eBook Publishing Tools - GT #27
Indie tools and apps to create, edit, publish and distribute digital eBooks. Royalties compensations. 3D eBook Cover Generator (mini-app)
Welcome to a new edition of Good Tools.
I am back from an unforgettable three-weeks journey on the Indian Ocean side of Thailand exploring new islands, people and rhythms outside my comfort zone.
It must say it’s been both exhilarating and painful.
Exhilarating for the joy and love I have been able to express with the people I have met, painful for the realization of how much extra work I need to do on myself to be even more accepting and loving, no matter what surprises life throws at me.
Overall I am grateful to life and to myself for having created this time-space bubble in which I have found a bit more of myself, while having the opportunity to share my joy, energy and attention to the many beautiful people I met.
N.B.: See what my eyes are seeing as I start my tenth year of solitary island life around the planet.
This issue focuses on readers’ preference from the last poll: eBook Publishing Tools.
These include all apps and downloadable software that allows you to write, edit, format, publish and distribute your writing as an ebook (and optionally as a paperback) through the major online retailers and physical bookstores worldwide.
The goal is to provide indie creators with a synthetic overview of the ebook publishing tools available today online, seen from the perspective of an indie entrepreneur, consultant / expert, author and creator.
As always my focus falls mostly on tools that are free or well within the budget of these type of users.
Where I can, I always shoot for zero-cost, 100% free apps or tools that offer a generous free plan.
I rarely include tools that offer just a trial or only a paid subscriptions unless they are the only relevant alternatives in their space.
*I have conducted all of the research and vetting of these tools, manually with no assistance from AI.
**In this issue I share with all Premium subscribers a mini-app I have created and that allows to create professional-looking 3D cover mockups for any ebook, guide or digital manual.
eBook Publishing Tools
eBook Editing & Formatting (7)
Reedsy Studio
New online book/eBook editing and formatting app. Easy-to-use. Offers boards to organize thoughts and ideas. Version history. Style templates. Collaboration. Export to ePUB and PDF. Set goals and reminders.
100% Free while in Beta
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Atticus
Book and eBook writing and formatting editor. Cross-platform, downloadable. Import text from other apps. Supports footnotes and callout boxes. Templates and custom theme builder. Preview across different devices. Export to standard ebook formats (EPUB, PDF, DOCX). Cloud backup. Video demo.$147 one-time - 30-day money back guarantee
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Vellum
Book and eBook professional editing and formatting software. Create ebooks for every platform: Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and more. Supports: Book sets, automatic margins, page numbers, headers and footers, widows and orphans. 24 trim sizes + support for bleeding images, large formats and support for PDF/X-1A format. For Apple Macs only.
$199 eBooks - $249 eBooks / Paperbacks one-time.
Scrivener
Writing, outlining, drafting and idea-building software tool (Mac, Windows, iOS - downloads). Ideal for those who write a lot and have lots of new thoughts to jot down. Breaks out of the page paradigm and lets you write in sections / cards as large or small as you like. Leverages a visual corkboard to move and arrange easily content sections. Full formatting, fonts, styles. Import and export.
$59 + 30-day free trial
.Sigil
Open-source app to create, edit and publish ebooks in the standard EPUB format. Built in 2009. Features multi-platform compatibility, table of contents generator, metadata editor, and more. Consists of two apps: Sigil and Page Editor. Cross- platform (Windows, Mac, Linux). Downloads here (Sigil) and here (PageEdit).100% Free
.Jutoh
eBook editing cross-platform downloadable software for PC, Mac, Linux and Raspberry. Supports Epub 2 and Epub 3, Kindle (Mobipocket), HTML, CBZ and plain text formats.
From $45 one-time.
LibreOffice (2011 - last updated 2023)
Full open-source app suite alternative to Microsoft Office. It includes a powerful word processor and writing editor and can be used as an effective eBook and desktop publishing tool. Offers extensive language support, cross-platform availability (PC, Mac and Linux)100% Free
Interactive eBooks
Create, edit and distribute directly interactive ebooks to end users. Instantly host your ebook online, or export it as a desktop or mobile app. Export to EPUB and Kindle formats. Offers opportunity to monetize by selling online access. Cross-platform downloadable software for PC, Mac and Linux.
Free plan available. Pro starts at $150 one-time.
.PubCoder
Create interactive ebooks and publish them in any format, from EPUB3 Fixed Layout to Mobi and HTML5. Animations, fonts, triggers, zooming and more. Cross-platform downloadable software for PCs and Macs.$99/year - unlimited publications - free trial available
Publishing and Distribution (10)
Subscription-based service offers extensive book/ebook/audiobook distribution options. Modern interface with real-time sales tracking reports.
Distribution: Access to over 400 stores, 240K libraries and to Amazon, Apple, Google Books, Ingram and Barnes & Noble.
Royalties: 100% with a subscription cost starting $13.99 per month (max 3 books).
