Draft2Digital vs PublishDrive (2026): Fees, Stores and AI Rules Compared

Checked on 28 October 2026. Every fee, store and rule on this page comes from Draft2Digital's and PublishDrive's own pricing pages, FAQs and help articles, read that day and listed in Sources. Where the two companies' pages were silent or contradicted themselves, we say so rather than guess.

An aggregator takes one upload, sends your ebook to many stores and libraries, and pays you from one dashboard. For indie authors writing in English, the choice in 2026 usually comes down to two. Draft2Digital charges a share of every sale. PublishDrive charges a monthly fee and takes nothing from your sales. That difference decides most of the money; the rest comes down to which stores, formats and AI rules you need.

Below: fees, a calculator for the sales level where a flat plan beats a commission, reach, print, audio, AI rules, ISBNs, payouts and tools, then a verdict for each kind of author. If you are still deciding whether to leave Amazon's exclusive programme at all, start with our guide to publishing your ebook beyond Amazon, which compares going direct with using an aggregator.

Disclosure: Inkfluence AI is our product. It is a book writer, not a distributor, and we have no commercial relationship with Draft2Digital, PublishDrive or StreetLib. We mention our product where it helps you prepare files for either one.

Draft2Digital vs PublishDrive at a glance

The short version, from each company's own pages on 28 October 2026. Each row is explained further down.

How Draft2Digital charges you

Draft2Digital (D2D) has always worked on commission. Its FAQ says the company takes a "commission on book sales, which equates to approximately 10% of the retail price of every book sale." In practice the store keeps its share, D2D keeps its 10%, and you get the rest. Its royalty table shows what that means at each store. The percentages are of your list price, and D2D notes they are approximations because of rounding and exchange rates.

Since April 2026, D2D also charges two fixed fees. Its announcement of 14 April 2026 says new accounts pay a one-time activation fee of $20, which its FAQ calls non-refundable; existing accounts do not pay it. From 14 May 2026, accounts whose net proceeds (what D2D pays you, after its commission) total less than $100 over the preceding 12 months pay a $12 annual maintenance fee, billed on the account's anniversary. D2D's pricing page adds that the annual fee is "waived your first year", and the FAQ says accounts with no titles in distribution are exempt. D2D cited a rise in automated, low-quality accounts. We cover the reaction and what it means for existing authors in our Draft2Digital review.

Two smaller costs sit on the payment side. PayPal payouts cost 2.5% of the royalties paid, capped at $1.50 for US-based authors, and checks to a US address cost $2.50 per payment. Direct deposit carries no fee in the FAQ.

So D2D costs little until you sell, and every sale costs 10% of its price. For a catalogue selling hundreds of copies a month, that is hundreds of dollars a month, which is where PublishDrive's model starts to look better.

How PublishDrive charges you

PublishDrive works the other way round. On every plan it takes 0% commission, so you receive the store's whole royalty, and you pay a flat subscription instead. Its pricing help article lists five public plans:

Does PublishDrive take a percentage on the free plan? No. Its free plan page says "Since we don't take sales commissions, you keep 100% of your royalties", with no setup fee and no card required. The limits are what you give up: one ebook title, delivered to Apple Books, Barnes & Noble and Kobo only. This applies to signups after 24 February 2026.

Four details change the maths more than the headline prices do:

• Each format counts as a book. PublishDrive's help centre says the ebook, paperback and audiobook of one title "need to be treated as different books". A three-title series in ebook and paperback is six books, which is the Standard plan, not Starter.
• Print and audio on Starter are unclear. The free plan page and pricing article say Starter covers 3 titles "in any format (ebook, print, or audiobook)". An older help article says Starter supports only ebooks and print and audio start on Standard. Ask support before you buy Starter for a paperback.
• Above 48 books, prices are custom.
• Unpaid fees come out of royalties. A failed payment can suspend the account. New paid users get a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Extras cost more: Abacus, which splits royalties between co-authors, is $1.49 per title a month (first title free), and distribution to Ingram's print network carries "an additional annual fee of $10".

Fee calculator: commission or flat plan

Enter your monthly sales through an aggregator at list price (or copies and price), how many books you would upload, counting each format, and how you would pay PublishDrive. It compares D2D's commission with every PublishDrive plan and shows where each plan breaks even.

