Why you should be selling ebooks on your website, not Amazon

So you wrote an ebook—congratulations!

Now, it’s time to sell your book and start making money.

Unfortunately, for many creators, writing isn’t the hardest part—it’s figuring out how to sell the ebook they’ve been writing for months or years.

If you’re in the same boat, you’re probably wondering whether to roll up your sleeves and sell the ebooks on your website or whether you should simply outsource the entire process to Amazon.

We’re here to help.

In this article, we share several options for selling ebooks online, highlight their pros and cons, and show why selling directly on your website is the best option.

Choosing an online sales channel for your ebook

Deciding on the best online marketplace for your ebook starts with considering all available options.

So, let’s get into it, starting with the first question on your mind: what are all the possible channels for selling an ebook?

Here are some options:

• Amazon Kindle Direct
• Google Play Books
• Apple Books
• Lulu
• Etsy
• Payhip
• Gumroad
• Shopify
• WooCommerce
• Kit Commerce

Tip: It’s worth noting that you can also sell on multiple channels simultaneously.

There are two major options for selling your ebook online.
The first is through online marketplaces, while the second is by selling on your website directly.

Let’s take a closer look at both methods.

Ebook sales channel #1: Online marketplaces

More and more online marketplaces are popping up for selling ebooks.

If you’re interested in this sales channel, here are four popular options worth considering.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing

Ideal for: Self-publishing newbies looking for a quick option with global access.

Amazon lets you self-publish ebooks through their Kindle Direct Publishing platform.

While selling on Amazon Kindle Direct is an easy way to get your book in front of a global audience, the payout is far from lucrative.

If you package your ebook as a Kindle book and sell it on Amazon, here’s the cut you’ll get from Amazon:

• You’ll get 70% if your ebook is priced between $2.99 and $9.99 (this is the case for the United States and works very similarly in other countries)
• Any other pricing will give you a 35% cut of the revenue your ebook makes

On top of only getting a fraction of your ebook’s revenue, you’re also relying on Amazon’s algorithm, emails, other books on similar topics on Amazon, and other factors out of your control.

You have no influence over how Amazon promotes your ebook and how visitors interact with it.

If you want to earn more in royalties, Amazon also has a new KDP Select platform, which requires sellers to keep their ebooks exclusive to the platform.

This means you can’t sell your ebooks on any other platform while your book is listed on KDP Select.

Google Play Books

Ideal for: Creators looking for an additional marketplace option to reach more Android users.

Selling your ebook using Google Play Books Partner Center gives you access to around two billion Google users.

Unlike Amazon, Google Play Store ebook sellers can receive 70% of their book sales if made in an eligible country.

Although this option is fantastic as an add-on to your other marketplaces or for ebooks on subjects especially relevant to Android users, it has a downside.

Even though Google has over two billion users, if they don’t have a device with Play Store or shop books from Google Play Books, they likely won’t buy from you.

Apple Books

Ideal for: Mac OS and iOS users looking for a seamless publishing experience.

Apple allows authors to sell their books on Apple Books at no extra fee.

Unlike Amazon, Apple accepts books in various formats, including its native Pages, Microsoft Word, PDF, ePUB, and others. You’ll also get 70% of your royalties, regardless of which countries you sell to or how much your book costs.

However, publishing on Apple Books limits you to customers who have Apple devices (which is great if your book is geared toward them alone). That leaves out the over 45% of US customers who don’t use an iPhone.

Losing 30% of your income is also a painful downside, knowing you could be keeping more of that money if you sold via a different channel.

Lulu

Ideal for: Creators who want self-publish for free to a global audience.

Lulu allows authors to sell their books directly to readers for free where other platforms charge a fee.

You can publish your ebook in EPUB or PDF formats and sell directly on the Lulu bookstore or through through popular retail channels like Amazon, Apple’s iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Gardners, Google, Kobo, Libri, and Scribd. You can either bring your own ISBN or receive a free ISBN.

