Going Wide With Publishing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com

After years in traditional publishing, going wide with my self-published books felt scary at first. But limiting yourself to one retailer means missing readers who shop elsewhere, and I’ve discovered that reaching a broader audience is worth the extra effort.

Libraries Became My Best Discovery Tool

I never expected library distribution to matter much, but it’s become one of my favorite parts of going wide. I use PublishDrive (Draft2Digital also offers the library market)to get my books into library systems, and those readers often become some of my most loyal fans. They’ll check out my older books from the library, then buy my newer releases directly. It’s not about lost sales—it’s about introducing my work to people who might never have found it otherwise. Libraries also appreciate simple series information and clear metadata that helps librarians recommend books to patrons.

International Sales Surprised Me

IngramSpark‘s global distribution for print reaches readers I would never have connected with through a single retailer. Ingram has printers overseas, so the cost of shipping books to readers is much lower than what Amazon can provide.  International sales build slowly, but they’ve provided surprising stability over time. I learned to research appropriate pricing for different markets instead of just using automatic conversion rates. This small extra effort makes books more accessible to readers in other countries, and those sales add up more than I expected.

Different Formats Reach Different People

Here’s something I didn’t realize at first—audiobook listeners and ebook readers don’t really overlap much. By offering multiple formats, I’m essentially expanding my audience for the same content rather than competing with myself. Hardcover library editions give my books a longer shelf life than paperbacks alone. I’ve explored audiobook platforms like ACX , and expanded print options through IngramSpark for broader format coverage.

The Learning Curve Was Worth It

Wide distribution definitely involves more work upfront—formatting challenges, different metadata requirements, and plenty of trial and error. But the creative and financial freedom I gained made this learning process worthwhile. My approach keeps evolving as I figure out what works best for my specific books and readers. The biggest advantage is having flexibility to adjust strategies as the publishing industry changes.

Start Small and Build Up

You don’t need to jump into every distribution channel at once. I started with one or two new platforms, learned their requirements, then gradually added others as I got comfortable. This approach kept me from feeling overwhelmed while building my knowledge systematically. Each platform has its quirks, but you learn them as you go.

Going wide takes more initial effort than exclusive arrangements, but the long-term benefits keep building over time.

What’s been your experience with different distribution platforms?