into an eBook. 

So, you have your eBook ready and have prepared a detailed marketing plan to promote your eBook. But there is one factor that will decide the success of your eBook. 

Publishing.

The success and longevity of your eBook depend on how you publish it and where you publish it. Without publishing your eBook, you cannot get started with marketing; this is how crucial the publishing process is. 

Luckily, multiple eBook publications and distributors can help take your eBook to your intended audience. But at the same time, some publications could make a mockery of your hard efforts. 

This post will help you avoid vanity publications by showing you the top free publishing sites where you can publish your eBook without spending a dime.

So, if you have an eBook, dive into this article to learn how to publish it yourself. 

Top 5 Publishing Sites Available right now –

• Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
• Apple Books
• Barnes & Noble Press

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing

Amazon KDP, popularly known as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, is one of the popular self-publishing platforms. Statistics show that almost 74% of eBooks in the US were published using Amazon KDP. 

Amazon KDP is the go-to free publishing site for every author. The reason for its popularity is that it has a wide range of audiences. An eBook published through KDP will have higher traffic than any other publishing platform. 

You may need to convert your eBook to Amazon’s proprietary format before uploading it onto the site. Amazon automatically converts DOC, PDF, HTML, and ePub files to Kindle’s specific format.

The only downside is that Amazon sets an exclusivity limit for a certain time period (90 days). This means that once you’ve published on Kindle, you cannot publish your eBook on any other free publishing sites . But this is a limited-time exclusive. 

Price – Free

Support formats – DOC, PDF, HTML, Kindle Package Format, OBI, and ePUB.

Royalty – The author receives a royalty of 70% for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 and 35% for books priced less than $2.99.

2. Apple Books

Apple’s iBook store and iTunes U are two free publishing sites that will give your eBook maximum exposure. It is also a huge publishing service and ranks 2nd as the largest online book retailer. 

It has millions of users on its specialized mobile app. Consider how much traffic your eBook could receive by putting it in the iBook store.

To publish your eBook on iBooks, you must first convert it to ePub or iBooks format. Many free tools are available to help convert your docs to ePub format. 

You will maintain total rights to your eBook once it has been published on Apple’s store. However, sharing your eBooks in iBooks format will have certain accessibility restrictions. 

Support formats – ePub and iBooks format

Royalty – The author receives a royalty of 70% for books, irrespective of the book’s price. 

Kitaboo is an award-winning digital publishing platform that lets you publish your eBooks for free. The best thing about Kitaboo is that it is not just a free publishing site like the ones above.

It is an all-in-one platform that lets you build an eBook from scratch , add interactiveness to it, and enables you to publish and share it with your audience. 

It doesn’t matter if your readers are using a PC, tablet, or smartphone; Kitaboo will deliver your eBook to all these platforms hassle-free. It supports multiple operating systems like iOS, Android, and Windows. 

What makes Kitaboo interesting is its encryption capabilities. As it offers a secured cloud-based distribution system, your eBooks are DRM encrypted , which means they can be accessed only using access codes. 

Kitaboo has its own reader app, so your readers can download the app and access your eBook through it. Since it is DRM protected , your eBook content cannot be copied or manipulated when it is shared with many users. 

Price – Flexible

Supported formats – PDF, DOC, ePub3, KDP, MOBI, etc.

4. Barnes and Noble Press

Barnes & Noble Press is a self-publishing platform that allows authors to publish and sell books straight to readers. It is quick, free, and simple to use. It is so popular that it is considered a direct competitor to Amazon KDP.

According to experts, Barnes & Noble covers the readers not covered by KDP, which is why it is so popular. KDP and B&N are the two sides of the digital publishing coin. 

If you have a finished book that has been edited and is ready for publication within 72 hours, you can set up an account and have your book appear in B&N’s bookstore for your readers to purchase.

Support formats – HTML, DOC, DOCX, TXT, or EPUB.

Royalty –  70% royalty for self-published eBooks. 

5. Smashwords

One of the pioneers in the eBook publishing industry. Smashwords is one of the popular free publishing sites with one of the largest collections of eBooks of more than 120000+ authors. 

Smashwords lets you publish and sell your eBooks directly on the platform. Another aspect is that it enables you to sell your eBook on other free publishing sites like Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, etc. There is no exclusivity limit on Smashwords.

Support formats – HTML, DOC, DOCX, TXT, iBooks, ePUB, etc.

Royalty –  Authors receive an 80% royalty if they sell the eBook directly on Smashwords. 

If you don’t choose the right publishing platforms, all your efforts will go in vain. A publishing platform can make or break your eBook’s success, so you must be careful when choosing the platform. 

There are multiple free publishing sites for you to choose from; we’ve listed some of the best in this article. Amazon KDP and Apple books might seem the right fit, but we highly recommend Kitaboo . It has a relatively new set of audiences; instead of selling to the same audience as KDP, your eBook will have a breath of fresh air. 

A new audience will likely increase word of mouth about your eBooks and make them more successful. Remember, you cannot promote your eBook unless you publish it. So, choose the right platform that’ll fit your eBook and target audience.

Contact  our expert team now and get started!

To know more, please write to us at [email protected]

Suggested Reads:

• Top Benefits of Using Digital Textbooks in Education
• Top 7 Reasons Digital Publishers Opt For ePUB
• 10 Best Interactive Online Platforms For Best Learning Experience
• Digital Textbook Platform for K12 Publishers
• Advantages of eBooks Over Printed Books
• KITABOO ONLINE READER
• eBook Features
• eBooks vs. Printed Books
• Best Cross-Platform eBook Readers
• Convert PDF to eBook
• Best eBook Hosting Platforms
• Custom eBook App

Discover how a mobile-first training platform can help your organization.

Kitaboo is a cloud-based platform to create, deliver & track mobile-first interactive training content.

Mike Harman

Mike is the SVP Business Development at KITABOO. He has over 30 years experience in achieving consistent top-line revenue growth and building mutually beneficial relationships. More posts by Mike Harman

Get the latest posts delivered right to your email.

Sign up to Newsletter

You may also like.

How to Create Interactive Content for Sales Enablement

Interactive content is the new buzzword in communication with 88% of marketers s...

DRM – Secure Platform to Create Engaging Ebooks for Hi...

DRM, or Digital Rights Management, has become even more important today as every...

Crafting DRM eBooks Like a Pro: Mastering Digital Rights Man...

Digital Rights Management is prevalent across industries. It is a critical resou...

