Ash Davies
Founder of Books.by · Helped 20,000+ authors self-publish since 2014
Amazon KDP is free. BookBaby charges $399–$1,999+ for publishing packages. Are those packages worth it? For most authors, no. Here's why — and what to do instead.
| Feature | Amazon KDP | BookBaby | Books.by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Type | Free DIY marketplace | Paid full-service packages | Direct-to-reader storefront |
| Upfront Cost | $0 | $399–$1,999+ | $99/year (unlimited titles) |
| Per-Book Fees | $0 | $0 (after package) | $0 |
| Ebook Royalty | 35–70% | 50–70% (minus upfront package cost) | 100% (minus processing) |
| Print Royalty | 60% minus print cost | ~45–55% (wholesale) | 100% (minus print + processing) |
| Typical Royalty* | $5.74 | $4.50 (retail channels) | $9.60 |
| Break-Even Point | First sale | 70–400+ books | 11 books |
| Payout Speed | 60 days | Monthly | Daily |
| Amazon Reach | ✓ Native (best ranking) | ✓ Via distribution | ✗ Not applicable |
| Wide Distribution | ✗ Amazon only | ✓ 150+ retailers | ✗ Direct sales only |
| Formatting Included | ✗ DIY | ✓ | ✗ DIY or hire freelancer |
| Cover Design | Basic cover builder | ✓ Template or custom | ✓ Cover builder |
| Editing Services | ✗ | ✓ Higher tiers only | ✗ |
| Free ISBN | ✓ (KDP-imprinted) | ✓ | ✓ (unrestricted) |
| Customer Data | ✗ Anonymous | ✗ Via retailers | ✓ Full details |
| Best For | DIY authors, Amazon sales | Authors who want "done for you" | Authors with their own audience |
*Based on a 200-page B&W paperback at $19.99 retail. BookBaby royalty assumes retail channel sale with standard wholesale discount.
Let's be blunt: BookBaby makes money by charging new authors for services they could get cheaper elsewhere — or learn to do themselves.
Amazon KDP is a free, DIY platform. You upload your book, set your price, and Amazon handles printing and fulfillment. It takes an afternoon to learn. There's no gatekeeper. No upfront cost. You're earning royalties from your first sale.
BookBaby is a paid service company. They bundle formatting, cover design, ISBN, and distribution into packages that cost $399 to $1,999+. The appeal is "we handle everything." The reality is you're paying 2–3× market rates for each service, bundled together for convenience.
Here's the uncomfortable math: a BookBaby package that includes basic editing, formatting, and cover design for $1,500 contains services you could hire freelancers to do for $500–$800 total. The extra $700–$1,000 is the "we'll hold your hand" premium.
For authors who are intimidated by technology or have money to burn, maybe that's worth it. For everyone else, it's not.
Let's break down the math on a $19.99 paperback (200 pages, black & white, 6"×9").
The break-even problem: If you spend $1,000 on a BookBaby package and earn $4.50 per book through retail channels, you need to sell 222 books just to break even. With KDP, you're profitable from sale #1. With Books.by at $99/year, you break even at 11 books.
Most self-published books sell fewer than 100 copies. BookBaby is betting you won't do the math.
Let's look at what you actually get in BookBaby's packages — and what it would cost to get the same services elsewhere.
The pattern is clear: BookBaby bundles services at a 50–100% markup over hiring freelancers directly. The only value they add is convenience — you pay one company instead of managing multiple freelancers. For some authors, that convenience is worth the premium. For most, it's not.
Even then, consider hiring a publishing consultant for a few hundred dollars to manage freelancers on your behalf. You'll get better results for less money than BookBaby's packages.
For 90%+ of self-publishing authors, KDP is the right choice. It's free, it reaches the biggest market, and the skills you learn transfer to future books. BookBaby's packages are overpriced for what they include. If you want wide distribution, use Draft2Digital (free) or IngramSpark ($49/title) instead. And for your own traffic — email lists, social media, website — use a direct sales platform like Books.by where you keep 100%.
Here's what I'd tell any new author who's considering BookBaby:
For the same price or less than BookBaby's cheapest package, you get professional editing, a custom cover, and access to more sales channels with higher royalties. You also learn skills that make every future book easier and cheaper to publish.
Both KDP and BookBaby produce professional-quality print-on-demand books. BookBaby uses Lightning Source (same printer as IngramSpark), while KDP uses Amazon's own print facilities. The quality difference is negligible for most books — both are industry-standard.
KDP dominates here. Kindle has 70%+ of the ebook market. KDP offers 35–70% royalties depending on price, with the 70% rate available on books priced $2.99–$9.99. BookBaby can distribute ebooks to Amazon, Apple, Kobo, and others — but you'll typically earn less per sale due to their fee structure and wholesale discounts.
BookBaby distributes to 150+ retailers including Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, and libraries. KDP is Amazon-only for both print and ebook. However, you can easily add wide distribution by using Draft2Digital (free) or IngramSpark alongside KDP — getting the same reach as BookBaby without the upfront package cost.
KDP exclusive. If you want your ebook in Kindle Unlimited (where readers pay a subscription for unlimited reading), you must publish through KDP with exclusivity. BookBaby can't get you into KU. This is a significant consideration — KU authors report 30–50% of their income coming from page reads.
For most authors, no. BookBaby charges $399–$1,999+ upfront for services you can get cheaper elsewhere or do yourself. KDP is completely free. Unless you specifically need BookBaby's hand-holding and have the budget, you'll earn more by using KDP and hiring freelancers directly for editing and cover design.
BookBaby packages typically include formatting, cover design, ISBN, and distribution. Higher tiers add editing, marketing materials, and Amazon optimization. The problem is you're paying a premium for bundled services at marked-up prices — often 2–3× what you'd pay hiring freelancers directly.
BookBaby distributes to more retailers than KDP alone, including Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and libraries. However, KDP dominates the ebook and print markets with 70%+ market share. For most authors, Amazon sales through KDP will dwarf sales from BookBaby's wider distribution.
KDP wins on royalties. KDP offers 35–70% on ebooks and 60% minus print costs on paperbacks. BookBaby charges $399–$1,999+ upfront for publishing packages. You earn royalties from sales separately, but at wholesale rates (45–55% discount to retailers). Between the upfront cost and lower per-sale earnings, your effective return is significantly lower than KDP.
Not easily for the same book. If you publish on KDP, you already have Amazon distribution. BookBaby's main value is distribution, which overlaps with KDP. You could theoretically use BookBaby for non-Amazon channels only, but at that point you're paying $400+ for distribution you could get through Draft2Digital or IngramSpark for free or much less.
BookBaby markets heavily to first-time authors who want a "done for you" experience. But this is exactly why it's overpriced — they're charging a premium for hand-holding. A first-time author with basic tech skills can learn KDP in an afternoon and invest that $400–$2,000 in quality editing and cover design instead.
Use Amazon KDP (free) for Amazon sales. Use Draft2Digital (free) or IngramSpark ($49/title) for wide distribution. Hire freelancers on Reedsy or Fiverr for editing ($200–$1,000) and cover design ($100–$500). For direct sales, use Books.by ($99/year) and keep 100% of royalties. Total cost: far less than BookBaby, with better results.
Skip the overpriced packages. Use KDP for Amazon, and Books.by for direct sales — where you keep everything you earn.
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