When you’re first getting started as a self-published author, it’s easy to get lured into the Amazon. For many aspiring authors, Kindle Direct Publishing is synonymous with self or indie publishing—it’s the first thing you think of, the obvious choice, maybe even the only option you know of. 

But first doesn’t always mean best. While there are certainly things Amazon and KDP can be useful for, established authors often come to realize all the ways that publishing exclusively on Amazon is holding them back. 

Maybe you want to make more profit off your book sales. Maybe you want to solidify long-term relationships with your readers, built on your own platform and not on rented land. Maybe you don’t want your life’s work to be beholden to the practices of a corrupt billionaire broligarch. 

Whether you’re ready to leave Amazon entirely or to branch out and expand your books’ reach to new audiences, the solution is clear: it’s time to start going wide with your book distribution.

What Does Going Wide Mean? 

There are a few different ways indie authors can sell their books. Some self-publishing platforms have their own bookstore. Others offer access to the Ingram Content Group distribution network, which makes books accessible to online and brick-and-mortar book retailers around the world. And now, ecommerce solutions like Lulu Direct make it possible for authors to sell their books directly from their own website. 

“Going wide” means making your books available across as many platforms as possible—not just Amazon, or just your local indie bookstore, but some or all of the above. This diversified approach allows you to:

• Maximize reach and discoverability
• Increase your profit from book sales
• Reduce the risk of relying on just one platform. 

You may also hear the term "going wide" to refer to book formats as well as retail channels—instead of limiting yourself to just selling ebooks through KDP you’ve got ebooks, print books, and audiobooks, all available on a variety of platforms.

Either way, the goal is the same: expand your reach and connect with readers wherever they prefer to shop.

Why Is Going Wide Worth It?

You might be thinking, “This sounds like a lot of work.” You’re not entirely wrong—the setup can be a process. But like many parts of self-publishing, expanding your distribution beyond Amazon is a short-term time investment with long-term payoff.

Maximize Your Reach

You’ve probably heard the marketing advice “be where your buyers are.” Or maybe the author version, “Be where your readers are.” 

It’s true that Amazon claims a large percentage of the book sales market share in the US. Experts debate the exact percentage, but it ranges from 50% to 80% depending on the year and who is doing the analysis. 

Even if the highest end of that estimate is true, that still means authors only selling on Amazon are disregarding 20% of book buyers in the US. And as 2025 is seeing a rise in conscientious consumers boycotting major retailers or leaving Amazon-owned platforms like Goodreads in favor of independently owned platforms like The StoryGraph, that market share might decrease. 

Regardless of why, the point is the same—if you’re only selling your books on Amazon, you’re missing out on potential readers. Maximize your reach and discoverability by having your book available in as many different marketplaces as possible.

Access New Formats & Markets

Many authors using Amazon KDP as their primary retailer are also using KDP Select as a discovery tool. 

And that’s fair! Kindle Unlimited can be a way to get your books in front of new readers, but it has plenty of limitations… including formats and markets. How do you reach readers who prefer physical print media over ebooks? How do you reach remote readers in countries where Kindle Unlimited isn’t available? 

Amazon has a built-in exclusivity clause when it comes to Kindle Unlimited ebooks. But that exclusivity clause only applies to ebooks—you are welcome to sell print copies of your books elsewhere while keeping your ebooks free on KU. 

Amazon also limits the distribution of certain format types. If you’re interested in selling a coil-bound book or a dust jacket hardcover edition, you won’t be able to publish those using KDP. 

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Mitigate Your Risk

Too many creators have learned the hard way that building on rented land can be risky. 

• In Summer 2024, Barnes & Noble de-listed thousands of self-published titles without warning. Some were reinstated, but not all. 
• In January 2025, authors and creators that built their platforms on TikTok felt the impending panic of that platform being gone for good… a fear that has been delayed, but not eliminated. 
• In February 2025, Kindle device users learned that they would no longer be able to download ebook files for books they’ve purchased, leading to panic that Amazon could remove reader access to their own content at any given time. 

If Amazon changes its terms, restricts your account, or takes down your titles, you could lose access to your readers and your revenue overnight. Going wide with your distribution severely reduces that risk. 

Boost Your Revenue

Different retail channels offer different author royalty rates. You might make more off your ebook royalties on KU than selling those same ebooks on Kobo. But you might also make more selling one print book than you do five ebooks. 

If you’re looking for new ways to boost your revenue, consider alternate retail options that offer better royalty rates. Even better, consider selling direct to your readers and keeping 100% of your profits. 

Connect With Your Audience

When you sell your book through third-party retailers, your customers aren’t really your customers. You can’t send an email to everyone who bought a copy of your first book to let them know the sequel is available for pre-order… but Amazon can send an email suggesting other books (by other authors, who paid more money for this marketing opportunity) they might like next.

When you add direct sales as a distribution channel, you get to collect your customers’ sales data and contact information. Now you, and not Amazon, have the opportunity to remarket to buyers, connect with your readers, and build lifelong fans.

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Should I Remove My Books From Amazon?

What you choose to do about the books you already have published on Amazon is up to you. Other than the KDP Select exclusivity rule, there is no reason you can’t have your books listed on Amazon while also pursuing other distribution options. 

The real question is whether or not you want to. 

I Want to Leave Amazon Entirely

If your goal is to leave Amazon behind entirely, you can absolutely do that. There are ethical, practical, and business reasons some authors choose to cut ties with Amazon, and you are completely within your rights to do so. 

We recommend that you set up your new distribution channels before removing your books from Amazon, especially if you rely on book sales as your income. 

