The Amazon Royalty Reality
When you self-publish on Amazon KDP, you're not really self-publishing—you're publishing on Amazon's terms. And those terms come with a cost.
KDP's royalty rates sound reasonable on the surface: 35% for list price under $2.99, and 70% for $2.99–$9.99 in most markets. But there's a catch. If you enroll in KDP Select (Amazon's exclusivity program), you're locked into selling only through Amazon for 90 days at a time. You lose access to Apple Books, Google Play, Smashwords, and other retailers that might offer better margins or reach different reader segments.
Even without KDP Select, Amazon takes its cut first—then you see the rest. Add in their content guidelines, algorithm changes, and the fact that their platform controls discoverability, and you realize you're not just losing royalties. You're losing control.
The good news: there's a proven alternative. Self-publishing a book doesn't mean putting all your eggs in Amazon's basket. Here's how to do it smarter.
Why Self-Publishing Beyond Amazon Matters
Before we dive into the how, let's talk about the why.
Diversification reduces risk. If Amazon changes its algorithm, suspends your account, or shifts royalty rates, your income doesn't evaporate. Readers on Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo have different tastes and buying habits. Some genres perform better on specific platforms.
Better royalty rates exist. Apple Books pays 70% royalties on most titles. Draft2Digital offers 50% on sales through their retail partners (and you keep 100% on direct sales). Smashwords pays 60% on most sales. These add up, especially across multiple books.
Direct sales bypass retailers entirely. If you sell an ebook directly from your website, you keep 100% minus payment processing fees (usually 2–3%). That's a game-changer for backlist titles and engaged audiences.
Different platforms reach different readers. Some readers prefer Kindle. Others use Kobo, Apple Books, or Google Play exclusively. Limiting yourself to one platform means leaving money on the table.
The Multi-Platform Self-Publishing Strategy
Step 1: Choose Your Distribution Model
You have three main options:
- Wide distribution (non-exclusive): Your book is available on Amazon, Apple, Google Play, Kobo, and other retailers simultaneously. You keep more control but may have lower visibility on Amazon.
- Amazon-primary (with alternatives): You publish on Amazon KDP without KDP Select, then also distribute to other platforms. This balances Amazon's reach with diversification.
- Direct sales first: You sell directly from your website, then distribute to retailers as a secondary channel. Best for authors with an existing audience.
Most authors find the second option—Amazon-primary without exclusivity—offers the best balance.
Step 2: Use an Aggregator for Wide Distribution
Uploading to every retailer individually is tedious and error-prone. That's where aggregators come in. They take your manuscript and metadata, then distribute to 25+ retailers in one upload.
Popular aggregators include:
- Draft2Digital: User-friendly, 50% royalty on retail sales, free direct-to-reader sales, excellent formatting tools.
- Smashwords: Larger retailer network, 60% royalties, good for reaching niche markets.
- IngramSpark: Primarily for print, but also handles ebook distribution to libraries and independent retailers.
- PublishDrive: Strong international reach, good for non-English titles.
SelfPublishing.pro's distribution service handles this workflow for you—uploading to 27+ retail and library partners in one go, with monthly royalty tracking across all platforms.
Step 3: Publish on Amazon KDP Separately
Don't use Amazon's aggregator feature. Upload directly to KDP yourself. Why? Because KDP's 70% royalty rate (for ebooks in the $2.99–$9.99 range) often beats aggregator payouts. Direct upload also gives you access to KDP-exclusive tools like Kindle Unlimited (if you choose it later) and more granular pricing control.
Timing tip: Upload to KDP first, wait a few days for it to go live, then distribute wide through your aggregator. This prevents duplicate listings during the indexing period.
Step 4: Set Up Direct Sales
This is where royalties really shine. Direct sales cut out the middleman.
Options include:
- Gumroad: Simple, takes 10% (or 5% if you pay the optional fee), handles ebook delivery automatically.
- Payhip: Similar to Gumroad, 5% fee, good for bundles and series.
- SendOwl: More customizable, 3.9% + $0.50 per transaction.
- Your own website: Using Shopify, WooCommerce, or Squarespace gives you full control but requires more setup.
Start with Gumroad or Payhip if you're new to this. They handle payment processing, delivery, and customer management. You just upload your ebook file and set the price.
