A publisher instead of a dashboard
On Draft2Digital you are the publisher. With ShelfPublisher a publishing house with more than 1,000 titles publishes your paperback.
Alternatives 2027
The best Draft2Digital alternatives in 2027
Draft2Digital sends your book to the stores you choose, and you stay its publisher. Here are the alternatives for your paperback, compared by publisher, ISBN, bookstore reach and cost.
The short answer: the Draft2Digital alternative with a publishing house behind your paperback is ShelfPublisher. Orbita Media GmbH, with more than 1,000 titles and 2 million books sold, is the publisher of record, gives the book an ISBN from its own block and lists it in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from, Amazon included, for €20 to €35 per book, without an activation or yearly fee.
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Side by side
Draft2Digital alternatives compared: publisher, ISBN, bookstores, cost
Paperback terms, as each platform publishes them. Scroll sideways on a phone.
| Alternative | Publisher of the book | ISBN | Where bookstores can order it | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShelfPublisher | Orbita Media GmbH, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 titles | Included, from the publisher's own block, registered with complete metadata | Listed as a publisher's title in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from, Amazon included | €20 to €35 per book, once, no yearly fee; publisher, ISBN and listing included (pricing) |
| Amazon KDP | You; with a free KDP ISBN the imprint reads “Independently published” | Free KDP ISBN, usable only on KDP; your own costs 125 USD at Bowker (US) | Amazon; Expanded Distribution offers the paperback to distributors; KDP states that listing is up to the distributors and ordering up to each bookseller | Free to upload |
| Lulu | You; with a free Lulu ISBN the imprint is Lulu | Free for Global Distribution, with Lulu as imprint; your own costs 125 USD at Bowker (US) | Lulu Bookstore; Global Distribution to Amazon and other retailers | Free to upload; 4.99 USD one-time fee for Global Distribution; a proof copy must be bought and approved before retail distribution |
| Barnes & Noble Press | You; with a free B&N Press ISBN the publisher shown is “Barnes & Noble Press” | Free for print, valid only at B&N Press; your own costs 125 USD at Bowker (US) | Barnes & Noble and BN.com | Free to upload; author copies ship only within the US, payments in USD |
For comparison, Draft2Digital: you are the publisher of your own books, under a publisher name of your choice; a D2D ISBN cannot be used outside Draft2Digital; 20 USD activation fee, 12 USD a year for accounts that earn less than 100 USD a year. As of 7 November 2026, taken from the platforms' own pages: Draft2Digital FAQ, KDP ISBN and imprint, KDP Expanded Distribution, Lulu Global Distribution: free ISBN, imprint and fee, Lulu basics: proof copy, B&N Press ISBN FAQ, B&N Press author copies, B&N Press payment currency, Bowker ISBN prices. The platforms calculate the author's share on different bases, so their percentages cannot be compared side by side. Terms change: check the platform before you decide. Draft2Digital, Lulu, Barnes & Noble Press and Bowker are trademarks of their owners; Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing and KDP are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. ShelfPublisher is not affiliated with any of them.
Why authors look further
Three reasons authors look for a Draft2Digital alternative
An ISBN that is not tied to a service
A D2D ISBN stays with Draft2Digital's services. ShelfPublisher includes an ISBN from the publisher's own block.
One price, no yearly fee
€20 to €35 per book, paid once, with publisher, ISBN and wholesale listing included.
Ebooks and print
Keep your ebooks, give the paperback a publisher
ShelfPublisher publishes paperbacks. If your ebooks are distributed elsewhere, nothing about them has to change.
For the paperback, Orbita Media GmbH becomes the publisher: it issues the ISBN, reports the metadata and lists the book in the wholesale catalogs bookstores order from. Outside Amazon the paperback is then distributed only through the publisher, so other print editions of the same book end within three months; your own KDP edition may stay.
- Draft2Digital against ShelfPublisher, row by row: Draft2Digital vs ShelfPublisher
- Five platforms in one table: Self-publishing platforms compared
- Every comparison: Compare platforms
Also with ShelfPublisher
What else comes with a publisher
Earn by recommending
Recommend ShelfPublisher and earn 10% of the book royalties of the authors you bring, on every statement, with no time limit. Their own royalties stay untouched; you join in the portal.
A subscription for series
Publishing every month? A subscription gives you a fixed number of slots each month, cheaper per book than single slots (pricing).
One portal for every title
Status, quarterly sales statements, earnings and support tickets for each of your books in one place.
Bonuses and challenges
Weekly challenges, a league every season and a goal all authors reach together bring prizes: vouchers and Jokers. You redeem them at checkout as a discount on your next slots; with a subscription new bonuses arrive every week.
Book tracking in every subscription
Every subscription follows your books on Amazon: sales rank and stars every day, and an alert as soon as a 1- or 2-star review comes in.
Questions
Draft2Digital alternatives, answered
What is a good Draft2Digital alternative for print books?
For a paperback that bookstores can order from a publisher, ShelfPublisher: Orbita Media GmbH, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 titles, publishes it with an ISBN from its own block and lists it in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from. On Draft2Digital you are the publisher of your own book.
Does Draft2Digital charge fees?
Draft2Digital states a one-time activation fee of 20 USD and an annual maintenance fee of 12 USD for accounts that earn less than 100 USD a year. ShelfPublisher costs €20 to €35 per book, paid once, with no yearly fee.
Can I take my Draft2Digital ISBN to another platform?
No. Draft2Digital states that an ISBN it provides cannot be used anywhere outside its services. With ShelfPublisher your paperback gets an ISBN from the block of Orbita Media GmbH, included in the price.
My book is already on Amazon KDP. Can I publish it with you too?
Yes. Your own KDP edition, in print and on Kindle, may stay; switch off KDP Expanded Distribution for the book. It keeps its own ISBN, the free one from KDP or one of yours: the ISBN we allocate belongs to our edition only and may not be used on KDP or anywhere else. Editions with other services, such as another platform, distributor or wholesaler, end within 3 months after you start with us; if a contract binds you for longer, tell us. Name every current edition in your access request. We check each book before we promise anything.
Is a publisher the same as a distributor?
No. The publisher decides to publish the book, gives it its ISBN and imprint, pays for production and carries the risk. A distributor or wholesaler makes the finished book available to retailers and libraries and ships it when they order. At ShelfPublisher, Orbita Media is the publisher; the distribution runs through the wholesale channels. More in Amazon KDP vs a traditional publisher.
Read on
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