Draft2Digital Review: Self Publishing Books Beyond KDP (2024)

Подписаться 98 тыс.

Просмотров 4,5 тыс.

50% 1

If you're self-publishing books, you probably already know about Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). But, KDP limits your distribution to Amazon, missing other viable retailers, platforms and libraries. Enter Draft2Digital (D2D), the aggregate publishing platform that will publish your book --whether ebook or paperback -- to dozens of places. D2D is among the best alternatives to KDP because of their reach, royalty structure, and free resources like the universal book link creation tool, Books2Read (B2R). Find out how D2D can help publish your book online, assist with formatting, and a host of other perks no other self publishing company offers.
- Draft2Digital - DaleLinks.com/D2D (referral link)
- D2D on RU-vid - / @draft2digital
Mentioned videos:
• Reach More Readers with Draft2Digital & Fable - ru-vid.com...
• Amazon KDP Alternatives Uncovered: SHOCKING Allegations! - • Amazon KDP Alternative...
• KDP Select Review: Worth It in 2024? - • KDP Select Review: Wor...
• Draft2Digital Launches Print on Demand Books - • Draft2Digital Launches...
• Paperback Comparison: Self-Published Books on Amazon & Beyond - • Paperback Comparison: ...
Sources:
• D2D's Terms of Service: www.draft2digi...
• D2D's Terms and Conditions for Payment Splitting Program - www.draft2digi...
• D2D's Frequently Asked Questions - www.draft2digi...
• D2D's Knowledge Base - www.draft2digi...
• How does Kobo Plus pay? - kobowritinglif...
• Spotify paid $123 million for Findaway, the bedrock of its audiobook ambitions - www.theverge.c...
• Outrage Over New Terms of Use at Findaway Voices Forces Change - writerbeware.b...
• D2D Print Price Calculator - www.draft2digi...
• Books2Read Changes Everything Starting Right Now - www.draft2digi...
• PublishDrive - DaleLinks.com/... (referral link)
• Abacus - Royalty Software for Publishers - publishdrive.c...
• The End of the Draft2Digital vs Smashwords Era - • The End of the Draft2D...
• D2D's 2023 Year in Review - www.draft2digi...
• Draft2Digital Acquires SelfPubBookCovers.com - www.draft2digi...
• Introducing New Print Proof Shipping Options! - www.draft2digi...
• Understanding the Steps of a “Know Your Customer” Process - www.dowjones.c...
🔴 The Self-Publishing Hub - TheSelfPublish...
🟣 Join Channel Memberships - / @dalelroberts
🔵Join my Discord community - dalelinks.com/d...
🔥 Check out my podcast channel - / @selfpubwithdale
📚 My Books - DaleLinks.com/...
🔥 Check out my podcast channel - / @selfpubwithdale
Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!
- Dale L. Roberts
----
@Draft2Digital @FindawayVoices @KoboWritingLifeKWL @AmazonKDP #indieauthors #selfpublishing #writingcommunity

Опубликовано:

12 сен 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 81

@afiane22 4 месяца назад

The best thing about D2D is not supporting low content books.

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

That would be a HUGE resource drain. They don’t have a bottomless budget like KDP, so it made sense when they said, “No low content books.”

@jefferyvogel3812 4 месяца назад

I am happy about that too.

@alisonforsythe6171 4 месяца назад

They also don’t support works in the public domain even if you have illustrated or translated it yourself. I found this out the hard way after setting up a book inc assigning my own ISBN to the project on D2D.

@kravencachew 16 дней назад

@@DaleLRoberts Apparently there are over 70,000 low content type books on Amazon.

@theresamcevoy6120 4 месяца назад

Suggestion: I would recommend Atticus for formatting and you can add your own decorations and you can see how the pages will look as sometimes when you upload the pages can change and you may not like the way it looks (I know i did until I got Atticus) Note: ISBN if you have used that somewhere else, you will need a new one that hasn't been used.

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Thanks for the tip!

@authortommcauliffe3692 4 месяца назад

Switched from another well known aggregate publisher based on Dale’s advice and never looked back… from layout and design to support and distribution… D2D is top notch.

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

So glad you like them!

@RubenGT 4 месяца назад

Would also love to have them distribute audiobooks directly. Also grateful that you addressed the "elephant in the room", in regards to all the raging reviews, bringing in some light into that important subject. Thank you for another great video Dale 🙏

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

My pleasure!

@vishalanand8419 6 дней назад

I love your content as it's very descriptive and the information is well laid out which clearly shows your mastery of the subject matter. Thank you so much and keep up the good work! Exclamation

@DaleLRoberts 5 дней назад

Wow, thank you! More to come. I've been sitting on a piece about Lulu. Should be insightful. I'd like to cover most every self-publishing platform. There are so many options now.

