There’s a meaningful new distribution option for indie authors—and it’s especially interesting if you care about reaching readers who actively support independent bookstores.
Draft2Digital has announced that authors can now distribute their ebooks to Bookshop.org’s ebook platform, making those titles discoverable through more than 3,400 independent bookstores across the US and the UK.
Before we go any further, let’s clear up two important points.
Quick note: what is Draft2Digital?
Draft2Digital is a free publishing and distribution platform that lets authors upload a book once and then choose to send it to many different online retailers and library platforms from a single dashboard.
In this partnership, Draft2Digital is simply the service that delivers indie authors’ ebooks to Bookshop.org on their behalf.
This opportunity applies to:
- authors who already use Draft2Digital, and
- authors who may want to use it in the future to simplify multi-store distribution.
Stores and platforms you probably already know that Draft2Digital works with
To put this new channel in context, Draft2Digital already distributes ebooks to major platforms many indie authors recognize, including:
- Apple Books
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Scribd
- OverDrive
Bookshop.org is now being added as another ebook storefront alongside these established retailers and library networks.
First — this announcement is mainly about ebooks
This new partnership is focused on:
👉 ebook distribution to Bookshop.org
You must manually opt in inside your Draft2Digital dashboard for your ebooks to be included.
Important clarification about print books
If you already publish print-on-demand paperbacks through D2D Print, your print books are already purchasable on Bookshop.org.
In practical terms:
- 📘 Ebooks → new and require opt-in
- 📚 Print books via D2D Print → already available
This announcement is really about opening Bookshop.org’s new ebook marketplace to indie authors.
Why the Bookshop.org + Draft2Digital partnership matters
Bookshop.org launched in 2020 as an online retailer designed specifically to help independent bookstores compete online.
Readers can choose a local bookstore to support when they buy a book. When a purchase is made:
- the reader’s chosen bookstore receives Bookshop.org’s full profit, or
- if no store is selected, the sale contributes to a shared profit pool for all participating bookstores.
So far, Bookshop.org has generated over $44 million for independent bookstores.
In 2025 alone:
- independent bookstores earned more than $9.5 million, and
- that total includes over 200,000 ebook sales made through the Bookshop.org app.
By bringing Draft2Digital’s catalog to Bookshop.org, this partnership connects indie authors and indie bookstores in the same digital marketplace.
What authors earn from ebook sales on Bookshop.org
When a Draft2Digital-distributed ebook sells on Bookshop.org:
- ✅ the author royalty is 60% (the same rate as other major retailers in Draft2Digital’s network), and
- ✅ 100% of Bookshop.org’s ebook profit goes directly to the affiliated independent bookstore.
It’s one of the few ebook sales channels where both the author and local bookstores directly benefit.
How to distribute your ebooks to Bookshop.org
If you already distribute ebooks through Draft2Digital:
- Log in to your Draft2Digital dashboard
- You’ll see a pop-up announcing ebook distribution to Bookshop.org
- You must manually opt in
- You can choose to:
- add all eligible ebooks at once, or
- select titles individually
Your ebooks are not added automatically.
My take for indie authors
This is not going to replace Amazon or other large retailers.
But it does give you:
- a genuine non-Amazon ebook sales channel,
- a strong message for readers who prefer to support independent bookstores, and
- another destination you can confidently link to when promoting your ebooks.
For authors building an indie-first or community-focused brand, this is a very natural addition to your distribution strategy.
Need help preparing your book for channels like this?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by editing, illustrations, formatting, or the publishing process in general, Blue Crab Books supports indie authors with:
- professional editing
- children’s book and interior illustrations
- ebook and print formatting
- publishing support
The goal is simple: to help you focus on your story—while the technical and production side is handled for you.