Top 5 Free Publishing Sites for Independent Publishing [2026]
Top 5 Free Publishing Sites for Independent Publishing- TL;DR
If you are exploring top free publishing sites for indie authors, this guide simplifies your choices. A free self-publishing platform allows you to publish books without upfront costs. It also helps you maintain complete rights and control.
A free eBook publishing site is ideal if you are seeking independent publishing for free. You can reach your readers quickly and efficiently without any cost.
Each platform serves as a free eBook publishing site. Others offer broader distribution or additional services.
Comparing features will help you select the best free platforms to publish a book. Choose according to your goals, audience, and content type.
| Platform | Royalty Rate | Distribution Channels | Format Support | Reach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KDP | 70% for $2.99–$9.99; 35% below $2.99. | Amazon Kindle Store (90-day exclusivity for KDP Select) | DOC, PDF, HTML, Kindle Package Format, OBI, ePUB. | Global (Multiple international storefronts) |
| Apple Books | 70% across all book prices. | Apple Books/iBook Store | ePUB, iBooks format. | Millions of iOS users worldwide. |
| Kitaboo | Flexible. | Kitaboo cloud platform; DRM-protected distribution. | PDF, DOC, ePUB3, MOBI, HTML. | Multi-platform: iOS, Android, Windows; secure access. |
| Barnes & Noble Press | 70% of the listing price. | B&N online store; print-on-demand available. | HTML, DOC, DOCX, TXT, ePUB. | Primarily the US market; Nook devices. |
| Smashwords | 80% of direct sales. | Smashwords platform; distributes to Apple, B&N, Kobo, OverDrive. | HTML, DOC, DOCX, TXT, iBooks, ePUB. | Global reach through multiple retail and library channels. |
Writing, editing, and designing an eBook is a tedious task. You need to invest your efforts to bring your dreams to reality – which is turning an idea into an eBook.
So, you have your eBook ready and have prepared a detailed marketing plan to promote your eBook. But there is one factor that will decide the success of your eBook.
Publishing.
The success and longevity of your eBook depend on how you publish it and where you publish it. Without publishing your eBook, you cannot get started with marketing; this is how crucial the publishing process is.
Luckily, multiple eBook publications and distributors can help take your eBook to your intended audience. But at the same time, some publications could make a mockery of your hard efforts.
This post will help you avoid vanity publications by showing you the top free publishing sites where you can publish your eBook without spending a dime.
So, if you have an eBook, dive into this article to learn how to publish it yourself.
Table of Contents
1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
Amazon KDP, popularly known as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, is one of the popular self-publishing platforms. Statistics show that almost 74% of eBooks in the US were published using Amazon KDP.
Amazon KDP is the go-to free publishing site for every author. The reason for its popularity is that it has a wide range of audiences. An eBook published through KDP will have higher traffic than any other publishing platform.
You may need to convert your eBook to Amazon’s proprietary format before uploading it onto the site. Amazon automatically converts DOC, PDF, HTML, and ePub files to Kindle’s specific format.
The only downside is that Amazon sets an exclusivity limit for a certain time period (90 days). This means that once you’ve published on Kindle, you cannot publish your eBook on any other free publishing sites. But this is a limited-time exclusive.
Price – Free
Support formats – DOC, PDF, HTML, Kindle Package Format, OBI, and ePUB.
Royalty – The author receives a royalty of 70% for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 and 35% for books priced less than $2.99.
Why Use It: It’s one of the top free publishing sites for indie authors. This free self-publishing platform gives authors instant access to 10+ international storefronts for wider reach.
They gain direct control over pricing and rights, making KDP ideal for independent publishing for free.
Standout Feature: KDP lets authors run Kindle Countdown Deals. This creates time-limited discounts to boost visibility on this free ebook publishing site.
Limitations: The free self-publishing platform lacks advanced analytics. Authors get minimal insight into detailed reader behavior.
2. Apple Books
Apple’s iBook store and iTunes U are two free publishing sites that will give your eBook maximum exposure. It is also a huge publishing service and ranks 2nd as the largest online book retailer.
It has millions of users on its specialized mobile app. Consider how much traffic your eBook could receive by putting it in the iBook store.
To publish your eBook on iBooks, you must first convert it to ePub or iBooks format. Many free tools are available to help convert your docs to ePub format.
You will maintain total rights to your eBook once it has been published on Apple’s store. However, sharing your eBooks in iBooks format will have certain accessibility restrictions.
Price – Free
Support formats – ePub and iBooks format
Royalty – The author receives a royalty of 70% for books, irrespective of the book’s price.
Why Use It: Apple Books is a top free publishing site for indie authors seeking Apple’s premium audience. This free self-publishing platform integrates deeply with iOS. It helps you reach millions of iPhone and iPad readers globally.
Standout Feature: Authors can use Apple Books analytics. It offers data-driven insights to help you grow on this free eBook publishing site.
Limitations: Apple’s publishing process is optimized for macOS. This limits its accessibility for Windows-based authors and readers.
3. KITABOO
KITABOO is an award-winning digital publishing platform that lets you publish your eBooks for free. The best thing about KITABOO is that it is not just a free publishing site like the ones above.
It is an all-in-one platform that lets you build an eBook from scratch, add interactiveness to it, and enables you to publish and share it with your audience.