10 Free Book Publishing Software And Tools For Authors

Here are 10 of the best free book publishing software and self-publishing apps to help with your book publishing and promotion.

We all need some help.

I use many of the following tools almost every day, so I can vouch for how useful they are.

Take a look at the choices you have to help you write, edit, publish, and promote your new book. The best part is that most of them are free or at least have a free version for you to use.

Article Contents

My ten best and most useful book publishing software tools

There are so many aspects to being a self-published author.

It is sometimes hard to count the number of hats you need to wear every day.

But you are one step ahead if you have the best online publishing tools and software.

You have to write, format, design, publish, promote, market, and write blog posts.

Then, you have to find time to connect with your readers.

You need the best publishing software you can find to help you save as much time as possible.

These free book publishing tools will help you do that.

Then you can do what you do best, which is writing books.

All the tools and software on my list are free or have a useful free version.

Take a look and see what these publishing apps can do for you.

Canva is a must-have free tool for all authors.

It’s one of the easiest ways to create stunning ebook covers or experiment with book cover mock-ups.

Images are vital in attracting attention. But you should use unique images and never copy or download images from Google Image Search.

Canva is a fantastic graphic design tool that solves this problem with ease.

There are loads of professionally designed templates.

You can find Facebook headers, social media posts, logos, ebook covers, business cards, and X (Twitter) posts, just to name a few.

There is a paid option, but the free version comes with plenty of free images, graphics, icons, shapes, and backgrounds for almost any image project.

You can also upload your own stock images to use with Canva.

Then, you can create truly unique images for your blog or online magazine and share them on social media.

Best of all, it is user-friendly and very easy to use.

You can also merge book cover images with Canva.

For authors, you have all your bases covered for your book covers and promoting your books.

You need to write a book.

Are you looking for free book publishing software to write a book or novel?

Well, Shaxpir really packs a lot of features into its free version.

The main feature is the Manuscript Builder, where you can use drag-and-drop tools to rearrange any part of your manuscript.

You can also move and change the order of your scenes or chapters.

You can set writing goals for your book project and keep track of your progress.

Importantly, it lets you take notes about your events, characters, and places.

You can collect and save any concept art you find and add your margin comments.

There is also an in-built spellchecker.

You can find a lot of free software designed for writing books.

But Shaxpir offers you the widest range of features I have seen in a free version.

You can download Shaxpir for both Mac and PC. There is also an option for cloud access.

3. ProWritingAid

Always triple-check your spelling and grammar.

Prowritingaid is a fantastic grammar and writing checker.

It includes so many checks and reports to help analyze your writing.

It is one of the best writing aids for self-publishing authors.

The tools and reports dig deep into your text and offer you a huge range of suggestions to improve your writing.

You can add extensions for Chrome, Microsoft Office, Google Docs, and Scrivener.

A free browser extension version of ProWritingAid is available. It offers reasonable functionality to help you check your online writing.

However, authors might consider the modestly priced premium version, which includes all the reports and editing tools and has no word count limits.

The ProWritingAid desktop editor is my number one go-to editing tool when I need to work on book manuscripts.

4. Ahrefs Amazon Keyword Tool

You need to research your Amazon keywords.

Whenever you publish a book or ebook on Amazon, you need to add seven search keywords.

Don’t rush into this because finding the best keywords is vital to the success of your book.

There are many ways you can do Amazon keyword research for free.

But one of the best free keyword search tools for Amazon keywords is the Ahrefs Amazon Keyword tool .

All you need to do is enter your seed keyword and check the results for the best ideas and related search phrases.

For each search, you will get a list of 100 keyword suggestions.

It shouldn’t take you long to find plenty of ideas for your Amazon search keywords.

One other helpful feature is that you also get an approximate search volume for each keyword phrase.

An ebook editor, and much more.

Without a doubt, as far as book publishing software goes, Calibre is the number one ebook tool every indie author should have.

It does everything you could need to do when it comes to ebook creation.

It is also a great free tool for converting from Microsoft Word to mobi and epub ebook files.

You get an ebook reader and an ebook library, and you can sync to e-reading devices.

For those with a little technical skill, you can also edit HTML, epub, AZW3 (Kindle), or mobi files.

6. ImageOptim

Crunch your images for faster site loading.

ImageOptim is a free software application for Mac and Linux users.

It reduces the size of images before using them on blogs or websites by using drag-and-drop.

Quick, easy, and very efficient.

7. DIY Book Covers

3D book mock-ups for your book promotion.

DIY Book Design offers a free tool to create single or composite 3D book covers.

It only takes three quick steps.

Choose your template, upload your book cover image, and then download your 3D book cover .

The example above took me less than 30 seconds.

Best of all, it’s free to use for as many covers as you want.

You always need an image editor.

Working with images is a regular task for authors now.

But Photoshop is very expensive. GIMP is a free, open-source alternative that works exceedingly well on all platforms.

It will be a learning curve if you are new to image editing.

But no more so than for Photoshop or any other image or DTP software.

For Mac users, there is also  Seashore. I also use it occasionally for book design mock-ups for covers.

9. Kindle Create

A free tool from Amazon Kindle.

Kindle Create is one of the must-have self-publishing apps for all authors.

It is the best book publishing software for authors, especially for ebooks.

You’ll find all the tools you need to easily create and format perfect ebooks for Kindle.

It will also automatically create a table of contents.

Kindle Create is very easy to learn how to use. You will be up and running in no time at all.

It’s also possible to use this app to format your print book.

You need to download and install the application from Kindle Direct Publishing on your computer.

It is available for both PC and Mac.

10. Reedsy Book Editor

Kindle Create is a terrific app for formatting ebooks for KDP.

But what if you want to output your manuscript in EPUB or PDF?

If you are self-publishing on services other than Amazon, then the Reedsy Book Editor might be the answer.

It’s also a free application; you can register using your Google account or email address.

The setup process asks you a few questions before you can begin. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it does ask for your location.

I imported one of my novels, which loaded quickly, and I could start editing and formatting immediately.

Reedsy offers a lot of other services, so you will probably get some email offers.

However, this free editor might be a good option if you only want to format your ebook before publishing and output it in EPUB or PDF format.

There is a wide range of free book writing programs , word processor applications, and online tools for self-publishing authors.

But apart from my favorites listed above, I use a few premium apps to help save me more time.

Not everything is free nowadays.

But I will pay if and when I am convinced that a tool, application, or online service is worth the money.

However, most online writing tools and applications a self-publishing author needs to use each day are available for free.

