Beyond Amazon: Scaling Your Book Business to Multiple Platforms
Why Amazon is Not Enough
Amazon KDP is the best place to start. But it should not be your only platform.
**The risks of Amazon-only:**
- Amazon can change terms, reduce royalties, or suspend your account
- You are leaving 30-40% of potential revenue on the table
- No direct relationship with your readers
- Competing with millions of other books in one marketplace
The Multi-Platform Strategy
Successful publishers earn from 5-10 different income streams. Amazon is the foundation, but other platforms provide stability and growth.
The 5 Major Platforms Beyond Amazon
1. Apple Books
**Market Share:** 15-20% of ebook sales
**Best For:** High-quality non-fiction, audiobooks, premium pricing
**Pros:**
- 70% royalty on all books (no price restrictions like Amazon)
- Less competition than Amazon
- Higher average customer spending
- Integrated with iPhone/iPad (huge user base)
**Cons:**
- Requires Mac computer or use of Draft2Digital/PublishDrive
- Slower sales velocity than Amazon
- Limited marketing tools
**Revenue Potential:** 10-25% of your Amazon earnings
2. Google Play Books
**Market Share:** 10-15% of ebook sales
**Best For:** Non-fiction, educational content, global reach
**Pros:**
- 52% or 70% royalty depending on price
- Integrated with Android ecosystem
- Strong international presence
- Easy upload process
**Cons:**
- Lower discovery compared to Amazon
- Fewer promotional tools
- Sales can be inconsistent
**Revenue Potential:** 5-15% of your Amazon earnings
3. Kobo
**Market Share:** 5-10% of ebook sales (higher in Canada, Australia)
**Best For:** International sales, romance and fiction
**Pros:**
- 70% royalty across all prices
- Strong presence in Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand
- Supportive of indie authors
- Good promotional opportunities
**Cons:**
- Smaller US market share
- Less traffic than Amazon
**Revenue Potential:** 5-10% of your Amazon earnings
4. Barnes & Noble Nook
**Market Share:** 5-8% of ebook sales
**Best For:** Fiction, US-focused authors
**Pros:**
- 65% royalty on books priced $2.99-$9.99
- Brick-and-mortar store presence
- Less competition
**Cons:**
- Declining market share
- US-only platform
- Clunky upload interface
**Revenue Potential:** 3-8% of your Amazon earnings
5. Direct Sales (Your Own Website)
**Market Share:** Varies (you control it)
**Best For:** Building an email list, premium pricing, bundling
**Pros:**
- 90-95% margin after payment processing
- Own your customer relationship
- No platform rules or restrictions
- Sell at any price
- Bundle books, courses, coaching
**Cons:**
- You must drive all traffic yourself
- Requires website setup and payment integration
- No built-in audience
**Revenue Potential:** 10-50% of total income (if you build an audience)
Distribution Strategies
Strategy 1: Exclusive to Amazon (KU)
**When to use:** First 90 days, testing new niches
- Enroll in Kindle Unlimited
- Earn from page reads (bonus income)
- Get KDP Select promotional tools (Free Days, Countdown Deals)
**Trade-off:** Cannot publish on other platforms during enrollment
Strategy 2: Wide Distribution
**When to use:** After validating on Amazon, for evergreen books
- Publish to all major platforms
- Diversify income streams
- Reduce platform dependency
**Trade-off:** Lose KU page reads, more platforms to manage
Strategy 3: Hybrid (Series-Based)
**When to use:** For book series
- Keep Book 1 exclusive to Amazon (in KU for discovery)
- Publish Books 2+ wide (capture readers from other platforms)
**Result:** Maximize discovery on Amazon, capture revenue everywhere else
How to Publish Wide
Method 1: Direct Upload (Manual)
Upload to each platform individually:
- Amazon KDP → kdp.amazon.com
- Apple Books → books.apple.com/us/author
- Google Play Books → play.google.com/books/publish
- Kobo → kobo.com/us/en/p/writinglife
- Barnes & Noble → press.barnesandnoble.com
**Pros:** Free, full control, fastest updates
**Cons:** Time-consuming, manage 5+ dashboards
Method 2: Aggregator Services
Use one platform to distribute everywhere:
