How to Publish Wide: Selling Beyond Amazon (2026 Guide)

What does it mean to publish wide?

Going wide means distributing your book to many retailers rather than selling the ebook only on Amazon. It is the opposite of enrolling in KDP Select, which asks for ebook exclusivity in exchange for Kindle Unlimited page-read income and some promotional tools. You can still sell print on Amazon while wide; the exclusivity rule applies to the digital edition.

A wide author typically sells on Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and Barnes & Noble, reaches libraries through services such as OverDrive and Hoopla, and offers print through bookshops and online stores. Many also sell directly from their own website, which gives them the reader's email address and the whole sale price minus payment fees.

One point trips up newcomers: wide does not mean abandoning Amazon. For most wide authors, Amazon is still a major share of sales. The aim is to add other channels, not replace the biggest one.

Should you go wide or stay exclusive with KDP Select?

Exclusivity can suit fast-reading, binge-friendly genres where readers borrow heavily on Kindle Unlimited and expect a new book every few weeks. If that describes you, our guide to how Kindle Unlimited pays authors and to KDP Select will help you run the numbers before committing.

Wide tends to suit non-fiction, slower-burn or evergreen titles, books with an audience outside the US, and authors building a catalogue they want to control for years. It also suits anyone who wants to run promotions on other retailers, which exclusivity blocks for the ebook.

A common route is to launch a series in Select, then go wide once it is established and can carry itself. The honest trade-off is that you give up Kindle Unlimited income and usually need patience, because other stores often build more slowly. Work out your own figures with the Royalty Comparison Calculator rather than relying on someone else's success story, and remember that results vary a lot by genre and by how well you market.

Which stores should you sell on, and what do they pay?

The big stores to know are Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and Barnes & Noble. Each has a different strength. Apple Books reaches iPhone and iPad readers and has a strong presence in markets such as the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. Kobo is strong in Canada and has a global reader base, and it feeds libraries and partner retailers. Google Play reaches Android users in many countries. Barnes & Noble matters mostly for US readers and its Nook ecosystem.

Headline royalty rates are close to Amazon's for standard-priced ebooks, commonly around 70% in the main price bands, but the exact rules differ by store, price range and territory, and they change over time. Always check each store's current terms before you set prices. Our Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play Books royalty calculators let you compare what you would earn per sale at a given price.

Pricing itself is part of the strategy. Wide readers often respond to a free or low-priced first-in-series book, which several stores let you set. Our guide to pricing your ebook covers how to choose a price for each book in a series.

Should you publish direct or use an aggregator?

Uploading directly to a store gives you full control of price, promotions, metadata and sales data, and you keep the whole store royalty. The cost is time: separate accounts, tax forms, formatting checks and dashboards for each store. Some stores also offer promotion tools and placement only to authors who publish direct.

An aggregator such as Draft2Digital, PublishDrive or Smashwords-style distribution lets you upload once and reach many stores and libraries, and handles tax paperwork in one place. In return, it keeps a share of the royalty. Aggregators are also useful for small retailers and library services that would never be worth setting up yourself.

A sensible hybrid is to go direct to the two or three stores that bring in most of your sales and use an aggregator for the long tail. The Aggregator vs Direct Advisor can help you decide, and the Going Wide Checklist Generator will turn your choices into a to-do list. Whichever route you choose, avoid sending the same book to the same store through two channels, as duplicates can cause rejected files or delisted titles.

How do you prepare your book to go wide?

Start with the files. You need a clean EPUB that passes validation, a cover that meets each store's size rules, and consistent metadata: title, subtitle, series name and number, description, keywords and categories. Each store uses different category systems, so check them one by one rather than copying your Amazon choices. If you use a tool such as CruxOne, which can format EPUB and publish to Apple Books, Kobo and 50+ stores from one place, you can cover the file and distribution steps together, but the same checks apply whichever tool you use.

Remove anything that points readers only to Amazon, such as a back-matter line saying to leave a review on Amazon. Use a universal book link page instead, so readers choose their own store. Also check the front and back matter for links, a newsletter sign-up and a list of your other books, because wide readers are easier to retain through email than through any single store.

Decide on ISBNs. Most stores let you use a free one they supply or your own, but a free ISBN ties the book to that store as publisher of record. If you want one ISBN across every channel, buy your own; our guide on whether you need an ISBN explains the trade-offs.

How do you reach libraries and bookshops?

Libraries buy ebooks and audiobooks mainly through platforms such as OverDrive, which powers the Libby app, and others like Hoopla. Most indies reach them through an aggregator or Kobo rather than direct. Being listed is only step one: librarians choose what to buy, so a short, professional pitch to your local library helps. Our guide to getting your book into libraries and the Library Pitch Generator cover the detail.

Bookshops are harder. Independent shops generally want print books at trade terms with returns, which usually means distributing through IngramSpark with a wholesale discount rather than relying on Amazon's print-on-demand alone. Read our KDP vs IngramSpark comparison before you decide, and check each service's current fees and rules.

Neither channel will make you rich quickly, but both build reputation and reach readers who do not shop on Amazon. Bookshop and library readers often become loyal fans, so treat them as long-term investments rather than launch-week sales.

How long does it take to see results, and how do you grow wide sales?

Be realistic. Wide sales are often slower to build than Amazon sales, and many authors see a modest share of income from non-Amazon stores for the first several months. Visibility on other stores comes less from algorithms and more from promotions, newsletter features, direct links and a reader base you build yourself.

Practical levers include a permafree or discounted first-in-series book, store-specific promotions where you published direct, newsletter swaps with other wide authors, and a strong email list. Our Newsletter Swap Pitch Generator can help with outreach. Track sales by store each month so you can see which channels deserve your time.

If after six to twelve months a store sends you almost nothing, it is fine to stop spending effort there. Going wide is a long-term strategy about resilience and control, not a guarantee of higher income, so measure it against your own goals.

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean to publish wide?

It means selling your book through many retailers, such as Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and libraries, instead of only Amazon. It is the opposite of KDP Select exclusivity.

Can I sell print on Amazon and still be wide?

Yes. KDP Select exclusivity applies to the ebook. You can sell paperbacks and hardcovers on Amazon and through other channels while your ebook is wide.

Should I publish direct or use an aggregator?

Direct gives more control and a full store royalty but takes more time. An aggregator is quicker and covers small stores and libraries for a share of royalties. Many authors mix both.

Will I earn more by going wide?

Not automatically. Many authors earn less from other stores at first and more over time. Run your own numbers and give it several months before judging.

How do I get my book into libraries?

Make it available through a library distributor such as OverDrive, usually via an aggregator or Kobo, then pitch your local library and ask readers to request it.