@libraryplayer9154 4 месяца назад

One thing I like the look of with D2D is the option for account sharing (so an author can give limited access to their account to someone helping them with their book). Not a feature I'd use, but like that it exists for authors who need it. I'm currently considering D2D or Lulu for my next book (moving away from KDP for various reasons)! 😀

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

That's right! Another feature I didn't mention. It was tough when putting this video together, because I couldn't highlight everything and keep it below an hour. haha Can't say I blame you about KDP.

@m.a.robbins4907 4 месяца назад

Re:Kobo Plus payout calculation. Interesting way to do it. I can see it working well for audio, but I wonder what genre differences there would be. Seems readers of fast-paced fiction like thrillers will spend less time reading than, say, a reader of a description-laden genre like fantasy for the same number of pages.

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Good point!

@guillaumemaurice3503 4 месяца назад

Thank you for the video Dale that was AMAZING! 👍 ❤ I would like to say that I use both Amazon & D2D for my fictional e-books plus I have got some of them as print books which I have done through D2D. I have sold a number of my e-books but my 2nd French-Spy novel was bought as a print-book which indeed surprised me. However, what I find in a bizarre way was that the 2nd one was bought and yet they hadn't bought & read the first French-Spy novel (it is important to read in order just to get the gist of the story 😉). I certainly do rate D2D very highly indeed; I was with Smashwords before going with D2D but had decided to close my account with SW & go with D2D after I had numerous problems with the SW "Meat-Grinder" (I found out that other Indie-Authors had the same issue) but, I do rate SW highly too but not as highly as D2D (I do still publish on SW but this time through D2D). A really good thing about D2D is that their support section is so good...they always reply & give you straight answers; so I would certainly advise on going through D2D......AWESOME company! 👍

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Nice! Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ll bet the paperback might’ve been someone who read the first part via ebook and liked it enough to buy the second part in print.

@theresamcevoy6120 4 месяца назад

Note: For Libraries, remember to get a LCC from the Library of Congress or the libraries may reject your book if you do not have it.

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Thanks for the tip. I haven’t had that issue yet but might look into it for my next launches.

@amhmc81 2 месяца назад

Hi, how do you get one?

@aidanlucid9619 4 месяца назад

Another great video, Dale. Thanks for the review. I love D2D and think their publishing model is fantastic. My only criticism is that they don't do Chat Support like KDP. I find it would resolve issues a lot quicker besides waiting 12 hours fir a response to a query vua email. But, to theur credit, they are getting quicker in answering questions.

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Have you ever tried their phone support? Just curious if that would solve your issue faster. Glad you enjoyed the video, Aidan!

@aidanlucid9619 4 месяца назад

@@DaleLRoberts Thanks, Dale, for the suggestion. I didn't even know that phone support option was available. Then again, as I am from Ireland, I don't think that option is open to me but I will look into it. Thanks again.

@eileentownsend5585 2 дня назад

I am lost in the getting my book to the public. I have an Amazon account that I have uploaded my hardcover, paperback, and ebook. Is D2D publishing my books? So I will have Amazon and D2D as different publishers? Is Barnes & Noble also publishing my book as well?? Things have changed so much since I published my first book in 2010. Can any experienced Author explain what the good and bad of all this is??

@DaleLRoberts День назад

Watch this video: ISBN Not Working on Amazon? Do THIS! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-euDPh3WtNEE.html Stick with it because it seems like I’m only talking about ISBNs but I’m actually going to show you how to reach all the various avenues without overlapping.

@MuzMURRAY 4 месяца назад

Thanks for this vast amount of fantastic information, Dale. However, I'm not as thrilled with D2D's performance as you appear to be. I've been with them for over ten years, yet I have never received any royalties higher than 27c per year. All my books have only 5 stars, yet not one has gone to a library. Nor have any of my books been sold through Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or any other outlet on their list. Why are my books so invisible? How does D2D present our books to aggregators and libraries?

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

It’s your responsibility to actively market and promote your books. You cannot simply rely on the publisher to do that for you or for organic traffic. If you’ve been with them ten years by now and have waited for them to do something for you, then I could see why you’d think it’s their fault. This applies to all platforms. If you’re not selling books, that’s something you have to fix in YOUR business. Sorry to be blunt but it’s the same advice I’d give myself and everyone else.

@MuzMURRAY 4 месяца назад

@@DaleLRoberts Okay, Dale. But I have been plugging Facebook Ads for ages and using book promoters, but all I hear is crickets.

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

You’ll need to analyze your cover and book description if you’re not converting customers.

@MuzMURRAY 4 месяца назад

I'm constantly getting praise for my book covers, and I'm always tweaking the blurbs. But I still don't appear to have the right formula that grabs. Those who do buy the books are utterly delighted with them. No matter how great the five-star reviews are, I'm not getting the instant impulse to buy. @@DaleLRoberts

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Don’t lose heart. Keep at it. The cream always rises to the top.

@user-hg2be5dl2u 19 дней назад

Are you permanently obliged to d2d? Like, after say 6 months, can u go to kdp or somewhere else?

