Top 10 eBook self-publishing platforms
Updated: February 26, 2026 | Editor: Laura Candler
eBook self-publishing platforms enable authors to publish and sell their books digitally without the need for traditional publishing houses.
1
Platform for publishing own books in Amazon Kindle - the largest bookstore, which accepts wide range of categories (fiction, business, children's books, comics, romance, etc.). Amazon takes a 30% commission on book sales, or 65% if the book is not within the recommended price range. For paperback books, the commission of KDP is approximately 40% of the price after deducting printing costs. Publishing a book is quite simple and takes only a few minutes - for formatting the file and adding metadata/pricing. KDP provides authors with free and simple self-publishing tools, giving them control over their book's content, design, price, audience and advertising. Authors retain ownership of their content and can make changes to their book at any time. Authors can also participate in the Kindle Unlimited subscription server and receive royalties for every page read.
2
Self-publishing platform for the world's second-largest book ecosystem, spanning 190 countries. It allows to publish ebooks and audiobooks, which can be distributed not only through the main Kobo store, but also through OverDrive (in public libraries), Kobo Plus subscription service and online stores of leading retailers. Authors earn up to 70% in royalties (sent directly to your bank account), own the rights to their books, set prices, and run their own advertising campaigns. Kobo doesn't require exclusivity, so you can self-publish your books anywhere. You can track updates in real time with detailed sales analytics (by country, date and reading activity of Kobo Plus subscribers) in a convenient dashboard.
3
Online community for writers and readers where users can publish own books, articles, stories, comics, poetry as well as read and discuss other users' work. The service already offers over 10 million free books, primarily in the young adult, romance and fanfiction genres. In addition to the permanent online library archive, new works are regularly added, some of which are only available to read as they are written. It can be used online via browser or mobile app. There are premium accounts that allow you to make your own books more visible. Wattpad has helped many writers gain recognition, whose works have subsequently been published or adapted into films.
4
A self-publishing platform for the Apple Books ecosystem. Books can be published through an iTunes Connect account. Authors get 70% royalties on each e-book, regardless of price and can publish books for free. The platform provides tools for preparing books for publication, including converting from Word to EPUB, KF8, or PDF, creating covers, formatting files and creating beautiful page structure. It also makes it easy to convert a book into an audiobook with digital narration.
5
Google Play is a book publishing platform used by billions of Android users worldwide. Books from Google Play can also be found and viewed in the world's most popular search engine, Google Books. The Play Books Partner Center makes it easy to upload content, set prices and select the countries in which you want to sell your books. Authors receive 70% of the sales revenue for content at any price point. Google claims that its personalized recommendation system allows any book to find readers worldwide. Besides, your book's visibility on Google Play Books can be significantly increased by using Google Play promotions. Google offers a variety of marketing opportunities that you can use to attract potential readers through personalized advertising.
6
Lulu pioneered the self-publishing industry and paved the way for people around the world to publish books and bring them to market, while allowing authors to retain full control of their work. Operating a global network, Lulu provides worldwide distribution so that authors can reach readers just about anywhere via print, e-readers and tablet devices. As the leading independent self-publishing company, Lulu has enabled people in more than 225 countries and territories to self-publish nearly two million publications, including 1.5 million books.
7
Barnes & Noble Press (formerly NOOK Press) is B&N's self-publishing platform, which allows to sell books to Nook e-readers and app users, as well as print versions in B&N bookstores in the United States. The latter option is more attractive, as the Nook e-reader platform is no longer very popular. B&N Press is available to authors in only a dozen countries and is slow to review books. Authors receive 70% royalties on e-book sales, regardless of the book's price, and 55% of the retail price of a printed book after printing costs. There is a minimum retail price, depending on the length of the printed book, the color options chosen and the cover type. Barnes & Noble (for a fee) promotes books through its extensive mailing list and runs special sales and promotions.
