Unlike traditional publishing, self-publishing gives you a 100% guarantee that your book will be released. All it takes is to find the right platform. But the modern book market is full of different publishing options.
So you may ask: How to choose a self-publishing company that will meet my needs? Don’t worry, today, we aim to share the world of self-publishing companies with you. Buckle up as our trip will be very enlightening.
What are the types of self-publishing companies?
There are four main types of self-publishing companies. They differ in functions but have the same purpose – help you present your book to the world. Let’s take a closer look at their difference.
Book Retailers
Such companies sell your books on their own branded retail platforms. They suit those writers who want to reach readers of the specific online book store. You’ve probably heard about Amazon, Apple Books, and Kobo. Writers should be ready to spread their books on each retail platform themselves if they want to make more money and get more readers.
Book Aggregators
These platforms deal with different online retailers. So, the main advantage is saving your time and budget. All you need is to upload your book, and the aggregator will distribute it to multiple retail channels, including Amazon or Apple mentioned above. Such companies are perfect for those authors who want hands-off and fast book distribution.
Self-Publishing Educators
Educators are not self-publishing companies in the traditional sense. But they often come in handy for indie authors. Such platforms offer various courses and training on how to succeed as an independent writer, promote books, build an author career, etc. At first glance, educators are helpful only for aspiring writers. But seasoned authors can use these platforms to be in the loop of book writing and promotion trends.
Self-Publishing Author Services
Like the previous ones, these companies do not publish books but provide helpful services for indie authors. This range includes editing, formatting, book cover design, illustration, and so forth. Here, you can prepare your book for publication. If you do not have the desire, time, or necessary experience, let professionals do their job. Some companies also can help with book marketing and promotion.
Do you still doubt what type of self-publishing companies you need? We prepared a little test to make it easier for you to choose.
How to choose a self-publishing company among similar ones?
Well, you’ve already decided which type of self-publishing company you need. But each of them covers so many platforms. How to avoid mistakes when choosing the best one? Here’s what you should know.
Main Criteria You Should Pay Attention To When Choosing Self-Publishing Company
Trustability
First of all, make sure the company is officially registered. Feel free to ask for the necessary documents that prove it. Also, check out all the reviews and ratings. We recommend using a guide by ALLi containing all the best and worst self-publishing companies.
Volume
The amount of books sold shows how successful the company runs its business and how it fulfills its tasks. You can find this information on the companies’ websites. Sometimes you need to do research in the media.
Reliability
The company boasts a team of friendly professionals ready to help you. Some companies give information about their team mentioning experience and awards. You can look for workers on social media to make sure they really exist. Also, you can find a list of satisfied writers who have already worked with the company.
Affordability
Make sure you’re okay with the company’s service price. However, even low costs do not affect the quality of the published book in any way. For example, if the book cover design is cheaper than what you met somewhere else, it doesn’t mean that it will be bland.
Helpful services
If you need some extra services like editing, formatting, and book cover design, you should find out whether the company provides them.
Questions You Should Ask Before Choosing a Self-Publishing Company
Helen Sedwick, an experienced California attorney and an author of several books, shared seven essential questions every indie writer should ask. The answers will help you get better understanding of what self-publishing company suits you best.
What is the lowest retail price you may set for your book?
Some companies control the retail price, and they set it impossibly high. Writers often think that higher prices equal higher royalties. But it’s not always true. Even if you are a true genius, people might not want to buy your masterpiece seeing other bestsellers at lower prices. That’s why your book should have a competitive price.
What is the author’s price for your book?
Choose the company that offers a fair author price. Being an indie author means that you need many books to give away to reviewers, bloggers, friends, visitors of meetings, and so on. For example, if your book costs $20, there is no reason to buy it as the author at $15 if you pay $5 for shipping. It is all just math. The author price should be the actual printing costs plus a reasonable markup (15-20%) and not a discount from the retail price.
