3 Self-Publishing Know-Hows to Get Your Book Self Published And Distributed Worldwide

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To get your self-published book distributed worldwide, start with Amazon KDP, which already sells to readers in many countries. For paperbacks, turn on Expanded Distribution so bookstores and libraries can order it, and add other networks later if you want more reach. Below are the three things I learned when my first books started selling in countries I hadn’t planned for.

How did I find out my books sell worldwide?

When I put out my first book I used Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, and CreateSpace for print, which is now KDP Print. I ticked expanded distribution because I thought, why hold the book to one region? I assumed only English-speaking countries like the US, UK, Canada and Australia would buy an English book. That was a big misunderstanding.

Suddenly I saw sales from Japan, Germany and other places where I thought people would only want books in their own language. From Norway I can see sales coming through the regional distributors. I can even see my books in libraries around the world. Most of the money still comes from the US and UK, as I expected, but a good part comes from other countries, and the sales map has dots all over it. If you want your own book in libraries on purpose, see how to get your self-published book into libraries.

Know-how 1: Which distribution system should I use?

Start with Amazon. KDP has a massive global network and your ebook is sold in its stores worldwide. For paperbacks, Expanded Distribution is a separate setting. KDP says it makes your paperback available to large distributors that supply bookstores and libraries, enrollment is free, and the distributors decide whether to list or order the book. Your royalty is 40% of the list price, minus printing costs, taxes and withholding. Hardcovers are not eligible, and neither are some types of books, such as coloring books, journals and public domain content.

If you want more reach, other services have networks that don’t fully overlap with Amazon’s. I also use IngramSpark for print, and Draft2Digital pushes ebooks to “all the major retailers online, plus hundreds of storefronts worldwide”. Lulu is another. Note that the same ISBN can’t be submitted to another service while it is in KDP Expanded Distribution. I compare the main services in self-publishing distribution options, and IngramSpark vs Amazon KDP explains how to use both. Keywords still matter wherever you sell, so do this now with your KDP keywords.

Know-how 2: What language should my book be in?

English if you can. A very large number of people read English, and there are more books and more tested content in English on almost any topic. Compare Norwegian, with only about 5 million speakers: a search for puppy care gives a much smaller choice. You can also add a second language. If your book is in English, think about Spanish, since there are many Spanish-speaking markets.

I don’t suggest translating into a thousand languages. Don’t run your book through a machine translator and publish the result either. KDP’s rules say you must disclose AI-generated text, images or translations when you publish, even when you made substantial edits afterwards, and that you are responsible for checking the result against KDP’s content guidelines. A translation must also credit the translator and the original author. Have a native speaker check it.

Be careful with audiobooks too. Some sellers on freelance marketplaces offer to record audiobooks with text-to-speech voices such as Siri or Alexa. You may not have the right to sell audio made with those voices, and audiobook stores have their own rules about synthetic narration. Check the store’s terms and the voice tool’s terms before you publish.

Know-how 3: Who am I leaving out if I don’t go global?

People all over the planet come online every day. They get smartphones, install the Kindle app and read on their phone. A $2.99 ebook is within reach where a paperback might cost too much. My paperbacks earn more money than my Kindle books, but the Kindle books bring in a decent amount as well. Don’t underestimate them.

Readers abroad are not so different from you: they have the same interests and like fiction and non-fiction. They just need the book in a format and language that suits them, in the store they use.

Don’t assume you know where your audience is, because you don’t. If you hold your book back to one region, you leave money on the table, you lose motivation to write more, and readers who would have liked it never find it.

Are you getting international sales for your books? Tell me in the comments. If you want help getting your book into wide distribution, book a free 25-minute discovery call.

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