Draft2Digital (Recommended)
- **Fee:** 10% of earnings (90% royalty to you)
- **Distributes to:** Apple, Kobo, B&N, Google Play, and 15+ others
- **Pros:** Easy formatting, one upload, automatic updates
- **Cons:** 10% fee reduces profit
PublishDrive
- **Fee:** $10/month or 10% of earnings
- **Distributes to:** 400+ platforms worldwide
- **Pros:** Analytics, bulk uploads, AI marketing tools
- **Cons:** Monthly fee or revenue share
Smashwords
- **Fee:** 10% of earnings on distributed sales (free for Smashwords direct)
- **Distributes to:** Apple, Kobo, B&N, and library systems
- **Pros:** Free to use, library distribution
- **Cons:** Slower updates, formatting can be tricky
Direct Sales Setup
Step 1: Choose a Platform
**Options for selling ebooks directly:**
- **Gumroad:** 10% fee, simple setup, great for beginners
- **Payhip:** 5% fee, built-in affiliate system
- **SendOwl:** $15-39/month, advanced features
- **WooCommerce + WordPress:** Full control, requires technical setup
Step 2: Create a Landing Page
Build a simple sales page with:
- Book cover and compelling headline
- What the reader will learn
- Sample chapter or preview
- Testimonials or reviews
- Buy button
Step 3: Drive Traffic
**Sources:**
- Email list (most profitable)
- Social media followers
- Blog or YouTube channel
- Paid ads (Facebook, Google)
Audiobook Expansion
Audiobook Platforms
ACX (Audible)
- **Royalty:** 25% (exclusive) or 40% (non-exclusive)
- **Reach:** 80% of audiobook market
- **Setup:** Find narrator on ACX, they record your book
Findaway Voices
- **Royalty:** 80%
- **Reach:** 40+ platforms including Spotify, Chirp, Hoopla
- **Setup:** Upload your own audio or hire narrator
Audiobook Creation Options
- **ACX Royalty Share:** Narrator gets 50% of sales (no upfront cost)
- **Pay Per Finished Hour:** $100-400/hour (you own it, keep all royalties)
- **AI Narration:** $50-200 total (services like Speechify, ElevenLabs)
Print Book Distribution
Amazon KDP Print
- **Royalty:** 60% of list price minus printing cost
- **Printing cost:** $2-4 for most books
- **Distribution:** Amazon.com only
IngramSpark
- **Setup fee:** $49 per title
- **Royalty:** List price minus printing cost minus 55% wholesale discount
- **Distribution:** 40,000+ retailers and libraries
- **Pros:** Bookstores can order your book, library access
Income Diversification Timeline
Months 1-3: Amazon Only
- Publish to KDP
- Enroll in KU for discovery
- Build reviews and rankings
Months 4-6: Expand to Apple and Google
- Opt out of KU
- Publish to Apple Books and Google Play
- Test which platforms perform best
Months 7-9: Go Wide
- Add Kobo and B&N
- Consider Draft2Digital for easier management
- Set up direct sales page
Months 10-12: Add Audiobooks and Print
- Create audiobook version
- Add print version via KDP Print or IngramSpark
- Build email list for direct sales
Expected Revenue Split (Wide Distribution)
- **Amazon:** 60-70%
- **Apple:** 10-15%
- **Google:** 5-10%
- **Kobo:** 5-8%
- **B&N:** 3-5%
- **Direct Sales:** 5-20% (if you build an audience)
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Going Wide Too Early
**Problem:** Splitting traffic before building Amazon momentum
**Solution:** Stay Amazon-exclusive for first 3-6 months
Mistake 2: Not Optimizing Per Platform
**Problem:** Using same keywords and categories everywhere
**Solution:** Research each platform's top categories and optimize separately
Mistake 3: Ignoring Direct Sales
**Problem:** Relying 100% on platforms you do not control
**Solution:** Build email list from day 1, offer direct purchase option
Action Plan
- Master Amazon KDP first (get to $500/month minimum)
- Opt out of KU and publish to Apple + Google
- Track which platforms perform best for your niche
- Add Kobo and B&N via Draft2Digital
- Create audiobook and print versions
- Build direct sales funnel with email list
Next Steps
- [Launch your first book on Amazon](/learn/zero-to-first-sale)
- [Build a book series](/learn/book-series-success) to maximize multi-platform revenue
- [Generate books](/brand-builder) for multiple platforms