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A guide to demystify the process and provide you with resources.

Thank you for your interest in Penguin Random House! The ins and outs of the book publishing process have long been opaque, and as part of our efforts to build a more diverse community of authors and create more pathways to publishing, we’ve written this handy guide to demystify the process and provide you with resources that help explain how the publishing process works.  

Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all experience for authors, but this guide will point you toward the most common experiences of working with agencies and publishers. For a glossary of publishing terms that will help get you oriented in the industry, and better understand the information shared below, click here . 

Step One: Complete your manuscript or proposal 

If you have a great book idea, the first step is (in most cases) to complete that manuscript or proposal. Proposals are common with nonfiction projects, and full manuscripts are often needed with fiction. For help with nonfiction proposals , you can consult Jane Friedman’s How to Write a Book Proposal + Book Proposal Template blog post. For other help with writing and craft , check out this list of books that can help you on your way. There are endless resources out there to help you on your journey, so take some time to research and find what works for you.  

Also during this time, it can be helpful to connect with other writers, since they may have additional suggestions for resources to refer to, and some might even become critique partners or beta readers as you prepare your book for the query process, or pitch your manuscript to agents and publishers. Finding a community of writers who are in the same stage of the publishing quest as you are can also be an important source of moral support and you navigate the likely ups and downs of the process.  The easiest way to find other writers is via social media, and the hashtag #writercommunity on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok is a great place to start. Another path is to look for writers groups who meet either in person or virtually. The Poets & Writers website has a trove of suggestions for finding your community, including a directory of writing groups.

Joining SCBWI gives you access to all of the ins and outs of children’s book publishing if that’s your focus. SCBWI conferences offer an opportunity to build community as well as access publishing professionals to guide your path to publication.

Penguin Random House is working to remove systemic barriers for underrepresented voices by increasing access to and information about the publishing industry. If you’re looking for additional support and opportunities, check out the Black Creatives Fund with We Need Diverse Books, the Center for Fiction / Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowships, and offerings from our partners and friends at Kundiman.  

Step Two: Find a literary agent 

Historically, most major publishers, including Penguin Random House, have not accepted unagented submissions, in large part because an agent plays a critical role in serving your interests in the business relationship you will have with a publisher. While we are working to create and expand open submission opportunities through programs like the Berkley Open Submission Program , in most cases an agent is still required and advisable.  

When it comes to finding a literary agent, the first step is to do your research and find agents who represent the kind of work that you write. You can start by researching the agents who represent authors whose work you believe is comparable to your own–often, the agents will be named in those books’ acknowledgments pages. From there, you can find out more about those agents or similar ones through resources such as Query Tracker , Poets & Writers Literary Agents Database , Writer’s Digest Books , or the Deals page on Publishers Marketplace .   

The next step is to create a query letter and synopsis for your book. When you query agents, note that each agent has their own specific submission requirements—to start, some will want to see your first five or ten pages, others will only want to see a query. Whatever the agent requests on their website, be sure to follow those instructions. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity with an agent because you sent the wrong materials. If an agent has interest in your project, they will respond requesting more material.  

One great resource for this stage of the writing process is Jane Friedman’s How to Find a Literary Agent blog post. 

Beware of scammers! It’s important to note that agents only get paid when they sell your work . The common relationship for an author and agent is that an agent will take a set percentage of the deal sales in exchange for their work earning the book deal and negotiating on your behalf. Be wary of agent or publisher scams out there that require money up-front to be traditionally published. The common saying is “money flows toward the author” and it’s always been a critical aspect of the publishing experience—getting a book deal should never be a “pay to play” scenario. One popular resource for investigating agent scams is  Writer Beware . Learn more on our PRH Fraud page.

Step Three: Collaborate with your literary agent to prepare your work for submission to editors 

Some agents use their expertise to suggest edits to your manuscript or proposal to prepare for submissions , which is when an agent submits your work to editors, who are independently responsible for selecting the manuscripts they want to publish, in hopes of attracting an offer. The process with your own agent may vary, but the goal will ultimately be the same. 

This process takes time, and there is no guarantee that your manuscript will find an editor who wants to publish it. Submissions very rarely lead to an offer in days. Many manuscripts take multiple rounds of submissions spanning weeks or even years to find the right home. In some cases, authors won’t be successful in selling their book to a publisher until their second or third manuscript, or beyond that. Though this can be a challenging time for authors, know that all parties involved want your project to find the right home, one that will provide the best chance to succeed.  

Step Four: (Hopefully!) Land a book deal 

If an editor shows interest in your project, they may ask other editorial colleagues for second reads. The process varies by imprint and publishing house, but most groups have regular acquisitions meetings in which the prospective editor presents your project to others on the publishing team. At this stage, they decide whether or not to make an offer. 

The editor will present a deal memo to your agent, who will compare that offer with any others. This process may take hours, days, or weeks. 

Ultimately, you have the final say over whether you will accept an offer, though you will likely discuss your options with your agent. After an offer is accepted, a contract will be drafted as well as the deal terms laid out in the memo. Minor negotiations will continue after this point, so if at any point you have questions about a contract draft, you should discuss them with your agent.  

Good luck on your writing journey. We sincerely hope to see you on our shelves someday!  

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How To Publish a Book in 5 Steps

The book publishing process is arduous, time-consuming, and incredibly difficult to do on your own. However, with our independent publishing model, we take the heavy workload, and you keep the rights to your book. Learn how to publish a book in 5 simple steps with our independent publishing model. 

How Long Does it Take To Publish a Book With Forbes Books?

Each author’s experience is different, based on the package you choose and your individual pace. Once your book is ready for print, it’s important to remember that  printing can take 6-22 weeks, depending on your cover choice, so please be sure to budget for that additional time.

There are a few questions you can ask yourself to get an idea for how long the process will take.

• Do you need a ghostwriter? 
• Do you already have a manuscript? 
• Do you want your book in brick & mortar stores? 

Finding the correct compatibility with a ghostwriter takes time to work through. If you already have a manuscript, you can save yourself time without hiring a ghostwriter. 

If you’d like your book in brick & mortar stores, we can do that too! Since printing timelines are so long, we’ll have to get started 7-9 months ahead to ensure the book is ready for retail. 

Furthermore, once you decide on a publishing date , it can’t be changed. This is why it’s vital to hit certain milestones we set during your Blueprint meeting. 

We have some of the best in business to guide you through the process, so listen to your member team. This will ensure you have your book in retail stores across the country (we have international publishing packages too).

Step 1: Decide on a Independent Publishing Model

There are 3 types of publishing models to choose from, including self, traditional , and independent publishing . If you’re wanting to learn more about each one, we explain them in our blog, How to Write a Book in 10 Simple Steps . 

Forbes Books is an independent publishing company , meaning our authors make all decisions on their book and keep 100% of their book rights . We’re here to guide you through the entire publishing process and offer our professional insights. 

