Best Self Publishing Companies in 2026: 8 Companies Compared

Amazon KDP, which stands for Kindle Direct Publishing, is where most new authors start, and the reason is simple. You can publish an ebook and a paperback at no upfront cost, and your book appears in the largest ebook store in the US. Royalties depend on price, file size, and distribution choices, so read the royalty terms for your price band before you set a price.

The trade off is reach beyond Amazon. KDP alone does not place your print book in bookstores the way IngramSpark can, and KDP Select limits enrolled ebooks to Kindle for each term. Many authors still start here for Amazon sales, then add a second platform for wide distribution. If your budget is zero and your audience shops on Amazon, this is the clear first step.

IngramSpark is the platform many indie authors use when they want their print book to be orderable by bookstores and libraries. Its distribution network covers thousands of retailers and library suppliers, which is a real advantage over an Amazon only release. You set your own list price and discount, which affects whether stores choose to stock or order your book.

The catch is complexity and cost. Fees and terms change over time, so check the current pricing page for setup, revision, and distribution charges before you upload. Authors who only want Amazon sales may not need it, but authors planning bookstore events or library sales usually do. Pairing IngramSpark print with KDP ebook is a common route for that reason.

Draft2Digital suits authors who want wide ebook distribution without managing a separate upload for every store. You upload once, and the service sends your ebook to retailers such as Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo, among others. That saves hours of formatting and store admin, especially for authors with several titles.

The cost is a share of retail sales, so compare that share with the royalty you would keep by uploading to each store directly. For many authors, the time saved is worth it. Draft2Digital is less strong for print distribution, so authors who need bookstore print reach often pair it with IngramSpark or KDP Print.

Lulu has long served authors who care about the physical book, including hardcovers, photo books, and niche formats. Its print on demand service means you do not need to order and store a large print run, and you can sell through its own storefront as well as wider channels. That makes it a good fit for cookbooks, art books, and academic work where print quality matters.

Ebook authors may find Draft2Digital or KDP simpler for wide ebook reach, since Lulu leads with print. Always price your print edition carefully, because page count, size, and color push the print cost up and squeeze your margin. Order a proof copy before you approve a print book for sale.

BookBaby is a full service option for authors who would rather pay a team than manage freelancers themselves. Packages can cover editing, cover design, formatting, distribution, and in some cases print runs, which suits authors who want a finished book without coordinating several suppliers. That convenience is the main selling point.

The price is the main drawback, since packages run into thousands of dollars in many cases, and the exact inclusions vary by package. Read the package page line by line, and ask what is extra, including revisions, marketing, and distribution fees. If you have the budget and little time, it can be worth it, but authors on a tight budget should start with a free platform and hire help only where needed.

Reedsy is not a publisher in the usual sense. It is a marketplace where you can hire vetted editors, cover designers, formatters, and publicists for your book. That control appeals to authors who want professional help but want to keep their rights and choose their own distribution platforms. You can hire for one job, such as a cover, without buying a full package.

The downside is project management. You set the brief, compare quotes, and coordinate deadlines, which takes time. Total cost depends on the freelancers you pick and the length of your book, so get quotes before you commit. For authors who want quality help without a bundled package, Reedsy is a strong middle path.

Blurb focuses on books where images matter, such as photography collections, portfolios, cookbooks, and yearbooks. Its design tools handle photo layouts well, and print on demand means you can order a small number of copies without a large upfront print bill. Authors with visual work often find it easier than a text first platform.

Fiction and nonfiction authors with mostly text may prefer KDP or IngramSpark for wider bookstore and ebook reach. Blurb still works for text books, but its strength is visual design. Check print costs for color pages carefully, since color printing raises the unit cost more than black and white text.

Smashwords is one of the older wide ebook distributors, and it still serves authors who want their ebook in many stores and library channels from one upload. Its style guide helps new authors format a clean ebook file, which is useful if you have not formatted a book before. The service is free to join, with earnings shared on distributed sales.

The platform feels less modern than Draft2Digital, and some authors prefer the newer dashboard. Even so, the distribution reach is real, and it can complement a KDP release for readers who do not shop on Amazon. Compare its retailer list with Draft2Digital before you choose, since overlap is large and you may only need one wide distributor.