Compare platforms for books, audiobooks, fiction and paid newsletters. Check royalties, distribution costs and subscription charges within each section.
No upload or title setup fee. Proof and author copies cost extra; optional services may also cost extra. Source
Key condition
On Amazon.com, 70% ebooks must be $2.99–$12.99 and meet territory rules. Brazil, India, Japan, and Mexico also require KDP Select, which makes ebook rights exclusive while enrolled. Source
Ebooks: 70% under qualifying IPP terms, 45% standard, 20% public domain. Audiobooks: 45% a la carte at floor, 35% below, 32% subscription token. Source
Per-copy deductions
Ebook royalty is based on list price excluding tax. Source
Publishing cost
Ebook distribution and ePub conversion are free; audiobook publishing costs are not specified in the public FAQ. Source
Key condition
Current FAQ lists a C$50 payout threshold. The service agreement, last updated in 2012, also lists price ceilings, price-matching rules, and withholding until $100; current applicability is unconfirmed. Source
Ebooks, audiobooks, and print-on-demand paperbacks Source
Author royalty
Ebooks and audiobooks: D2D takes 15% of store payments. Print: author gets 45% of list less unit cost. Smashwords.com pays 75% or 40% of list. Source
Per-copy deductions
Print unit cost is deducted; ebook and audio proceeds reflect store terms, taxes, and any surcharges. Source
Publishing cost
New accounts pay a $20 activation fee including year one. After that, the annual maintenance fee is $12 when titles are active and the waiver threshold is not met. Source
Key condition
No active titles waives the annual fee. For active titles, the FAQ says the $100 waiver threshold is book sales in the prior 12 months; the current agreement says it is royalties. Source
Print books and ebooks; Global Distribution sends eligible titles to retailer channels. Source
Author royalty
Print: 80% of gross profit. Ebooks: 90% of revenue after retailer fees and markups. Source
Per-copy deductions
For print, production and any distributor share are deducted before the 80/20 split. Lulu Bookstore print sales have no distribution fee. Source
Publishing cost
Publishing is free. First Global Distribution review costs $4.99 per new print book or ebook; revisions are not charged again. A print proof copy is also required. Source
Key condition
Global Distribution uses retailer-specific channels and rules; creators receive the channel-level revenue shown in Lulu pricing. Source
Print books, magazines, journals, notebooks, and Instant PDFs. No new ebooks; existing titles remain for sale in the Blurb Bookstore and Apple Books. Source
Author royalty
Blurb Bookstore: creator keeps 100% of chosen markup after base print cost. External channels deduct their channel costs and discounts first. Source
Per-copy deductions
Printing is deducted from Bookstore sales. External retailer base prices include distributor charges, shipping, and retailer discounts. Source
Publishing cost
No Bookstore listing fee. External channel program fees, if any, appear at checkout. Source
Key condition
Monthly payouts. USD PayPal threshold $25 with $1 fee; USD check threshold $25 with $5 fee. Other currencies differ. Source
Ebooks, print-on-demand books, and global retailer distribution. Source
Author royalty
eBook retailers: author receives 100% of net wholesale receipts after retailer fees. BookShop eBook direct sales: BookBaby retains 15%, so author receives 85% of sale price. Source
Per-copy deductions
Print BookShop sales pay 50% of retail. Amazon POD royalties are 10–15% of retail, depending on title and specifications. Source
Publishing cost
Global ebook distribution is $299. Print POD packages are $199 for BookShop or $399 for BookShop plus Amazon POD. Source
Key condition
The online distribution agreement grants exclusive distribution representation while active, except for author direct sales; either party may terminate with 24 hours’ notice. Copyright stays with the author. Source
Print-on-demand books sold through connected stores, the Great British Bookshop, and retailer distribution. Source
Author royalty
Direct sales have no Bookvault commission; retailer earnings equal retail price less retailer discount and print cost. Source
Per-copy deductions
Direct orders incur production and shipping costs. Retailer orders deduct their trade discount and then print cost. Source
