Updated June 15, 2026
More and more, Amazon and Amazon companies are encouraging or requiring authors and publishers to use them exclusively. Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) offers free ISBNs, KDP Select allows for extra marketing options, and ACX will allow budget-restricted publishers/authors a chance to get an audiobook created and produced for free in exchange for 50% of the profits. All of these options give authors opportunities that they would otherwise have to work harder for, but in exchange, they require that you agree to work with them exclusively. Let’s take a look at them one by one:
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): Free ISBNs, But With a Cost
This enticing offer “gives” a free ISBN to an author wanting to publish. But when you read the fine-print on the KDP site, you will see the following statements: “This free ISBN can only be used on KDP for distribution to Amazon and its distribution partners. It cannot be used with another publisher or self-publishing service.”
What a lot of self-publishing authors don’t realize is that by using an Amazon/KDP provided ISBN, your book will be tagged with an ISBN that belongs to Amazon. Even though the book and imprint will be registered at Bowker, Amazon owns that ISBN, and you cannot take the book to another service or make it available for distribution outside of the Amazon platform. You do not have distribution rights. Amazon owns those.
Amazon Exclusive Options Mean Limited Book Distribution
ACX Audiobooks and Audible
ACX audiobooks produced by ACX in exchange for a higher profit share are not offered outside of the Amazon properties. That means that yes, your audiobook is available at Audible, but NOT available through any Apple properties and NOT available to the library or bookstore markets. Libraries devote close to 24% of their materials budgets to audiobooks, and that share continues to grow.
KDP Select
KDP Select is a program where the publisher or author that uploads a book to KDP agrees to NOT make the ebook available anywhere else for at least 90 days. This 90-day exclusivity deal means that your ebook isn't available at libraries either, nor at Barnes and Noble (B&N) or on Kobo (the largest overseas ebook distribution and sales platform).
Learn More About Global Book Distribution for Indie Publishers
Amazon Nonexclusive Options
ACX and KDP do offer publishers/authors nonexclusive options. KDP can be used simply as a printer/POD option with an ISBN properly purchased from Bowker or another legitimate ISBN provider. ACX will allow outside produced files a more profitable share and not require exclusivity. (But producing an audiobook is not inexpensive…) KDP suggests but does not require signing up for KDP Select, which requires a 90-day exclusivity contract.
In both cases, the benefits of agreeing to exclusivity are attractive. They save you money and give you a higher level of exposure. Amazon seems to be everywhere…so why wouldn't you just save the trouble and go for it?
Well...
Changes in the Publishing Industry
It wasn't that long ago that the publishing industry was centered on large brick-and-mortar chains such as Barnes & Noble and Borders. At the time, Amazon was still an emerging idea whose long-term impact on publishing was far from certain. Looking back, it's easy to see how transformative Amazon would become, but in the moment, few truly anticipated the scale of that change.
The same major publishers that now depend heavily on Amazon’s ordering and online visibility once focused their attention on meeting the demands of those big bookstore chains. When Borders filed for bankruptcy and Barnes & Noble significantly reduced its ordering, many of those publishers had to rethink their entire sales and distribution strategies.
A similar shift has taken place in the digital space. In earlier years, BookBub was sometimes open to promoting titles that were exclusive to Amazon. Today, its model is built around broad availability. If your title is locked into exclusivity, you may be closing the door on valuable visibility and long-term growth.
And the lesson we can all take from this?
Limit or Avoid Exclusive Deals
Avoid tying any part of your publishing business to an exclusive arrangement. Relying solely on Amazon may seem practical right now—Kindle currently accounts for an estimated 68% to 83% of the U.S. ebook market, and around 60% globally. Audible also continues to dominate audiobooks. However, it's no longer the only major player; Spotify’s significant investment in audiobooks has greatly expanded the wider market for independent authors.
So why not simply streamline your efforts and commit everything to Amazon?
Because Kindle, Amazon, and Audible don't represent the entire marketplace. Libraries, bookstores, gift shops, big-box retailers, Apple, and many other outlets are important sales channels. Do you really want to overlook all of those options? And beyond that, there's the international market to consider. The United States represents only a portion of global readership, and there are ebook, audio, and print-on-demand solutions available worldwide.
Regardless of whether you believe Amazon will remain as dominant as it is today, there are compelling reasons to make your books available through every channel you can. IngramSpark offers one of the broadest online book distribution solutions, reaching Amazon, chain bookstores, independent bookstores, and libraries. You never know which opportunity might make a real difference for your publishing career, so it's wise not to close the door on potential book sales.