Step 2: Vision Session

Your Master Book Planner works with you and your editorial and strategy team to discuss your goals, ideas, and desired outcomes. We’ll brainstorm with you to develop your content concepts, narrowing down an approach that is both engaging to your readers and builds on your authority in your field.

Approximately 10 business days after your vision session, you’ll receive a robust Master Book Plan . 

The Book Plan will not only outline the structure and flow of your chapters and overarching theme, but also break down important elements such as target audience, purpose, summary, and voice/style. 

We will review the Master Book Plan with you as part of your Blueprint Day, adjusting the structure as needed and delivering an updated version to you shortly thereafter.

Step 3: Decide on Publishing Program

Forbes Books has three publishing programs : Standard, Select, Global . Each program requires the same review and selection process from the Forbes Books team. However, each program offers a different tier of value and services to help expand your brand authority and awareness. 

It’s important to consider your goals as you decide which program fits you best. The Select and Global programs offer extended reach by using advanced book promotion and distribution strategies . 

From a book creation perspective, the main difference between the three programs is the use of premium versus elite ghostwriters . For a comprehensive list of differences in the overall programs, view our comparative chart .

Which Publishing Program Is Best for Me?

Before we discuss each publishing program, it’s important to understand the Forbes Books Application process. Each prospective author must be approved to join the select men and women that make up Forbes Books. If you qualify, one of our 3 exclusive publishing programs will be open to you.

Choosing the right publishing program for your needs can be an arduous task that causes unnecessary stress. There are positives to every program, but not every program is right for every author. Let’s go through each program and discuss which programs are best for specific authors.

Tier 1: Standard Publishing Program

Our Standard Publishing Program is the most affordable package that we offer our members. First, we’d like to dispel the myth that “affordable” means “cheap.” Although there may not be as many services as you will find in the Select and Global packages, you’ll be given every opportunity to excel. 

The important thing is all three programs provide the same amount of book creation and publishing services. The differences are in programs that align to your book distribution goals, such as the number and types of platforms we sell your book from and additional services that provide credibility, such as the best seller recognition programs. 

Our Standard Publishing Program includes:

• 45,000 word ghostwritten manuscript with your own editorial team
• Our award-winning design team, led by our Creative Director & Director of Production , David Taylor , will design your book cover.
• We will package both an eBook and your print copy for sale
• Forbes Books creates and publishes an audiobook version for added promotion
• The Forbes Books writing team ( Henry Clougherty , Dan Dunkin , and Max Coffey ) led by Lead Writer Ronnie Blair , writes an exclusive news release announcing your signing as a Forbes Books or Advantage Media member. 
• Forbes Books also publishes a news release on Forbes.com, announcing your publication to the millions of readers on their platform. 
• 1,000 print copies of your hardcover book are included in your initial price for all three packages.
• Placement at Amazon and Barnes and Noble online to distribute your book to the masses. Corrin Foster , our Sr. Director of Book Marketing and Promotions, will organize and curate a 4 month book reviewer campaign. This campaign includes an exclusive book seeding and reader review campaign.
• Our Public Relations team will also craft and execute a 4-month book launch publicity campaign to promote your book through earned media channels.

Why Should I Choose the Standard Publishing Program?

The Standard Publishing Program is not only the most affordable, but it’s perfect for new authors that aren’t tying their authorship success directly to book sales.. For example, if your goal is more about using the book as a “business card “to build credibility with your target audience and less about book sales directly, then this plan will save you time and money.

Tier 2: Select Publishing Program

Our Select Publishing Program is the middle ground of branding and book distribution. For those authors that want their books in as many places as possible without the extensive international reach features of our Global program, the Select Publishing Program is ideal. 

Our Select Publishing Program includes:

• We will sell your book in online and brick and mortar stores across the country (Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, ect…).
• You’ll be given one of our Elite Ghostwriters to write your book.
• Forbes Books has the connections to place your book in public libraries across the United States.
• You’ll be entered into the exclusive Amazon Best Sellers program , which will display your eBook book ahead of the pack for your genre and industry. 
• Our Corporate Marketing team will provide a customized Amazon advertising campaign, targeting your audience.
• Forbes Books provides an exclusive Branding and Visibility program to ensure your brand is top of mind.

Why Should I Choose the Select Publishing Program?

Not only will we leverage your book to build your authority online, but the Select Publishing Program also gives you access to brick and mortar stores across the country. Brick and mortar stores made about 863 million dollars in 2022 , according to Statista . 

With hundreds of millions of dollars still being spent in stores, our Select Publishing Model grants you access to malls and bookstores all over the United States.

Tier 3: Global Publishing Program

The Forbes Books Global Publishing Program is the highest level of publishing services we offer. This is for members that want to reach readers on the global scale. 

Our Global Publishing Program includes:

• Elite Ghostwriter for your book
• Foreign language rights sales representation
• A 3-month front table book promotion in airports all over the world !
• We’ll add your book to the Wall Street Journal  book campaign

Why Should I Choose the Global Publishing Program?

If you’re looking to expedite your process to greater brand visibility and name recognition, the Global Publishing Program is right for you. An impressive aspect of the Global Publishing Package is the access to airports across the world. 

Our Global Publishing Model positions your book in front of hundreds of thousands of travelers across airports worldwide. Become the international authority you always dreamed of with our Global Publishing Program.

What’s the Difference Between Premium Ghostwriters & Elite Ghostwriters?

All of our ghostwriters are highly rated, so you’re in excellent hands no matter what platform you choose.

All of our ghostwriters go through an extensive vetting process, and we pride ourselves on representing the best in business, only presenting you with ghostwriters with A+ ratings across the board. 

What Makes a Great Ghostwriter?

Along with being an excellent writer, our ghostwriters also excel in areas such as client/writer relationships, communication, and adaptability.

Where we distinguish between premium and elite ghostwriting tiers is simply a matter of seniority and proven quality, professionalism, and results over time. Elite ghostwriters have:

• Written a greater number of well-received books
• Are veteran writers with our company
• Are regularly in high demand

If you want to work with an elite ghostwriter, consider choosing the Forbes Books Select or Global program .

Step 4: Establish Publishing Roadmap

To become a published author with Forbes Books, we focus on three foundational meetings . The roadmap for each author will look differently, based on the publishing program you choose.

Manuscript Review

If you’ve written a full or almost-complete manuscript, a professional manuscript reviewer will write a detailed analysis, providing feedback on elements such as structure, appropriate length/tone for your audience, and potential areas for improvement. Once the review is complete, we will discuss the edits in your Blueprint Session .

Blueprint Session

Every author receives a Blueprint Session, regardless of their publishing program. A Blueprint Session builds on the vision of your book, with the media team. We will walk through authority-building opportunities opened up by your book as part of your unique Authority Strategy Plan . 

Your Authority Strategy Plan will focus on how we can strategically build your authority and thought-leadership through the utilization of multiple types of media. 