Related reading: What To Include On The Copyright Page Of Your Book

About The Author

Derek Haines

More articles.

My Paperback Version Is Not Available On Amazon To Buy

Can Self-Publishing Save The Literary Fiction Genre?

In And Out Of KDP Select With Smashwords and Draft2Digital

11 thoughts on “10 free book publishing software and tools for authors”.

Informative, Thank you

I thank you so mych for this. I am so appreciative.

I’ve started 9years ago to design and publish a book but just seemed best to leave it to the professional publisher’s but their prices exceeded what I would get from advertisers for the small market I’m targeting. Thanks for this article I will be downloading at midnight. Gavin

thank you so much for sharing

Any help or know a publisher who wants original children’s books, written and illustrated by the author?

For a self publishing author like me these tools are my best companion. From designing the cover of my book to write and edit it, they are a complete performance package.

Tools to help guide and teach with ther terminology to aid in the overall experience and the confidence to self-publish.

Very useful article, thanks or sharing

Very helpful.

Thank you, Derek. A very useful set of tools.

I hope so, Penelope :)

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

To prevent spam, all comments are moderated and will be published upon approval. Submit your comment only once, please.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Privacy Overview

13 Best Self-Publishing Websites to Publish Your New Book in 2024

• Views: 109,266
• 55 Comments

Your book is ready. Written, edited a dozen times, proofread, and formatted. Now it’s ready to submit to self-publishing websites. As a first-time, self-published author, you’re cautious as to which self-publishing companies to go for.

You’ve put so much time, effort, and other resources into seeing this happen, so it’s necessary that your book gets a shot in the book marketplaces.

It’s time to share your work with your readers out there. Meeting up with mainstream publishing companies for the never-ending negotiations over your manuscript can kill your morale to reach out to the audience out there.

But there is always another better way out, right?

Forget the small royalties from major publishing houses and go the  self-publishing route. Some of the bestselling books on Amazon are self-published, and some have since been bought up by big publishing houses.

Best self publishing websites

Below is a list of the best self-publishing websites you need to check out.

1) MindStir Media Publishing

This self-publishing company tops the list because it is a full-suite company offering publishing services such as book editing, custom book design, printing, ebook conversion, distribution, marketing, and publicity.

So if you need help with self-publishing, then MindStir Media can serve you better.

The owner, J.J. Hebert, who is also an Amazon bestselling author, offers support to all the clients in areas such as marketing and publicity.

As a MindStir author, you retain the copyright and exclusive publishing rights. The website claims that they distribute your book to over 30,000 wholesalers retailers and booksellers in over 100 countries through their partnership program with Ingram.

You can learn more by downloading their Self-publishing guide on their website

Blurb is a very popular self-publishing company

There are no more traditional rigid ways of book printing. Their interface inspires confidence in marketing and design skills for one, whilst the variety of what’s on offer is more than you can imagine.

The book formats they’ve got are stunning as well.

Blurb is also recommended especially for your visual works such as Magazines and photobooks

Another option that you may want to consider, especially if you are from India or targeting this market is Shabd.in . It is an online AI-powered platform to publish books in over 20 languages.

This platform also enables users to publish a wide range of content, including English books, stories, and poems. It features different genres such as romance, suspense, and thriller, among others.

The service is free to use, allowing writers to compose as many pieces as they wish without any charge. For other services such as paperbacks, Amazon and Google listing, etc, you will have to pay a set amount.

4) Kindle Direct Publishing  (KDP)

Offered by the Amazon giant, Kindle Direct Publishing is a massive publishing company that offers a great marketplace for your book… Due to their widespread reach and lucrative royalties, the amount of eBook sales made on Amazon is way above the competition

You can also sell Print versions of your book directly from Kindle by simply enabling paperbacks when uploading your book files. This way you can serve customers who love paperbacks. Having a paperback version of your book on Amazon is also valuable as it gives your eBook a high perceived value, which increases your sales overall.

To start publishing, you will need to sign in to your Amazon Kindle account . If you don’t have one, you can easily create one for free. Then you will need to fill in your tax information before you can add a title.

KDP Select is a program by Amazon Kindle where you get to offer your book exclusively on Amazon. If you enroll your book on Kindle Select, then you will not be allowed to offer your book anywhere else.

With KDP Select, you get to have 5 free promotion days for your book every month. Your book will also be available on Kindle Unlimited and you will earn loyalties/commissions based on how many pages of your book were read during the period

The global reach, the ability to change and update your book while online, and the multiple languages facility, make this self-publishing website appear among the best in the industry.

Extra Resources for Kindle Direct Publishing

• Bestseller Book Marketing: Amazon Kindle KDP Self-Publishing
• How to Become a Bestselling Author on Amazon Kindle
• eBook Best Seller Bootcamp
• How to Launch a book on Amazon
• Complete Kindle Launch Plan

5) Smashwords

This site is only getting bigger and better. The main aim of Smashwords is to figuratively ‘smash’ the traditional publishing with ‘words.’ Joining is absolutely free. Simply sign up , and you will be ready to get published.

It’s one of the largest aggregator self-publishing websites for independent book authors.

There is much more offered at this site that will help you in branding, marketing, and publishing.  You get over 80% or more of the net sale revenues and tools for promoting your creations.

Further, Smashwords provides clear and easy-to-follow publishing guidelines and great resources that will help you get started like a pro.

Extra Resources for Smashwords Publishing

• Guided Approach to Publishing on Smashwords

6) Lulu Publishing

Among the best self-publishing websites is Lulu and for good reason.

Each day Lulu has over 1000 new titles getting published. Not only do they self-publish but they pay attention to the small details of formatting, packaging, and pushing your book out there for maximum exposure

Marketing, editorial, and proofreading, just to mention a few are some of the extra packages this self-publishing company offers.

Fantastic enough, these folks over at Lulu Publishing have written a great giveaway Marketing Guide which you can download for free.

7) Kobo Publishing

Kobo simplifies it all for you by taking you through simple self-publishing steps.

You start by describing your e-book, uploading your content, choosing the relevant rights, setting the price for your work, and finally clicking ‘publish’.

Your e-book comes out on the other end in ePub format. In a matter of seconds, your book is out there for the world to read you.

