If you've ever wondered why almost every self-publishing conversation eventually circles back to Amazon, here's the number that explains it: Amazon controls roughly 83% of the US ebook market. Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo — combined — don't come close.
But here's the part that surprises a lot of people, and it's not the part you'd expect. Amazon doesn't win because it pays authors the best rate. In many cases, it doesn't.
Apple Books and Kobo both pay a flat 70% royalty on ebooks with no delivery fee. Amazon's advertised "70%" only applies within a $2.99–$9.99 price band, and it comes with a per-megabyte delivery fee that can quietly bring the effective payout down to around 55% for some files. On a pure percentage basis, Apple and Kobo are often the better deal.
So why does Amazon still dominate?
Volume. Even at a lower effective royalty percentage, Amazon's sheer reach means most authors still earn more total dollars there than anywhere else — because that's where the readers are. A 55% cut of a much bigger pie usually beats a 70% cut of a much smaller one. That's the entire story of Amazon's market power in one sentence: it isn't the rate, it's the reach.
This is genuinely useful to understand, especially if you're new to publishing and assume "highest percentage" automatically means "best platform." It doesn't. The right move for most authors isn't choosing Amazon or the others — it's understanding what each platform is actually good for. Amazon for reach and Kindle Unlimited page-read income. Apple and Kobo for higher royalties and international audiences. Barnes & Noble for a foothold in physical US retail. Many authors eventually go "wide" — publishing everywhere at once — specifically to capture higher rates elsewhere while keeping Amazon's audience, too.
None of this is a reason to fear the platform or feel locked out. It's the opposite: once you understand that Amazon's advantage is distribution, not generosity, you can make sharper decisions about where your books actually belong.
Sources
- EarnifyHub — "Amazon KDP Review 2026: Is It Still Worth It?": earnifyhub.com/learning-guides/amazon-kdp-review-self-publishing-2026
- Book Builder — "Self-Publishing Royalties 2026: Real Rates, All Platforms": book-builder.net/blog/self-publishing-royalties-compared
- Parkbury & Dunn Author Services — "Book Royalties Explained: How Much Do Authors Make in 2026?": parkburydunn.com/book-royalties-explained-how-much-do-authors-make-in-2026
KL Adams is a literary blogger and fiction writer specializing in dark fantasy, vampire fiction, and paranormal romance. Follow on WordPress, Inkitt, and Wattpad for reviews, reading lists, and stories that haunt you long after the last page.