Step 5: Book Creation

Forbes Books has three paths to choose from when deciding how you want to create the book. Most of our authors choose to use one of our expert ghostwriters for their manuscript. However, you can also write your own manuscript and have us review and edit, or write with the help from our book coaches or book doctors . 

Choosing a Ghostwriter

We have some of the most talented ghostwriters in the world working with us and each one has a remarkable range of knowledge and skills. Choosing to work with a ghostwriter is by far the most popular approach for  our authors, who rarely have time to write for several hours, and who are often far more comfortable speaking rather than writing. 

If you choose to work with one of our ghostwriters, our careful, highly customized process will introduce you to a curated selection of writers based on your book’s topic and your own unique personality. The ghostwriter selection process considers many aspects of compatibility before kicking off the book writing process, including:

• A face-to-face online interview with each candidate
• A written pitch post-interview demonstrating each ghostwriter’s understanding of your book concept and approach

Ghostwriter Kickoff Call

As you select your ghostwriter, we’ll set up a meeting for you to meet your team of experts! During this call, you’ll meet your editorial manager and speak with your ghostwriter. This call establishes a working interview cadence with your ghostwriter. 

For the next 6-8 weeks, we’ll schedule future calls to create chapter 1 of your book. Throughout these 6-8 weeks, your editorial manager will review and edit your chapter with you. We give each author time to review the edits and offer feedback calls to work through any hang-ups. 

Book Doctor or Book Coach

If you’re a CEO or thought-leader and want to write your own manuscript, then a book doctor or coach is best for you. 

Our best in business book coaches will help you refine the organizational structure of your manuscript, offering verbal feedback on written content and helping with the brainstorming process before writing. They’ll also discuss with you any problem areas in your manuscript that could distract or confuse your readers. 

Choosing to use a book coach is best for authors who enjoy guidance from an experienced writer, but prefer to do the writing on their own. 

A book doctor is typically needed when an author has completed – or almost completed – a manuscript but is in need of deep, reconstructive editing. A book doctor will tease apart a manuscript and piece it back together in a way that clarifies the core theme, cleans up linearity concerns, and identifies any gaps in content.

They work hand-in-hand with the author as they work through the edits, first considering the manuscript as a whole, and then rebuilding it chapter by chapter, consulting with the author in the process. The author may need to add missing material along the way, which the book doctor will incorporate, delivering the final manuscript at Line Edit quality.

Finished Manuscript

If you’ve written a manuscript and want to get the white-glove editorial treatment, we’re here to help. 

Following an evaluative manuscript review and consultation, we will conduct edits through your preferred process before moving into our standard Copy Edit phase, followed by layout and design.

With a finished manuscript, the book design process is the same for all three book creation paths. 

Until your first chapter is complete, your timeline is still a rough estimate. But once you’ve had a chance to review and approve the first chapter draft, your team will put together a firm timeline with set deadlines and milestones based on your pace and needs. We’ll also present you with estimated final sign-off and publication dates based on your timeline and binding selection.

Forbes Books Editorial Process

There are multiple editorial stages for each manuscript. Your manuscript will go through a Developmental Edit , Line Edit , Copy Edit , Editorial Proof, and Final Manuscript Proof, along with minor editorial reviews in between.

What Is a Developmental Edit?

This initial writing stage focuses on the interview process and developing the first draft based on your book plan.  Your writer will craft the initial draft in thirds, focusing more (at this stage) on content development and flow rather than detailed copy editing.

Our experts will provide editorial feedback throughout the manuscript development process. At this stage, they will provide insight from the reader’s perspective, suggesting where content can be improved. Once the full first draft of the manuscript is complete, you’ll move to the Line Edit . 

What Is a Line Edit?

The Line Edit is the polishing edit of your manuscript. Your ghostwriter will read through the full manuscript, ensuring there are no gaps, incomplete thoughts, or un-cited facts, and that transitions are smooth. 

You will then have the opportunity to do the same, reading through the manuscript in full to ensure nothing is missing and to do any final adjustments. The ghostwriter will then take one last pass, incorporating your edits before your manuscript is sent to a copy editor.

What Is a Copy Edit?

In Copy Edit, our experts review the technical aspects of your manuscript to ensure it’s in keeping with the most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. They will review and fix any grammatical errors, checking for accuracy of spelling, syntax, and citations, among others. Once completed, your manuscript goes on to Editorial Proof.

What Is an Editorial Proof?

During this step, our editorial team once again reviews your manuscript, checking behind the copy editor to ensure accuracy before it goes to layout. After layout, you will receive a print-ready digital copy of your manuscript for review. 

At this stage, we’re 98% ready to go to print , so the review will consist mainly of correcting any minor inaccuracies and missed grammatical errors.

With your approval of the print-ready digital copy, our team will once again complete a Final Manuscript Proof , working in edits and checking again for any remaining errors. Once completed, your book will be ready for print and distribution.

Final Thoughts on How To Publish a Book

Over 2.2 million books are p ublished each year , according to wordsrated , a website that tracks book sales across the planet. Of those 2.2 million books, the vast majority will never be seen by more than a few people. If you’re a CEO or business thought-leader, and want to expand your brand awareness and extend your authority, Forbes Books is for you. 

We represent the best in business, in almost every industry, including over a dozen other countries. Our specialized team will help you become the authority in your field if you qualify for our services . 

If you’re interested in working with us, we encourage you to apply to be Forbes Books author and see if you qualify. 

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Self-Publishing Platforms – 12 Options for Authors

POSTED ON May 22, 2021

Written by P.J McNulty

Deciding on the right self-publishing platform is an exciting time for any author.

When you reach this stage in the process, your book is so close to being enjoyed by readers. All of the time and energy you’ve invested is about to bear fruit. All that’s left to do is choose the best way to make your book available to the world.

Choosing a platform isn’t something you should rush. Your choice will impact the number of potential readers you are able to reach. It also determines how much you can charge for your book and the royalties you receive. 

So what are your options? Which self-publishing platforms are available, and how can you choose between them?

Read on to discover our guide to twelve options available to independent authors today.

This guide to self-publishing platforms covers:

Apple books, barnes & noble press, draft2digital.

• Ingramspark

PublishDrive

What is a self-publishing platform?

Before we delve into our list of self-publishing platforms, let’s stop and consider exactly what the term refers to. 

A self-publishing platform is simply a service that allows you to offer your book to the world. 

Broadly speaking, you have two types of self-publishing platform available:

• Retailers 
• Aggregators 

Retailers are stores such as Amazon that allow people to browse and buy books. 

Aggregators are specialist services that allow authors to distribute their books to a large number of retailers through a single service. 

Choosing an aggregator involves a trade-off. You can save time and effort by not having to manually upload your book to multiple retailers and monitor its performance, but you will have to pay for this convenience in the form of a one-off fee per book, a monthly subscription, or a portion of your royalties, depending on the retailer. 

Now that the basic idea of a self-publishing platform is clear, let’s take a closer look at your options!

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service is the dominant platform in today’s self-publishing marketplace. 