What royalties will you earn?
The best self-publishing companies provide online tools for calculating your royalties. Usually, you just need to enter the number of pages, trim sizes, retail price, and other parameters. If the website doesn’t have such a function, it looks at least suspicious.
Is the agreement exclusive or non-exclusive?
The self-publishing companies cannot have any exclusive rights to your book. It means they cannot own your book or publish and sell your book without your permission. Also, there are no other works, formats, movie rights, subsidiary rights, etc. Such companies are not traditional publishers investing capital in publication and promotion. They just provide services.
Is it easy to terminate the agreement?
You should have a right to terminate the agreement following no more than 30 days’ notice delivered via email without any certified mail and other concerns. After that, the company may still sell off the already published books, but it doesn’t have the right to print and sell new copies.
Will you get production-ready files upon termination?
The company has to send you functional production files in Adobe InDesign or a comparable format of your book after the end of cooperation. You’ve paid for the services, so they cannot get away with PDFs only.
What is the reputation of the company?
You can check it on special websites like Predators & Editors, Absolute Write Water Cooler, and Writers Beware. Indeed, every company has its angry customers. But many complaints should alert you.
What are the best self-publishing companies in 2022?
Let’s not waste our time and learn about the most popular self-publishing companies in detail.
1. Kindle Direct Publishing
Type: Book Retailer
Royalty: Up to 70%
Budget you need: Free
Volume: In 2019, the company held an 83% market share of ebooks.
Advantages:
- It’s the largest online bookstore.
- Your book appears within 24-48 hours.
- You can sell several books using one account.
- You can print books as well.
- Its algorithms work for indie authors.
Disadvantages:
- You get your payment once in 60 days.
- If you choose the KDP Select program, the company demands your book to be available in their store in digital format.
2. Barnes & Noble Press
Type: Book Retailer
Royalty: Up to 70%
Budget you need: Free
Volume: Approximately 155 million books per year.
Advantages:
- It’s one of the largest self-publishing companies.
- You get paid monthly.
- You can print your book.
- You can use extra marketing services.
- There is an online calculator for royalties.
Disadvantages:
- It takes away Amazon exclusivity.
3. Rakuten Kobo
Type: Book Retailer
Royalty: Up to 70%
Budget you need: Free
Volume: About 20% of book sales in Canada in 2019.
Advantages:
- You get production-ready files.
- You can use exclusive promotion services.
Disadvantages:
- Getting payment can be a long-term process.
4. Apple Books
Type: Book Retailer
Royalty: Up to 70%
Budget you need: Free
Volume: Apple sold more than 400 million books in 2012.
Advantages:
- It’s one of the largest online book retailers.
- Apple Books readers tend to pay higher prices.
- You can reach readers in more countries as, except the USA and Canada, Apple Books is widely used in Europe, Asia, Australia, and some African countries.
Disadvantages:
- You have to be a Mac user.
- There is no browser reading.
5. Self-Publishing School
Type: Self-Publishing Educators
Budget you need: Depends on courses
Volume: Since 2014, the company has taught more than 5000 authors to publish their books.
Advantages:
- Each course provides an integrated approach, including theoretical knowledge and practical exercises.
- You achieve a specific result.
- New courses appear regularly.
Disadvantages:
- The platform is oriented to Kindle Direct Publishing.
6. Reedsy
Type: Self-Publishing Author Services
Budget you need: Depends on service. For example, proofreading is $0.01 per word.
Volume: The company improves more than 15,000 books yearly.
Advantages:
- Available services include editing, book cover design, illustrations, ghostwriting, marketing, and more.
- Also, there are print-on-demand services for self-published authors.
- You can use its free apps and tools.
Disadvantages:
- You need to pay not only a specialist for the actual work but also an extra fee for using the platform.
7. Grammar Factory
Type: Mixed
Royalty: 100%
Budget you need: Depends on service
Advantages:
- It offers a wide range of services, including editing, book cover design, marketing, publishing, and more.