The biggest advantage of getting your book on Kobo publishing is the Canada sales. Kobo accounts for 25% sales of eBooks sold in Canada

More resources for Kobo Publishing

• How to Self-Publish on Kobo

8) Barnes and Noble

Barnes and Noble is a self-publishing company that accounts for almost 3% of eBook sales in the United States. It also offers Print on demand (POD) services

Royalties depend on the pricing of the book and usually range from 40% to 65%

More resources for Barnes and Noble Publishing

• Selling Self Published Books at Barnes and Noble
• Barnes and Noble Royalty Calculator
• Steps to getting published on Barnes and Noble (NookPress)

If you are looking for a self-publishing site with more than ‘just publishing’, try Scribd . There is more entertaining, informative, and original written content from every author on the planet.

Read, publish, and share documents and written works.

You get to learn a lot from other self-published writers.

This self-publishing site designs your book cover, provides information about your content, and publishes and sells your work.  

10) Apple Books. iBooks

This is the second-largest books retailer in the world accounting for a 10% share in the industry. Its popularity is associated with its major advantage of having direct access to Mac users and iPhone users. Mac users have brand loyalty.

To directly upload your books to Apple Books, you need to be a Mac user, if not you will have to use major book aggregators to submit your files such as BookBaby, Draft2Digital, Smashwords, etc.

11) BookBaby Publishing

Bookbaby is both a publishing company and an eBooks distribution website that is appealing to many authors. This is one of the best self-publishing companies for new authors because of their easy-to-use interface, employing a guided approach

Publishing a book on Bookbaby involves 7 steps

• Setting up your project details: Type( eBook, print, or both), number of pages, quantity
• Setting trim size, paper type, and cover style
• Choosing distribution channels
• Saving your project
• Uploading your book files
• Reviewing the proofs
• Filling out distribution information
• Finalizing your order

Bookbaby packages include book cover designs, print on demand, custom book printing, professional editing, and marketing services, as well as distribution packages for both eBooks and print books.

Bookbaby, however, offers packages that are a bit expensive and may not be suitable for you if you want to print hundreds of books. For publishing services such as editing, you can find better deals somewhere else. You may want to use Book Baby if you want to print a few copies of your book for your own personal reasons. (25 copies and below)

12) Createspace Paperback Publishing

Createspace is many best things in one.

It is a book, music, and video site for those who want to publish their work.

The company is part of the Amazon group and can easily reach millions of readers, through the Amazon Kindle Store.

This self-publishing site has helped more authors self-publish. With a well-established infrastructure that can’t fail to put you at ease through the speedy process of getting your book online.

Their Print-On-Demand Services is of Top-notch quality.

Note : Createspace is now part of amazon kindle publishing. Though you can still log in to your Createspace account, you cannot create new projects. You can now add paperbacks directly from your Kindle account.

13) IngramSpark

Ingram Book Company is one of the oldest print books publishers and the largest self-publishing companies in the United States with an extensive reach.

Ingram developed IngramSpark to include an eBooks publishing and distribution unit to their company, powered by Lightning Source

IngramSpark also distributes eBooks to all the top online retailers such as Kindle publishing  (Amazon,) Rakuten Kobo, iBooks, and Barnes & Noble.

Extra Resources for IngramSpark Publishing

• IngramSpark Review

14) iUniverse

It’s not just about self-publishing.

iUniverse has an exemplary feature; the live-chat facility, where writers talk of all fears about making the leap into becoming self-published.

Further, the author interviews are a useful bonus in deciding whether iUniverse is really the right publisher for you. iUniverse can then help you with the basics of book publishing, including:

• Book cover design
• one-on-one author support
• global distribution
• Fast, on-demand book printing

The prices might slightly vary depending on the package, yet the value drawn from it is incredible.

Short courses we recommend:

• Formatting for Kindle
• Self-publishing with Smashwords
• How to Succeed with Kindle Short Reads
• Amazon Self-Publishing – Create Kindle Books Fast

Wrapping up

Which self-publishing company seems the right fit for you? When in doubt, go for Amazon Kindle, learn how to wade through the competition, and make sure to do a strategic book launch.

In a nutshell, getting published nowadays is much easier than before. Here are the 7 best online publishing courses you should explore if you are thinking of going the self-publishing route.

No products found.

Last update on 2024-09-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Guestposting on The PennyMatters has since been discontinued. Do not contact us on the same.

• Self Publishing
• March 9, 2024

55 Responses

This is a great read. I am writing a book. This is great for me at this time. My only question is, I have seen that most people write about how to books not much is out there about fiction. Are these sites OK for fiction as well?

Hi Patricia. Congratulations on your book venture. Fictions are actually doing super great on sites like Amazon Kindle. Just ensure your book is worth someone’s time. The hard part is marketing, so also develop a serious marketing strategy before the launch

I am writing a book about supernaturalism .

Sounds like an interesting read

Hello Patricia,have you heard of Draft2Digital? It also a self-publishing site it doesn’t matter your genre of book they’ll get it done for you.Am also a writer with one of my works already published by them just follow this link https://www.draft2digital.com/

A good publishing site can me Wattpad and Inkitt. That is what I use and they are both really good book websites

I love Wattpad especially because of the community

Whats Going down i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve discovered It positively helpful and it has helped me out loads. I am hoping to give a contribution.

Thanks for sharing above list to share content online. All above website were nice. Awesome list!

Hey Andrew, am glad you found this list resourceful. And of course, great to see you here.

Most of these websites suck and don’t work

Not quite sure what you mean. I’ve published something on Createspace and have copies on hand and you can buy it on Amazon. The only thing is that you have to have it formatted complete on a pdf file (when I did it several years ago). I’ve also done lulu and I like its low cost and the fact that you can just download what you have onto their formatted web page. Printing is a bit slow though. It takes over a week for it to go out. Blurb is more expensive but they ship out much faster – a couple of days.

I was looking for more information like I’ve posted on which site is better!

Great Response Charlie. Thanks so much. In my view, Amazon Kindle is great for eBooks and CreateSpace takes the lead when it comes to Print-On-Demand. I will, however, take time to collect appropriate data and write another post comparing the various self-publishing sites.

Though this guy doesn’t like Lulu too much:

This guy – https://selfpublishingadvice.org/publishing-allis-new-watchdog-checks-out-lulu/#comment-787658

For me, I just “published” some photo books mainly for myself there.

I wish some hardline information regarding marketing would come out, if the stuff that is out would work, we could sell

Hey Dowless, I am currently working on something in that line. I will let you know once I publish it.

Also, check out Donnie Graphics Self-Publishing! They offer awesome start-to-finish self-publishing support for children’s book authors!

Thanks for visiting my website Ama

Thanks for sharing an informative content related to best self publishing sites

You welcome Darly.