Offering your book on Amazon should be an easy decision. It’s the platform where most people go to buy new reading material. Amazon also offers the Kindle device and app, giving customers another way to discover your book that doesn’t exist on some other platforms. 

For self-published authors, there are plenty of benefits to being on Amazon. You can easily offer print and audiobook versions of your work. You also have the ability to create a hub where readers can discover more about your work via the Author Central service.

If you decide to offer your book on Amazon exclusively, you gain access to special programs like Kindle Unlimited . Every author should evaluate if that’s a choice that makes sense for their situation.

Whether or not you decide to publish on Amazon exclusively, you should make its platform part of your approach to publishing. Otherwise, you’re missing out on a vast number of potential readers.

Apple Books might not account for the same level of sales as Amazon, you would be unwise to dismiss it.

There are plenty of iPhone, iPad, and Mac users out there who prefer to stick to apps made by Apple wherever possible. Apple is known for frictionless integration across its entire ecosystem, so this preference makes sense.

Aside from access to devoted fans, Apple Books has a number of other benefits. A 70% royalty rate is on offer no matter the price of your book, so you don’t need to go through the price constraints imposed by Amazon. Apple also offers authors more control by not engaging in automatic price matching, allowing you to know your book’s price will remain stable.  

While Barnes & Noble might be one of the biggest names in the publishing world, the company has struggled to compete with Amazon’s success. However, they provide an easy to use platform for self-published authors, meaning there’s no harm in offering your book there if you decide to avoid Amazon exclusivity.

Barnes & Noble Press supports both ebooks and print books, and also has the benefit of promoting titles to customers of its Nook device and app. 

One final benefit to choosing Barnes & Noble Press is that all of the platform’s print books can be ordered by request to any physical Barnes & Noble bookstore. 

Although Blurb is most famous as a major provider of print on demand services, the company also offers the ability to create eBooks using either its own tools or 3rd party options like Adobe InDesign. 

When you decide to use Blurb as a platform for creating a print or eBook version of your book, the company lets you sell it through either its own retail service, or via its partnerships with Amazon, Apple, Ingram, and even Kickstarter. 

If physical books are an important part of your approach to self-publishing, you should check out Blurb further. In addition to print on demand you also have the option to order a large batch of your book with a lot of options relating to design and format. 

BookBaby is one of the powerhouse players in the self-publishing world, offering not only one of the best-known aggregator services out there, but also its own retail store. 

Authors who choose BookBaby as their self-publishing platform benefit from the size of  its distribution network. The company claims to have the widest reach, partnering with over 60 retailers from across the globe.

If you’re willing to invest money upfront, and you need the full range of services provided by BookBaby , it’s a platform worth exploring further. However, if all you’re looking for is a simple retailer or aggregator, BookBaby probably isn’t the best fit for your needs. You can learn more here .

Draft2Digital is one of the most famous aggregators out there, distributing books to almost all of the major retailers, including Amazon, Apple, and Kobo.

As well as its aggregation service, Draft2Digital offers authors help with formatting and promotional abilities such as Universal Book Links. One of the major reasons to choose Draft2Digital is the company’s lack of upfront fees. Instead, Draft2Digital makes money by taking around 10% of the retail price each time a copy is sold. 

Before you settle on Draft2Digital as the right aggregator for your next book, take a moment to read in more detail how the service compares to Smashwords . 

IngramSpark

IngramSpark is a good option if you are looking for an aggregator with global reach that offers excellent customer support. 

Authors who decide to use IngramSpark as a self-publishing platform tap into one of the largest worldwide distribution networks possible. As well as the major book retailers IngramSpark’s titles are available to libraries, universities, and indie stores.

You need to pay an upfront fee to publish via IngramSpark. The company supports both eBook and print formats and you get a discount if you will only be offering one type or the other. Check out our full guide to IngramSpark here .

Rakuten Kobo, commonly referred to as just Kobo, is one of the biggest international book retailers on the market. As well as its retail operations, the company provides a self-publishing platform known as Kobo Writing Life. Like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Kobo also offers a physical eReader device. 

Kobo distributes books to more countries than the vast majority of other platforms, claiming over 190 nations at the time of writing. 

The ability to set your own pricing, the backing of parent company Rakuten, and the lack of an exclusivity requirement are some of the major reasons to think about publishing with Kobo. 

Like a lot of the other aggregator platforms featured in this guide, PublishDrive boasts of the wide reach of its international distribution network. However, while offering everything you would expect, PublishDrive also has some rarer features that help it to stand out.

A lot of aggregators support print and eBook formats, but PublishDrive also supports audiobooks. Also, PublishDrive offers you control of how you want to pay for their service. Most platforms either charge a flat fee per book or take a slice of your royalties. PublishDrive operates on a subscription model where authors pay a monthly rate depending on the number of books they have.

If you’re trying to decide between different book aggregators, it’s worth crunching the numbers and seeing how many copies you would need to sell to cover PublishDrive’s monthly subscription. Depending on your popularity, PublishDrive might make a lot more financial sense than giving up a portion of your royalties. 

Smashwords is one of the oldest and most famous book aggregators out there. For many authors, the choice of platform comes down to weighing up the pros and cons of Smashwords and Draft2Digital. So what are they?

Draft2Digital is widely considered to be an easier and more intuitive service than Smashwords. The Smashwords interface is older and looks a little dated. Smashwords also doesn’t provide the formatting capabilities found at Draft2Digital. 

Also, one thing to be aware of is that Smashwords doesn’t distribute to Amazon. It has a wide reach other than that, but it’s something to keep in mind. We feel that most authors will prefer Draft2Digital to Smashwords after weighing up both options .

If international publishing is a big part of your approach to self-publishing, you should check out StreetLib. 

An international approach is baked into everything StreeLib does. For example, its dashboard is available in a wide range of languages and the company website has dedicated pages for almost any country you can think of.

StreetLib distributes audiobooks in addition to print and digital. You can access all of your worldwide sales data directly within the StreetLib dashboard, removing the need for any external sales tracking service. 

If you’re based outside of the USA, or are an American author who wants to sell books around the world, take a closer look at what StreetLib has to offer. 

XinXii is another example of an internationally-focused book aggregator. So what are the key facts you need to know about XinXii?

This aggregator offers support for eBooks and audiobooks only. There is no print on demand option, so if you are looking to sell physical copies of your work, this isn’t the right service for you. 

Although XinXii has a wide range of international distribution partners, there isn’t anything that really stands out about their service. If you don’t care about the lack of print book support, and you particularly like the markets XinXii distributes to, you might want to explore further. 

What is the best self-publishing platform?

So now that you have a good grasp of the different self-publishing platforms, how can you determine which is the best fit for your needs as an author?

Overall, there’s no single best platform. Different companies have various strengths and weaknesses. It’s all about asking the right questions to narrow down exactly what you’re looking for. 

