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| 10 Best Platforms to Sell Ebooks |
If your business model is based on the creation of info products in text or the writing of books, today's technology allows you to open up to the market and use platforms to sell your ebooks autonomously and automatically.
Creating your ebooks and self-publishing can become your activity so that you can fulfill your dream and create your lifestyle, or even combine it with other activities and diversify and complement your sources of income.
In any case, today there are different platforms to sell ebooks and in this article, I will explain how the 10 best ones work.
1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, KDP, is Amazon's self-publishing platform.
Created in the early 2000s, when publishers were still reluctant to publish books in digital format, today the tortilla has been turned around and it is estimated that Amazon controls more than 80% of the market in the US.
For independent authors, Amazon KDP has become the number one selling point.
Amazon has a huge catalog, including posts on all sorts of topics, genres, and categories.
Regarding the way to sell ebooks on this platform, it is prepared to guide you through the entire process. You'll only need three things: the book you want to publish, its cover, and creating an Amazon KDP account.
Also, publishing a book on Amazon KDP is completely free.
The platform does not charge you for uploading your book for sale with them, but it does establish the royalties on those sales. Some royalty on options of 35% and 70%.
Amazon is one of the best platforms to sell ebooks, precisely because the publishing process is simple. It is based on completing a series of steps and filling in fields of a form.
And in just a few minutes, your book will be on sale.
2. UDL Digital, Planet, and House of the Book
UDL Digital was born at the hand of Planeta and Casa del Libro.
Digital UDL is an exclusive service from Casa del Libro that allows you to publish your book in an easy, fast, and simple way and market it in digital format anywhere in the world.
With a system similar to that of the Amazon KDP platform, the publication is done through an online form, in which you will upload the materials.
In addition to the free basic plan, UDL Digital also offers different paid self-publishing models, with the endorsement of Grupo Planeta.
In this case, there are four packages offered, with different services and costs. The services cover all the tasks of design, correction, editing, publication, dissemination, etc.
The platform provides authors with private access to the author's area, from where different aspects are managed, such as the layout, contributing cover ideas, supervising their design, as well as approving or rejecting each of the files that are submitted. they are generating
When the interior layout and cover design are complete, the authors receive a physical sample of the book. Once approved, the platform is responsible for making the final print run and putting the book on sale through international distribution channels.
All the books that become part of the UDL catalog can be published in paper format and electronic book format (eBook).
In the case of books in eBook format, the different versions are made from the platform (ePub, Mobi, etc.) compatible with commercial distribution platforms.
In the case of paper books, they search, together with the author, for the best format (size) based on the number of pages and the theme of the book.
Regarding rights for book sales, they will be paid when you, the author, request it through your private author area.
3. Bubok
Bubok was one of the first platforms for publishing books in Spanish.
It also offers the option of publication in the paper as well as in electronic format. And its reach reaches more than 1,000 digital bookstores, including such important names as Amazon, iBooks, Casa del Libro, Fnac, and El Corte Inglés.
Bubok also offers free and paid basic services for desktop publishing and publishing.
The most negative part of this platform to sell books is that the scope achieved with the free plan is small and it becomes essential to have to choose a paid pack.
And even so, you must keep in mind that contracting this payment service does not ensure that your book is sold in the associated bookstores, but rather that they offer it and it depends on the different establishments if they sell it or not.
4. Lulu
Another platform for selling books is Lulu, known primarily for its print-on-demand service.
In addition, it allows you to learn more about desktop publishing, makes it easy for you to create e-books, and publishes your book on its portal, but also on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, and other portals such as Scribd.
Most services are free, and their charging model is based on a percentage of your profits being deducted when you sell copies.
One of the advantages offered by this platform is that it offers the possibility of integrating the software into your website to sell directly, including linking it with Shopify and selling directly from your website.
If you choose Lulu as a platform to sell your ebook, you must take into account the commission charge and take accounts.