Lulu offers ecommerce options like Lulu Direct app for Shopify and WooCommerce to enable you to sell your books on your own website and social media profiles.

Something else that self-publishers find really attractive is that authors retain all ownership and rights of their work which means you can design, create, and price your ebook the way you want.

Speaking of pricing, Lulu divides ebook profit 90/10, with 90% going to the creator and 10% going to them.

Etsy

Ideal for: Selling workbooks or other editable ebooks

Etsy was not known for selling ebooks in the past, but that has changed a bit over time.

Since the site mostly has shoppers looking for unique gift items, handcrafted decor, and knickknacks, it’s definitely not the top option for ebook creators.

However, many creators are now selling digital workbooks, journal templates, and guides for others who want to sell on Etsy—with excellent results.

However, if your ebook isn’t interactive or doesn’t fit in with this genre, you might struggle more with selling on Etsy.

It’s also not cheap to sell on Etsy. In addition to a $0.20 USD listing fee, you’ll also be charged a 6.5% transaction fee each time you complete a sale.

Ebook sales channel #2: Your website’s online store

Ideal for: Creators looking to sell multiple products and own the lion’s share of their revenue

The second (and recommended) channel for selling your ebook is via your website. There are several ways to sell on your website, but the most common option is setting up a shop page or subdomain on your site.

You can then host your products on a variety of e-commerce platforms. We’ll talk you through some of our favorite options and share in more detail how to sell an ebook on your website in a bit.

You’ll be pleased to know that Kit integrates well with all the platforms we suggest, so you won’t have to do much tinkering.

But first, let’s discuss what to keep in mind when choosing an online store:

Here are the four criteria to consider when considering e-commerce tools:

• Cost to transact: Look at per-transaction expenses and any recurring monthly fees. You want to make sure your ebook is making you money and not costing you money to sell it.
• Payments: Research how each platform processes creator payments and how easy it is to get set up as a new seller.
• Connectivity to your other tools: Chances are, you use a few different tools to run your business. The more elements of your sales process, like website and email marketing, that “play nice” with your e-commerce platform, the better.
• Ease of use: You don’t want to spend all day setting up ebooks in your new platform or dealing with admin. Take time to explore demos, trials, and reviews of the product interface. It’s also wise to find supporting documents to answer your product questions.

Now let’s look at each platform for selling ebooks through your website in closer detail:

Payhip

Ideal for: Creators looking to sell ebooks and other digital products or memberships

Payhip allows creators to sell everything from ebooks to courses and physical products online. You can either embed it directly into your website or link your Payhip store to your website.

While all Payhip plans include all their features, the Free Forever plan will cost you a 5% transaction fee. If you upgrade to the $99/month Pro plan, you can ditch all the transaction fees.

Gumroad

Ideal for: Creators looking for a platform that will market their ebooks

If you’d love a sales platform that recommends your products to potential buyers, Gumroad may be a good option. Gumroad Discover showcases its creators’ products to prospective buyers, helping more people find your ebook.

On Gumroad, you can sell anything from ebooks and emoji packs to digital memberships and tutorials. Although creators don’t have to pay to sell on Gumroad, the platform charges a steep 10% transaction fee for each sale.

Shopify

Ideal for: Creators hoping to also sell physical products in the future

If you have plans to (or already) sell more than digital products, Shopify may be a good e-commerce platform to consider. Beyond hosting digital products, you can set up an online store to sell physical products and even promote and sell them easily on social media.

Although it offers supercharged sales possibilities, Shopify charges a pricey monthly seller fee starting at $39/month. So, even if you’re not selling, you’ll need to pay the fees to keep your store open. If you only want to sell ebooks, it’s probably overkill.

WooCommerce

Ideal for: Creators who want to host their store directly on their website

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that allows you to sell right from your website.