To help you determine the right self-publishing platform for your needs, take the time to ask yourself these questions:

• Am I looking for a retailer to upload my book to directly, or an aggregator service that will distribute to multiple retailers on my behalf?
• What formats do I want to offer my work in? 
• Would I rather pay an upfront fee for aggregated distribution, a portion of my royalties, or a monthly subscription? 
• How important is international distribution to my book marketing plan ?
• Do I need help with formatting and other services, or do I want a simple distribution platform with no added extras?

Want the “fast pass” to finding the right self publishing company for you?

You now have everything you need to choose the best self-publishing platform for your book

Will you decide to be exclusive on Amazon to take advantage of their special author programs? Or will you go for the widest international reach possible with a powerful aggregator?

No matter what type of platform you end up going for, we wish you and your book every success!

Related posts

How to unpublish a book on amazon: 5 reasons to consider first, the 5 best audiobook apps in 2024, hello books review: what is it and how does it work.

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U.S. Book Show: Book Biz CEOs Discuss Navigating Rapid Changes

On May 22, more than 800 people from across the many sectors of the book business joined Publishers Weekly and the Association of American Literary Agents at NYU's Kimmel Center in Manhattan for the 2024 U.S. Book Show , for a day's worth of professional programming. Kicking off the program, at a roundtable, were the CEOs of Abrams, Baker & Taylor, Scholastic, and Simon & Schuster, who shared insights on the state of the industry, the present and potential future impact of generative AI, what it takes to nurture talent, and how their companies are tackling pressing challenges during a time of significant transformation.

Discussing the current publishing landscape, Peter Warwick, president and CEO of Scholastic, said that "the industry at the moment is in a period of pretty rapid change.” He observed a certain amount of circularity in the business, noting a general downturn in the industry of late compared with the high that was experienced during the pandemic and its immediate aftermath. Despite these short-term challenges, Warwick expressed optimism, especially in the children's publishing sector.

"In terms of children reading, there's never been a greater need than now to help support, finance, and fund literacy in our schools and in homes everywhere—and that applies to many countries, not just in the United States," he said. "It is one of the issues that we've all seen stemming from the increasing socioeconomic polarization in the society in which we live."

Warwick added that publishing depends on being innovative and finding new audiences. Highlighting Scholastic's success in the children's graphic novel space as a case in point, he cited the success of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder , which published in March and has sold some 740,000 copies so far.

Jonathan Karp, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster, riffed on Warwick’s comment about graphic novels. "Years ago, I think one of the most popular kinds of books were those classic comics where great works of literature were presented,” he said. “I remember, when I was a kid, those Mr. Magoo cartoons, where Mr. Magoo played every major character in American literature.... I learned a lot from Mr. Magoo.”

Addressing questions on the state of the industry, Karp compared it to talking about the weather. “Elmore Leonard advised, ‘Don’t write about the weather’ and he’s right about that,” he said. “Some days, [business] is good. Some days, it's bad."

Mary McAveney, president and CEO of Abrams, shared a different kind of optimism. "What I'm seeing more systemically throughout publishing is a real groundswell of independent publishers, of independent authors rising up and finding their way through to the consumer,” she said. “I think that is heartening for the whole industry, and I think there are a lot of lessons in that—in the way that [indie publishers and authors] present themselves, the way they present their books, the way they find their audiences."

AI’s Impact on Publishing

On the topic of generative AI and its potential impact on publishing, the executives expressed a range of concerns, as well as excitement over potential opportunities.

Warwick emphasized the need to protect intellectual property rights. "We have, I think, over 40 lawsuits currently, in the United States, about protection of IP," he said, calling the rising prevalence of such large language models as ChatGPT trained on copyrighted works a major concern. "We have to work, as publishers, with our authors in order to protect, and get proper value in remuneration for, the intellectual property."

Karp offered a colorful metaphor to describe the AI phenomenon: rejecting the suggestion that the technology is currently the "elephant in the room" in publishing, he said, "I think it's more like the cicada in the world. You know, lots of buzzing and lots of screwing. It’s clear rights are being infringed, and our books, our authors, are the building blocks of these LLMs." He added: "It's like [AI is] building a house, and we're making the cement."

Karp acknowledged the aspects of AI that could prove valuable to the book business while nonetheless urging caution. "It is definitely a valuable tool. It's definitely going to make us more efficient. It's going to help us process and gather information better, and hopefully allow workers to do a higher level of work that's more interesting and creative. But all of the caveats apply, and we have to regard it with caution. I personally don't think it's going to blow up the world, but I know that there are some people out there who do."

McAveney, explaining why she views AI as a double-edged sword, compared it to the birth of the internet. "It's going to be that big," she said. "It's going to be that insidious in our lives, and I think it's not going away. The genie is out of the bottle. There's nothing publishing can do to put it back in—our books are all out there in digital formats, and they're out there in digital formats with the same companies that are developing AI. So, from a content creation standpoint, I think there is certainly a cautionary tale in terms of how we approach those infringements."

Aman Kochar, president and CEO of Baker & Taylor, stressed the unique role publishers play in creating authentic stories, suggesting that, no matter its innovations, AI will not be able to take that power away. "I think the fundamentals of the publishing industry is to tell authentic stories, whether it be fiction or nonfiction. And AI works on the principle of collective wisdom," he said. "It can only look back and draw from the experiences that it already has in its database, where it will never be able to replace the authenticity or the laborious work that goes into creating a fiction or nonfiction work of art."

Attracting Talent and Other Challenges

One major running theme at this year’s U.S. Book Show was the involvement, and retention, of young publishing professionals. During their discussion, the four CEOs unanimously stressed that attracting, nurturing, and retaining talent is vital for the publishing industry's continued success.

Karp reflected on his own journey, crediting great mentors. "Having really good bosses has definitely helped,” Karp said. “I started 35 years ago as Kate Medina's editorial assistant, and I've worked for such terrific people through the years: Ann Godoff, Harry Evans, and Carolyn Reidy. And I just think that probably the community of publishing has always been a very nurturing one, and I hope that it will always be that way." Kochar, for his part, advised young publishing professionals to have "the curiosity to ask questions, learn—always keep asking questions—and the courage to ask for help, because this is a very complex machine."

The executives also delved into such pressing challenges facing the industry as book marketing, competing for readers' time and attention, affordability issues, and the rise of book banning.

Karp addressed the marketing challenge, noting that literary agents often tell him that "making the books known" is the biggest challenge in today's publishing world, and he agrees. “I see the same template over and over again, and I want to see new ideas, and I want to feel more assured in how the publishers are reaching readers," he said, adding that it behooves agents, authors, and publishers to have candid discussions about, and remain open to, new marketing ideas.

McAveney highlighted the challenge of competing for readers' time in a crowded entertainment landscape. "Do people have time to read?” she asked. The bump in reading over the course of the pandemic, she argued, was simple to explain: "There were no sports teams to watch. There were no movies to go to. There were no restaurants. There was no Broadway. I mean, you couldn't do anything except read, and people read voraciously." That, she said, has changed, with publishers once again "competing with all those other things."

