No personal seller account
Your edition is published by Orbita Media and listed through wholesale catalogs. There is no account of yours whose closure would take that edition offline.
An alternative to KDP
A KDP alternative that keeps Amazon and adds the rest of the trade
KDP is fast and it reaches Amazon's customers. It also means one account, one set of rules and one store doing most of the selling. ShelfPublisher puts a publishing house between your book and that single point of failure.
The difference in one sentence: on KDP you are the publisher of record and your book lives in your account; with ShelfPublisher, Orbita Media GmbH is the publisher of record, issues the ISBN and lists the paperback in the wholesale catalogs that bookstores, libraries and online stores order from, Amazon included.
Invitation only · Every request is read by a person
Side by side
KDP and ShelfPublisher compared
| Amazon KDP (paperback) | ShelfPublisher | |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher of record | You, as a self-publisher (with your own imprint name if you like) | Orbita Media GmbH, international publishing house with 1,000+ titles |
| Cost to publish | Free | One slot: €35, down to €20 per book in packages |
| Your share per copy | 60% of list price minus printing on Amazon at $9.99 or more (50% below), 40% minus printing via Expanded Distribution (KDP Help, Oct 2026) | 30% of the net revenue: what the trade pays us after discount, printing and returns |
| Bookstores and libraries | Through Expanded Distribution, which KDP says does not guarantee that distributors accept or stores order the book | Listed in the wholesale catalogs of every market you publish in |
| Formats | Paperback, hardcover, e-book, color | Paperback, black and white interior |
| Speed and control | You publish yourself, typically within days | Review by a person before publication |
| What your edition depends on | Your KDP account and Amazon's terms | The publisher's contract with the distribution channels |
KDP figures as published in KDP Help in October 2026. Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing and KDP are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates; ShelfPublisher is not affiliated with Amazon.
Why authors add a publisher
Three reasons not to rely on one account
Bookstores and libraries
Booksellers order from wholesalers. A real publisher and a publisher ISBN in those catalogs is what makes a book orderable there.
Amazon stays
Amazon orders from the same catalogs, so readers can still buy the book there. You add channels, you do not give one up.
Fair to say
Where KDP is the better choice
If you want a hardcover, color pages or a book online in a few days, KDP does that and ShelfPublisher does not. Many authors use both: KDP for their own Amazon editions, a publisher edition for the paperback in the trade. Because our licence is not exclusive, that is allowed; an identical edition with our ISBN on another platform is not.
- Already on KDP? Tell us in your request; we check each case
- Account suspended? Our guide KDP account terminated explains the official appeal routes first
Questions
Switching from or adding to KDP
How is this different from self-publishing on Amazon KDP or another self-publishing platform?
On KDP or a comparable self-publishing platform you are the publisher of record and you run the account, the metadata and the distribution settings yourself. With ShelfPublisher a real publishing house is the publisher of record: we issue the ISBN, file the metadata and set the title up with the wholesale channels, and your book is not tied to a retail account of yours.
The trade-offs are real. KDP, like several other self-publishing services, offers e-books, hardcovers and color printing, and you can publish within days and keep full control of every setting. We publish paperbacks only, in black and white, after a review by a person. The article KDP account terminated: what happens to your book compares both sides in detail.
Can my book disappear if an account is suspended?
Your edition is not tied to a retail account of yours: it is published by Orbita Media and listed through the wholesale catalogs, so there is no personal seller account whose closure would take the book offline.
Retailers and distribution channels still have their own content and metadata rules, and they decide what they list. A channel can refuse or remove a title that breaks its rules, which is why our review checks those rules before publication.
My book is already on Amazon KDP. Can I publish it with you too?
Tell us in your access request where the book is published already. We check every case individually: our terms name a title that is identical to one already published elsewhere as a possible reason for rejection, so we do not promise anything before we have seen your book and its current editions.
Will my book still be on Amazon?
Yes. Amazon is one of the retailers that order from the wholesale catalogs, so your book can be bought there as well. You do not need a KDP account for that edition.
Which formats can I publish?
Paperback with a glued binding, black and white interior, matte or gloss cover. For the international market the trim sizes are A5, 5 x 8, 5.25 x 8, 6 x 9, 6.14 x 9.21, 8.5 x 8.5, A4 and 8.5 x 11 inches, on white or cream 50 lb paper. For Germany, France and Spain there are nine metric sizes from A6 to A4 on white or cream 90 g paper.
Read more
Amazon and KDP, explained
Amazon KDP vs a traditional publisher: which is right for your book?
Amazon KDP vs a traditional publisher: who pays, who decides, royalties per copy, time to market and bookstore reach, with current KDP terms and sources.
Read the article
KDP account terminated: what happens and what you can do
KDP account terminated or suspended? What the KDP terms say about your books and royalties, how to appeal through official channels, and how to spread risk.
Read the articleAdd a publisher to your book.
ShelfPublisher is invitation only. Request access and tell us where your book is published today.
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