The break-even is the plan fee divided by 10%: $169.90 of monthly sales for Starter ($139.90 billed yearly), $249.90 for Standard ($209.90), $499.90 for Plus ($419.90) and $999.90 for Pro ($839.90). Only sales through the aggregator count, not KDP or your own shop.

Four worked examples

Fee arithmetic only, not sales predictions.

1. One ebook, $4.99, 10 copies a month at Apple, Kobo and B&N ($49.90 in sales). D2D's commission is about $4.99 a month, $59.88 a year, plus $20 if your account is new. PublishDrive Free costs $0, because one ebook to those three stores is exactly what the free plan covers. Winner: PublishDrive Free, by about $60 to $80 in the first year. Need Google Play or libraries too? Starter would cost $203.88 a year, and D2D wins.
2. A three-book ebook series selling $100 a month. D2D costs about $10 a month, $120 a year. Starter costs $203.88 billed monthly or $167.88 billed yearly. Winner: D2D, by $48 to $84 a year. Starter only pays off once those three books sell more than $139.90 to $169.90 a month.
3. Six ebooks selling $600 a month. D2D's commission comes to about $60 a month, $720 a year. Standard covers six books for $299.88 a year billed monthly, or $251.88 billed yearly. Winner: PublishDrive, saving about $420 to $468 a year. Add paperbacks and you need Plus (12 books) at $599.88 a year, still below $720.
4. A 30-book backlist selling $2,000 a month. D2D's commission is about $200 a month, $2,400 a year. Pro covers up to 48 books for $1,199.88 a year ($1,007.88 yearly). Winner: PublishDrive, by about $1,200 to $1,400 a year, before any difference in store reach.

D2D is cheaper for few books or modest sales; PublishDrive for a productive catalogue. To estimate sales outside Amazon, our ebook income calculator projects a catalogue from price and sales, and the royalty calculator shows the per-sale figure at each store. For setting the price itself, see how to price an ebook.

Store and library reach

Draft2Digital's stores

D2D's partners page lists Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the Smashwords Store (part of D2D since their 2022 merger), Bookshop.org, Fable, Gardners (a wholesaler), Tolino (the main ebook platform in German-speaking countries), Vivlio, Everand and Kobo Plus, plus Amazon by invitation only. For libraries it lists OverDrive (the service behind the Libby app), cloudLibrary, BorrowBox, Hoopla and Vivlio Libraries, all with published royalty rates. It is short, but it covers the stores where most wide indie authors earn outside Amazon.

PublishDrive's stores

PublishDrive's website says it reaches "50+ channels" covering "100s of stores and thousands of digital libraries worldwide"; its own comparison page puts it at 48 channels, 400+ stores and "240,000+ libraries in 100+ countries". Those are its own figures. Its help centre names many: Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Kobo Plus, Everand, Storytel, Bookmate, Dreame, Hoopla, OverDrive, Baker & Taylor, Odilo, Empik (Poland), iReader and Lazyjoy, Repro India, and Chinese stores including JD, DangDang and the library supplier CNPeReading.

China comes with conditions. PublishDrive's China terms say every book goes through "a mandatory censorship process overseen by the Chinese state", and a title unpublished after six months was probably rejected. Treat China as a bonus.

For readers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Western Europe, both reach the stores that matter except Google Play, which only PublishDrive offers. For Asian, Polish or Indian stores, or apps like Storytel, PublishDrive reaches further. For libraries, D2D publishes clearer rates, and our guide to getting your ebook into libraries compares every route, including going through Kobo Writing Life for OverDrive. For a store-by-store view of where indie ebooks actually sell, see where to sell ebooks in 2026.

Amazon, Kindle+ and Google Play

Amazon. Neither is a good route to Amazon. D2D is invitation only (60% from $2.99 to $9.99, else 30%, no ebook pre-orders). PublishDrive pays 60% on ebooks and 50% on paperbacks, and Amazon may change your retail price. KDP direct pays 70% from $2.99 to $9.99, so keep Amazon on KDP; our KDP royalties guide has the full rules.

Kindle+. Kindle Unlimited was renamed Kindle+ on 22 October 2026. PublishDrive says "participation in Kindle Unlimited is limited to authors who publish directly through KDP", and Kindle+ requires Amazon exclusivity, which rules out both aggregators for that title. Our Kindle+ guide for authors covers what changed, and KDP Select vs wide helps you decide which way to go.

