If you’ve ever published a book on Amazon KDP, you know the feeling: you poured months into writing, hit publish, then watched 30-65% of every sale vanish in fees, algorithm changes, and hidden restrictions. More authors than ever are searching for 6 Alternative for Kdp that don’t lock their work into one giant retail platform. For too long, writers have treated KDP as the only option—but that stopped being true years ago.

It’s not just about lower fees, either. Authors leave KDP over account bans with no warning, limited pricing control, forced exclusivity for promotional tools, and the constant fear that Amazon will devalue their work with endless discounting they never agreed to. In this guide, we break down every option, compare royalties, requirements, and best use cases so you can pick the right home for your books. You won’t just get a list—you’ll learn exactly which platform fits your genre, audience, and income goals.

1. Draft2Digital

Draft2Digital is the most widely recommended first stop for authors leaving KDP, and for good reason. Unlike KDP, this platform doesn’t force exclusivity, doesn’t ban accounts over minor policy missteps, and gives authors full access to their sales data in real time. More than 1.2 million independent authors use Draft2Digital to distribute to over 40 storefronts, including Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and library networks.

One of the biggest advantages over KDP is transparent royalty calculations. You will never see hidden deductions, delivery fees, or unexpected rate cuts for books over a certain file size. Here’s a quick royalty comparison for a $9.99 ebook:

Platform	Royalty Per Sale
Amazon KDP	$6.47
Draft2Digital	$7.09

Beyond royalties, Draft2Digital includes free tools that KDP locks behind exclusivity. You get universal book links, custom sales dashboards, automated review collection, and pre-order support for every store you distribute to. You can also pull your books from the platform at any time, no waiting periods, no penalties.

This platform works best for authors who want wide distribution without extra work. It’s not ideal if you only want to sell directly to fans, but if you want your book available everywhere people buy books, this is the most reliable starting point. Most authors switch to Draft2Digital first before testing other niche platforms.

2. Lulu Press

Lulu Press is the original independent publishing platform, launched 7 years before Amazon KDP even existed. This platform prioritizes author ownership above everything else—you retain 100% of your copyright, always, and you never give Lulu rights to resell or reuse your work.

Unlike KDP, Lulu lets you set any price for your book, run sales whenever you want, and create custom discount codes for your email list. You also get full control over printing quality, paper type, and trim sizes that Amazon doesn’t offer. Popular features for authors include:

• Print on demand with no minimum order quantities
• Global shipping to 160+ countries
• White label books for course creators
• Direct sales storefront with zero platform fees

Royalty rates on Lulu top out at 90% for direct sales, which is almost double what you will earn selling the same book on Amazon. For distribution to third party stores, royalties land between 60-75% after printing costs.

Lulu works best for authors who sell most of their books directly to their own audience. If you have an email list, social media following, or run workshops, this platform will let you keep almost every dollar from every sale.

3. Smashwords

Smashwords was the first platform ever built specifically for independent ebook authors, and it still holds one of the widest distribution networks of any publishing service. More than 500,000 authors have published over 2 million books through the platform since 2008.

The biggest advantage Smashwords has over KDP is library access. No other platform gets independent books into more public library systems, school libraries, and academic databases. For many non-fiction and children’s book authors, library sales make up 40% or more of their total annual income.

When you publish on Smashwords, you also get access to exclusive promotional opportunities that don’t require exclusivity. These include:

1. Site-wide sales events that reach 3 million readers
2. Free book promotion directories for new releases
3. Library bulk order programs
4. Translator matching services for foreign rights

Smashwords has a slightly steeper learning curve than Draft2Digital, but the extra effort pays off for authors who want to tap into library and educational markets. You can use Smashwords alongside KDP if you wish, no restrictions apply.

4. Gumroad

Gumroad is not technically a book publishing platform, and that’s exactly why it’s one of the best alternatives to KDP. This platform lets creators sell digital products directly to their audience, no middleman, no algorithm, no arbitrary rules.

For authors with an existing audience, Gumroad will almost always double your per-book income. You pay a flat 10% fee per sale, no hidden charges, no delivery fees, no fine print. You can sell ebooks, audiobooks, workbooks, bundled courses, and signed book pre-orders all from the same page.

Unlike KDP, Gumroad never owns your customer data. Every person that buys your book becomes part of your own email list, which means you can market to them again for free. This is the single biggest advantage of direct sales:

Metric	KDP	Gumroad
Customer data ownership	Amazon only	You
Average repeat purchase rate	7%	32%

Gumroad is not for authors who want passive discovery. No one will find your book by browsing the Gumroad homepage. But if you can drive even a small amount of traffic to your sales page, this platform will earn you far more money per reader than KDP ever will.

5. IngramSpark

IngramSpark is the industry standard for professional independent publishers, and it’s the only alternative that can get your book into physical bookstores. Amazon will never place your book on a bookstore shelf, but IngramSpark will.

This platform prints and distributes physical books to over 39,000 bookstores, libraries, and retailers worldwide. Every major bookstore chain uses Ingram as their primary supplier, so if you ever want bookstores to stock your title, this is the only real option.

When you publish with IngramSpark, you get:

• Returnable book program for retail stores
• Professional library catalog listing
• Wholesale pricing controls for bulk orders
• Hardcover, paperback, and ebook distribution

IngramSpark has slightly higher setup requirements than KDP, and you will need properly formatted book files. But for authors who want to be taken seriously as published writers, this platform opens doors that Amazon will never open. Most successful independent authors use IngramSpark alongside other distribution options.

6. Payhip

Payhip is the fastest growing direct sales platform for authors right now, and it’s quickly becoming the favorite choice for new independent creators. Like Gumroad, it lets you sell directly to fans, but it comes with extra features built specifically for writers.

The platform charges just 5% per sale, which is the lowest fee of any platform on this list. There are no monthly fees, no setup costs, and no minimum sales requirements. You can launch your book store in less than 10 minutes, even if you have zero technical experience.

Payhip includes built-in marketing tools that save authors hours of work every week. These tools include:

1. Automatic email delivery for book files
2. Coupon code and affiliate program tools
3. Pay what you want pricing options
4. Instant payout for sales

This is the best platform for brand new authors who haven’t built a large audience yet. You can start selling your book the day you finish writing it, no approval process, no waiting periods. Thousands of authors have made their first $1,000 selling books on Payhip before they ever listed anything on Amazon.

At the end of the day, there is no perfect publishing platform, and there is no rule that says you can only use one. Most successful independent authors use a mix of 2-3 platforms, keeping KDP as one option while listing their work on other services that give them better royalties and more control. You don’t have to delete your KDP books to try these alternatives—you can add them one at a time, test sales numbers, and adjust your strategy as you go.

Pick one platform from this list to try this month. Start small: upload one book, run a small promotion to your existing followers, and compare the results. You might be surprised how much more you can earn, and how much less stress you will feel, when you don’t rely on one giant company for your entire writing income. Every author deserves options, and these platforms exist to give you exactly that.