I am writing a non friction story but i do not know what it takes to publish it and how to make money from it. Is it possible i write the story via my blog? Please i need an innocent report.

Hey Mojisola, I want to believe that you are well adverse with what you are writing about, as when it comes to making money from a book, you need quality work. You can find a traditional publisher to publish your manuscript or you can self publish it yourself on sites like Amazon Kindle and Createspace. You can also sell it directly from your website. I recommend you use your blog to build an audience that would be interested in your work when it’s finally out. You can email me for further consultations.

Hey! This article is simply superb, Do you people want to explore some new websites where you can sell your books and earn money? I think Showflipper is a better option now a days.

Thanks Jerry for sharing. I noticed Showflipper is more inclined to selling art

Hi Victor, when was this list done?

We last updated this post last December 2019, so these sites are very relevant

AuthorHouse.com???? any comments on them. I heard good and extremely bad views on this.

I hear that authorhouse owns the rights, not the author

I m writing a book on _meaning of life Are these sites suitable for me to publish this book

Hey Mayraah, Amazon Kindle and CreateSpace would be the first places to look into and later think of distributing it to the other sites as well

write in other sites as well. From experience, ive lost a hard worked on book before. I had over twelve chapters done. But on account that i didnt print it or have another copy my hard work was poof out the window. I want to encourage you to have your new book written on many differnent writing websites. Including these, so you don’t make the same mistake.

I can tell for sure that there’s nothing as painful as losing your manuscript before it sees the light of day. The good news is that nowadays you can back your work on the cloud, think Google drive, apart from saving them in a flask disk so that you can always access them.

You can try http://www.bookrivers.com to self publish your book in ebook and paperback version

Your homepage’s copy could do with a bit of touch-up. You want to spend some time analyzing other self publishing companies’ website content

Which would you recommend for a medical instructional digest? Had been looking into Book Baby, just because that was the only one I was familiar with off the top of my head, but after reading this article, it doesn’t seem like it’d be the correct choice.

I have just written a book entitled An Act of Sabotage it is an historical fiction work inspired by the 1944 Fauld Explosion. Where would be the best place to publish such a book?

Hey David, I believe having it on Amazon is a good way to start. Remember you can self publish your book in all the other channels as well

What about Ingram Sparks. Aren’t they one of the more popular ones?

Yes, David. We’ve updated the post to include IngramSparks

I should have added a couple details to my question – no editing, illustrating, or design services will be needed.

I am writing a book about someone who writes books. If my book succeeds I plan to write a book about it.

Okay, Interesting! Send me a copy of ‘Someone Who Writes.’ It would be glad to read a book where I am the character haha

Hi I’m Vevine Goldson and I’ve self publish a poetry book call poems spring to life. Some readers find it quite interesting.

Congratulations Vevine. Having your book out is quite an achievement. The very best in your writing ventures

What are your thoughts on Tablo publishing website?

Hey Leon, I haven’t tried Tablo before. If you are considering them, then you may want to do a bit of research online first. I hope all goes well.

This is so helpful, thank you! I’m currently looking at options to self-publish a children’s paperback. I’m based in Malaysia for the next couple of years and have been struggling to find an online platform that sells and distributes in Malaysia and Asia more generally. Any ideas at all?

Hey Clare, so am miles away. However, if you are looking for a local publisher in Malaysia, you can easily find by searching on Google with queries like self-publishing in Malaysia, etc. The very best

Anybody here have any experience with Tablo.io?

Thanks for all your research with these services. Looking forward to more of your articles.

This has been really helpful. I´m an eighth grader writing my first book (an upper middle grade fantasy) and I´ve been stressing out about where to self publish and how. This really helped. Thanks!

Thank you Victor for such a profound post. Well-done; I want to go into selfpublishing; though I am a traditionally published author. My book is a children’s book Cindy And Her Beautiful Bird. I just wanted to expand my Writing career.

Once again thank you. http://www.kingsley-osajie.com

Nice article! I am about to publish my first novel. Hope I can publish in more than one self publishing website.

Hi Mysson Victor Wow!! I’m at awe with your research skills. I find your article very resourceful. Thank you for sharing. I’m going to stick around learn and share.

Hey Allison. Thanks so much for your nice comment. You have a great site and wishing you the very best in the world of marketing.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More posts selected for you...

How to write an ebook and make money for free self publishing, starting your story – how to write, publish, and market your first book, self-publishing mistakes to avoid {infographic}, how to upload your new ebook to amazon kindle , 16 mistakes to avoid when writing your first book, how to launch a book on amazon and make 100+ sales in 15 actionable steps.

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Blog • Understanding Publishing

Last updated on Jan 30, 2024

The 16 BEST Self-Publishing Companies of 2024

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Martin Cavannagh

Head of Content at Reedsy, Martin has spent over eight years helping writers turn their ambitions into reality. As a voice in the indie publishing space, he has written for a number of outlets and spoken at conferences, including the 2024 Writers Summit at the London Book Fair.

About Isabella Peralta

A writer and editor, Isabella coordinates "Prompts," Reedsy's weekly short story competition. Originally from the Philippines, she is a graduate of the University of Cambridge.

Deciding to self-publish your book is both exciting and nerve-racking. Once your book has been edited and designed, and you have a marketing plan in place, you still have to figure out how you'll publish and distribute your work .

There are a lot of companies out there advertising their services to self-publishing authors. Some of them are reputable, but many of them are vanity presses looking to take advantage of aspiring writers.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the 16 best self-publishing companies in the industry to help you decide on the ones you might want to work with — depending on the book you’ve written. And don't forget to grab a free book launch checklist to make sure that you're checking off all of the boxes before the big day!

FREE RESOURCE

Reedsy’s Book Launch Checklist

Launch your book successfully with our tried-and-true strategies.

Ebook Distributors

The beauty of ebook publishing is that any author can upload and launch their books without any outside help . Broadly speaking, you can take two approaches to this process:

• Book retailers : Sell directly through book retailers, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble Press. These are online bookstores where your book can be discovered and sold. Big book retailers generally provide a branded ebook publishing platform for you to individually upload your book.
• Aggregators : Use an aggregator, such as Draft2Digital, to distribute to a bunch of book retailers all at once . This will probably save you time and energy, though you’ll need to pay an extra fee for their services.

When you’re publishing an ebook, regardless of the approach, you’ll get to keep the lion’s share of the profits. Most retailers and aggregators will only take a cut of the royalties once a copy of your book is sold.