Pricing Strategy Across Platforms
Here's where strategy gets interesting. You don't need to charge the same price everywhere.
Amazon KDP: Use the 70% royalty tier ($2.99–$9.99 for most genres). This is your anchor price.
Other retailers: Match Amazon's price or go slightly lower to encourage platform switching. If Amazon is $4.99, price Apple Books at $4.99 and direct sales at $3.99 to incentivize direct purchases.
Promotional pricing: Use free or discounted periods on aggregator platforms to build momentum. Amazon KDP allows free runs (up to 5 days per 90-day period) if you're not in KDP Select. Use these strategically—run a free promotion on Draft2Digital, then email your list to grab free copies, which boosts rankings across all platforms.
Bundling: Offer multi-book bundles at a discount on direct sales. Readers love a deal, and you're still keeping 97%+ of revenue.
Tracking Royalties Across Multiple Platforms
One downside of wide distribution: you're now managing royalty reports from multiple sources. Amazon reports monthly. Draft2Digital reports monthly. Apple Books reports monthly. It's easy to lose track.
Create a simple spreadsheet with columns for each platform, month, and title. Update it monthly as reports come in. Better yet, use a tool that aggregates this data for you—SelfPublishing.pro's sales dashboard, for example, pulls royalty data from major retailers and gives you one unified view.
Set a calendar reminder for the 5th of each month to log in and record numbers. This takes 10 minutes and gives you real visibility into which platforms are performing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Uploading the Same File Everywhere
Each platform has different formatting requirements. Amazon prefers .mobi or .epub. Apple Books is picky about fonts and spacing. Draft2Digital handles formatting automatically, which is why many authors use it. But if you're uploading directly, test your file on each platform before going live.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Metadata
Your book title, description, keywords, and categories are how readers find you. They vary slightly by platform. Amazon allows up to 7 keywords. Apple Books uses categories. Google Play uses genre tags. Spend time optimizing each platform's metadata independently—don't just copy-paste.
Mistake 3: Forgetting About Libraries
Libraries are a huge reader segment, and they're often overlooked by indie authors. IngramSpark and Smashwords distribute to library systems. Libraries don't generate immediate royalties, but they build your author platform and create word-of-mouth. Include library distribution in your strategy.
Mistake 4: Abandoning a Platform Too Soon
It takes 3–6 months for a book to find its audience on a new platform. Don't publish on Apple Books and give up after a month of no sales. Stick with it, optimize metadata, and let the algorithm work.
A Realistic Income Example
Let's say you publish a novel priced at $4.99:
- Amazon KDP (70% royalty): 100 sales = $349 royalties
- Apple Books (70% royalty): 30 sales = $105 royalties
- Draft2Digital (50% royalty): 20 sales = $50 royalties
- Direct sales via Gumroad (90% royalty): 10 sales = $45 royalties
- Total: 160 sales = $549 royalties
If you'd only published on Amazon, you'd have 100 sales and $349. By diversifying, you've added 60 more sales and an extra $200 in royalties—a 57% increase. Over a year, with multiple titles, this difference becomes substantial.
Getting Started: Your Action Plan
Week 1: Finalize your manuscript and cover. Make sure both are print and ebook ready.
Week 2: Create your metadata (title, description, keywords, categories). Test it on the platforms you're targeting.
Week 3: Upload to Amazon KDP. Let it go live.
Week 4: Set up an account with Draft2Digital or your chosen aggregator. Upload your book. Set up direct sales on Gumroad or similar.
Week 5+: Monitor sales across platforms. Adjust pricing and metadata as needed. Plan your next book.
The Bottom Line: Self-Publishing Means Keeping Control
When you self-publish a book without giving Amazon all your royalties, you're not being difficult or ungrateful. You're being smart. Amazon is a valuable channel—but it's one channel, not the only one.
By distributing wide, setting up direct sales, and managing your own pricing strategy, you keep more money, reach more readers, and reduce your dependence on any single platform's algorithm or policy changes.
The extra effort—uploading to multiple platforms, tracking royalties, optimizing metadata—pays for itself within a few months. And once you've published your first book this way, the second and third are much faster.
Self-publishing a book is supposed to be about freedom. Don't trade that freedom for convenience.