Kindle Publishing Alternatives: The Big 4
Are you looking to expand your self-publishing business to platforms outside of Amazon? Would you like to know how to publish an ebook other than on Amazon Kindle? Then, you’ll want to hear more about the big four Kindle Publishing Alternatives.
Welcome to Self-Publishing with Dale where you’ll learn tips and strategies for publishing your own books. Have you published your ebook outside of Amazon? If so, where have you published? Drop your thoughts in the comments, I’d love to hear from you.
Kindle Direct Publishing vs. the Kindle Publishing Alternatives
It’s fairly obvious how Amazon owns the lion’s share of the ebook publication profits today. This is why I recommend newbie publishers to start on Kindle Direct Publishing. Make no mistake about it though, Amazon doesn’t own ALL the global ebook publication profits and it should be noted, they lose their foothold outside of the US and UK markets.
According to an Author Earnings report from February last year, Amazon carries about 80% of ebook sales in the US and UK. Whereas, they only have about 50% in Canada and Australia and even more noteworthy 0% in New Zealand.
Profits for Kindle Publishing Alternatives
Who takes the remaining percentage of ebook sales? And, can we get access to them? The remainder of the ebook sales goes to four to five sources based on the distribution region.
For the sake of simplicity, I’ll get one out of the way and that’s the miscellaneous or other category. These are the smaller publishing platforms who together add up to a decent share of ebook earnings. This percentage can be about 2-3%.
Who are the other four alternatives to Kindle Direct Publishing? How much are they pulling in ebook profits? And, can you get access to them?
1 Apple iBooks
With the exception of Canada, Apple pulls the majority of global ebook profits outside of Amazon. It’s fairly easy to get an account for publishing your books through iTunes Connect. Apple makes up about 8-17% of sales in the US, UK, and Canada, while they hold over third of sales in Australia and dominate over half of the sales in New Zealand.
2 Barnes & Noble Nook
The retailer commonly identified for their brick and mortar stores has no real foothold outside of the US. But, don’t let that dissuade you from setting up shop with Barnes & Noble Nook. They make up about 4% of the $3,177,000 in US ebook sales. To get access to Barnes & Noble Nook distribution, head over to press.barnesandnoble.com.
3 Google Play
Don’t sleep on this one since Google is one of the largest and most accessible online search engine today. Google Play hoovers around 2% of all ebook sales in the major regions according to Author Earnings.
Up until late 2017, Google Play closed its doors to self-publishers. Right now, they’re accepting a limited number of publishing accounts. Hurry up and nab your account immediately at play.google.com/books/publish.
Personally, I love Google Play and get access to them through the aggregate publisher PublishDrive. More details on them in a future video.
4 Kobo
Where Kobo only carries a fraction of a percent to 7% in the US, UK, and Australia, they carry about a third of ebook sales in Canada and New Zealand. Head over to writinglife.kobobooks.com to set up your account today.
Final Thoughts on the Alternatives to Kindle Publishing
So, what do you think about these 4 big alternatives to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing? Do you think it’s worth giving them a shot? Or, do you think you’ll pass on the millions of dollars off the Amazon platform?
In the meantime, if you enjoyed today’s content, then share it with someone else who’s into publishing books too. Till later, this has been Self-Publishing with Dale and I’ll catch you soon.
-Dale
Speaking of publishing ebooks, would you like to get your hands on the exact blueprint to a successful book launch? Then, download your copy of the Best Seller Book Launch Checklist at SelfPublishingWithDale.com/Checklist.
