Distribution
Should you sell your ebook directly, through KDP, or both?
A practical decision guide for authors weighing Gumroad, Amazon KDP, reader access, fees, and KDP Select exclusivity.
The right sales channel depends on where your readers already look for books and how much of the buying experience you want to manage yourself.
Give each channel a job
A retailer such as Amazon helps readers find and buy a book inside a familiar bookstore. A direct storefront helps you sell to people you can already reach: newsletter subscribers, workshop attendees, or visitors to your author site. Neither route creates an audience on its own.
Gumroad is one direct-sales option for digital products, including ebooks. You can link to a product from your own website and deliver files after checkout. It may be useful for a guide, workbook, or bundle that you promote yourself. For a novel whose readers mainly browse Kindle, a retailer listing may do more of the discovery work.
Compare the full sale, not a headline percentage
Gumroad currently lists a 10% plus $0.50 platform fee for direct-link sales, with payment processing charged separately. Sales through its Discover marketplace have a different fee. KDP offers 35% and 70% ebook royalty options, subject to price, territory, delivery-cost, and other eligibility rules. Check the current terms before setting a price; these figures can change.
Run the numbers for your actual book price and file size. Then include the work behind the sale: finding the reader, handling questions, maintaining a sales page, and updating the file. A higher amount per sale is valuable only if the channel also fits how your readers buy.
- Calculate proceeds at your intended price on each channel
- Check whether taxes and payment processing change the comparison
- Decide who will answer delivery and refund questions
Check KDP Select before opening a direct store
Publishing an ebook through KDP does not, by itself, settle your distribution strategy. Enrollment in KDP Select is the important extra decision. During its 90-day term, the digital edition must be exclusive to the Kindle Store, with the exceptions described in Amazon’s terms. That means you cannot also sell that ebook file through Gumroad while the Select term is active.
Print editions can still be distributed elsewhere. If you want to experiment with direct ebook sales, verify the title’s current Select status and renewal setting first. Plan the change around the term end rather than removing a live listing mid-campaign.
Run a small, measurable test
Start with one edition and one clear promise. If direct sales fit your rights and audience, build a simple page that says what the reader gets, which file formats are included, and how delivery works. Link to it from one email or article. Keep a separate retailer link for readers who prefer their usual store.
Review more than revenue after a few weeks. Note the share of visitors who buy, the questions buyers ask, refund requests, and how much support time the channel takes. Keep the route that serves readers reliably; change the page or offer if people arrive but hesitate.
- Confirm digital distribution rights and Select status
- Test the checkout and download as a buyer
- Track sales and buyer questions by channel
Sources
Platform details were checked on 2026-10-26. Review the current terms before making a distribution decision.