If you’ve started searching for the best self-publishing companies, you’ve probably noticed something interesting. Every platform promises something different. One might emphasize royalties. Another highlights worldwide distribution. Another promises professional services.
Self-publishing has transformed from a last resort into a legitimate publishing choice. But where there is opportunity, there is yet another challenge: choosing the self-publishing platform that best suits your needs.
The real question is not simply which company is “best.” It’s which platform can best serve the book you’ve written and the writer you’re becoming.
In this article, I’ll help you understand what to look for when choosing a self-publishing company and how to find the platform that fits your book and your goals. Lastly, I’ll give you a Story Weapon to help you make a publishing decision with greater clarity and confidence.
There’s not one right answer to the best self-publishing companies — the right choice depends on what a specific book needs. Amazon KDP offers the simplest entry point, IngramSpark reaches bookstores and libraries through wider distribution, Draft2Digital simplifies multi-retailer ebook publishing, and platforms like Kobo, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble Press add reach in specific reader markets, while Lulu suits niche or specialty print projects. The platform only matters once the manuscript is genuinely ready.
What to look for on self-publishing platforms
Self-publishing is the process of publishing your book independently, without waiting to appeal to book agents, editors, and traditional publishing houses. This allows you to retain full rights and control over your work. As a self-publisher, you chart your own course. You’ll take responsibility for producing, distributing, and selling the book yourself through self-publishing platforms to make the book available to readers.
There is no single “best” platform waiting for every writer. They are only tools that help get your work out there in the world in various ways.
Some make publishing wonderfully simple. Others offer broader distribution. Some give you remarkable flexibility, while others provide services that can help remove some of the technical work.
Seek the platform that fits your objective. Here are some factors to take into account:
- Royalty rates and pricing flexibility
- Ease of use for first-time authors
- Global distribution
- Print-on-demand options
- Availability of paperbacks or hardcovers, and e-books
- Marketing tools
- Control over your rights
- Customer support.
A good publishing platform should make it easy to publish your work, not make you feel as if you have taken on another full-time job.
Let’s take a quick look at the main self-publishing platforms out there and how they can best help you.
If your priority is simplicity . . .
For many first-time authors, the greatest advantage of Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is not just its reach. It’s the confidence that comes from knowing you can publish without navigating a complicated system.
Its print-on-demand service also means readers can order physical copies without you managing inventory. That said, publishing on Amazon alone does not necessarily place your book everywhere readers buy books. If broad bookstore distribution is important to you, you may want to combine KDP with other platforms.
If your dream includes reaching bookstores and libraries . . .
IngramSpark deserves serious consideration. In contrast to other platforms, which mainly serve a single retailer, IngramSpark uses a huge global platform that is accessed by wholesalers, educational institutions, bookshops, and libraries.
There are a lot of professional self-published authors who publish their books via IngramSpark along with Amazon KDP. The learning curve is higher but many authors consider that the increased visibility justifies this additional effort.
If you want to reach readers online without extra work . . .
Not every writer enjoys managing different publishing dashboards. Draft2Digital simplifies the process. Instead of having to upload your ebook individually to each of the different distributors, you have only to upload it one time, and then Draft2Digital will distribute it in different online bookstores.
This feature makes it especially attractive for authors who want their ebook distributed broadly, but don’t want to keep track of their sales and reports from multiple different places. The downside here is there’s no physical print option available through this platform.
If your readers already have a preferred store . . .
Although Amazon is dominant in certain industries, Kobo has built a faithful readership across the world. For those who wish to target readers from countries where Kobo has established itself firmly (Canada, Taiwan, France, the Netherlands, and more), direct publication through Kobo Writing Life provides additional possibilities.
In addition, authors can opt into promotional drives for Kobo users and set their prices accordingly. Instead of simply competing against Amazon, Kobo emerges as one more route for the readers to discover your work.
Likewise, ebooks on Apple Books are often bought by individuals who prefer to use Apple products. Publishing on this platform enables authors to reach those readers without losing any control over pricing and promotions. For those who have already published their books widely, this will be another asset to include in your portfolio.
If you want another trusted retail channel . . .
Another avenue for publishing is available via Barnes & Noble Press. The process of publishing here is fairly easy and can be done in print or digital format.
Even if it may not bring you as many sales as Amazon, it will help increase your presence and give readers another possibility to purchase your book.
If your book doesn’t fit the traditional mold . . .
Some books are written for a niche audience that requires more specific tools to create. Perhaps you are publishing:
- A workbook
- A family history
- A photography collection
- A training manual
Lulu has built its reputation around serving these kinds of projects. Its customization options make it particularly attractive for authors producing specialty books that require unique printing features and formatting.
There is no perfect platform
A publishing platform can make your book available. It cannot make readers care. That relationship starts to develop well in advance with honesty in your writing, the clarity of your message, and the experience you create for the reader.
For self-publishers, it’s up to you to curate an intriguing book description and cover to truly grab a reader’s interest.
Common mistakes first-time self-publishers make
Publishing is not simply pushing a button. Some of the most common mistakes include:
- Publishing before the manuscript is fully revised
- Skipping professional editing
- Using an amateur cover design
- Ignoring book descriptions and metadata
- Choosing categories that don’t fit the book
- Expecting immediate sales without any marketing
Your story weapon: Know what your book needs
Before you open another browser tab comparing royalty rates and distribution networks, take a moment to ask more fundamental questions: What does this particular book need, and what kind of writer am I trying to become in the process of putting it into the world?
Those are not the same question for every writer, and the answer will point you toward a platform more reliably than any feature comparison will.
A writer who needs the simplicity of a single system so that nothing stands between them and finishing is probably not making the same decision as a writer who has built a readership and is ready to treat their work as a small business. A memoirist publishing something deeply personal for a specific community has different needs than a genre novelist building out their portfolio. The platform that serves one of those writers well may actively get in the way of another.
This matters because the practical choices, royalties, distribution, print options, ease of use, etc., only make sense in the context of what you are actually trying to do. A high royalty rate is not much use if the platform does not reach the readers your book is written for. Wide distribution means very little if the manuscript was not ready to be distributed. These tools are only as useful as the clarity you bring to using them.
So, before you commit to a platform, write down in a sentence or two what success looks like for this book. Not in general terms, but specifically. Is it reaching a particular kind of reader? Holding a finished copy in your hands after years of working toward it? Building something you can point to as the foundation of a larger body of work? Is it fulfilling a promise you made to yourself a long time ago that this story would no longer remain unfinished?
When you know what you are actually after, the platform decision becomes considerably simpler. You are no longer choosing between features in the abstract. You are choosing the tool that best serves a specific purpose you have already defined. That is how any good decision gets made, and publishing is no different.
The best self-publishing companies out there can help make your book available. Only the writing can make it matter. Get that right first, and the rest will follow.
Choosing the right publishing platform is only one part of bringing a book successfully into the world; the strength of the manuscript itself remains the real foundation. To develop your story and strengthen your understanding of storytelling before publication, learn more in The 90-Day Novel, The 90-Day Memoir, or The 90-Day Rewrite.
