Platforms that allow you to sell your ebooks directly to customers have become more popular as time goes on, especially among new authors who are just getting started in the business of selling books online. These platforms, including Apple iBooks and Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, all have different prices, payment methods, and formatting requirements that you’ll need to take into account when deciding where to put your ebooks up for sale next year. By considering all of the available options, you can make an informed decision about where to sell your next ebook so that you maximize both your sales and revenue from each one.
1) Amazon
Amazon is still king of all things e-commerce. With 2 billion active users on its platform, and over 300 million paying memberships (and counting), it’s hard to find a better place to sell digital goods than Amazon. The only downside? You have to compete with a ton of other sellers, so you need a great product, optimized listings, and streamlined delivery processes.
2) Barnes & Noble
With its Nook Reader, Barnes & Noble aims to give its customers a great reading experience through ebooks. On top of that, the company offers a great selection of popular ebook titles and has plans to add even more content in order to create an awesome eBook marketplace. It’s no surprise why so many people love buying their eBooks from Barnes & Noble’s online store.
3) Smashwords
Established in 2006, Smashwords is one of only a few platforms that will allow you to upload your e-book in a variety of formats (epub, mobi, pdf, etc.). It also allows authors to set their own prices and accept pre-orders on upcoming releases. As with many self-publishing platforms, Smashwords takes a small cut of each sale: 30% for free books and 70% for paid books.
4) BookBaby
This is one of many great platforms to help you sell your ebook. You can also publish and distribute print books, music and video, as well as audiobooks through BookBaby. Although it is a US-based company, authors can be based anywhere in the world to use its services.
5) Nook Press
6) Kobo
Kobo is a widely used ebook retailer with more than 20 million users in 192 countries. It offers one of the largest ebook libraries, making it a great place to sell ebooks. Plus, as part of Rakuten, you have access to customers who use Rakuten’s other services like Ebates and Jetstar (an online travel site). So if you sell through Kobo but they don’t have enough of your audience, selling through Rakuten can still be worthwhile.
Available on Android and iOS platforms, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press self-publishing platform lets authors sell eBooks and audiobooks for all devices. Self-published authors can even set their own prices for their works. While Nook Press does not offer an affiliate program or coupon codes, it is still a great platform to use if you are looking to sell your ebook online.
7) Apple iBooks Store
Selling ebooks on iBooks is a relatively straightforward process. The main challenge, as with all ebook platforms, is getting enough traction to sell copies of your book. However, Apple makes things easy by featuring books it deems to be of high quality on its platform. If you’re trying to sell ebooks in 2032, then putting your book up for sale on iBooks can help get you noticed by more readers who have iOS devices.
8) Sony Reader Store
With its DRM-free eBooks, Sony Reader Store is a good option for indie authors who want to sell their books on multiple platforms. Although it’s not as popular as Amazon Kindle store or iBooks, readers can still enjoy DRM-free books for a lower price. On top of that, you have your own ebook page on Sony Reader Store and earn 70% of your book sales income.
9) Google Play Books
If you’re looking to make a quick buck, distributing books through Google Play is a good way to go. You can easily sell e-books for $2.99 or less, and best of all you don’t have to worry about a thing when it comes to handling your e-book sales. Even better, Google will even give your book away for free if it’s downloaded over five thousand times.
10) OverDrive
OverDrive has libraries across 50 states in America, and it’s one of the easiest ways to sell an ebook. The platform enables you to sign up for a library card and start distributing your digital book as soon as possible. It also offers audiobooks on its library, so you can distribute both audio and video content at once. This option is free, but be aware that some libraries have a limit on how many books you can upload per month.