It doesn’t matter if your readers are using a PC, tablet, or smartphone; KITABOO will deliver your eBook to all these platforms hassle-free. It supports multiple operating systems like iOS, Android, and Windows.
What makes KITABOO interesting is its encryption capabilities. As it offers a secured cloud-based distribution system, your eBooks are DRM encrypted, which means they can be accessed only using access codes.
KITABOO has its own reader app, so your readers can download the app and access your eBook through it. Since it is DRM protected, your eBook content cannot be copied or manipulated when it is shared with many users.
Price – Flexible
Supported formats – PDF, DOC, ePub3, KDP, MOBI, etc.
Why Use It: Kitaboo is among the best free platforms to publish a book with enterprise-level security. This free self-publishing platform supports large-scale content delivery. This makes Kitaboo perfect to reach a wider audience faster.
It’s an excellent choice for independent publishing for free, especially for interactive and multimedia-rich eBooks.
Standout Feature: Kitaboo offers white-label branding, allowing authors to launch eBooks and apps under their own brand identity.
Limitations: Some advanced customization tools require premium plans. This may limit smaller authors seeking independent publishing for free.
4. Barnes and Noble Press
Barnes & Noble Press is a self-publishing platform that allows authors to publish and sell books straight to readers. It is quick, free, and simple to use. It is so popular that it is considered a direct competitor to Amazon KDP.
According to experts, Barnes & Noble covers the readers not covered by KDP, which is why it is so popular. KDP and B&N are the two sides of the digital publishing coin.
If you have a finished book that has been edited and is ready for publication within 72 hours, you can set up an account and have your book appear in B&N’s bookstore for your readers to purchase.
Price – Free
Support formats – HTML, DOC, DOCX, TXT, or EPUB.
Royalty – 70% royalty for self-published eBooks.
Why Use It: It’s one of the top free publishing sites for indie authors focused on U.S. readers. This free self-publishing platform excels at reaching Nook device users and Barnes & Noble’s bookstore audience.
It’s an ideal choice if you are seeking independent publishing for free, especially for niche genres and print-on-demand books.
Standout Feature: Authors can distribute books to Barnes & Noble’s retail stores, offering opportunities for in-store placement.
Limitations: Formatting guidelines are strict, so manuscripts often require extra preparation before publishing.
5. Smashwords
One of the pioneers in the eBook publishing industry. Smashwords is one of the popular free publishing sites with one of the largest collections of eBooks of more than 120000+ authors.
Smashwords lets you publish and sell your eBooks directly on the platform. Another aspect is that it enables you to sell your eBook on other free publishing sites like Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, etc. There is no exclusivity limit on Smashwords.
Price – Free
Support formats – HTML, DOC, DOCX, TXT, iBooks, ePUB, etc.
Royalty – Authors receive an 80% royalty if they sell the eBook directly on Smashwords.
Why Use It: Smashwords is a top free publishing site for indie authors targeting niche and global audiences. It’s ideal for independent publishing for free. It offers multi-format ebook support and optional library distribution.
Standout Feature: Authors can publish directly to multiple retailers. It expands your reach without extra accounts or fees.
Limitations: Marketing tools are limited. This requires authors to independently promote their books for better visibility.
Free vs Aggregator Self-Publishing Platforms
A free self-publishing platform allows authors to publish books directly without upfront costs. Authors retain full control over pricing, rights, and branding. It is ideal for independent publishing for free.
These free self-publishing platforms give authors autonomy and real-time updates. Many of these platforms are considered among the top free publishing sites for indie authors.
Marketing and compliance remain the author’s responsibility when using a free ebook publishing site.
An aggregator platform distributes eBooks to multiple retailers automatically, acting as an intermediary for authors. They manage royalties, reporting, and sometimes formatting guidance, reducing the author’s workload.
While fees or royalty shares apply, aggregators help expand distribution efficiently. These platforms are suitable for authors seeking the best free platforms to publish a book widely.
Authors seeking the best free platforms to publish a book for broad distribution benefit from aggregators. Those focused on a single free eBook publishing site and full control often prefer free platforms.
Conclusion
If you don’t choose the right publishing platforms, all your efforts will go in vain. A publishing platform can make or break your eBook’s success, so you must be careful when choosing the platform.
There are multiple free publishing sites for you to choose from; we’ve listed some of the best in this article. Amazon KDP and Apple books might seem the right fit, but we highly recommend KITABOO. It has a relatively new set of audiences; instead of selling to the same audience as KDP, your eBook will have a breath of fresh air.
A new audience will likely increase word of mouth about your eBooks and make them more successful. Remember, you cannot promote your eBook unless you publish it. So, choose the right platform that’ll fit your eBook and target audience.
Contact our expert team now and get started!
To know more, please write to us at contact@kitaboo.com
FAQs
The top free publishing sites for indie authors include Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kitaboo, Barnes & Noble Press, and Smashwords.
A free self-publishing platform lets authors publish books without upfront costs while retaining rights and control.
Authors can seek independent publishing for free by using platforms like KDP, Apple Books, or Kitaboo.
Yes, many free self-publishing platforms provide global storefronts and multi-language support for wider reach.
Consider distribution, royalty rates, format support, and audience reach when selecting the best free platforms to publish a book.
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