Publishing cost
Free plan: £19.95 per title setup. Indie: £24.95/month plus £4.95 per title. Pro: £89.95/month with no title setup fee. Source
Key condition
For connected-store orders, customers pay the author’s store; Bookvault bills the author for production and shipping. Retailer distribution does not require print prepayment. Source
Paperback, hardcover, and ebooks; India and international distribution plans are available. Source
Author royalty
Basic Distribution: 60% of net profit. India/Global: 80%. Outpublish: 100% of net profit. Costs are deducted first. Source
Per-copy deductions
Printing, retailer distribution, shipping, taxes, technology fees, and returns may be deducted before the author share. Source
Publishing cost
Publishing services are paid packages; price depends on the selected plan, format, and services. Source
Key condition
Payout threshold: ₹1,500 domestic or ₹10,000 international. Monthly earnings enter the wallet within 40 days of month-end; bank deposit takes 3 days. Source
Print books and ebooks. Current ebook sales are through Pothi.com; extended distribution applies to print books. Source
Author royalty
Ebooks: 75% of MRP on Pothi; 25% for other stores, though Pothi does not currently sell ebooks there. Source
Per-copy deductions
Print: 50% of Pothi-store profit; 80% of profit after partner costs. Free-shipping domestic orders use the partner-distribution rate. Source
Publishing cost
Publishing is free with ready files. Extended print distribution starts with a ₹1,500 setup fee; annual renewal and bulk-print charges depend on plan. Source
Key condition
Standard distribution’s ₹1,000 annual renewal is currently waived; Premium plans require yearly renewal and upfront purchase of 200 or 600 copies. Source
Compare author royalties for ebooks and print books separately. Printing costs, delivery charges and other per-copy deductions change what you receive from the listed royalty.
Spotify direct audiobook distribution includes a-la-carte purchases and Premium subscription listening. Source
Author share
A-la-carte pays 50% of suggested retail price. Subscription listening pays a pro-rata share of a Spotify-defined revenue pool based on consumption. Source
Publishing cost
Uploading finished audiobook files is free and unlimited. Source
Exclusivity
Distribution is non-exclusive; authors retain ownership and may publish elsewhere. Source
Production payment
Spotify digital narration is free for up to five English-language audiobooks for self-published US authors. A validated payment profile is required; additional titles require contacting support. Authors can distribute elsewhere. Source
Global retail, subscription, library, and K-12 channels. Source
Author share
Authors keep 80% of royalties INaudio receives from partners. Partner payout bases: 40 to 50% of list price for a-la-carte sales, 30 to 40% for subscriptions, and 25 to 45% of revenue-share receipts. Source
Publishing cost
No separate setup or distribution fee is listed publicly; the published model keeps 20% of partner royalties. Source
Exclusivity
No exclusivity agreement; authors choose their sales channels. Source
Production payment
Official pages cover distribution of finished audio and list no production service or price. Source
Global audiobook store distribution; library and subscription channels vary by plan. Source
Author share
Subscription plans pay the full store royalty; PublishDrive takes no commission. Source
Publishing cost
Free plan covers one ebook only. Audiobook distribution starts with Starter at $16.99 monthly or $13.99 per month billed yearly, for up to three titles. Source
Exclusivity
Distribution is non-exclusive; creators can publish through other services. Source
Production payment
Finished audio is accepted. Apple digital narration is free for eligible ebooks distributed to Apple Books. Source
Distribution to global retailers, subscription services, and libraries. Source
Author share
Subscription and Lifetime plans advertise an 85% share of net revenue; retailer and sales-model payouts vary. Source
Publishing cost
Current pricing lists $99 per year or $299 once. A 2025 terms update charges EUR 0.20 per free audiobook download; older legal pages also describe a no-fixed-cost revenue-share path. Source
Exclusivity
StreetLib is non-exclusive; authors choose and can change distribution channels. Source