Google Play. D2D does not distribute to Google Play at all. PublishDrive does on paid plans: you open your own Google Play publisher account and add PublishDrive as a service provider, and on a subscription plan Google pays you directly. Or upload direct; our Google Play Books guide walks through the Partner Center.

Print books

Both aggregators offer print on demand, both limited to paperbacks.

• D2D Print makes "perfect bound paperback books in black & white (grayscale)", according to D2D's FAQ, and says to expect "about 45% of the list price of your book minus the printing cost". Print books reach Amazon through D2D Print. There is no colour interior and no hardcover.
• PublishDrive prints paperbacks only ("we do not offer a hardcover option for print-on-demand books, only paperback") and sends them to Amazon at 50%, to Ingram's network (with an extra $10 annual fee), and to China Print and Repro India. Every print book needs its own ISBN, and its print converter is listed on paid plans.

If print matters a lot to you, neither is the strongest option. KDP Print covers Amazon, and IngramSpark reaches bookshops and libraries with hardcovers and colour; our IngramSpark vs KDP comparison sets those out, and how to create a print-ready PDF covers the files. Barnes & Noble has its own print route too, explained in our B&N Press guide.

Audiobooks

This is the clearest difference between the two.

Draft2Digital does not distribute audiobooks itself. Its site says it "continues to partner with Voices by INaudio" for audiobook distribution, so you sign up there and move your metadata across. D2D is also one of three partners named by Apple for its digital narration programme, which turns eligible English-language ebooks already on Apple Books into Apple-narrated audiobooks; Apple says not every nomination is accepted and excludes graphic novels, poetry and cookbooks.

PublishDrive distributes audiobooks directly, from the same dashboard as your ebooks, as long as your plan includes audio. Files are MP3 or M4B at 192 kbps or higher, each under 78 minutes. Its AI table lists which audio stores take AI narration:

PublishDrive can also request Apple's digital narration, free, once the ebook has been on Apple for six months. If you have an AI-narrated audiobook, PublishDrive's direct audio channels are the more useful of the two. For the wider picture, see where to sell an AI audiobook and Audible and ACX's AI narration policy.

AI policies, store by store

Draft2Digital: AI-assisted yes, entirely AI-generated no

D2D's content guidelines (last updated 27 October 2025) say: "While we support AI-assisted content we do not accept content that has been generated entirely by AI/LLMs that has not gone through extensive editing from a human." It may ask for "documentation of subject matter expertise for nonfiction content", and accounts uploading nonfiction across many topics "will need to show proof of subject matter expertise around each topic". It also refuses private label rights content, public domain works and fill-in journals. There is no AI disclosure field.

PublishDrive: declare it, then each store decides

PublishDrive makes the AI declaration mandatory for ebooks, audiobooks and print, covering text, translation, cover image and narration, each with four options from no AI to fully AI-generated. Its definitions are strict. Content is "AI-generated if an AI tool created it (text, images, a translation, or narration)", and editing it afterwards does not change that. Content is AI-assisted if "you created it yourself and used AI tools to help along the way". When unsure, PublishDrive says to "choose the option that describes more AI involvement". Undeclared AI content can get titles removed.

It also publishes the most useful single document we have found on AI rules: an acceptance table by store. The ebook rows on 28 October 2026:

For print, Amazon, China Print and Repro India accept declared AI-generated content; Ingram refuses works created solely with generative AI. A "Yes" does not override a store's own quality review. Kobo lists "wholly or partially AI generated" among its common rejection reasons (see our Kobo guide), and Apple asks for an "AI Generated by" credit; see our Apple Books guide. The full store-by-store picture is in which stores allow AI-written books and can you sell AI-generated books.

For a book drafted with AI: on PublishDrive, declare the text AI-generated even after rewriting, and switch off Everand and OverDrive. At D2D, send only books you have reworked line by line. Amazon's split is similar: our KDP AI disclosure guide explains the AI-generated and AI-assisted split there.

ISBNs

• Draft2Digital "will automatically assign an ISBN to any book published through our system free of charge", but those numbers "cannot be used outside" D2D's services.
• PublishDrive says "We don't assign any official ISBNs to books". Leave the field empty and you get its internal identifier, which most ebook stores accept. Some do not: its ISBN article lists bibliotheca, Gardners, Mackin, Hoopla, Baker & Taylor, Perlego and Empik for ebooks, and Findaway/Spotify, Gardners and Empik for audiobooks. Every print book needs an ISBN, and a print ISBN can only be used for print.

