Selling your books from your own page is getting easier. This autumn, four storefronts for authors have news: AuthorLoft (22 October update), Quilltips (15 October update), BookSpace (the new name for Books.by, October letter) and The Bookshelf (home page). This post does not rank them. It gives you four questions to ask any storefront before you sign up, with these four as examples.

The lesson: check the fee, the seller, the shipping and your KDP Select status before you list a single book.

Question 1: what is the fee

Do the sums on the stated percentage only. On a 15-dollar paperback, a 15% fee is 2.25 dollars and a 10% fee is 1.50 dollars.

  • AuthorLoft says it "takes 0% of your sales on every plan", but Stripe's card fee still applies, "typically 2.9% + 30¢" in the US. Its Free plan sells ebooks only. Print and audio need a paid plan.
  • Quilltips says it charges a 15% platform fee, or 10% on Quilltips Plus at 4.99 dollars a month.
  • BookSpace: the fee is not stated in its letter. Check its pricing page.
  • The Bookshelf says "Regular annual subscription pricing begins December 1st, 2026". Until then it shows 199 dollars "While Early Adopter Phase Lasts".

Question 2: who is the seller, and who handles tax

The seller of record is the one responsible for the sale and for any sales tax or VAT.

  • AuthorLoft: "You are the seller of record." It collects tax only if you turn on Stripe Tax in your own Stripe account.
  • Quilltips: not stated in the update. Check its terms.
  • BookSpace: not stated in the letter.
  • The Bookshelf says it "handles sales liability, sales tax collection and remittance".

Question 3: who prints and ships

  • AuthorLoft: "You print and ship the copy yourself."
  • Quilltips names "a print-on-demand partnership with Lulu" and lists signed copies as something you can sell. Audiobooks are only a future idea for now.
  • BookSpace promises "lower printing costs" before the end of 2026 and hardcovers in early 2027. Those are promises, not live features.
  • The Bookshelf uses Bookvault for print on demand and BookFunnel for ebooks and audiobooks.

If you plan to sell signed copies, our post on ordering KDP author copies early covers the ordering side.

Question 4: is your ebook in KDP Select

This one matters most. KDP's Select enrollment page says: "During the 90-day enrollment period, the Kindle eBook can only be distributed through KDP and public libraries. However, you can continue to distribute print, video, or other formats of your title elsewhere."

The KDP Select FAQ adds that you "cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, blogs, etc."

So a Select ebook cannot go on any of these four storefronts, or your own site, during its 90 days. Paperbacks and signed copies can. BookFunnel, in its 15 October blog post, calls signed physical copies "one of the cleanest direct-sale offers you can run regardless of your ebook's enrollment status."

Watch the renewal. The enrollment page says every enrolled ebook "is automatically renewed unless you turn off automatic renewal". The KDP Terms, Addendum A (last updated 21 October 2026) say the same. To sell the ebook direct, turn renewal off and wait for the term to end.

For audio, KDP's Select help page says ACX enrollment adds no extra KDP exclusivity. An audiobook with virtual voice stays exclusive along with the ebook.

All pages above were checked on 6 November 2026. The KDP help pages show no updated date.

Before you sign up

Write the four questions on a card. Answer each one from the storefront's own pages. Where a page does not say, write "not stated" and ask them before you list.