KDP vs Draft2Digital: Which Should You Use?

If you are new to self-publishing, these two names come up constantly, and it isn't obvious whether they compete or complement each other. This guide compares them side by side, with 2026 terms, worked examples, and the setup that suits most authors.

KDP and Draft2Digital at a glance

Checked September 2026; sources at the end of this guide.

Royalties compared

On Amazon, KDP pays more than Draft2Digital, because there is no middleman. Everywhere else, Draft2Digital is the easy way in, at about 10 points less than going direct.

Example calculations. Kobo pays 45% above $12.99, so $14.99 direct on Kobo earns about $6.75.

Notice the $14.99 row: above $12.99, Amazon pays only 35%, so wide stores can earn more on premium-priced ebooks.

Reach: who sees your book

KDP gives you Amazon's enormous customer base, which in many genres is the majority of ebook sales. Draft2Digital gives you everyone else: Apple's global users, Kobo's strong international readership, Barnes & Noble in the US, and library platforms that lend to readers worldwide.

Which matters more depends on your genre and readers. Some authors find 80% or more of their sales on Amazon; others build substantial income wide, particularly internationally and through libraries.

KDP Select: the deciding factor

KDP Select is a free 90-day program for Kindle ebooks. It requires your ebook to be exclusive to Amazon while enrolled. In return, your ebook appears in Kindle Unlimited, earning from a monthly fund based on pages read, and you can use Kindle Countdown Deals and free promotion days.

If you enrol, you can't distribute that ebook through Draft2Digital. If you stay out, you can use both. See KDP Select vs going wide for how to decide.

Formatting and ease of use

Draft2Digital's free formatting is one of its best-loved features: upload a Word document and it produces a clean, attractive ebook, with templates for chapter headings and automatic back matter such as "also by" pages.

KDP accepts Word, EPUB and other formats, and offers Kindle Create for formatting. Many authors format once in Draft2Digital or a tool like Vellum or Atticus, then upload the same EPUB everywhere, including KDP. See how to format an ebook from Word.

Print books

KDP Print offers paperbacks and hardcovers, paying 60% of list price minus printing on Amazon.com at $9.99 and above (50% below). Draft2Digital Print offers paperbacks to online retailers. For bookshop and library distribution, neither replaces IngramSpark. See KDP vs IngramSpark.

Payments and reporting

KDP pays each marketplace's royalties monthly, some weeks after the month ends. Draft2Digital consolidates earnings from all its stores into one payment and one report, which is a genuine time-saver compared with managing many retailer accounts.

International readers

Amazon runs separate stores in many countries, and KDP lets you set prices in each currency. But in several markets, other stores are strong: Kobo in Canada, parts of Europe and Australia, Apple across many countries, and regional stores that only an aggregator reaches. Draft2Digital's network includes many of these, which is a big part of its appeal for authors with international readers.

Libraries

Library lending is one of the quieter advantages of going wide. Draft2Digital distributes to library platforms, so readers can borrow your ebook and you are paid for library copies. KDP doesn't offer library distribution for ebooks. For some authors, particularly in genres library readers love, library income becomes a steady monthly contribution.

Promotions and price changes

• KDP Select tools: Kindle Countdown Deals and free promotion days are available only to enrolled ebooks.
• Price changes: on KDP, changes usually take effect within a day or so. Through an aggregator, changes pass to each store, which can take longer at some.
• Store promotions: going direct with a retailer can open doors to its own promotional opportunities, which aggregators may or may not reach.

Metadata, categories and keywords

Both platforms ask for categories, keywords, a description and author details. KDP has its own category and keyword system for Amazon's store. Draft2Digital uses standard BISAC subject categories that it passes to each retailer. Take time on both: good categories and keywords decide which shelves and searches your book appears in.

Switching later

Nothing here is permanent. You can enrol a book in KDP Select for 90 days, then go wide; or go wide and later pull the ebook from other stores to enrol in Select. Just remember that removing a book from wide stores through Draft2Digital can take time to take effect everywhere, and Select requires the ebook to be exclusive from the first day of enrollment.

Fees in 2026

• KDP: no account fees. Amazon's share and, on the 70% option, delivery costs are deducted from each sale.
• Draft2Digital: a one-time $20 activation fee for new accounts, and a $12 yearly fee unless you earned $100 or more in the previous twelve months, plus roughly 10% of retail on sales.

The setup most authors use

This setup is only possible if your ebook is not in KDP Select.

Time and admin

Money isn't the only cost. Running KDP alone is simple: one dashboard, one set of reports. Adding Draft2Digital adds just one more account, however many stores it reaches. Going direct to every retailer instead might mean five or six dashboards, tax forms and payment schedules. For many authors, especially early on, Draft2Digital's 10% is a fair price for the hours it saves; as sales grow, going direct with your top stores becomes worth the extra admin.

Where BooksOasis fits

Which is right for you?

Step by step: publishing on both

1. Prepare your files once.A clean EPUB and a print-ready PDF with cover files.
2. Publish on KDP.Don't enrol in KDP Select if you plan to go wide.
3. Publish on Draft2Digital.Deselect Amazon in its store list, since you are on KDP directly.
4. Keep prices consistent.Amazon may match a lower price it finds elsewhere, which can change your royalty.
5. Add a direct store.List on BooksOasis and send your own readers there.

Two example authors

A fast-writing romance author

She releases a new book every two months in a genre full of Kindle Unlimited readers. Pages read from Kindle Unlimited make up most of her income. For her, KDP with KDP Select is likely the stronger choice, and Draft2Digital isn't used for her ebooks. She can still sell paperbacks elsewhere, and list print editions on other stores.

A non-fiction author with international readers

He writes history books, has readers in Canada, the UK and Australia, and gets library requests. For him, KDP (without Select) for Amazon plus Draft2Digital for Apple, Kobo and libraries makes sense, with a direct store where his newsletter readers can buy at full price.

Neither approach is right for everyone. Your genre, release pace and readers decide it.

Common mistakes

• Publishing to Amazon through Draft2Digital as well as KDP, creating duplicate listings.
• Enrolling in KDP Select and forgetting the ebook is also live wide.
• Pricing above $12.99 on Amazon without realising the royalty drops to 35%.
• Ignoring libraries, a steady income stream that Draft2Digital makes easy.

Sources

Checked September 2026: KDP list price requirements; KDP delivery costs; KDP paperback royalty; KDP Select; Draft2Digital royalty rates; ALLi on Draft2Digital's 2026 fees.

In short

KDP and Draft2Digital aren't rivals so much as partners: KDP for Amazon, Draft2Digital for everywhere else. Decide first whether KDP Select's exclusivity is worth it for each ebook. If you go wide, use both, go direct where you sell most, and add a flat-fee store like BooksOasis to keep 100% of the ebook sales you win there.