Once you install the plugin, you can build your store in the backend, add products, product prices, and descriptions, and be ready to sell in no time. This means all your data remains on your website and not on third-party sites.

While you can sell anything with some tweaks to WooCommerce, the plug-in, as it is, is designed for selling downloadable digital products and physical products. You’ll need to add extra extensions if you also want to sell subscriptions, memberships, or other intangible digital products.

Kit Commerce

Ideal for: Creators looking for an inexpensive, easy-to-use, all-in-one sales platform

If you’re not tech-savvy or are looking for a simple, effective sales platform for your ebook and other future digital products, Kit Commerce is a fantastic choice. Setting up your first sale is an easy three-step process, and you can set up automations to follow up with buyers after their purchase with no manual effort.

Unlike many other sales platforms, Kit Commerce charges 3.5% + $0.30 for each sale. This means you won’t be charged unless you make a sale. It’s easy to embed into your website, and you can even add a tip jar so customers can leave you extra cash if they want.

Pros and cons of selling ebooks on Amazon vs. your own website

Now that you have all the options on hand, you might be asking the following questions:

What is the best way to sell ebooks?

The best way to sell ebooks is by using a platform that integrates seamlessly with your website.

This leads to minimal transaction fees and allows you full control of marketing and selling your digital product.

Where is the best place to sell ebooks?

Your website is the best place to sell ebooks. It provides an opportunity for buyers to learn more about you and your brand on your terms and allows you to sell with the lowest transaction fees and higher royalties.

Why you shouldn’t sell your ebook on Amazon (or other marketplaces)

Although Amazon is becoming a popular route for publishing and selling ebooks, there are several reasons why we discourage creators from selling on Amazon or other digital product marketplaces.

It’s difficult to stand out among infinite bookshelves

There are more than 12 million ebooks available on Amazon today, with nearly 7,500 published every single day.

With thousands of options on Amazon, increased competition makes it that much more difficult to reach your target audience, and it’s unlikely someone will “stumble upon” your book by browsing.

Scroll through the ebooks page on Amazon, and you’ll see what this looks like in practice. There are hundreds of options, just on page one.

You lose control of formatting

When you upload your files to Amazon, you’re also ceding control of the formatting.

Every author has to choose between a fixed format like a PDF, which displays the same way it would be printed, regardless of device, or a reflowable format like HTML or plain text, which changes how it looks based on screen size or font choice.

With Kindle Direct Publishing, you can upload a Word Document or use Amazon’s KindleCreate to create a KPF. But after that, things can go awry.

You’ll have to be careful about the design or template you use. This is important not only because it makes your book pleasant to read on an e-reader format, but can also determine how accessible it is and whether or not it adapts to multiple devices.

You lose touch with your customers

With Amazon, you don’t own the customer relationship—they do. Frustrations with formatting or other issues are often shared with Amazon or in customer reviews, not with the creator directly.

Conversely, if something does go right, then there’s no way to capitalize on that business relationship.

When customers buy your ebook on Amazon, there’s also no way to know who’s purchasing since you don’t have access to that information.

As a result, it’s harder to send nurturing emails or follow up with your readers about complementary ebook releases that they might also enjoy.

You’re reliant on one platform for distribution

When you depend on Amazon, you’re limited to marketing with the platform. And you’re locked into specific book deals based on whether or not your book meets certain criteria, like being less than $9.99.

To succeed, creators should promote their ebooks wherever they can—and having the flexibility to match market needs can make a big difference. For example, you can:

• Offer a sample for free, or give your ebook to well-known influencers or reviewers so they can read it and promote it
• Guest post or find other traffic sources for your ebook, from email newsletters to social media or forums like NoiseTrade Books
• Keep an engaged list
• Offer discount codes on certain holidays or share coupon codes with your audience

The benefits of selling your ebook directly

In contrast to Amazon’s restrictive sales processes, selling your ebook directly offers numerous benefits.

More readers can access your documents on their devices

Book formatting and rights management through Amazon’s Kindle services can cause headaches.