Warwick addressed ongoing affordability concerns in the marketplace, particularly in the children's book sector. "One of the key issues is really trying to make books as affordable as possible," he said, noting that inflation and other issues have resulted in an "environment where many families are feeling less wealthy," with prices for food, gas, and rent all on the rise—making it all the more important for publishers to ensure that the price tag on their books doesn't ward away potential readers.

On the topic of book banning, Karp expressed disappointment at the current landscape, calling for united action from the book business and beyond.

"I think the book bans are a manifestation of the larger polarization in the country,” Karp said. “Books are being used as an instrument to make political statements, and we have to fight back. So we're joining all the lawsuits, we're working with the American Library Association." He added: "The whole thing is just unfortunate, and I hope it will eventually abate, as these very loud and annoying voices realize that this is a waste of everybody's time."

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Penguin Random House Dismisses Two of Its Top Publishers

The departures of Reagan Arthur, who led Alfred A. Knopf, and Lisa Lucas, who held the top job at Pantheon and Schocken, came as a surprise to many in the company.

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By Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris

In a significant shake up, Penguin Random House, the largest publishing house in the United States, announced on Monday that the publishers of two of its most prestigious literary imprints had been let go.

The departure of Reagan Arthur , the publisher of Alfred A. Knopf, and Lisa Lucas , the publisher of Pantheon and Schocken, likely came as a surprise to many in the company — including, it seemed , to Lucas.

Lucas posted on X, formerly called Twitter, that she had learned of her dismissal at 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning. “I have some regrets about spending the weekend working,” she wrote.

In a memo to employees, Maya Mavjee, the president and publisher of Knopf Doubleday, acknowledged the news would likely be unsettling to many. Lucas and Arthur were both splashy hires brought to the company in recent years.

Restructuring the imprints, Mavjee noted in the memo, was “necessary for our future growth.”

Pantheon’s editorial department will now report to Doubleday, Mavjee wrote, while Knopf will be led by Jordan Pavlin , the editor in chief of Knopf, who will become its publisher, taking on two roles. Pavlin has edited best-selling and award-winning authors including Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi and Maggie O’Farrell.

A person in publishing familiar with the decision, and who requested anonymity in order to share details about the restructuring process, said the departures were part of a cost-saving measure. No publisher will replace Lucas at Pantheon, the person said.

The departure of two prominent publishers comes at a moment when Penguin Random House and other big publishing houses are facing financial challenges, with rising supply chain costs and sluggish print sales. Publishers’ sales were flat in the first quarter of 2024, according to a recent report from the Association of American Publishers.

The last two years have been an especially turbulent time at Penguin Random House.

The company has struggled to maintain its dominance in the industry after its bid to buy a rival, Simon & Schuster, was blocked on antitrust grounds, a loss that cost the company a $200 million termination fee. In the aftermath, Markus Dohle, then the chief executive of Penguin Random House, resigned, followed soon after by its U.S. chief executive, Madeline McIntosh .

Its new chief executive, Nihar Malaviya , has moved to cut costs by downsizing and restructuring, and to grow by acquiring smaller publishing companies. Last year, the company offered voluntary buyouts for longtime employees, and laid off about 60 people .

Lucas, the first Black publisher at Pantheon in its 80-year history, was hired in 2020 from the National Book Foundation, where she was the organization’s executive director. In her time at Penguin Random House, she published titles including “Chain-Gang All Stars,” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, which was a National Book Award finalist, and signed a two-book deal with LeVar Burton.

Arthur, who had been publisher at the imprint Little, Brown, took over as publisher of Knopf in 2020, shortly after the death of Sonny Mehta , who led the imprint for more than three decades. At Knopf, she oversaw the publication of Cormac McCarthy’s final two novels and the enormous best seller “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin, and personally edited best sellers including Bono’s memoir, “Surrender,” and “Lessons,” a novel by Ian McEwan.

“It was an honor to get to finally, briefly work in publishing!!” Lucas wrote on X Monday afternoon. “As for what’s next: Who knows! Free agent! I suppose I’ll think about that tomorrow?”

Alexandra Alter writes about books, publishing and the literary world for The Times. More about Alexandra Alter

  More about Elizabeth A. Harris

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When Reese Witherspoon is making selections for her book club , she wants books by women, with women at the center of the action who save themselves.

The Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro, who died on May 14 , specialized in exacting short stories that were novelistic in scope , spanning decades with intimacy and precision.

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Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

BOOK PUBLISHING

We are a no-fee independent book publishing company (also known as a small press or traditional publishing house). We are not a vanity press or subsidy press.

That means we provide free publishing services, we don’t charge any fees, and we earn our profit from selling books.

We publish a wide range of fiction and nonfiction books. Please see our submission guidelines for more information about the specific genres we publish.

Our Mission is to Help Authors Succeed

Our goal is to help our authors earn full-time income from book sales.

To help authors increase their earnings, we pay 50% gross royalties for eBook, print, and audio (3-6 times more than what most traditional publishers offer), we implement creative book marketing campaigns, and we educate and train our authors as much as we can. We’ve also published more than 170 blog posts about book marketing for authors.

We do have some authors who have achieved incredible sales with only one book (for example, Kevin Horsley with Unlimited Memory , Michael Cordell with Contempt , and Sarah Warren, author of  The Pain Relief Secret ) . These authors worked very hard to become experts on their subject matter and craft and we are very proud of them.

You can see our case study to learn how we sold 300,000+ copies of Unlimited Memory and how we got 4,000+ reviews for Contempt.

Publishing Services

Here are some of the publishing services we provide for our authors:

• Our in-house editors provide free developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading services to make sure your book is in top shape before we publish it.
• Our in-house team designs your book cover and helps you craft the perfect book title, brand, and graphics for your book.
• We layout, design, and print your book in paperback (and hardcover for nonfiction), and then distribute it to retailers in 220 countries and territories through our distributor, Ingram.
• We format, design, and publish your book in eBook format on Amazon Kindle using KDP Select to maximize eBook earnings (if we’re not happy with the results from KDP Select for your book after six to twelve months, we’ll also distribute the eBook to all other eBook retailers as well as libraries through Overdrive).
• We narrate, produce, master, publish, and distribute your book in audiobook format on Audible, Amazon, iTunes, libraries, and everywhere else through our distributor, Findaway and sometimes in select retailers like Costco for physical audiobooks.

