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.
Kobo Writing Life
What it is
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 £1.99 in the UK — and 45% below that. Useful for Canadian and international readers beyond Amazon. Confirm current price bands, payout rules, and any partner-store distribution on the official site.
Pricing model
Free — Free to publish; royalty share on sales. 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-…
Apple Books (for Authors)
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% royal…