Publishing books online vs. in bookshops: How authors can really earn money

The question, where and how to publish your book, today is more complex than ever. In addition to traditional book publishers and self-publishing platforms, there are now a large number of Online reading platforms, where stories can be published directly and read by a community.

But which option is really financially worthwhile? And where is the greater potential for long-term income as an author?

In this article, we compare both ways - from Wattpad to BoD, from community platform to print-on-demand - with a focus on Monetisation opportunities for authors.

1. online reading platforms: Writing for the community

Online reading platforms are mostly social networks for reading and writing. The focus here is not on selling a book, but on sharing and growing with an active community. Many authors use it as a Springboard, to gain your first readers, get feedback or build a name for yourself.

Wattpad - reach yes, revenue hardly

Wattpad is probably the best-known reading platform in the world. It offers authors the opportunity to publish stories for free and build an audience.

However: You can only earn money here if you are one of the absolute top authors. The monetisation programme will not freely offeredbut selected by the Wattpad editorial team. Only authors with a very high reach - sometimes millions of views - are proactively invited, for example via the Wattpad Stars- or Paid Stories-programme. For everyone else, Wattpad remains first and foremost a platform for visibility, not for revenue.

Advantages:

• Large international community
• Direct contact with readers
• Potential discovery by publishers or film studios

Disadvantages:

• Little or no monetisation
• Content remains the property of the authors, but platform rights are sometimes far-reaching
• Enormous competition

Inkitt - Monetisation via subscriptions

Inkitt combines a reading platform and self-publishing approach. Readers can subscribe to stories here, similar to Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee.

However, this system only works if you have already built up a very active community - the willingness to pay is limited, and authors have to invest a lot of commitment in order to generate long-term income.

Advantages:

• Good platform structure and simple publication
• Subscription system for fans possible
• Potential inclusion in Inkitt's own publishing house (Galatea)

Disadvantages:

• Revenue only with a large community
• Dependence on platform algorithms
• Limited visibility for new authors

Story Ban - explicitly non-commercial

Story Ban pursues a different approach: The platform is non-commercial and sees itself as a free space for literary exchange. Authors are allowed to publish neither advertising nor reading samples for sales purposes, and monetisation is expressly excluded.

Advantages:

• Independent, ad-free platform
• Ideal for hobby authors and creative experiments

Disadvantages:

• No income opportunities
• Limited range

Colibli - Chapter-based remuneration

An interesting exception is Colibli. Here automatically earn authors on every chapter they access. This means that even smaller stories can be worthwhile as long as they are read regularly. This model is particularly exciting for authors who publish regularly and want to build up a continuous readership.

Advantages:

• Fair, transparent remuneration
• Direct link between activity and revenue
• No obligation to subscribe or advertise

Disadvantages:

• New platform with limited reach
• Revenue dependent on reading frequency

2. book trade & print-on-demand: control over price and royalties

While reading platforms often score points for their reach Print-on-demand services (PoD) the great advantage that authors earn directly from every book sold. Here each copy is only printed when ordered, This means that there are no upfront costs for storage or minimum print runs.

Advantages of print-on-demand

• Full price control: Authors set their own sales prices and margins.
• No upfront costs: We only print what is ordered.
• Availability in bookshops: Titles can be published via ISBN in online and stationary trade.
• Professional appearance: The cover, layout and ISBN are standardised and usually of high quality.

Disadvantages of print-on-demand

• Marketing is entirely the responsibility of the author. Without a community or advertising, hardly anyone will find the book.
• Costs for additional services: Proofreading, cover design, editing and typesetting usually cost extra.
• Technical hurdles: Depending on the provider, formatting and metadata are complex.

Tredition - free & transparent

Tredition is one of the few PoD platforms that completely free of charge works. Author:inside numbers No one-off fee, but still receive an ISBN and distribution via the book trade. Revenue is generated through sales, and the Royalties can be determined become.

Advantages:

• No entry costs
• Fair royalties
• Publication as print and e-book

BoD (Books on Demand) - Quality has its price

BoD is one of the best-known German self-publishing platforms. It impresses with its high print quality, broad distribution and good support options. However, all this comes at a price. BoD charges Set-up fees and partly Annual costs for certain packages.

Advantages:

• High quality print
• Reliable service
• Strong distribution (incl. Amazon, Thalia, Hugendubel)

Disadvantages:

• High entry costs
• Depending on the selected package

Tolino Media - technically sophisticated, but fair

Tolino Media in terms of price and concept between Tredition and BoD. The platform is particularly interesting for e-books, although the technical implementation is sometimes more complex, as format specifications and metadata must be adhered to very precisely.

Advantages:

• Strong presence in the German book trade
• Fair conditions
• Focus on digital books

Disadvantages:

• Technically sophisticated
• Less ideal for beginners

3. warning against „print subsidy publishers“

An important note for all those who would like to publish their book: Stay away from so-called print subsidy publishers.

These providers often advertise with terms such as „professional publication“ or „publishing contract“, but require several thousand euros for services that are available free of charge or at a lower price from reputable self-publishing platforms. They are no real publishers, as they do not assume any economic risk and generally do not offer any real marketing.

4 Conclusion: Visibility or self-determination?

Both ways have their justification - the decisive factor is your goal.

Goal	Recommendation
Build reach & community	Reading platforms such as Wattpad or Colibli
Generate revenue per sale	Print-on-demand (e.g. Tredition, BoD, Tolino)
Experiment & receive feedback	Story Ban or Wattpad
Publish as an author in the long term	Combination of PoD & community development

In short: If you want to make a living from your writing, there is no way around professional publication via bookshops in the long term - but reading platforms can be the perfect starting point to make you and your stories known.

Published by scribigo.de - the AI-supported text buddy for authors, students and publishers.