But what’s best for your book will depend on your situation. Before anything else, we recommend taking this quick 1-minute quiz that will help point you toward the best self-publishing company for you.

Which self-publishing company is right for you?

Find out here! Takes one minute.

If you want to get an overview of the ebook publishing landscape then read on! 

Let's start with the four most prominent book retailers. As we mentioned before, each retailer offers its own ebook publishing platform for authors to upload their books. Where they differ is in the cut that they take, which depends on your royalties and their exclusivity programs.

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

💰 Pricing: Free to upload 💸 Royalties : 70% on ebooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99 or 35% if priced below $2.99

Amazon is the titan of online bookstores — accounting for over 91.5% of all self-published books in the U.S. in 2018 — and is the world's biggest seller of books. It's no wonder Amazon is often the first retailer authors consider to sell their titles.

KDP is Amazon’s self-publishing platform (not to be confused with Amazon Publishing, their division that operates like a traditional publisher ). Any author can self-publish using KDP, as long as they’re willing to upload their book files themselves.

Note that Amazon KDP is not the same as Amazon KDP Select. KDP Select is Amazon’s exclusivity program — if you choose to enroll in it, you can only sell your book on Amazon throughout a renewable 90-day participation period. In exchange for this, Amazon will give you:

• Access to Kindle Countdown Deals and free book promotions. You can discount your book and even make it available for free on the Kindle Store. 💡 Click here to about the power of discounting (and the smart way to go about it) .
• Enrollment in Kindle Unlimited (KU). This is an Amazon subscription service that allows members to read as many ebooks as they want. It’s a popular option with over 4 million digital books currently available. A good portion of Amazon customers only read titles from KU these days.

If you’ve researched these perks and decided that KDP Select is the route for you, then there’s no need to read the rest of this post, as you’ve essentially agreed not to use any other self-publishing company. 🙂 Instead, you can familiarize yourself with the KDP Select program with these resources:

• KDP Select vs. “Going Wide” — Which Option is Right For You? ( Click here )
• How to Self-Publish with Amazon ( Click here )
• The Complete Guide to Ebook Distribution ( Click here )

2. Apple Books

💰 Pricing: Free to upload 💸 Royalties : 70% on all ebooks regardless of price point

Another big name in the industry, Apple founded its self-publishing arm in 2010. In 2012, the company announced that 400 million books were downloaded on Apple Books (though it’s important to note that the number of downloads differs from the number of books sold, as The Digital Reader clarifies in this post ).

While Amazon has far eclipsed it as the foremost ebook reading platform since then, Apple Books still gets a fair amount of eyes. It might be challenging to figure out ways to monetize a book on Apple Books, but thankfully, it’s much easier to actually publish one. After creating an iTunes Connect account, self-publishing authors can quite easily upload their titles to Apple Books , all without having to pay a fee!

3. Barnes & Noble (B&N) Press

💰 Pricing: Free to upload 💸 Royalties : 70% on ebooks priced above $0.99

As you might expect, B&N Press (formerly known as NOOK Press) is the self-publishing platform owned by the big-box bookseller, which has infamously struggled for market share against Amazon.

However, as far as interfaces are concerned, B&N Press is easy to use — and, similar to the other big retailers, it’s free to upload your book. Exclusivity is not required to publish with B&N Press, and it’s important to note that you can even offer your ebook for free on this platform.

4. Kobo Writing Life

💰 Pricing: Free to upload 💸 Royalties : 70% on ebooks priced $2.99 and higher or 45% for books priced below $2.99

Kobo Writing Life, which is owned by Canadian company Rakuten Kobo (also known as just Kobo), is a self-publishing platform that helps writers publish their ebooks to Kobo customers from more than 190 countries— as such, it’s got a strong reach in the international ebook market.

It also comes with several perks, such as exclusive promotion opportunities, if you choose to distribute through Kobo and not an aggregator.

If you’re getting a migraine just thinking about uploading your book to all of these different book retailers by yourself, then perhaps aggregators are what you’re looking for. They push your book to multiple retailers and centralize the information into one report. You’ll be able to track your sales across all of these retailers through the aggregator’s interface, receiving monthly royalty checks. In exchange for this service, the aggregator will take an additional cut of your royalties — which means that this route is for anyone who wants to quickly save on time and doesn’t mind paying extra.

How much will it cost you to self-publish?

Find out here! Takes 30 seconds.

5. Draft2Digital (D2D)

💰 Pricing: 10% of the book’s retail price per copy sold 📇   Distribution : Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, OverDrive, Everand, and Bibliotheca, among others

If you decide to use an aggregator, D2D is the one that we recommend at Reedsy. Among the main reasons are their excellent customer support, a user-friendly dashboard, a sleek website design, and probably the most important extra perk: they do the formatting for you. D2D also:

• Gives authors Universal Links . As its name suggests, these links make books discoverable by allowing authors to generate a link to each of their books, which goes straight to the customer’s preferred book retailer.
• Touts an “automated back matter” tool. This nifty service automatically adds your newly published ebook to the “Also by this author” section of any other book you’ve distributed via D2D.

Add the fact that it distributes to all of the major ebook stores and you’ve pretty much got the whole package in Draft2Digital.

6. PublishDrive

💰 Pricing: Subscription-based service (starting at $16.99 per month) 📇 Distribution : Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Everand, and Bookmate, among others

PublishDrive, which was founded in 2015, can distribute your writing to over 400 stores and 240,000 libraries. It’s got all the workings of the other aggregators: a modern interface and regular sales reports to keep you up-to-date on your profits. What sets PublishDrive apart from the pack are:

• Its subscription-based service. PublishDrive lets authors keep 100% of their royalties. All the company charges is a flat monthly rate depending on how many books you want to publish with them.
• Its distribution options. Along with all of the major Western retailers, PublishDrive also specializes in international distribution, giving indie authors access to foreign markets that were previously out of reach.

7. StreetLib

💰 Pricing: 10% of the retail price per copy sold 📇 Distribution : Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Everand, and OverDrive, among others

Another international distributor, StreetLib gives you even more options if you’re aiming to reach an international audience. Its website is available in English, Italian, Spanish, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil, and it offers author and publisher portals in over 21 countries across 6 continents, including the Philippines, Mexico, Egypt, and Nigeria, just to mention a few!

Originally founded in Europe, StreetLib is certainly great for international distribution, but if you plan to include the U.S. and the U.K. as well, it's also got your back. As of April 2019, it distributes books to all major Western stores.

