Leading Enterprises in Mass Books Dispensation
Self-publishing your books can be a nose-bleeding endeavor, but conquering the distribution game is crucial to selling books like a boss. Here's a lowdown on the champs of the book distribution world. It's time to drop in on the best distributors and retailers that'll help your literary babies reach the masses.
Top Book Distributors for Self-Publishers
To start this literary adventure, let's bust some myths. A distributor and a wholesaler ain't the same.
"A wholesaler purchases a book from a publisher and peddles it to bookstores, libraries, and other interested parties. A distributor, on the other hand, plays a similar role but represents the publisher. They offer a plethora of services a wholesaler doesn't," sums it up nicely.
Wholesalers Vs. Distributors
A wholesaler is a middleman between you, the author, and Walmart or Barnes & Noble. Even though they might stock your books, they don't hype your titles to retailers. They acquire your books from you, pay you for them, and make money when they sell them.
A distributor, on the other hand, exists to spread your books far and wide. Since they work for publishers, they handle customer service, sales, marketing, storage, and shipping.
Our list is all about showcasing the top names in self-publishing, featuring ebooks, audiobooks, and print-on-demand books. Plus, we throw in a few additional channels you can't ignore, like libraries, subscription platforms, and foreign book distributors.
Note: If you aim to cash in on those adorable royalties, you gotta tap into as many distribution services as you can. A swanky self-publishing platform like ours can help you distribute your book to leading bookstores and quirky niche spots—all with a single click. We'll dive deeper into that later.
Sell Your Book Like a Pro with us
Tap into Amazon, Apple, Google Books, and a gang of other bookstores with a click—it's that easy with our platform. Plus, enjoy a risk-free initiation: it's completely free to publish your first ebook on our site!
Our Top Book Distribution Picks
PublishDrive
We start with gigantic aggregator PublishDrive, which collaborates with big dogs like Amazon, Apple Books, Google Books, Ingram, and Barnes & Noble. They also tap into smaller fry, like Dreame, Scribd, and OverDrive, helping you charm a diverse audience.
PublishDrive.com
Ingram
One of the largest book distributors worldwide, Ingram specializes in print books and boasts more than 39,000 stores in their network. If you're clueless about wholesalers, Ingram also ranks among the largest and best-known in the world.
ingramcontent.com
Baker & Taylor
A high-ranking wholesaler, Baker and Taylor (B&T), boasts the most extensive network of libraries, schools, bookstores, and book distributors on the planet. They handle roughly 1.5 million titles for their partners and clients.
baker-taylor.com
Gardners
This multinational wholesaler of books, ebooks, music, and film commands a strong presence in the U.K. and German markets.
gardners.com
CNPeReading
Targeting the burgeoning Chinese market, CNPeReading weaves its web among three major e-retailers in China—DangDang, JD.com, and TMall. They also offer their goods to thousands of libraries in China and neighboring regions.
cnpereading.com
Audible
Audible, the king of the audiobook realm, is also a major player in radio, TV programs, and podcasts.
audible.com
Kobo
Owned by Rakuten, Kobo is a popular e-reading company and the number-one ebook store in Canada and India, with over 12 million readers worldwide.
kobo.com
OverDrive
As the largest book distributor of digital content, OverDrive offers its wares to more than 43,000 libraries and schools across 75 countries.
overdrive.com
Voxa (Romania)
Romania's subscription mobile reading app for ebooks and audiobooks features both English and Romanian content.
voxa.ro
Empik (Poland)
Poland's largest book retailer accounts for 61% of sales in the Polish market and claims a substantial presence in the distribution of digital content.
empik.com
Scribd
Scribd, a prominent subscription-based reading service, serves more than one million active subscribers worldwide.
scribd.com
Storytel (Northern Europe)
Storytel offers a smorgasbord of audiobooks and ebooks in Northern Europe, boasting over 400 books to 1.1 million customers.
storytel.com
Dreame (South Asia)
A quickly rising star in the South Asian market, Dreame is popular for its serialized content, particularly in genres like romance, sci-fi, and fantasy.
dreame.com
24symbols (Spanish-speaking markets)
With a catalog of more than 500,000 ebooks, 24symbols covers Spanish-speaking markets as a subscription-based e-reading platform.
24symbols.com
Hoopla (U.S.)
A service catering to libraries, Hoopla serves more than five million registered users and partners with more than 2,000 library partners.
hoopladigital.com
Odilo (Worldwide)
Odilo, a leading library book distributor, offers content to more than 4,500 institutions in 43 countries worldwide.
odilo.us
Bibliotheca (Global)
Bibliotheca provides content to more than 30,000 libraries in 70 countries globally.
bibliotheca.com
Tolino (Germany)
Tolino, a cooperative of various bookselling platforms, boasts its own dedicated e-reader and enjoys the second-largest sales channel for books in Germany.
mytolino.de
Gear Up and Join the Fortune Galley
Now that you're well-versed in the toppest of the top book distribution companies, it's high time to suit up and conquer the literary world.
With a diverse audience in mind, it's essential to explore various channels for your self-published books. Expand your home-and-garden, lifestyle, books, and entertainment offerings by partnering with top book distributors. These distributors not only handle marketing, sales, and shipping but also cater to libraries, subscription platforms, and foreign book markets.PublishDrive, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Gardners, CNPeReading, Audible, Kobo, OverDrive, Voxa, Empik, Scribd, Storytel, Dreame, 24symbols, Hoopla, Odilo, Bibliotheca, Tolino are some of the top choices to help you reach the masses. By leveraging these distributors, you can maximize your reach, gain adorable royalties, and truly sell your book like a boss.
