Should an author sell books directly or only through Amazon?
Most authors do best with both: Amazon for reach, and a way of dealing with readers directly. Amazon is where readers already shop. Your own site is the one place you control, and it is the only route that gives you the reader's email address.
This is a question about strategy, not software. The right answer depends on where your readers are and what you want the book to do for you.
Why do authors sell books directly?
Three reasons come up again and again. You keep more of each sale, because there is no retailer taking a share. You can set your own prices and build bundles, such as a signed copy with a short story. And you learn who bought, so you can tell them about the next book.
Amazon's royalty terms show what the retailer route pays: a 35% or 70% ebook royalty depending on conditions, and for paperbacks a share of the list price after printing costs. Selling direct changes that arithmetic, but you take on payment handling, shipping and customer questions yourself.
What are the downsides of selling direct?
A store does not bring buyers. A shop on your own site starts with no traffic, and traffic has to come from your newsletter, your events, your social posts or your reputation. Some readers also feel safer buying from a retailer they know. And the work is ongoing: orders, refunds, shipping and tax all become yours.
Can you sell direct and still use KDP Select?
Not for the ebook. KDP Select asks you to sell the digital edition only through Amazon during each 90-day term, in return for Kindle Unlimited and promotional tools. KDP's KDP Select page and its terms and conditions set out the rule, including that print editions can be sold elsewhere. If you are in Select, a direct store would sell paperbacks, signed copies and extras, not the ebook.
How do the two routes compare?
| Amazon only | Amazon plus a direct store | |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Very wide, readers already there | Same reach, plus your own audience |
| Reader contact | Amazon owns it | You hold the email address |
| Price control | Within Amazon's rules | Yours on direct sales |
| Work | Low | Orders, shipping, support |
| Risk | Depends on one platform | Spread across two |
Is a direct store worth it for a first book?
Usually not yet. With one book and no audience, the best use of your site is to be a handsome, clear home for the book: a page for it, links to every store, an about page and a sign-up for news. That earns trust and starts a mailing list. A store can follow when you have a series, a following or a launch event to send people to. Our guide to whether self-published authors need a website covers that first step, and how to publish a book on Amazon and what self-publishing really costs cover the Amazon side.
What good help looks like
A good studio will not sell you a store you cannot fill. It will ask who your readers are, where they buy and whether you already have an audience, then build the site that fits: links to every store at first, a direct store when it will earn its keep, and a mailing list either way.
Where Bay House fits
Every Become an Author package includes an author website built around your books and published on Amazon, with the links readers need. Essentials starts at $10,000, Author Studio at $25,000 and Author Platform can run up to $50,000. See our pricing.
Common questions
Is it worth selling books directly from my own website?
It can be, once you have readers to send there. A direct store keeps more of each sale and gives you the buyer's details, but it brings no traffic of its own, so it suits authors with a mailing list, a series or events more than someone with a first book and no audience.
Can I sell my ebook on my own site if it is in KDP Select?
Not the ebook. KDP Select gives Amazon exclusive rights to sell the digital edition during each 90-day term. Print editions can be sold elsewhere. Read the current terms before you enrol or sell.
Should my author website link to Amazon or sell the book itself?
Linking to every store where the book is sold is the simplest start, and it keeps the website useful whichever route you choose. Add a direct store later if you have an audience to justify it.