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BookBaby
Book, eBooks and audiobooks publishing and distribution platform. Offers support for design, on-demand printing, distribution and marketing.Distribution: eBook distribution to Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Walmart, Apple Books, Vearsa, Kobo, Libby, Scribd, Bookbaby Bookshop and more.
Royalties: 100% - One time cost per book $299
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Streetlib
Publishing and distribution platform for ebooks, paperbacks and audiobooks. Integrates StreetLib Write to write, edit and format ebook contents. Pre-orders, marketing tools. Detailed analytics and sales reporting.Distribution: Worldwide. 50+ retailers. *Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Nobles, major international retailers, libraries. Only for yearly subscribers.
Royalties: 70% (free) or 85% by paying an annual $99 fee (includes audiobook and print book distribution).
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Draft2Digital
King of ebook aggregators distributes eBooks to multiple retailers. Integrates tools and services for layout, publishing, distribution. Automated conversion, layout templates. Set your price — even free. Promotional and analytic tools.Distribution: All of your preferred major online retailers worldwide
Royalties: Up to 90% (D2D keeps 10% of retail price/sale).
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Self-publishing platform to create, publish, and sell your ebook / paperback worldwide. Supported by a no-risk global print-on-demand network. Allows both ePub and PDF ebook production and optional conversion to print. Pro assistance for cover, layout design and formatting. User-friendly interface.
Distribution: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Lulu’s Bookstore, your own website.
Royalties: Up to 90%.
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Barnes & Noble Press
Self-publishing service to publish and sell print and ebooks directly to Barnes & Noble and Nook device customers. Become a vendor and see your book for sale within 72 hours of publishing.Distribution: Barnes & Noble Press for a greater royalty rate and access to online promotional opportunities. Access third-party vendors for help with publicity, editorial, marketing, design, and more.
Royalties: Up to 70%.
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Publishing and distribution platform catering to Kobo device users. Allows creators to write, edit and publish/distribute their ebooks. Online bookstore with millions of titles. Offers promotional opportunities and detailed sales analytics. Friendly customer support.
Distribution: Kobo device users. International reach. Allows authors to publish in over 190 countries. Promotional opportunities.
Royalties: Flat 70%
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Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)
Amazon platform for publishing to Kindle, integrates useful resources to help prepare an ebook — including guides and tools for formatting the manuscript and creating the cover. KDP also includes promotional tools once an ebook has been published.Distribution: Amazon.com + Kindle device users
Royalties: Up to a 70% on eBooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99
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Second-largest eBook retailer. Allows direct publishing from Mac computers.
Distribution: Apple Books
Royalties: Flat 70%. No exclusive contracts.
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Straightforward self-publishing platform. Easy upload process with support for various formats.
Distribution: All Android/Google devices (3+ billion)
Royalties: Avg. 70% depending on countries.
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Ingram Spark
Book and ebook distribution platform. Downloadable guides and worksheets, publishing courses. Premium printing options.Distribution: Vast distribution network includes: Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble. 45K libraries. Ideal to get books into brick-and-mortar stores + full ebook distribution.
Royalties: Typically around 30% after production costs.
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When selecting an eBook publishing and distribution solution, I would suggest to focus on the following key factors:
royalty rates,
distribution reach,
ease of use,
marketing tools
formatting assistance.
➤ Platforms like Streetlib, Publishdrive, BookBaby stand out for their ability to provide indie authors with all or most the royalties derived from sales.
➤ KDP, Apple Books, and Draft2Digital offer broader reach and huge online audiences.
➤ Others like IngramSpark are excellent for authors targeting physical retail distribution.
Each platform has unique strengths that cater to different needs.
More Good Tools for eBook Publishers
Calibre
Must-have eBook management, editing and conversion tool. Edit ebook metadata. Downloadable, cross-platform (Win, Mac, Linux). Video demo.100% Free
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WriteBook
Write, edit, collaborate with other authors and publish directly to the web. Markdown support. Public or private books. Requires your own domain, direct access to a web server (or AWS, Digital Ocean, similar) and some technical knowledge (see here). Example, example, example (manual).
100% Free
.eBookAny
Convert any online content (website, blogs, links, RSS feeds, Google docs, Notion pages, etc.) into a convenient ebook format (EPUB, Mobi and PDF).
Free trial - 5 ebooks with no images - Pro from $14/mo or $69 one-time.
Publisher Rocket
Tool for indie authors to improve and refine strategically their book listings (description and other info) in order to become more visible on the Amazon books (and ebooks) marketplace.
$199 one-time
Special Bonus for Premium Subscribers
3D eBook Cover Generator
by Robin Good
Features:
Generate a 3D cover mockup image for your book/ebook/manual/guide
Use any image you want
Upload in .jpg or .png
Customize book thickness and corners
Adjust 3D perspective, rotation
Configure any book aspect ratio
Export and download to .png
No registration, no login
100% web-based
Fast
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Available now to all Good Tools Premium Subscribers.
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from sunny Koh Samui (Thailand)
Robin Good