5. Blurb
Blurb is another platform to sell books that you should take into account, especially if your book has high-quality images, be it photography, recipes, comics, etc.
Thus, it allows publication in electronic format and also printing on paper with different formats and qualities.
On the other hand, Blurb offers templates and tools for the layout and desktop publishing of your future book.
For ebook publishing, Blurb is compatible with Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, and Android devices.
It offers a complete and sophisticated tool for design tasks, which in addition to making your tasks easier and offering you numerous resources, ensure creative freedom in the process.
6. Kobo
Kobo Writing Life is the online platform for selling and consuming Rakuten ebooks.
Kobo Writing Life allows you to publish your book on its platform and give it away or put it up for sale in different formats: EPUB, DOC, DOCX, MOBI, ODT.
You choose in which countries you want to sell your book and set a price. All with an easy, fast and intuitive loading system.
Thus, the tool offered by this platform is very intuitive.
Of course, your book will be available to users of Kobo's eBook readers.
Regarding the profit sharing system, it is similar to Amazon: you need to set a price, what they call Suggested Retail Price (SRP), and based on that, this ebook sales platform will keep a fixed commission, which starts from 70%, in case the sale price of your book is higher than €1.99.
In this case, the biggest disadvantage is that the range of these devices is limited. Although Kobo was a leader in the sector, the arrival of the giant Amazon has been relegating it.
7. Payhip
Pay is another great platform to sell ebooks that already have a track record in the market. Thus, they have more than 130,000 authors worldwide.
It has been working with PayPal since its inception and it works simply: register on the platform, link with the PayPal account, and start the process of publishing the ebook for sale. The process to do it is also simple, completing fields.
The product link can be embedded and shared on any other resource.
Regarding commissions on profits, Payhip offers three different models, depending on the commissions that will be charged, ranging from 0 to 5% cost.
8. Smashwords
Smashwords is an ebook sales platform that allows you, in addition to selling your book, to access its affiliate program to sell other people's books through your website and collect commissions.
Regarding the self-publishing model, it admits and adapts to different formats and the platform distributes them on various online platforms, such as iBooks (Apple), Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Kobo... Up to more than 20 spread all over the world.
Regarding the biggest disadvantages for you, I want to tell you that the platform is in English and that its market is mainly Anglo-Saxon.
In terms of functionalities, the publication system is not as simple as in the other cases, since the files must meet specific requirements.
And as for royalties, Smashword offers you 90% of the profits when it is sold through retailers and charges you a 15% commission when the sale is made directly on the platform.
9. Apple Books
Apple iBooks Store is the tech giant's global online store. Your book can be for sale on this platform, with the big names in all categories.
Books sold in the iBooks Store can be published in different formats or created with iBooks Author, the tool offered by Apple, or directly with Pages. The transition is being made to this application.
To upload your books on Apple Books you can do it through an external aggregator, if it comes from another platform, or publish it directly.
You can publish a book directly to Apple Books from Pages on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or Mac, or online at iCloud.com.
In addition, you can customize the book during the publishing process: add a cover, set the price or offer it for free, add tags to specify age groups or the target audience, configure the pre-order option, customize availability by date, country, or region, and more.
The book goes through a technical approval process before being published.
10. Google Play Books
Google Play Books or Google Books is the platform to sell Google ebooks.
Similar to Apple's system, you can publish your books in electronic format and make yourself known to the readers of this platform from the Google Books Partner Center tool.
Publishing on this platform allows you to access the millions of users who are already present on Google Play Books. And also the competition is less than on Amazon.
But you should also keep in mind that the market is also smaller than Amazon's.
Regarding the form of publication, the system is not as simple as in Amazon and others.
You can publish your book for free, but it also goes through an approval process, which sometimes takes time.
In conclusion, although the Amazon monopoly scares you, the truth is that today it is the best and easiest of the options. In addition to the range, which is something to also take into account.
Whichever option you choose, don't rule out publishing on Amazon as well.
Along with this, it would be advisable to also have a presence on Google, Apple, and Kobo.
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