💰 Pricing : 30% of net sales for books priced more than 2.94 euros (and its equivalent in U.S. dollars) or 60% of net sales for books priced between 0.99 euros and 1.98 euros (and its equivalent in U.S. dollars) 📇 Distribution : Amazon, Hugendubel, Angus & Robertson, Thalia, Buecher, Whitcoulls, WHSmith, Indigo, Kobo, Livraria Cultura, Casa de Libro, Flipkart, and Everand, among others

XinXii isn’t actually Chinese — it’s based in Berlin (surprise!). As such, it offers authors foreign distribution channels that might not be readily available elsewhere. Note that it’s got a particularly strong presence in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. However, its customer support could be found wanting, and its user interface is a bit on the clunky side: trade-offs that the author will need to make to conduct business with XinXii.

Author Services for Self-Publishing Authors

Now, if you’re not too far into the publishing process and are still concerned with the editing, design, and formatting of your book, then perhaps the companies above don’t quite match what you’re looking for. Thankfully, there’s one place where you can access world-class talent to take care of all three — and you’re already there 😉

💰 Pricing : Average costs here 🖋️Services: Editing, interior design, cover design, illustrations, and more

A marketplace for freelance publishing professionals, Reedsy is where authors can connect with editors and designers with years of relevant experience in traditional publishing. Each professional sets their own rate — you can get quotes from up to five of them at a time and find the ones that best suit your needs and budget.

In addition to the marketplace, Reedsy has a book formatting tool that allows any author to quickly create a professional-grade ebook and print book files for free.

FREE FORMATTING APP

Reedsy Studio

Format your manuscript for print or EPUB with a single click.

Print-on-Demand (POD) Services for Self-Publishing Authors

While plenty of self-publishing authors rely on the ebook market for most of their sales, lots of readers still prefer getting their hands on a beautifully designed paperback copy. Which leads us to POD services, which allow almost any indie author to put a paperback up for sale without breaking the bank.

If that sounds good to you, here’s a quick look at some of the major players in POD. (And for a deep dive, we personally tested and compared the six best POD services out there .)

10. KDP Print

💰 Pricing: Varies depending on your book’s specs. Learn more here 📇 Distribution : Amazon and other retailers through Expanded Distribution

Formerly known as CreateSpace , Amazon’s own POD service has the benefit of sharing KDP’s platform. Authors already selling ebooks on KDP can easily launch a print edition by uploading a formatted PDF and cover design with a spine and a back. With KDP’s Expanded Distribution option, authors can distribute their books to shops and libraries across the globe — though it’s important to note that many booksellers are inclined to order through Amazon.

11. IngramSpark

💰 Pricing : Learn more here 📇 Distribution : Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, Foyles, and Waterstones, among others

IngramSpark is owned by Ingram, the world’s biggest book wholesale distributor (which distributes print books and ebooks to over 40,000 outlets!). If your focus is on getting your book into brick-and-mortar stores, it’s worth setting your book up with this company (perhaps in addition to KDP Print, which you can use to sell your book on Amazon). For more details, check out our IngramSpark review here .

💰 Pricing : Learn more here

📇 Distribution : Amazon, the Blurb bookstore, and over 39,000 other stores via Ingram

Blurb is one of the most well-known and trusted POD services out there. We particularly recommend it for visual works, such as magazines and children’s books. For an in-depth evaluation of its user-friendliness and pictures of the quality of its printed books, check out this review .

13. BookBaby

💰 Pricing: Learn more here 📇 Distribution : Amazon, Bookshop, Apple Books, Libby, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Baker & Taylor, and Everand, among others

Boasting an easy-to-use interface and reliable customer service, BookBaby is also an option for many first-time self-publishing authors. To learn more about BookBaby, check out this review .

Marketing Services for Self-Publishing Authors

Getting your book published is only half the battle, of course. You’ve created a wonderful book and distributed it to your preferred retailer platforms — but you still need to find a way to make people buy it. Thankfully, there are a few companies you can turn to for assistance.

14. Reedsy Discovery

💰 Pricing: $50 per book

Reedsy Discovery helps thousands of self-publishing authors get the boost they need every month. When you submit your book, you get an editorial review in time for your launch date — as well as a chance to be featured in our weekly newsletter, sent out to over 200,000 eager readers.

In addition to reviews, Reedsy’s marketplace has dozens of experienced book marketers who can help you optimize your book’s product page, plan an ad campaign, and perfect your email marketing strategy.

15. BookBub

💰 Pricing : Varies depending on genre

Perhaps the single biggest promotional platform in publishing, BookBub offers self-publishing authors a powerful way to publicize their discount deals. Through BookBub’s Featured Deals and self-serve ads , authors can reach a range of fans of almost any genre.

However, it’s incredibly hard these days for self-publishing authors to secure one of their featured deals. Thankfully, BookBub has more than a little competition.

16. Written Word Media

💰 Pricing : Varies between platforms

With a range of platforms catering to free and discounted books (the most prominent of which is their newsletters), Written Word Media provides authors with another way to connect with thousands of readers. Together with FreeBooksy and BargainBooksy (which promote free and bargain books, naturally), Written Word Media has other sites devoted to steamy romances, new releases, and even audiobooks.

And if that isn’t enough, you can find more services over on Reedsy’s directory of book promotion sites here .

Whichever options you choose, understand that it may take a bit of trial and error until you finally figure out your perfect self-publishing system. There's no right or wrong way to go about it — which is all a part of learning how to self-publish a book in the first place.

Continue reading

Recommended posts from the Reedsy Blog

How to Format a Book in Google Docs in 7 Simple Steps

While there are much better alternatives, here's how you can format a book in Google's popular writing app.

The 6 Best Ghostwriting Companies to Write Your Book

Learn which companies you can trust if you want to find a ghostwriter to write your next book.

How to Publish a Book For Free: The 7 Best Sites

If you want to publish your book without spending a single dime, check out this handy list of 7 free self-publishing services.

5 Ways to Save on Your Self-Publishing Budget

If you want to self-publish a book without breaking the bank, here are 5 tips to ensure you still get the best result possible.

30 Great Book Dedication Examples to Inspire Your Own

A list of 30 of the best book dedications in the business that'll have you crying, laughing, and crying laughing.

Expository Writing: The Craft of Sharing Information

Expository writing is a fundamental part of how we learn and make sense of the world. Learn all about it in this post.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Bring your publishing dreams to life

The world's best editors, designers, and marketers are on Reedsy. Come meet them.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

The Free Book Publisher

Sell 100 books in your first month for free book publishing publish your book for as little as $69.99 your book live on sites in as little as 7 business days, 1: the author.

