Amazon KDP
Kindle Direct Publishing — the dominant self-publishing storefront for ebooks and print-on-demand. Optional KDP Select exclusivity unlocks Kindle Unlimited. Essential for most indies; not the only store if you go wide.
Apple Books (for Authors)
What it is
Direct ebook publishing to Apple Books. Create an Apple account, then upload an EPUB through the web publishing portal (Pages and Word conversion paths are also documented). Apple’s own comparison page states a 70% royalty on every ebook regardless of price, with no file-delivery fee and no requirement to be exclusive to Apple. This path is an ebook storefront — not print-on-demand. Set price and territories in the account after the file validates. Confirm current terms on authors.apple.com before you publish.
Pricing model
Free — Free to publish direct; Apple states a 70% ebook royalty and no delivery fee. Always confirm on the vendor site before buying; plans change.
Regions
UK, Global
Affiliate
Affiliate link: none yet.
Honest note: IndieShelf blurbs are written from public positioning. We do not republish vendor marketing copy wholesale and we do not claim rankings we did not earn.
Related tools
Draft2Digital
Wide ebook (and print) aggregator that sends files to multiple retailers and libraries for a distribution commission. Includes automated formatting from Word. A common companion to KDP for authors who want Apple, Kobo, l…
IngramSpark
Print-on-demand and ebook distribution via Ingram’s trade network — the channel bookshops and libraries often use to order. Higher bar for files and metadata than KDP Print; valuable when you want bookstore- and library-…
Kobo Writing Life
Direct self-publishing to Kobo’s ebook and audiobook stores, with no exclusivity. Kobo’s help centre describes a 70% share of list price (excluding tax) when an original ebook meets published price thresholds — including…