Production payment
Upload finished chapter MP3 files; public audio production prices are not listed. Source
BookBaby Bookshop sells author-supplied audiobooks; Audible availability requires a separate sales discussion. Source
Author share
BookBaby advertises 75% per Bookshop audiobook sale; Audible is available by request, but its rate is not public. Source
Publishing cost
Existing finished-audio upload costs $99. Author narration is $500 plus $0.14 per word; actor narration is $500 plus $0.16 per word; AI voice cloning is $2,000 plus $0.06 per word. Source
Exclusivity
The currently posted 2022 distribution agreement grants exclusive rights for selected services, except author direct sales; either side may terminate on 24 hours notice. Source
Production payment
BookBaby offers author, voice-actor, and AI voice-clone production; price depends on the chosen option and manuscript length. Source
Creators can earn from ads and Super Likes; Patreon integration is also available. Source
Creator share
Ads pay 50% of net ad revenue. Super Likes pay 70% of net after a standard 30% deduction from gross, excluding taxes, refunds and chargebacks. This gives 49% of gross (51% total deductions); WEBTOON may reduce the initial deduction. Source
Required cost
CANVAS is open to creators; no publishing charge is listed. Source
Seller access
Viewer ads: 40,000+ views and 1,000+ subscribers per Creators 101; January 2026 Terms require over both. Super Likes: 500+ likes and age 18+. Source
Exclusivity
Creators retain their work and grant WEBTOON a non-exclusive license to operate and promote CANVAS. Source
Current share percentage is not listed on the 2026 rewards page. A 2020 guide says 50% profit share for contracts, with a 120k-word condition for non-exclusive books; current non-exclusive rewards use a 150k threshold. Source
Compare reader payments, memberships and platform earnings programs for comics and fiction. Seller access and exclusivity can determine which earning options are available.
Launch is free through 2,500 subscribers; Scale starts at $43/month billed annually at a selected tier, with up to 100,000 subscribers shared across workspace publications. Enterprise is custom above 100,000. Source
Platform fee or writer share
0% beehiiv fee on paid subscriptions; the feature starts on Scale Source
Payment processing
US Stripe card fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction; other Stripe rates vary Source
Price control
Creators set subscription tiers, prices, currencies, benefits, and billing options Source
At 1,000 members, Publisher is $29/month billed annually. The comparison table lists Starter/Publisher at 1,000, Business at 10,000, Custom unlimited; the overview conflicts on Business. Source
Eligible paywalled stories earn from member reading/listening time, engagement, and Boosts Source
Plan cost
Active Medium membership required: US Member $5/month or $50/year; Friend $15/month or $150/year. Source
Platform fee or writer share
No fixed per-story rate; earnings vary with member activity and the story’s engagement Source
Payment processing
Stripe payout minimum $10; payouts usually start by the 10th and take 5–7 business days. Verified tax details and supported bank country required. Source
Price control
Not applicable: readers buy a Medium-wide membership; writers do not set its price Source
Read earnings and creator subscriptions require Vocal+; tips and leaderboard bonuses are open to all creators Source
Plan cost
Free is $0; Vocal+ costs $9.99/month or $99/year before tax Source
Platform fee or writer share
Vocal+ read earnings use a variable CPM; the current rate is listed on the Vocal+ membership page Source
Payment processing
Vocal transfer fee: 7% Free or 2.9% Vocal+; Stripe processing varies by method/country. Minimum payout $35/$20; approved withdrawals reach Stripe within 5 business days. Source
Price control
Vocal sets Creator Subscription prices and terms; tips are offered in fixed amounts Source
Current product docs describe a site, newsletter and subscriber list, not paid memberships. Terms allow publisher transactions, but current paid-feature availability is unclear. Source
Compare newsletter subscription fees with fixed publishing plans and writer earnings programs. Check payment processing and who sets the subscription price.