I Want to Add Additional Distribution Channels

If your goal is to expand your distribution channels, including Amazon, continue to list your books as normal. You may want to consider if you plan to keep any titles currently enrolled in KDP Select as KU exclusives or if you want to be able to distribute those ebooks elsewhere.

There are aggregate distribution tools like Draft2Digital that are designed to help authors go wide with their book sales—you may wind up using one of those tools, or you may want to manually upload and manage the specific distribution channels you choose. 

If you decide to use an aggregate tool, you’ll have to decide if you want to continue to manage your KDP account separately or merge the two. 

I Want to Experiment With Going Wide Before Deciding

If you have an extensive backlist and you have the wiggle room to try, you can experiment with just taking some of your books wide. Let yourself learn the process and build up your readership on other platforms while still earning passive revenue, then decide whether or not to stay on Amazon long-term.

You can also experiment by taking different formats wide—leave your ebooks on Amazon, but take print and audio editions on the road and see what happens.

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5 Steps to Going Wide With Your Books

Sold? Ready to start going wide right now? 

Don’t start unpublishing your Amazon titles just yet—adding new distribution channels takes research and planning, and isn’t something you should start overnight. It's worth it to take your time and make sure you get a good understanding of everything you need and everything you have to do before you make the jump.

Step 1: Figure Out Your ISBN Strategy

Amazon’s free ISBNs are proprietary, meaning you can’t carry them over to new platforms. If you're planning to distribute your books outside Amazon, you'll need new ISBNs for each format of your book (hardcover, paperback, audiobook, ebook, etc.).  

However, if you're selling directly from your own website, or only through select platforms like the Lulu bookstore, you may not need ISBNs. And some publishers, including Lulu, offer free ISBNs for global distribution. Be aware that those will most likely be proprietary as well.

Purchasing your own ISBNs (from Bowker, if you’re in the US) is worth considering. You won’t have to worry about proprietary ISBNs in the future, and your book’s metadata will list you or your company as the publisher. If you do decide to buy your own, consider buying in bulk. 

Regardless of whether you use a free ISBN from your publisher, decline to use ISBNs entirely, or buy your own, you will still retain all rights to your book. 

Step 2: Research Your Other Distribution Options and Requirements

Going wide is a great strategy, but it’s also a somewhat vague one. You have to get specific about exactly what distribution channels you’ll be adding to your ecommerce strategy, and get a better understanding of how you’ll do so. 

There are many strategies for how to approach adding new distribution channels, including:

• Add one to start, add more as time and resources allow.
• Add as many new channels as possible all at once, using an aggregate tool.
• Add a select number of channels manually. 

Do your research. You’ll want to consider what channels will be the best fit for your books and where you’re most likely to find your target audience. You’ll also need to know logistics, like whether or not your current book files are compatible with a new distribution platform or publishing tool, and what the royalty rates are for each channel. 

Get started on your research by learning about Lulu’s distribution options. 

Step 3: Consider Updates or Repackages for Your Books

Many authors consider adding new sales channels as a great opportunity to repackage their books.

In some cases, that might be a necessity—your existing book interior or cover files might not be compatible, and you may need to resize them or convert them to a different file type. 

In others, it might be a strategic marketing choice. What’s the best way to get existing readers to buy a book they’ve already read? Give them a brand new version of it! 

Take your most popular ebook and design a new cover, fix those sneaky few typos that you missed the first time around, add an exclusive bonus chapter, and tell long-time fans they can only get this exclusive new print edition when they buy it directly from your website. 

Remember to plan ahead for this. If you buy new ISBNs for your existing books and then decide after the fact that you want to do a major update, revision, and reissue, you’ll need new ISBNs again. Instead of wasting those, leave your existing editions alone and save your new IBSNs for your new editions. 

Step 4: Build Out Your Author Website 

A website is key real estate for any author trying to build a long-term brand. If you don’t already have one, now is absolutely the time. 

Regardless of whether or not you choose to sell direct, a website is a great place to house all your retail links, invite readers to sign up for your mailing list, connect to your social media, share information about your books, and more. 

Even if you already have one, now’s the time to make sure it’s running smoothly, looks good, is SEO optimized, and can support an ecommerce plugin. Maybe you’re not ready to start selling direct now, but you’ll be glad you set yourself up for success down the road.

If you are going to add direct sales as one of your new retail channels, you’ll want to make sure you’re set up to do that. We have tons of resources to help with everything from building out your store to getting to know your Lulu Direct account dashboard. 

Step 5: Be Upfront With Your Audience

Whether you’re fully leaving Amazon or just testing new platforms, transparency with your readers is key. Loyal fans will often follow you if they understand your reasons. The ones that won’t? Weren’t long-term fans to begin with. 

Let your existing readers know you’re making moves, and give them a reason to care. Consider strategies like: 

• Announce the availability of special editions or formats through your mailing list and social media.  
• Offer loyal readers exclusive perks for buying from you directly, like signed copies or bonus content.  
• Explain how buying from alternate platforms supports you better as an author. Many readers will be happy to support your small business instead of adding to Amazon’s bottom line!  

If you're selling direct from your website, ensure the buying experience feels seamless—easy navigation, secure transactions, and clear instructions matter. And if you’re sticking with traditional retailers, make sure it’s easy for your readers to find your books by sharing retailer links. 

It’s Time to Go Wide!

Going wide with your books isn’t about abandoning Amazon—it’s about taking control of your career. Diversifying your sales channels not only protects your income from sudden changes but also makes your books available to more readers in more formats than ever before.  

Just remember, transitioning takes time. Research your options, take it one step at a time, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.