How We Market Books

Here are some of the marketing programs we implement for our books:

• We do sales outreach campaigns for each new release to our list of 20,000+ book retailers in the US and Canada
• We do sales outreach campaigns for each new release to our list of 10,000+ libraries in the US and Canada
• We promote our books to our readers list of more than 22,000 subscribers.
• We create a custom list of at least 1,000+ professional book reviewers, bloggers, and industry influencers and then contact them offering a free review copy (which we pay for). We usually give away between 50-200 copies of a book to influencers depending on their interest level in reviewing your book. (Note that we have a policy of NEVER paying for book reviews in order to avoid bias and provide a more transparent environment for readers.)
• We advertise your book online using PPC ads and Amazon ads.
• We advertise our eBooks via email newsletters and book promotion sites , including BookBub, Bargain Booksy, and many more.
• We provide basic PR and outreach to journalists, podcasters, radio hosts, and other media outlets to help you get your message out to more people (You can see examples of the hundreds of media mentions our books have gotten on our press page) .
• We write and publish blog posts that feature and promote the book on our website (we get more than 300,000 unique visitors on our website every month).
• We promote our books pre- and post-release on social media with cover polls, release announcements, and more.
• Our foreign language rights partner promotes our books to international publishers so they can translate and publish them in different languages and countries. We also promote our books at the Frankfurt Book Fair and London Book Fair each year.
• We can submit our books to trade reviewers (like Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist, and more) pre-release. However, we often choose not to do so because it can delay the release date by up to four months.

Marketing Support for Our Authors

We believe authors deserve to be well-educated, well-trained, and well-supported. That’s why we will help you create a step-by-step promotion and marketing plan that is customized to you, your unique skills and talents, and your genre or niche.

We’re constantly testing new marketing strategies and sharing best practices with our authors to help you increase your income and influence. We will help you understand where you can invest your time and money most effectively, so you won’t waste your energy or money on marketing that doesn’t work.

We highly recommend you watch our free video training series on how to earn a full-time income as an author so you can learn more about our marketing philosophy and some action steps you can take today to increase your current and future book sales.

Here are some of the ways we provide additional marketing support to our authors (at no cost):

• We   build or improve your author website.
• We provide 1-1 coaching calls to discuss your marketing experience, plans, and obstacles, and then we’ll help you put together a plan that meets your needs and goals. You’ll leave these calls with a crystal clear plan of what to do as well as a list of action steps and educational resources to help you achieve your goals. These calls are designed to help you learn, plan, and solve problems—we don’t offer you any paid services.
• We help build or improve your email list and email marketing campaigns.
• We provide monthly sales reports and ongoing feedback so you’ll know if your marketing efforts (and ours) are working.

How Our Authors Get Paid

TCK Publishing does not currently offer advances.

We pay 50% gross royalties on all income from your book, including book sales, royalties, and subsidiary rights (like foreign language translation rights, licensing, and TV or film deals). You can see our book royalties page for a full explanation of exactly how our royalties are calculated.

Want to see proof that we can sell your book? Check out our results here

What Our Authors Are Saying

I couldn’t have achieved this without them, as they continue to use cutting-edge and ethical marketing methods to maximize the potential of my books.

As an author, they made the process very easy, and it has been such a pleasure working with TCK publishing. I highly recommend them to take your book to the next level!”

— Kevin Horsley, best selling author of  Unlimited Memory

Note: Kevin’s book has since sold over 300,000 copies in English and been translated into more than a dozen languages.

From their story development, editing, design and promotional efforts, it has always felt like a solid partnership with a group of bright and talented individuals.

Given the success of my first novel, staying with them to publish my second and third books was a no-brainer. “

— Michael Cordell, best selling author of the Contempt series

I was ecstatic when I got a five-year contract, and my first full-length novel, Willow Grove Abbey , was born. I’ll never forget the thrill of holding the first copy in my hands! Eight years and 14 novels later, I am still enormously proud when I reach the final chapter in another book.

After 34 years of marriage, my husband died of Cancer in 2015. I was shocked, frightened and grief-stricken. When you are 72 years old, alone and heart-broken there is very little to bring a smile to your face. Fortunately, I was able to lose myself in my writing, and, as a result, five more books reached publication

In addition, the Royalties I receive suddenly took on new significance. Since I signed my first contract, TCK Publishing has undergone profound changes. The staff is impressive, and from editing to cover-design everything is polished and professional.

I am proud to be associated with this fine company and hope to be associated with them for many more years. Tom Corson-Knowles is a bright, impressive, talented gentleman. I shall be eternally grateful for the trust he placed in me, and for his continued kindness.”

— Christine Payne, Romance Author

“TCK understands the market and wants to build a brand for their authors. They’re open with their communication, and believe in their goal. It has been a delight since being acquired, and I would recommend fellow writers give them serious consideration when thinking of a home for their next novel.”

— Shami Stovall, Fantasy Author

But, that’s not to say it was always   easy. I was paired with a fantastic editor who really pushed me to improve my manuscript. Her feedback and suggestions really helped to shape the book into something special.

Overall, my book sales have exceeded my expectations and I’m grateful for my relationship with TCK Publishing! “

— Maclen Stanley, best selling author of The Law Says What?

Want to Learn More?

You can read our   submission guidelines   and submit your fiction or nonfiction manuscript or nonfiction book proposal to our editors for review.

You can also check out our   Publishing FAQ page   which has much more information about what we do.

If you have any questions about publishing your book, feel free to send us an email

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

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Part of: Heritage Group > TouchWood Editions

Location: Vancouver, CA

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What do book publishers do?

Sure, a book publisher prints and sells your book. But what they do behind the scenes encompasses much more than that. Publishers handle the entire publishing process for books, including: 

• Editing the book, i.e. developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading; 
• Designing the book, i.e. book cover design and any necessary interior book design;
• Promotion and marketing, i.e. writing the book’s blurb, email marketing , setting up media interviews, etc.; and
• Production and distribution, i.e. formatting and distributing hardback, paperback, and ebook versions of the book to stores, both online and brick-and-mortar. 

Note that the structure of publishing companies may differ, depending on their size. Bigger book publishers may be made up of publishing houses which may, in turn, be made up of imprints — each of which will have its own brand identity in terms of the type of books it publishes. 

However, regardless of a publisher’s size, the scope of their work shouldn’t change. Once you sign with a publisher, they will do everything that it takes to bring your book to market. 

What are the most prominent book publishing companies?

If we define success by sheer sales volume, then we might point towards the "Big 5" presses and educational publishers (who rake in a LOT of money). Over the past few decades, these giant publishing companies have merged with and acquired most of the mid-sized publishers in the industry. However, a few still remain. Here are today's biggest book publishing companies:

• Penguin Random House (Big 5)
• Hachette Book Group (Big 5)
• HarperCollins (Big 5)
• Macmillan Publishers (Big 5)
• Simon & Schuster (Big 5)
• Scholastic Corporation
• Pearson Education
• McGraw-Hill Education
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Cengage Learning

Together, these largest publishers dominate the publishing landscape. Countless beloved books come from their imprints, many of which you’ll find in our directory. 

The rest of the publishing landscape is largely made up of small publishers, or independent publishers. Most big publishers don’t directly accept unsolicited submissions without a literary agent — but smaller publishers do, making them a realistic and worthwhile route to publication. 

I have a long list of publishers. What next?

