The Short Answer
These two are not really rivals. KDP is how you sell Kindle ebooks on Amazon. Draft2Digital is how you sell ebooks almost everywhere else, such as Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and library platforms. Most authors who publish wide use both: KDP for Amazon and Draft2Digital for the rest.
The real decision is whether to keep your ebook exclusive to Amazon through KDP Select. If you do, you cannot use Draft2Digital for that ebook at all. If you do not, using both is the standard setup.
The Rule That Decides It: Exclusivity
KDP Select is an optional program that enrolls your ebook in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon's reading subscription, and gives you promotional tools. In return, the digital edition must be exclusive to Amazon for each 90-day enrollment period. That means no ebook on Apple Books, Kobo, your own website or anywhere else while it is enrolled.
Draft2Digital's whole purpose is to put your ebook in those other places. So the two options are:
- Exclusive: KDP with KDP Select. No Draft2Digital for that ebook.
- Wide: KDP without KDP Select for Amazon, plus Draft2Digital for every other store and library.
Print editions are not affected. KDP Select covers the ebook only, so your paperback can be sold anywhere either way. For a full explanation of the program, see our guide to KDP Select.
Side by Side
| Amazon KDP | Draft2Digital | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your ebook sells | Amazon's Kindle stores | Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Kobo Plus, Bookshop.org, Tolino, Everand, Vivlio, Gardners, Smashwords |
| Libraries | Not directly | OverDrive, cloudLibrary, Hoopla, BorrowBox |
| Cost to join | Free | One-time $20 activation fee for new accounts |
| Your share | 70% from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com (minus a small delivery cost), 35% outside that range | What each store pays, minus Draft2Digital's commission of about 10% of the retail price |
| Ongoing fees | None | $12 a year if your account earns under $100 with books in distribution |
| Subscription income | Kindle Unlimited page reads, if exclusive | Kobo Plus and library lending, if wide |
| Amazon distribution | Direct | By invitation only |
Royalties, With Real Numbers
On KDP
KDP pays 70% of the list price for Kindle ebooks priced from $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com, minus a delivery cost of $0.15 per megabyte. That upper limit rose from $9.99 in July 2026. Ebooks priced outside the band earn 35%.
A $4.99 ebook with a 1 MB file earns about $3.49 minus 15 cents, so roughly $3.34 per sale.
Through Draft2Digital
Draft2Digital passes on what each store pays, minus its commission of about 10% of the retail price. Apple Books, for example, pays publishers 70% of the list price. On the same $4.99 ebook, that is about $3.49, and after Draft2Digital's share of roughly 50 cents you keep close to $2.99.
Pricing Above $12.99
Price changes the math. On Amazon.com, an ebook priced above $12.99 drops to KDP's 35% royalty. Apple Books pays 70% at every price, so a premium ebook or a large box set sold through Draft2Digital can earn more per copy in those stores than the same book earns on Amazon.
For example, a $19.99 box set earns about $7 on Amazon at 35%. Through Apple via Draft2Digital, 70% is about $13.99, and after a commission of roughly $2 you keep close to $12. If you sell bundles or long nonfiction at higher prices, being wide can matter more than it first appears.
Payments and Reporting
KDP reports Amazon sales and page reads in its own dashboard and pays you directly. Draft2Digital combines sales from every store it serves into one dashboard and one payment, which is much simpler than tracking separate accounts with each retailer.
Reach: Amazon vs Everywhere Else
For many indie authors, Amazon is the largest single source of ebook sales, which is why nearly everyone uses KDP in some form. Its search, recommendations and ads are powerful, and Kindle readers are used to buying from independent authors.
Draft2Digital reaches readers who do not buy on Amazon. That includes Apple users who read in Apple Books, Kobo's strong international readership, readers in Europe through Tolino and Vivlio, and library patrons who borrow ebooks through OverDrive, cloudLibrary, Hoopla and BorrowBox.
Being wide also protects you. If all your income comes through one company, a change in its rules, rankings or royalty rates affects your entire business overnight. Spreading sales across several stores and library platforms reduces that risk and gives you more than one place to grow.
Kindle Unlimited vs Library and Wide Sales
The exclusivity choice is really a choice between two kinds of extra income.
- Kindle Unlimited pays you for pages read by subscribers. In genres where readers move quickly from one book to the next, especially long series, page reads can be a large share of income.
- Going wide trades those page reads for sales in other stores, subscriptions such as Kobo Plus, and library lending. It often grows more slowly but builds a broader readership.
There is no universal answer. Your genre, your readers' habits and how many books you have all matter. Many authors test one route for a while, measure the results and then decide.
I'll review your book and genre, recommend a path and set up KDP and Draft2Digital correctly for it.
Which Path Fits Your Book
| If you... | Consider |
|---|---|
| Write in a genre where Kindle Unlimited readers are heavy users | KDP Select (exclusive) |
| Have a first book and want to keep things simple | KDP Select to start, review after 90 days |
| Want library lending and international stores | Wide: KDP plus Draft2Digital |
| Sell nonfiction tied to a business or speaking | Wide, so readers can buy wherever they shop |
| Plan to sell ebooks from your own website | Wide, since exclusivity forbids it |
| Have a long series with steady readers | Test both and compare income per book |
Switching Between Them
Your choice is not permanent. KDP Select enrollment runs in 90-day terms that renew automatically unless you turn renewal off.
Going Wide After KDP Select
- Turn off automatic renewal in KDP and wait for the current term to end.
- Prepare your Draft2Digital account and upload the ebook, ready to publish.
- Publish through Draft2Digital once your Select term has ended.
- Keep the Kindle edition live on KDP for Amazon readers.
Going Exclusive After Being Wide
- Remove the ebook from distribution in Draft2Digital and any other store.
- Check that it has disappeared from every store, which can take some time.
- Enroll the Kindle edition in KDP Select only once it is no longer for sale elsewhere.
If you also publish in print through IngramSpark, our comparison of IngramSpark and Draft2Digital explains how the print side fits with either path.
Tips for Either Route
- Use one master ebook file so every store shows the same edition, with the same front and back matter.
- Keep your description, categories and author name consistent across stores.
- Price within KDP's 70% band unless you have a clear reason not to.
- Track results per store so you know where your readers actually buy.
- Review your choice after a few months rather than deciding once and forgetting it. Compare total income per book, not just sales counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as long as your ebook is not enrolled in KDP Select. A common setup is KDP for Amazon and Draft2Digital for all other stores and libraries.
Amazon distribution through Draft2Digital is by invitation only, so most authors publish their Kindle ebook directly on KDP.
Per copy, usually a little less, because Draft2Digital takes about 10% of the retail price on top of what each store keeps. In exchange, it reaches many stores and library platforms from one account.
It depends on your genre and readers. Kindle Unlimited can be very profitable where subscribers read heavily, but it requires ebook exclusivity, which rules out other stores and library lending.
No. KDP Select applies only to the ebook. Your paperback and hardcover can be sold through any platform.
Both reach international readers, in different ways. KDP covers Amazon's stores in many countries, while Draft2Digital adds Kobo's international readership, Tolino and Vivlio in Europe, and library platforms used around the world. Authors with strong readership outside Amazon's biggest markets often gain the most from going wide.
On Amazon.com, 70% for ebooks priced from $2.99 to $12.99, minus a delivery cost of $0.15 per megabyte, and 35% outside that range. The upper limit rose from $9.99 in July 2026.