We need your name and address to mail royalty checks to. Include your Pen Name on the title page of your manuscript if you’re using one.

2: The Book

Upload your complete manuscript in one Word Document, we do not accept PDF’s. You’ll also need a detailed book description that will entice readers to pick your book.

3: The Publishing

Select which format is best for your book: e-book, paperback, or both. Once you sell 100 books in your first month, we’ll refund your publishing fee. Get Started

Free cover design, formatting, ISBN, publishing and distribution in print and e-book format sounds pretty nice, right? If you’ve wondered how to get published or are considering self-publishing, we’re the publishing option for you. The Light Switch Press, Free Book Publishing Incentive rewards motivated authors by fully refunding our publishing service fee when authors sell 100 books in their first month. Just like traditional publishers, Light Switch Press makes money based on how well a book sells. That’s why we create custom covers and interiors based on industry research, years of graphic design experience, and industry awards. The result is you end up with a professional product, just like the ones for which other authors have paid thousands of dollars—completely free. View books published by Light Switch Press .

How to get published—are you ready?

The three main things we need to get started on your book is your title, your manuscript and your description. Don’t overlook the description, this is what potential customers will read on websites and the same information that will appear on the back of your book. We accept manuscripts in Word Document or similar formats, sorry  we do not accept manuscripts in PDF format .

Once your work has been published by Light Switch Press, it’s important to market and let people know about it. Start a conversation through Social Media. Making it a habit to spend a few minutes a day promoting your book can lead to great things and larger royalty checks!

Download our author checklist here to make sure you have the necessary information to get your book published. Important: While it’s free to publish your book with Light Switch Press it’s important to submit your final book information and manuscript; authors requesting edits or changes to their manuscript after their book goes into production may be required to pay editorial fees.

Getting paid from your work!

You receive a 50% royalty monthly from all units sold through our distribution partners. Track your sales via your author profile page, we update this monthly on the 15th. Plus, when you publish with Light Switch Press, you’re able to buy your book at our author cost —below wholesale—sell it on your own website or by hand, and keep 100% of the profit! You might be surprised at how much more you can make publishing with Light Switch Press, check out this Self-Publishing Comparison or read a recent article about the Evolution of Publishing .

All of our great publishing services come with professional cover design, interior formatting and distribution. Tell us what you would like for your cover and our design team will get to work.

E-book Publishing: $69.99

Includes professional book cover design, e-book formatting and distribution on Kindle and Nook.

Paperback Publishing: $79.99

Includes professional full book cover design, ISBN, barcode, interior formatting, print-on-demand (POD) with special author pricing, and distribution.

E-book and Paperback: $119.99

Save $30 and have your book available in e-book and paperback.

Extra Cover Option: $29.99

For the author who likes choices. Add an extra cover option to publishing service and receive one free round of cover revisions.

Expedite It!: $29.99

Is 15 business days too long to wait for you book to be available? Expedite your order and have your book available within 7 business days.

NEW! Our new subscription book publishing service allows you to publish your book with minimal upfront money. Perfect for authors who either want to test the market on their book, or save some on upfront costs, and you can cancel at any time. All of our great publishing services come with professional cover design, interior formatting and distribution. Tell us what you would like for your cover and our design team will get to work.

Subscription E-book Publishing: $9.99/month

Paperback publishing: $11.99/month, e-book and paperback: $16.99/month.

Save $5/month and have your book available in e-book and paperback.

Authors considering traditional publishing

Authors without a publishing budget:

This one is a no-brainer. Outside of traditional publishing, Light Switch Press is the only publisher that will design your cover, format your manuscript, and publish and distribute your book—all for free . Not sure how a free book publisher holds up? View our published books and support our authors by reading a new book today.

Authors considering Self-Publishing:

Paying to self-publish is a risk and a venture. If you’re considering self-publishing, you’ve probably compared a few self-publishing companies and are considering their quality, price, and distribution reach. In self-publishing, marketing is not included, unless you’re paying for it. This isn’t a bad thing and it’s common throughout the industry. The fact is, marketing is essential for your book to succeed, whether it’s social networking, online ads, email blasts, guest blogging, print collateral…the list goes on and on. Marketing isn’t scary, they key is to find something that works for you and can be as simple as leaving your business card behind at your favorite coffee shop.

If you have a budget for self-publishing, consider publishing with Light Switch Press and spending your money on marketing. Our distribution reach is comparable to that of a traditional publisher; wisely spending your money on marketing greatly increases your chances of you and your book succeeding.

Flipping the risk: With our free book publishing service, compared to self-publishing, we’re essentially flipping the risk of your publishing venture onto our shoulders. If your book doesn’t sell as well as you had hoped you’re not out thousands of dollars from self-publishing. Conversely, if your book sells great, you own the rights and have the option to publish a second edition or even sign with a traditional publishing house.

Net profit: When you factor in the out-of-pocket costs, you have to sell a lot more books to reach a point where higher royalty rates from some self-publishing companies actually benefit you. This is the net profit. Let us pretend that you are going with an average self-publishing cost of $1,200 to create and publish your book. Your e-book is selling for $9.99 and you’re receiving a 70% royalty. Considering net profit, you would have to sell 430 e-books just to start earning more money than you would with Light Switch Press, the free book publisher. Another benefit of Light Switch Press is that once your book is available in print, you’re able to buy your book at our author cost, which is below wholesale price. You’re able to sell your book yourself and keep 100% of the profit!

Authors considering Traditional Publishing:

Traditional Publishers take note of independent authors selling books. This might be your way of getting your foot in the door or putting a bargaining chip in your pocket. Ask most aspiring authors, it’s probably their dream to get a huge advance for their hard work from a big publishing house. It can take years - if ever - to find a publishing house that will accept your manuscript. We’re not trying to discourage you, we’re offering another option. Instead of waiting years for something that may or may not happen, publish your book for free with Light Switch Press and start earning money on your manuscript while you shop it around. You own 100% of the rights to your manuscript, so when that payday from a major publishing house comes, you get to mark that off your bucket list.

• Be friendly to those who enjoy your work and friendlier to those who attack it.
• The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try.
• At Light Switch Press, no cost publishing doesn’t mean cheap publishing.

Sign Up to be notified!

Join our free publishing newsletter.

© 2020 Copyright Light Switch Press LLC - The Free Publisher Google+