Amazon, Kobo, D2D: Here’s How I Distribute My Books

A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT What’s the best way for an indie author to distribute their books? In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I break down the book distribution strategy I actually use—including why I go direct to Amazon and Kobo, use Draft2Digital to reach Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, libraries, and thousands of other outlets, and maintain my own direct storefront. We’ll also talk about KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited, the tradeoffs of Amazon exclusivity, the advantages of going wide, why I prefer having access to readers across multiple platforms, and how indie authors can build a simple distribution system without making things unnecessarily complicated. There are plenty of ways to distribute a book. This isn’t the only way. It’s the system that works for me after years of publishing books and working professionally in the indie publishing industry. If you’re an author trying to decide between Amazon exclusivity, wide distribution, Draft2Digital, Kobo, direct sales, or some combination of all of them, this episode should help you think through your options. 00:00 How I distribute my books 00:59 Why indie authors need a distribution strategy 01:57 Using Draft2Digital to go wide 03:01 Why I use D2D for some retailers but not others 03:49 Why I distribute directly to Kobo 04:58 Libraries, OverDrive, and wider distribution 06:03 KDP vs. KDP Select 06:44 Kindle Unlimited and Amazon exclusivity 07:40 The upside and downside of Kindle Unlimited 09:33 Other distribution options and Draft2Digital fees 10:59 My complete book distribution setup 11:59 Selling books directly through your own storefront Visit the Knovelton Bookshop at knoveltonbooks.com If you’re a writer looking for practical, experience-based guidance on writing, publishing, marketing, building an author career, and navigating the creative life, subscribe to the Wordslinger channel. This is where writers come to get useful advice for every stage of the writing and publishing journey. Subscribe and join the conversation: https://youtube.com/@wordslingershow FIND KEVIN: Find Kevin and his books: https://kevintumlinson.com Join Kevin on Substack: https://kevintumlinson.substack.com Wordslinger Podcast home page: https://wordslingerpodcast.com SERVICES FOR AUTHORS: Polish your writing and make it ready for publishing with ProWriting Aid: https://tidd.ly/3NCdlk5 Publish your book to every major retailer online, get your book into print and ebook, and get support the whole way at Draft2Digital: https://draft2digital.com/wordslinger Find a virtual assistant to help you market your books (and more!) at AuthorAnchor: https://authoranchor.com