Writing a book seems like a hassle. But nowadays, anyone can become a published author; thanks to expert book writing companies such as Penguin Book Writers, people can hire a professional book writer/editor who is going to do the heavy lifting and write their book for them.
Easy enough, right? As soon as you are done writing your book, getting it edited, formatted, and designing a cover, what comes next? Publishing! Because what is the point of all that hard work when you haven’t even thought of publishing your book? Better late than never.
Publishing a book might seem like a costly and hectic procedure: consulting those agencies that manipulate you to go for your dream of becoming a published author and not to worry about the hefty fees, taking a lot of time to hire literary agents, with no guarantee if you would even like the end-product or if they would even be able to efficiently sale the copies. But what if I tell you that you can publish your book for free and make money out of it too?! Yes,
In this article, you will learn everything that you need to know about publishing your book for free and getting paid.
PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK FOR FREE
The freeway to publishing your book can take you down two routes. It is up to you to choose one of the two options: Traditional Publishing or Self-Publishing.
Traditional Publishing
There are several publishing houses that you can sign a contract with, they set you up with a literary agent and publish your book free of cost. Never pay a publisher to read, review or publish your book, it is usually a scam. Some of the biggest publishing houses are Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster.
Smaller publishing companies are sometimes called “indie publishers.” These can be easier to reach and often do not require a literary agent but have much less reach.
Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing
- Publishing houses take care of everything on your behalf and have a bigger reach to readers.
- Traditional publishing is a much slower process.
- The profit that you get on each sale is comparatively less as they are doing all your work for you.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing a book for free simply requires you to take matters into your own hands and publish your book by yourself with the help of an independent literary agent or a publisher. If you feel like you need to hire coaches or marketing specialists, then you need to pay some amount for that. An easier way is to consult book writing companies (such as Penguin Book Writers) who will write, edit and publish your book through leading platforms.
There are several ways to publish a book online for free.
Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing
- Self-publishing requires much more effort and there is no guarantee of enough outreach to readers.
- Self-publishing is a much faster process.
- Self-publishers get higher profits as they do not have anyone associated with them in the process.
20 WEBSITES TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK ONLINE FOR FREE
Wondering “How do I publish my book for free?” Here is a list of the 20 most popular websites, based on the cut of profit that they offer, where you can publish your book for free online. You can also check out the publishing format they offer and exclusivity (if you are allowed to sell your book through other sources or not). It is important to remember that these sites do not review your book, hence getting it written by a professional at a book writing company is a must so you know that your book is marketable.
Sites Offering 100% of Profit on Selling Your Published Book
| Site name | E-book Publishing | Print Publishing | Exclusivity |
| BookTango | YES | NO | No |
| Kobo | YES | NO | No |
| ZipSell | YES | NO | No |
| Fetch | YES | NO | No |
| Easy Digital | YES | NO | No |
| WooCommerce | YES | NO | No |
| Your own Website! | YES | YES | No |
Sites Offering 80-95% of Profit on Selling Your Published Book
| Site name | E-book Publishing | Print Publishing | Exclusivity |
| Payhip | YES | NO | No |
| Lulu | YES | NO | No |
| Scribd | YES | NO | No |
| Smashwords | YES | NO | No |
| Draft2Digital | YES | NO | No |
Sites Offering Up to 70% of Profit on Selling Your Published Book
| Site name | E-book Publishing | Print Publishing | Exclusivity |
| KDP – Amazon | YES | NO | Yes |
| Create Space – Amazon | NO | YES | Yes |
| Tradebit | YES | NO | No |
| Nook Press – Barnes & Nobel | YES | NO | No |
| Clickbank | YES | NO | No |
| Apple Books | YES | NO | Yes |
| Google Play | YES | NO | – |
| GumRoad | YES | NO | – |
After reading this article, you would have gotten an idea as to how and where you should get your book published online for free. Still, looking for some answers? Here are some frequently asked questions for your assistance.
Read More: How to Start a Publishing Company in 2025: A Step-by-Step Guide
FAQs
Can I publish a book for free?
Yes, you can definitely publish your book for free online. It is up to you to choose one of the two options: Traditional Publishing or Self-Publishing. Self-Publishing is a faster process that lets you keep all the profit to yourself, but that would require top-notch marketing, which is a challenging task. It might also cost to publish a book if you hire specialists to advertise and sell your published book. Still, there is no guarantee that you would be able to reach out to as many people. When it comes to Traditional publishing, you just sign a contract with a literary agent and a certain publishing house that take care of everything on your behalf. But they take a cut of the profits to themselves when sales are being done.
Where can I publish my book online for free as a beginner?
Book writing and publishing is no longer limited to professional or experienced authors only, nor does it require submitting hefty fees to the publishers. There are literally a number of ways and online sites where you can get your book published for free online. Being a beginner, the best way is to publish your book through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) from Amazon. Why? Because they take care of everything regarding the publishing of your book on your behalf. It is the simplest and the most efficient way to get a head start on authoring books because it is no secret that you get immense exposure when your product is on Amazon. According to the reviews of the best sellers, Amazon does better than any and all of its other sources.
As a beginner, an easier way is to consult book writing companies like Penguin Book Writers who will write, edit and publish your book through leading platforms.
Where can I publish my book online for free as an experienced author?
If you are an experienced author or someone who has decent recognition through their website or social media handles, then you do not need other sources (websites, publishing houses, etc.) in order to get your product across to the readers. You can do the writing, publishing, marketing and selling all by yourself through your self-hosted website, just find a suitable host for your website. In this way, you simply cut out the middleman and enjoy 100% profits!
How can I publish my book online for free through Amazon (KDP)?
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) of Amazon lets you upload your book file, create a book cover, format it, and publish your book online for free! It is known to be the best way to gain the most outreach for your book and hence, sell more E-books.
- Just go to the official website of KDP and create an account.
- Then click on “Publish E-book” which will direct you toward the next steps of uploading your book file.
How can I publish my book on my website for free?
In order to upload your book to your website and become a self-published author, follow these steps.
- You simply need to convert your E-book file into a PDF.
- After that, you need to create a private page on your website or simply upload your PDF to Google Drive (or your other preferred cloud storage).
How to get paid by publishing a book online for free?
If you published your book with KDP, your book will become available on amazon.com as a Kindle E-book. This may take a few days. You can also publish your book in a print format through Amazon – CreateSpace. ACX is for audiobooks. Both are absolutely free as well!
- When somebody purchases your book on Amazon, you will receive your payment through your KDP account that you set up while uploading the E-book. Payments can also be transferred directly into your bank account.
If you self-published your book on your website, follow these simple steps to initiate payment.
- Firstly, you would need an account on an online payment app (preferably PayPal or CashApp). But if you are on a paid, hosted website (such as WordPress.org), then you can set up an online shopping cart or store on your website, or sign up for one of the free websites mentioned above in the table, like Fetch. However, PayPal is probably the easiest way to go for your free website.
When someone purchases your book (by paying you through the payment app) you automatically give them your E-book by sending a zip file or link to a Google drive where you have uploaded it. Do check the tax laws in your country and state to ensure that you are abiding by all of them.