Congratulations! Now take a moment to thoroughly vet every publisher on your longlist. Scams are a dime a dozen in the publishing industry, and you want to make 100% sure that you’re dealing with a legitimate publishing company. Again, we strongly recommend reading this post and Writer Beware to know what red flags to watch out for.

When you’re confident in all of the publishers on your longlist, it’s time for the most nerve-wracking step: submitting your manuscript to them. 

Check out our free resources if you’re feeling daunted by what comes next. Whether you’re learning how to research publishers or how to personalize a submission, we've got you covered.

Free online materials

• How to Submit a Manuscript to a Publisher In 5 Simple Steps
• Directory of 686 Best Literary Agents
• What Do Agents Do? (And Do You Need One?)
• How to Write a Query Letter in 7 Steps
• How to Personalize Your Query Letters 
• How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal 
• How to Write a Nonfiction Query Letter

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Publishing Perspectives

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British Book Awards: The 2024 Trade and Book Honors

In News by Porter Anderson May 13, 2024

The 2024 British Book Awards had their big night at Grosvenor House in London, celebrating both book and trade award winners.

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

A Third Freedom to Publish Award

For a third year, the British Book Awards program has issued a Freedom to Publish Award (Arabella Pike and Salman Rushdie were the first two recipients). This is perhaps the most important of the Nibbies’ recognitions, reflecting, for example, the International Publishers Association ‘s (IPA) pivotal Prix Voltaire and the  Association of American Publishers ‘ International Freedom to Publish Award .

This year, the winner is Grigori Chkhartishvili, who writes as Boris Akunin. A Georgian-Russian historical fiction writer, essayist, and translat0r now based in the UK, Chkhartishvili—a critic of Vladimir Putin’s actions and policies toward Ukraine—has been placed under a Russian arrest warrant in absentia, meaning that he cannot return to Russia without facing potential arrest, not unlike the writer Dmitry Glukhovsky , sentenced in absentia to prison in August 2023.

At Monday’s awards show, Chkhartishvili was presented the award by former Iran-prisoner Nazanin Zagari-Ratcliffe, whose own book is expected in October from Penguin Random House’s Chatto & Windus.

Chkhartishvili said, “”I am immensely honored to be given this award. And I am immensely sad too, because I am a Russian author without the freedom to publish in my own country.

“My dream is to see the times when there will be no need for this award anywhere in the world, the times when the ‘Freedom to Publish’ will have become history.”

“We must continue to stand by writers, their publishers, and booksellers, in the struggle against the suppression of legal, legitimate, and necessary criticism.”

The 2024 Book Trade Award Winners

While the British Book Awards event each year is heavy on showbizzy-gala fun for members of the United Kingdom’s book publishing industry, there are so many book and author awards in the UK market that the “book of the year” accolades for various publications may have less staying power over time than the industry awards, which recognize the professional players in the business for particularly significant work.

That’s where we’ll start, then, with the 17 industry awards of the Nibbies.

• Marketing Strategy: Abbie Slater, Sian Richefond, Emily Merrill for Yellowface, HarperCollins UK / The Borough Press
• Publicity Campaign: Etty Eastwood for Ultra-Processed People , Penguin Random House / Cornerstone
• Independent Bookstore: Book-ish, Crickhowell, Wales
• Small Press: Magic Cat Publishing, a children’s publisher
• Academic, Educational, and Professional Publisher : Collins
• Children’s Bookseller: The Children’s Bookshop
• Export Award: Bloomsbury
• Rights Professional: Karen Lawler, Hachette Children’s Group
• Literary Agent : Becky Brown and Norah Perkins, Curtis Brown
• Imprint : Hachette UK / Little, Brown / Piatkus Fiction
• Editor : Kishani Widyaratna, HarperCollins / 4th Estate
• Designer: Jack Smyth, Jack Smyth Design
• Individual Bookseller : Amanda Dunne Fulmer, Halfway Up the Stairs
• Book Retailer : The Children’s Bookshop
• Independent Publisher: Profile Books
• Children’s Publisher : Bloomsbury Children’s Books
• Publisher : Penguin Random House / Ebury

‘Book of the Year’ Award Winners

A good moment for political nonfiction, Rory Stewart’s Politics on the Edge from Penguin Random House / Jonathan Cape beat both Britney Spears and Harry, Duke of Sussex, to win the nonfiction narrative award.

The winner of the author for the year award, Katherine Rundell, won for a book, Impossible Creatures , that won the children’s fiction prize and was nominated for four other awards in both the book and trade categories.

And in fiction, the story behind these awards is particularly interesting, as this is the second consecutive year in which the American writer Rebecca F. Kuang has won.

Audiobook Fiction

• None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, read by Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey, Penguin Random House Audio

Audiobook Nonfiction (supported by Audiobookish)

• Strong Female Character written and read by Fern Brady, Hachette UK / Octopus / Brazen

Children’s Fiction (supported by The Week Junior )

• Impossible Creatures  by Katherine Rundell, Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Children’s Illustrated (supported by Lovereading4kids)

• Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up by written and illustrated by Jamie Smart, David Fickling Books

Children’s Nonfiction (supported by The Week Junior Science and Nature )

• Brilliant Black British History by Atinuke, illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi, Bloomsbury Children’s Books

• None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, read by Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey, Penguin Random House / Century / Cornerstone

Début Fiction (supported by Spotify)

• In Memoriam by Alice Winn, Penguin General / Viking  
• Lessons from Our Ancestors by Raksha Dave, illustrated by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong (Magic Cat Publishing)  

Fiction (supported by Scala Radio)

• Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang, HarperCollins / The Borough Press Note: Rebecca F. Kuang, an American, won the 2023 British Book Award in fiction, as well, in that case for Babel, or the Necessity of Violence  from HarperVoyager,

Nonfiction: Lifestyle and Illustrated

• Murdle by T. Karber, Profile Books / Souvenir Press

Nonfiction: Narrative

• Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart, Penguin Random House / Vintage / Jonathan Cape

Pageturner (supported by Stylist )

• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Hachette UK / Little, Brown / Piatkus Fiction

Full lists of winners in both ranks, trade and “book of the year,” are  here .

More on the British Book Awards is  here . More from us on publishing and book awards in general is  here . And more on the UK book market and industry is  here .

Publishing Perspectives is the  International Publishers Association’ s world media partner.

Porter Anderson is a former associate editor of The FutureBook at The Bookseller.

About the Author

Porter anderson.

Porter Anderson has been named International Trade Press Journalist of the Year in London Book Fair's International Excellence Awards. He is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives. He formerly was Associate Editor for The FutureBook at London's The Bookseller. Anderson was for more than a decade a senior producer and anchor with CNN.com, CNN International, and CNN USA. As an arts critic (Fellow, National Critics Institute), he was with The Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and the Tampa Tribune, now the Tampa Bay Times. He co-founded The Hot Sheet, a newsletter for authors, which now is owned and operated by Jane Friedman.

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May 21, 2024 By Erin Somers

Polis Books To Shutter