Increase Your Book’s Reach with Draft2Digital

Self-Publishing, , , , , , , , 15 Comments

This is not a sponsored or paid post. I am promoting Draft2Digital on my own volition because I use and like its services.

After three years of publishing my books solely through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and enrolling my books in the Kindle Unlimited program (KU), back in February I made the decision to go wide with my distribution. This was not a decision I made lightly, nor was it a quick practice to implement. However, I’ve found the decision to be worth it.

What Does “Going Wide” Mean?

“Going wide” is a term in indie/self-publishing that means selling your books via an array of retailers rather than solely on Amazon. As I mentioned, my books were solely sold on the Amazon store (minus its small channels of Expanded Distribution to physical booksellers) for three years because I continuously enrolled in KDP’s Kindle Unlimited program.

Why I Unenrolled from KU

KU has advantages such as creating Countdown Deals or Free Days for books, and receiving extra payment based on the amount of pages KU members read when they check out your book via the KU subscription program. However, a stipulation of being enrolled is that for 90 days (or longer, if you opt for continuous renewal into the program like I did), you cannot post your eBook for sale on any other online retailer like Apple Books, Nook, GooglePlay, etc.

As time went by, I learned that authors mainly make money on Kindle Unlimited with rapid release techniques, meaning releasing books in a series in rapid succession (sometimes 2 weeks to 3 months apart). As an author of standalone young adult novels who publishes at a much slower pace, I quickly understood why I wasn’t making much money in the program.

In early February, while learning more about going wide in Heart Breathings’s Publish and Thrive course, I made the decision to withdraw my books from KU and publish my books on other retailers.

Please note that before a book can go wide, you need to opt it out of KU and ensure your book is clear of the 90-day required window before distributing books via another vendor. Amazon is a stickler about this.

Methods of Going Wide

There are a few methods authors can take to increase their eBook’s distribution. Indie authors have the ability to go directly to each vendor and set up accounts, upload their books, and enter the details. There are also distribution aggregators authors can use as a one-stop-shop for uploading and distributing. Some of the best-known aggregators are Smashwords, IngramSpark, and Draft2Digital.

Why I Chose Draft2Digital

After researching different aggregators, reading articles comparing them, and watching YouTube videos where authors discuss them, it was a no-brainer for me to choose Draft2Digital.

I’ve heard countless authors badmouth IngramSpark for their horrendous customer service, upload fees, and even printing paperback copies of manuscript draft files to be sold to customers. Um, no thank you.

Plenty of authors use Smashwords, and while I’m not totally against them, I’ve heard other authors mention that their user interface isn’t the best, and that their customer service isn’t comparable to Draft2Digital’s.

So, yeah. Naturally I went with Draft2Digital, and I have absolutely no regrets.

Benefits of Using Draft2Digital

Based on my four months of use, here are the benefits of using D2D that I’ve discovered so far. I’m sure with future releases, this list will continue to grow:

  • Easy, straight-to-the-point upload process
  • Free feature to format your eBook with genre specific details and images
  • Free access to download .mobi, .pdf, or .epub files even if you don’t distribute your books with their service
  • Access to a variety of eBook vendors and reading subscription services. Click here to view the full list.
  • Detailed royalty breakdowns and downloadable reports
  • Free access to a customizable universal book link that lists each retailer your eBook is listed on.
  • Easy backend editing process for updating keywords or categories
  • Emails sent out whenever your eBook is uploaded to each vendor
  • Increased sales to marketplaces I could have never reached through KU
  • And best of all, having one-stop access to all your vendor information (minus Amazon for me, because I use KDP too)

Overall, I’ve found that adding Draft2Digital to my eBook distribution plan has been well worth the time it took to de-list from KU and set up my books on their service. I highly encourage authors of standalones, or authors who publish at a slower pace, to give D2D a try.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

For my readers, what eBook vendor do you purchase your books from? For authors, do you publish solely through KDP, or are you wide as well? Do any of you use a different aggregator? Comment below with details about the service you use to help educate our indie community!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀

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As an author and blogger, my goal is to teach writers that there is a way to write realistic, thought-provoking, redemptive Christian fiction that honors God while not sugarcoating the realities of the world. 

15 thoughts on “Increase Your Book’s Reach with Draft2Digital”

  2. Still with Lulu’s GlobalReach program for my three-books-in-one The Prodigal Band Trilogy, but when I revise the first two (the third one will remain a FREE PDF download from my OmegaBooks site) for separate ebook format I will consider Draft2Digital. I have nothing against Amazon (my print and ebook are sold there) but the fact that by going with KDP you have to just use KDP removes choice, and indie authors should always have a choice. And like you, I don’t write one after the other books, but only when God inspires me to (and complete it….I’m half-way through a novel but God hasn’t guided my completion of it yet!)

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    1. That’s awesome! 😊 If you use KDP, they don’t force you to enroll in KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited, but if you opt in to the program, you won’t be allowed to sell anywhere else for that 90 day period. I just wanted to clear that up. My books are still on Amazon through KDP, because authors make better royalties from Amazon for ebooks there rather than through D2D, but I’m just not opted in to the KDP Select program anymore. 🙂

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      1. Also I need to tell you Lulu still has an issue with its upgrade for the royalty and sales page…I have no idea when I will get the next royalty check. So just to let you know now is not the time to use Lulu (as much as I liked using it).

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  4. This is fascinating to me! I had a horrible experience D2D and would not go back to them or use them unless I *absolutely* had too. (I’ve used Calibre to make mobi and epub files.) I don’t know what happened as I’ve only met one other person who had the same issue I did. I’ve used IngramSpark since and have really impressed with their services! I found coupon codes online and have only had to pay once to upload my book, but it was worth it for the incredible quality of the books I’ve received. I’ve been highly impressed compared to KDP and B&N Press (both who I have used). It was also very important to me to have my books be available international and Ingram has fulfilled that. However, I am in KU for the ebook. Despite my own misgivings with D2D, I think this is very informative post and can be very helpful to indie authors! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks Laura! 😊 Oh gosh, I’m sorry about your experience with them! Do you mind sharing about the issue you had with D2D? I’ve been looking into using B&N Press for hardcovers, but I’ve heard mixed feedback about their service. How do you feel about them?

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      1. It was SO weird! I went to upload it and the formatting came out awful! 😮 Like I truly don’t know what happened so I went with Calibre and had no problems! 😮 I can’t pinpoint what exactly happened and not sure if it was the document or what, but I used the same one for Calibre so I don’t know. I haven’t used B&N Press for Hardcovers! The quality of the paperback was awesome, but they give you no template (just measurements) and was awful to try and format the cover. If you’re doing your own covers (which I did for this one), be prepared! It took lots of tweaking and admit that I gave up on the hardback. That is probably the biggest compliant I have with them. Why no template? I cant send a screenshot or I would, but everything else was SO smooth and easy. Hope that helps!

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    1. Hi, Gary! Right now, their Print on Demand service is in beta mode, and authors can join the waitlist to try it out. I’m currently not on the waitlist, but I’m greatly interested in their POD service whenever it will be accessible to everyone.

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