Top Publishing Platforms for Indie Authors: Draft2Digital, Lulu & Google Play
- sylviakayrose
- 10 hours ago
- 6 min read
Choosing the right platform can shape how your book reaches readers, formats available, costs involved and how much control you have over your finished work. Many authors publish on several platforms at once.
While Amazon is popular, this guide breaks down three alternate indie publishing platforms—Draft2Digital, Lulu, and Google Play—highlighting their services, ease of use, costs, and distribution options. Knowing these factors helps authors make informed decisions and focus on promoting their books.
Draft2Digital
Draft2Digital now owns Smashwords. It's a favorite among indie authors for simplicity and broad ebook distribution. D2D offers a user-friendly interface to guide authors through formatting and publishing without technical hassle.
Services offered
Ebook, paperback and audiobook publishing
Automated formatting tools
Conversion from multiple document formats
Distribution through the IngramSpark network to major retailers like Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and libraries.
Free ISBN (International Standard Book Number). These are free in Canada but costly in the United States. You need different ISBNs for each platform, and each book format on each platform (paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook), so it's recommended to take one if offered by the site.
Ease of use
Draft2Digital is designed for authors who want a straightforward process. Upload your manuscript, add metadata by filling in the text boxes, and choose distribution channels. D2D gives you a preview, so you can see how the finished book will look, and you can apply various styles, and icons to chapter headings and section breaks, to give your book that extra thematic feel.
Print and audio books are also available. For print books, you can choose paper color, matte or glossy cover finish, your bio, back cover text, front and end matter, teaser links to another book, and other features.
For audio books, choose from Apple Books Digital Voice Narration in baritone, soprano or British soprano, or sign up separately with Voices by INaudio.
Pros
Possibly the easiest platform to use on multiple levels (print, ebook, audio), with quick and simple upload of book manuscript and cover.
No hidden fees. Draft2Digital takes a small percentage of sales. However, if you want your payment put into a Paypal account, D2D charges you a percentage.
Wide ebook distribution
Free conversion and formatting tools
Helpful customer support and clear guides. However, while customer reps are polite and helpful, waiting time for customer service has grown over the past couple of years from a day or two to over two weeks, or not at all.
Cons
While ebooks can be updated anytime, print books can be updated only every three months. Otherwise, you pay a $25.00 charge. You also can't be sure if vendors will accept the updates. For print, I find Barnes & Noble reliable as a 3rd party seller.
Limited control over pricing across different retailers
Limited control over distribution. Your print book will be sent to many wonderful places, but can also end up on 3rd party sites without your specific permission, and may never be updated. This happened to me when D2D, through IngramSpark, distributed my print books to Amazon. Updates appear on other sites, but not there. It's a looooong story but I'm currently in a struggle with Amazon to have my print books updated or deleted. So, you have very little control over where your books go, or the policies of third-party dealers.
Audio books done through digital voice narration are super easy, but can't be updated. They can be delisted after 6 months.
Overall, Draft2Digital gets a hearty 4/5.
Lulu Bookstore
Lulu Books is a versatile platform offering print and digital publishing with a focus on creative formats and customization.
Services offered
Print-on-demand paperbacks, hardcovers, photo books, calendars
Ebook publishing
Customizable book formats and sizes
Distribution to major retailers and Lulu’s own bookstore
Ease of use
Lulu provides an intuitive interface with step-by-step publishing guides. Its design tools allow authors to customize book layouts and covers. It requires a pdf file for print books, with a jpg or png format cover, and an epub file for ebooks.
Aside: PDFs & EPUBs (skip)
Pdf is basically a fixed file with specific pages, while epub is a flowing format. If you use Google Docs, you can download your file in either form. Otherwise, you may need to convert your document (ie docx to epub) using one of several online converters such as ebook.online-convert.com.
I've used this one and it works well, and solves pesky CSS errors sometimes found in epubs. You can also convert different file types as desired. Be aware - converting from pdf to epub will leave a space after every paragraph in the finished epub. I tried several different converters with the same result.
If you don't want this, convert from docx to epub instead, to get nice single-spaced text preferred by most readers. If you want spaces between sections, as in POV or scene changes, format them ahead of time in your text program (Word, OpenOffice, Google Docs, etc).
Lulu Books: Pros
Wide range of print options including unique formats
No upfront fees for ebook publishing
Global distribution through Ingram
Option to sell through Lulu’s own bookstore
No ISBN needed to sell through the bookstore
You can update your books anytime you like. Updates appear in the Lulu Bookstore immediately, slightly longer for 3rd-party retailers.
Cons
Print costs can be higher than competitors. Authors' copies are $3 cheaper at Draft2Digital than Lulu
Distribution setup can be complex
Customer service response times vary. However, I found the customer rep friendly and helpful.
Customer experience
Many authors enjoy Lulu’s flexibility and creative options, but suggest budgeting for print costs and carefully managing distribution settings.
Costs
No fees for ebook publishing; print books have production costs deducted from sales, as per usual policy for self-publishing platforms. Distribution fees apply.
What you can publish
Print books, ebooks, photo books, graphic novels, magazines, and calendars.
Distribution
Lulu bookstore, and thousands of 3rd-party online retailers (via IngramSpark). A $4.99 fee applies for distribution, but publishing print and ebooks to the Lulu Bookstore is free of charge. Lulu offers an excellent author royalty, which you can set with their handy online tool.
Overall, Lulu gets an above-average rating of 4/5.
Google Play Books
Google Play Books offers a direct-to-consumer platform with global reach, ideal for authors focused on ebook sales. Sign up through the partner center to quickly and easily upload your books. You don't have to mess with ID - Amazon for example has a history of refusing legitimate ID. Google simply drops a few cents in your bank account, you tell them how much and you're ready to rock.
Services offered
Ebook and audiobook publishing
Direct sales through Google Play store
Access to Android users worldwide
Ease of use
Google Play’s publishing portal is straightforward but less feature-rich than specialized platforms. Authors upload EPUB files and set prices.
Pros
No upfront fees
Large global audience via Google Play store
Integration with Google ecosystem (Android devices, Google Search)
Real-time sales reporting
Google Play Books allows authors to run limited-time discounts, freebies and promotions directly through the platform.
No ISBN needed; you can choose a Google Key instead if you want.
You can update your book whenever you like, and updates appear almost immediately.
Cons
Distribution only on Google Play
No print options
Some settings may be hard to find
The author must upload an epub or pdf file format, which can seem daunting for beginners. Google doesn't offer help with file code errors.
File uploads sometimes time out, and the user has to try two or three times. Eventually it works.
Slow customer service (1-2 weeks by email), but knowledgeable.
Customer experience
Authors appreciate the simplicity and access to Android users, and often use Google Play alongside other platforms for wider reach.
Costs
No setup fees; Google takes a 30% commission on sales.
What you can publish
Ebooks and audiobooks.
Distribution
Sales come from Google Play stores worldwide.
Overall, a solid 4/5.
Choosing a Publishing Platform
Each platform offers unique strengths depending on your goals as an indie author. Draft2Digital shines for book simplicity and broad retailer access. Lulu offers creative flexibility and diverse formats.
Google Play Books connects you directly to a global Android audience. It's important to keep in mind, no matter which publishing platforms you choose, the only way a book stands out from the millions of others is PROMO, PROMO, PROMO!
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