Before You Spend a Dollar, See These 20 Places You Can Publish a Book for Free

Please list 20 free platforms and sites for self-publishing books.

Here’s a list of 20 free platforms and sites where you can self-publish books — including options for eBooks, print-on-demand, community publishing, and free hosting/distribution:

📚 Major Retail & Aggregator Publishing Platforms

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) – Publish eBooks and print books globally for free on Amazon with royalty options. (buildmystory.com)

2. Barnes & Noble Press – Free self-publishing for eBooks and print, sold on B&N and NOOK. (Kitaboo)

3. Apple Books for Authors – Publish eBooks directly to Apple’s bookstore at no upfront cost. (buildmystory.com)

4. Google Play Books Partner Center – Free publishing to Google’s ebook store worldwide. (buildmystory.com)

5. Kobo Writing Life – Publish eBooks to Kobo’s international marketplace for free. (Reedsy)

6. Draft2Digital – Free aggregator that distributes your book to multiple retailers and libraries. (buildmystory.com)

7. Smashwords – Long-standing free eBook self-publishing platform (now part of Draft2Digital). (Wikipedia)

8. PublishDrive – Free for one book forever; distributes to many stores and libraries. (buildmystory.com)

9. Lulu – Free to publish eBooks and print-on-demand books, with optional distribution services. (buildmystory.com)

🌐 Community & Free Access Publishing

10. Wattpad – Publish stories and books for free; great for building an audience (no direct royalties). (deepscienceresearch.com)

11. Royal Road – Free platform focused on serial fiction and reader engagement. (Reddit)

12. Inkitt – Free site to publish novels and get reader feedback (may offer discovery deals). (Reddit)

13. Ourboox – Publish interactive eBooks with multimedia (completely free). (Wikipedia)

14. Matrubharti – Free platform for authors to publish in Indian languages and English. (Wikipedia)

15. Scribd (Document Upload) – You can upload your book as a document to share or embed (free option). (Wikipedia)

🛠️ Alternative or Indie Distribution & Direct Sales

16. Gumroad – Not a traditional bookstore but lets you sell or offer books direct to readers, with 90% earnings. (bookbelow.com)

17. Payhip – Sell or distribute digital books directly on your own terms (you can offer for free). (bookbelow.com)

18. Leanpub – Create and publish books (especially tech/education) with a pay-what-you-want model. (ShoutMeLoud)

19. BookRix – Free self-publishing site with social community focus and eBook distribution. (ShoutMeLoud)

20. Archive of Our Own (AO3) – Not a retail publisher, but a free place to publish fiction publicly and build readership. (Reddit)

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💡 Tips for Choosing Platforms

• Retail reach vs free access: Platforms like KDP, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play put your book in major stores (and readers can buy it), whereas places like Wattpad or Ourboox are excellent for free readership and audience building. (buildmystory.com)

• Wide distribution: Aggregators like Draft2Digital and Smashwords help you publish once and distribute everywhere without extra uploads. (buildmystory.com)

• Direct sales & control: Tools like Gumroad/Payhip let you set pricing — including permanently free — and keep most earnings. (bookbelow.com)

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