@DaleLRoberts 19 дней назад

D2D doesn't have an exclusivity agreement or clause, so you can use them and any other distributor you want. Just watch for any overlap. For instance, if you want to use D2D and KDP for ebooks, you'll want to deselect Amazon in D2D for that ebook.

@candicalkins 4 месяца назад

hopefully you will soon discuss the big changes at Streetlib

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

They’re on my list! I’m looking to do a deep dive of all the major self-publishing companies. So glad you’re finding the content useful.

@juraganposter 3 месяца назад

how long for an ebook got published status from publishing status? it's been 2 weeks since i upload my first ebook, but the status is still publishing.

@DaleLRoberts 3 месяца назад

It varies per retailer, so ask D2D support for a clearer answer.

@theresamcevoy6120 4 месяца назад

I have a question, would you recommend (and I love D2D) just listing my book through them instead of having a ton of uploads to various places, such as KDP, IS or Lulu. I spend so much time when I have a new book dealing with all that and I know with D2D you can choose a color for the outside of your print book, which you cannot do with IS or B& N they print them in white. (not a fan of that)

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Ooo, that’s a tough call. One great benefit of D2D I didn’t even cover was the ease of use for wide distribution. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what to do, that’s a HUGE responsibility that I don’t take lightly. And without knowing your brand and goals, it’d be reckless for me to suggest what you. What do you think about them? Will this help your business? Would you eliminate enough time from having to open three accounts? And are you okay with sacrificing 10% of retail price upfront in exchange for more time?

@theresamcevoy6120 4 месяца назад

@@DaleLRoberts IS can be a pain but there are some things they have that others don't target distribution and they have a new one now Sharjah Distribution but the problem with IS is that they require a percentage if your book is returned (lucky not mine but the horror stories I have heard about) has me wondering about that policy

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Yeah, I don't enable returns for IngramSpark. It's not a risk I'm willing to take.

@sofianaji6726 16 дней назад

They asked me to send them picture of my passport, is that ok to send?

@DaleLRoberts 16 дней назад

Make sure it's coming from Draft2Digital first. I haven't had to verify my identity, but I'm sure they have this system in place to validate who you are. Double check with support on the website within your dashboard to confirm.

@kravencachew 17 дней назад

How about Childrens picture books. I read that D2D doesn't do picture low text books. Is this true.

@DaleLRoberts 16 дней назад

You’d have to ask them that. I’m not sure.

@kravencachew 16 дней назад

@@DaleLRoberts Just got a response from D2D and whats in the FAQ is correct. Only greyscale interiors.

@DaleLRoberts 16 дней назад

Oh, you're looking for full color. If you'd mentioned that part, I could've verified that for sure. I imagine they'll have that as an option eventually, but for now, it's B&W print, not full color.

@gsdachilleskyloren1336 13 дней назад

So is kdp better for children's books ?

@DaleLRoberts 13 дней назад

I wouldn't rule out Draft2Digital, but you can beat the direct pipeline to Amazon. Also, it depends on the type of kid's books you're doing. If you're publishing illustrated kid's books, then D2D's print option might not be a good fit since they only publishing in grayscale, not full color (yet). And, ebooks might be problematic if you don't have it fully formatted before coming to them. Beyond that, D2D is nice in that they reach Amazon and quite a few other retailers.

@butchersrespawn 4 месяца назад

When's the last time ya checked your library sales from them month to month? 😂

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Every month.

@healthvlogs29 2 месяца назад

Why people upload ebooks to kdp or kobo etc when draf 2 digital is there. whats your call?

@DaleLRoberts 2 месяца назад

Going direct gives you higher royalty and more control of metadata.

@risingsun1604 4 месяца назад

I didn't understand. So how much is a proof read copy from D2D??

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

It varies. Contact support for the cost based on your needs.

@PB-te4pm 23 дня назад

Hi Dale, Hope all is well, I've hit a wall with D2D and I could really use some help. I keep trying to sign up but I'm having an issue. Do you by chance know who I can contact and is there a phone number available? (been ongoing for a 6 months) Thank you Penelope

@DaleLRoberts 23 дня назад

There’s a support option on their site. Have you tried that? Ping them on social media. Hit them up during their weekly live broadcasts. While I’d love to directly help all my viewers, the self-publishing companies don’t like when I push through their normal communication processes. Sorry.

@PB-te4pm 23 дня назад

@@DaleLRoberts I get it. Thanks will try those avenues.

@pabloherrera8964 4 месяца назад

Could you share which REGIONS are blocked? I can't find that information on their site and anywhere else (I tried).

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Unfortunately, I couldn’t track down a list either. Check the comments for videos about D2D and you’ll get a few people complaining about their blocked region.

@risingsun1604 4 месяца назад

KDP terminated my account (reason yet to be given) does that mean D2D will not allow me to sign up?

@DaleLRoberts 4 месяца назад

Most likely not. That is unless you start from scratch and not use a single book you published through KDP.