Creators have seen all the hard work they put into formatting their ebooks go to the wayside when they convert to Kindle Direct Publishing formats. Plus, digital rights management (DRM) can pigeonhole compatible devices.

When selling an ebook on your website, you can choose a widely usable format like PDF for viewing across platforms and devices. Being in charge of the simple distribution also makes it easier to fix issues or make updates quicker.

You create a deeper relationship with customers

When someone buys your ebook on Amazon, their name and information live in Amazon’s black box for the rest of time.

So you won’t know who buys your books—and you won’t have any way of reaching them in the future to market your other offerings. With your website and email list, you can provide value to your audience over time and connect with new buyers.

More money lands in your pocket

You put the hard work into creating content, and you deserve to be paid for it. Typically, you earn more per sale when you sell ebooks on your website.

Amazon ebook fees and royalties are… complicated. They consider factors like file size and sales price and can charge multiple fees for each transaction.

In comparison, Kit Commerce is available on free and paid Kit plans and has a 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction fee. More ebook profits in your pocket!

You can launch your ebook faster

When you’re excited about launching an ebook, any delay in your planned launch timeline is frustrating. Creators who publish via Amazon should expect to wait a few days before their book and listing details are fully live.

Selling on your site puts you in control, though, and you can begin making sales right after uploading your ebook file. If you’re eager to launch your ebook quickly, consider repurposing existing blog content so you don’t have to start from scratch.

5 examples of creators offering ebooks on their website

If you’re curious about what it looks like to sell ebooks on your website, here are five creators doing it right.

How-to Guide example by Teela Cunningham

Teela Cunningham is a graphic designer and founder of Every Tuesday, who created an ebook to help graphic designers find full-time employment in their industry. Teela created a website to promote her ebook and connected the website to Gumroad, her ebook sales platform.

Interactive ebook example by Therapy for Black Girls

Therapy for Black Girls is an online space promoting mental wellness for Black women. Their website links to their Shopify store for physical goods, and they sell their digital coloring book using Kit.

Cookbook example by Daniella Malfitano

Chef Daniella Malfitano is known for creating simple plant-based recipes on YouTube and making digital cookbooks her audience can buy for $15. She sells her Plant Based Made Easy Cookbooks on Kit Commerce.

Cookbook example by Amy Lanza

Amy Lanza of Nourishing Amy also creates digital cookbooks and sells them via Kit Commerce. Amy has an “EBOOKS” tab on her website that leads to an on-site sales page for her ebooks. When customers click the link to purchase, it leads them to her Kit Commerce sales page.

How-to ebook example by Coddle

Coddle is a community created to support postpartum women through their challenges. The community’s Postpartum Recovery ebook is hosted on Kit Commerce, where Coddle’s audience can purchase it directly.

Start selling ebooks on your own website (and earning more) with Kit Commerce

Ready to start selling ebooks on your website with Kit?

It’s easy to get your first product on Kit Commerce. Here’s how:

Sign up for Kit’s free 14-day trial or login to your account.

Click on Earn > Products.

Then, click New Product.

Name your product (i.e, your ebook) and choose a pricing method. We recommend using the ‘Pay once, have access forever’ option for selling an ebook.

Then, click Next.

Choose a pricing method: fixed price, pay what you want, or payment plans.

Set your price and toggle whether your audience can purchase more than one item.

Confirm your currency. Then, click Next.

Then, click Upload a File to add your ebook to Kit Commerce.

Once the file is uploaded, click Next.

Next, choose a domain name and URL of the page where you’ll sell your ebook.

Then, click Create Product.

Next, customize your ebook product page, checkout page, confirmation page, and email receipts your buyers will receive.

When you’re finished customizing, you’ll click Save, Publish, and then choose whether to share it via a link with others or embed a product button right on your website.

Earn as much as possible from your efforts—and with minimal hassle by using Kit Commerce.