Hello again my darling readers, and welcome to another blog post regarding self-publishing.
Today I'm going to take you through the world of Draft2Digital, which, I think we can all agree, will be a nice change of pace from me talking (read: complaining) about KDP!
Note: as ever, this blog entry is for information purposes *only*. I'm merely sharing my opinions and experience to help those who are considering their options during their own self-publishing process. I am in no way suggesting one route over the other as what works for me, may not work for someone else.
OK, now that's the boring stuff out the way, let's crack on.
What is Draft2Digital?
In a nutshell, Draft2Digital (D2D) is an online service you can use to distribute your book. In my case, I've opted to distribute only my eBook through them but you can opt to distribute physical copies of your book, too.
You can find them by clicking here: Draft2Digital
But Maddi, I hear you ask, why did you choose to put your eBook onto D2D when you already had it published through Amazon?
Because!
Whilst it's true I used Amazon (KDP) to publish my book both as an eBook and physical copies, I also decided to enrol my eBook in the KDP Select programme. To a consumer, this means my book, in addition to being available as an eBook, hardcover and paperback, is also available in the Kindle Unlimited library.
As you may already know, Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service. People pay a small monthly fee and get instant access to millions of eBooks.
This is great for readers because it means they don't have to pay the full cost of an eBook they may not be sure about. They can read as much of the eBook as they want and quit the book anytime they like. It's flexible, and readers don't have to commit to buying the product. Perfect for them!
It's also perfect for us authors because we get paid per page read. So, regardless of whether someone reads five pages or 50 pages, you will get paid for that. Granted, it's not much (and I mean, it's really not that much), but it's still something and it exposes you to many more readers and, therefore, potential ratings and reviews.
And I'm 100% certain that is something we can all agree is rather marvellous, isn't it?
Yes?
No?!
What do you mean, no?!?
Oh! That's right! I forgot to tell you about the other aspect of KDP Select.
For this, I'll let KDP's website tell you exactly my main criticism of the programme:
In other words, once you enroll your eBook in the KDP Select programme, your eBook is hosted exclusively by KDP for the duration of your time on KDP Select.
Here's the good news:
Luckily, you don't have to keep your eBook enrolled in KDP Select forever. Each enrollment period only lasts for 90 days.
And, you guessed it, Feb. 19th, 2022 is the end of my 90 days.
Despite this restriction, I was happy to go ahead and enrol my eBook on the programme.
My main reason for this is that, at the time, I was a complete novice in all things self-publishing. I had no idea what I was doing now my editor and I were finished working on the book.
Being the complete chicken I am, I felt too shy to ask around. I could have asked anywhere; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Google searches. . . there is no end to the amount of resources online to help.
There was only one thing I thought would help me decide: I had previously used Lulu.com to publish a paperback and I had been very pleased with the quality of their product. Being that Lulu was the only other platform I was vaguely aware of, and now completely undecided between KDP and Lulu, I decided to use both platforms to print a hardcover copy of my book. Ultimately, KDP's hardcover was miles better, and so, KDP became my publishing platform of choice.
I found KDP easy to use and I was fine with enrolling my eBook in KDP Select. After all, regardless of what happened, I would still get paid, right?
So, Maddi, you ask, why are you taking your eBook out of this very beneficial program which has attracted a lot of readers to your book?
Because when I published my book, a number of people immediately asked me if my book was only available on KDP because they used [insert name of another ebook platform here].
I'll admit it, I was a little dumb: I hadn't realised just how many different ebook platforms there were out there. In addition to me being a complete novice to the scene, there were two further reasons why I didn't do more research:
1. I'm a physical book lover.
I just don't 'do' eBooks. I once had a Kindle and I hated it. I love the weight, feel, smell, etc, of a new, (physical) book. Therefore, when looking into publishing my book, I focused mainly on how to format my book for paperback and hardcover.
This led to problem number 2: In the beginning, I failed completely to properly research digital books and their outlets. Once I chose KDP, I just became so wrapped up in the idea that Amazon/KDP offered all three formats on one page, and so besotted with the idea of utilising KDP Select as a selling tool, that I neglected what turned out to be a massive chunk of the eBook markets. Only *after* I published did people begin asking me about the platforms they used and only then did I realise my error.
But it's all a learning experience, isn't it?
And, even if I had researched the other channels, given how easy KDP was to use and the fact I was/am a total novice, there's a good chance I still may have gone the KDP Select route with my eBook.
So, whilst KDP Select has been great for generating interest, especially as a newbie author, I feel after 3 months it's time to move on and explore other platforms.
Which brings me to Draft2Digital
Like KDP - very easy to use.
Nice layout
Easily move back and forth amongst the pages
So, I went back into the original file, removed the title page, saved it as a separate file + re-uploaded it. Simple.
Unlimited Keywords
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Apple Books
Tolino
Vivlio
Scribd
Kobo+ (Worldwide)
Pain in the butt was removing my title page from my manuscript. This is only because I type everything up onto Google Docs and then download it onto my PC.