- It provides ebooks, paper books, and audiobooks publishing.
- You can take some educational courses.
Disadvantages:
- The company works with non-fiction writers only.
8. Lulu
Type: Mixed
Royalty: Up to 90%
Budget you need: It’s free to upload books, but the extra services are paid
Volume: Lulu published a total of 67,477 books in 2018.
Advantages:
- The company produces high-quality printed books.
- It takes 3-5 days to get your books printed.
- It offers many extra services, including editing, book cover design, marketing, and more.
Disadvantages:
- Extra services can be expensive.
9. IngramSpark
Type: Book Aggregator
Royalty: Up to 45%
Budget you need: $49 for print and ebook, $25 for ebook only
Advantages:
- It’s one of the largest book distributors.
- It works with Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Follett, EBSCO, Booktopia, Kobo, Zola Books, 24Symbols, Bookmate.
- The company provides high-quality book printing.
Disadvantages:
- ISBN is required.
10. Publish Drive
Type: Book Aggregator
Royalty: Up to 90%, or 100% if you pay $100 monthly
Budget you need: Free
Advantages:
- It works with Apple Books, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, OverDrive, Playster, Odilo, Bookmate.
- The company provides 24/7 support.
- It offers extra services like formatting and marketing.
Disadvantages:
- It doesn’t give ISBN.
11. Draft2Digital
Type: Book Aggregator
Royalty: Up to 90%
Budget you need: Approximately 10% of the price you set for your book
Advantages:
- It works with Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, Kobo, Playster, Tolino, OverDrive, Scribd, Bibliotheca.
- The company offers free formatting.
- It provides universal book links.
Disadvantages:
- It’s a lack of paperback distribution. It’s possible but not automatically. You may need to contact physical stores and ask them to order your books.
12. Smashwords
Type: Book Aggregator
Royalty: Up to 80%
Budget you need: 15% of the retail price
Advantages:
- It works with Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Kobo, Blio, and the Smashwords store.
- You get daily sales reports.
Disadvantages:
- Formatting can be challenging. If you try to download a Word file, it can cause errors when converting it to an eBook.
- There is no preview option, so you can’t see what’s wrong until a book has appeared on the website.
- It doesn’t distribute to Amazon.
13. StreetLib
Type: Book Aggregator
Royalty: Up to 60%
Budget you need: 10% of the retail price
Advantages:
- It works with Amazon, Google Play, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Scribd, OverDrive, Indigo, Baker & Taylor.
- The company even enters the African market.
- There is an online calculator for royalties.
Disadvantages:
- Even if you prepare your book yourself, you need to pay a fee.
14. XinXii
Type: Book Aggregator
Royalty: Up to 70%
Budget you need: Free
Advantages:
- It works with Amazon, iBooks, Google Books, Angus & Robertson, Fnac, Family Christian, Donauland, and more.
- It publishes ebooks and audiobooks.
- Authors can easily terminate the cooperation without any additional agreements.
Disadvantages:
- The website can be inconvenient because of the interface. It can be challenging to find a necessary section or button.
15. Blurb
Type: Mixed
Royalty: Up to 75%
Budget you need: Depends on book format
Volume: Blurb authors have created more than two million books.
Advantages:
- It provides high-quality print-on-demand services.
- It works with Amazon, Apple Books, and the Blurb bookstore.
- The platform offers online creation and sales tools.
- It’s perfect for visual books.
Disadvantages:
- Prices are higher than other print-on-demand services offer.
16. BookBaby
Type: Mixed
Royalty: 100%
Budget you need: Depends on a package, the most popular one is $1,790
Volume: More than 8000 authors have used this platform.
Advantages:
- You can order a full package of services, including book cover design, ebook conversion, 25 print books, two ISBNs, and book distribution.