8
Self-publishing platform that distributes books through its online platforms Books2Read and Smashwords, all major online bookstores, as well as through hundreds of offline stores worldwide. Draft2Digital takes a 10% commission on e-book sales, and with its print-on-demand (POD) service, you can publish a print book as quickly and easily as an e-book. In the control panel, authors can set prices, select channels to distribute through, track sales and monitor the effectiveness of marketing efforts. The platform offers a variety of tools for book preparation (such as adding metadata and error detection), marketing tools (universal book links, B2R author pages, B2R book tabs, Draft2Digital promotions, where you can set up price or free promos, and merchandising projects in offline stores).
9
Inkitt is the world’s first reader-powered publisher, providing a platform to discover hidden talents and turn them into globally successful authors. Write captivating stories, read enchanting novels, and we’ll publish the books our readers love most on our sister app, GALATEA and other formats.
10
Online eBook Platform for self-publishing authors, publishers and readers, allows to list your books in the Media365 global catalog and reach over 1 million readers.
11
As a publisher, you are about to discover the fastest, most economical way to get your books into the hands of an eager buyer. The Lightning Source model is the most comprehensive and highly individualized approach for printing and delivering books in the publishing world today. Lightning Source offers international business solutions to publishers worldwide. The opportunity to easily access local markets around the world.
12
BookBaby makes self-publishing easy: from cover design, book printing, eBook conversions, distribution, website creation, and more. It offers a large ebook distribution network, including Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Sony, and many other popular retailers in over 170 countries around the globe. It’s now possible for you to reach a worldwide audience, keep 100% of your book’s net earnings, retain the rights to your work, and maintain total creative control. BookBaby provides everything you need to professionally publish and distribute your book, without ever having to sell-out to ‘big publishing.’
13
Publishing service for indie authors that connects them to 400+ retail sites and thousands of digital libraries. Convert your manuscript for free. Distribute your ebooks for no upfront cost. Get into hundreds of stores and thousands of libraries worldwide. Your book could be in the stores within days.
14
Self-publish your ebook for free, and earn the highest royalties in the industry! Reach thousands of readers around the world and showcase your talent to a global audience.
15
Booklocker.com is an online bookstore that sells print and ebooks on all subjects - from everyday to unusual and eclectic - by new authors. While firms like Author Solutions (owner of AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford and more) are squeezing authors out of thousands to tens of thousands of dollars (which we’re betting most authors will never recover in resulting book sales), BookLocker is going in the opposite direction – offering new publishing packages for any budget. By popular demand, it provides a no-setup-fee D.I.Y. Publishing Program where authors can submit pre-formatted PDF files and pay no setup fees.
16
Leanpub is the best way in the world to write a book. This is especially true if you're publishing an in-progress computer programming book, but you'll find all kinds of books here. Leanpub empowers authors to support their favorite causes directly, by automatically sharing their royalties via our Leanpub for Causes program.
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The leading solution for the production, distribution and marketing of ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts and print-on-demand products.
Latest news about eBook self-publishing platforms
12.12.25. Kindle Direct Publishing to allow authors distribute DRM-free books
Amazon will allow Kindle Direct Publishing authors to offer their ebooks in EPUB and PDF formats without DRM protection. The company notes that these changes will not affect previously published books. If authors wish to change the status of older books, they will need to log in to the author portal and change the setting for each book - check a box that states, "I understand that by not applying DRM, customers who have already purchased this book will be able to download it in PDF or EPUB format." After the author updates their e-book’s DRM status it will take up to 72 hours before they are live on Amazon.com.
2025. Kindle Direct Publishing launches AI-powered Translate service for authors
Amazon has launched Kindle Translate, a machine translation service for authors using Kindle Direct Publishing. Currently, the service only translates texts from English to Spanish and from German to English. Language support will expand over time. Of course, artificial intelligence isn't perfect, meaning it can introduce errors. To address this, Amazon allows authors to review translations before publishing. Unless an author is simply using the service to expedite the translation of their work into another language they speak, this AI-powered review won't be of much use; a human translator will still be needed to ensure maximum accuracy. Readers will see AI-translated works clearly labeled "Kindle Translate." Kindle Translate will compete with many other AI-powered translation services and tools on the market.
