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

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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

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