- It works with Amazon, Google Play, Vearsa, Apple Books, Kobo, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books, Books-A-Million.
- The company offers a reliable support service.
Disadvantages:
- High prices do not suit every customer.
17. BookBub
Type: Self-Publishing Author Services
Budget you need: Depends on the genre
Volume: BookBub has over 10 million members.
Advantages:
- It provides unique tools to promote your book.
- The platform has an engaged audience of readers.
Disadvantages:
- It’s free for readers but can be expensive for authors.
- BookBub provides a limited amount of author services.
18. Written Word Media
Type: Self-Publishing Author Services
Budget you need: Depends on the platform
Volume: The company has worked with over 20,000 paying authors.
Advantages:
- The platform provides unique services for book promotion.
- It has five reader-facing brands that allow authors to reach the right readers.
Disadvantages:
- It’s a narrowly focused company. It doesn’t provide extra services like editing or book cover design.
19. NotionPress
Type: Mixed
Royalty: Up to 100%
Budget you need: Depends on service
Volume: More than 30,000 authors have sold books with NotionPress.
Advantages:
- It offers a wide range of services, including editing, book cover design, publishing, promotion, and distribution.
- The company provides free writing courses.
- You can use free tools.
Disadvantages:
- It works worldwide, but it’s mostly used in India.
20. Reedsy Discovery
Type: Self-Publishing Author Services
Budget you need: $50
Volume: Reedsy Discovery has more than 200,000 readers.
Advantages:
- It’s a unique service helping find your audience.
- You get quality reviews.
- Reedsy Discovery readers get newsletters with your mentioned book.
- You can use extra marketing services.
Disadvantages:
- It provides narrowly focused services.
Exclusive tips from experienced indie authors
Okay, you know all the best self-publishing companies now. But we went beyond and eavesdropped on the conversations of experienced writers on forums to find some hacks for you. So, here’re the secret tips authors share about self-publishing companies.
- Publishing a book on most platforms without promoting it may not bring any sales at all. If you are not going to do marketing, be ready for the long wait before getting the first royalty.
- Speaking about the best-selling Kindle Direct Publishing keywords, the authors recommend using Family, Money, Fun, Kids, Education, and Business.
- If you are a romance writer, try Amazon. The authors say that this platform is the most successful for this genre.
- Contact Amazon directly to publish a book there. Do not use book aggregators, as the platform does not play nice with books that come there in other ways.
- If you think in what format to download the book to the platform, choose EPUB. Even Amazon only accepts EPUB.
- It is best to use book aggregators to contact Apple Books. For example, Draft2Digital has a good relationship with Apple. You can also get great promotional offers through it.
- If you work with book aggregators, the combination of Draft2Digital and SmashWords will allow you to distribute your book as much as possible. Draft2Digital can reach those channels where SmashWords cannot, and vice versa.
- Authors advise using StreetLib to get to many overseas channels. In particular, you can choose the stores to which you want to send your book.
- It’s not a good idea to use IngramSpark for ebook distribution, as you cannot control the book distribution. The authors also complain about problems with removing the book from the website.
- Someone worry that if they self-publish they will not be able to make a successful debut in a traditional publishing house. In this case, experienced authors advise trying to publish books under pseudonyms.
Conclusion
Our trip around the world of self-publishing companies has come to an end. We hope that you will choose one that will meet your needs. Just to recap:
- Book Retailers sell books on their own branded retail platforms
- Book Aggregators distribute books to different channels
- Self-Publishing Educators teach how to build an author’s career
- Self-Publishing Author Services provide editing, book cover design, promotion, and more.
Make sure that the company meets all necessary criteria: trustability, volume, reliability, affordability, and extra services. Also, keep in mind seven questions you should ask about royalties you will earn, the lowest retail price for your book, the company’s reputation, etc.
We hope it was helpful for you and we will see your published book very soon.
Have you already worked with any of these companies? Please share your experience with us in the comments.