Canadians who want one number for every store can get it free from ISBN Canada, though registering now declares a human author (ISBN Canada's AI rule).

If you plan to use more than one route, or want your own imprint name on the listing, buy your own ISBNs. Our guide to ISBNs in 2026 explains when you need one and what it costs by country.

Payments and payout timing

Both pay roughly two to three months after a sale, because that is how long stores take to pay them.

Marketing, analytics, files and support

Marketing tools

• Draft2Digital lets you schedule price promotions and free promotions from each book's Promotion tab, set up pre-orders at the stores that support them, and create Smashwords Store coupons. Its partner Books2Read gives each book a free universal link.
• PublishDrive has price promotions, sales events, in-store featuring (from Standard), Written Word Media promotions, review copies, and an Amazon Sponsored Products manager. Its pricing article lists that on Plus; its help article calls it a beta with a 5% handling fee on ad funds you add.

Analytics

D2D shows "up-to-date sales reports for all of your sales channels" as charts. PublishDrive includes sales analytics on every plan, including Free.

Files and conversion

D2D converts a Word file into an EPUB and says "We guarantee that anything we produce will pass Epubcheck"; you can also upload your own EPUB. PublishDrive converts .docx to EPUB free, validates EPUB uploads, and does not convert PDFs free. For full control of the layout, upload a finished, validated EPUB; our ebook formats guide explains why EPUB is the format to send.

Translation

Neither company lists a translation service on 28 October 2026; PublishDrive's AI declaration simply asks whether a translation used AI. Make a second-language edition before you upload: our AI book translator drafts one inside your project, and Kindle Translate vs AI book translation compares the options.

Support

D2D describes "dedicated author support staff" for every account. PublishDrive gives Free users support and its help centre, and adds a customer success manager and priority support on Pro.

A third option: StreetLib

StreetLib, based in Italy, is still operating in 2026: its help centre was updated in July 2026 and describes distributing "ebooks, audiobooks, and print-on-demand to over 50 bookstores". It is strongest in Italy and the rest of Europe and runs the German BookRix platform. Its German help page says authors receive 70% of net revenue, meaning the price after VAT and the store's cut. Its content integrity guidelines say it may block books "created using artificial intelligence (AI) or automated processes that are not correctly categorized". We found no current English fee schedule. Consider it if Italian or other European stores matter to you. Our wide publishing hub compares all three alongside going direct.

Verdict by author type

Fiction or nonfiction? Series fiction tends to build the catalogue that makes a flat plan pay, and avoids D2D's nonfiction expertise check. Nonfiction on many unrelated topics with AI help should read D2D's guidelines first. Planning a series? Our guide to writing a book series with AI and the series authors page show how to keep characters and timelines consistent from book to book.

Our overall take. Start on D2D if you are new and sell modestly, unless one ebook to PublishDrive's three free stores is all you need. Move to PublishDrive when aggregator sales pass your plan's break-even, or when you need Google Play, wider audio or the Amazon ads tool. Before leaving Amazon exclusivity, read is KDP worth it in 2026 for the case for staying.

Using both, or switching

You do not have to pick one. PublishDrive says "you can use several distributors at the same time, since we don't ask for exclusivity". A typical split:

• Amazon: KDP direct (70% from $2.99 to $9.99).
• Apple Books, Kobo, B&N, Google Play: direct, for the full store royalty and instant price changes. Our guides to Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play take each one step by step.
• Libraries, Tolino and smaller stores: D2D, with the big stores switched off.
• Audio, China, Poland, India or subscription apps: PublishDrive, with the stores you already cover switched off.

The one rule: never send the same edition to the same store through two routes. Stores treat it as a duplicate; Kobo, for one, declines duplicates. To switch a book from one aggregator to the other, untick the store in the first, wait until the book has actually come down, then turn it on in the second. If you used D2D's free ISBN, you will need a new ISBN at PublishDrive, because D2D's numbers cannot be used outside its service. That is another reason to buy your own ISBNs if you expect to switch.

Where Inkfluence AI fits

Inkfluence AI is a book writer, not a distributor: it does not upload to any store, and it does not print or ship books. It gets your book ready for them:

• Write or import. Plan an outline and draft chapter by chapter with the AI book writer, or import a Word, EPUB, PDF, text or Markdown file you already have. Length is set by how many chapters you plan, roughly 1,000 to 1,500 words a chapter.
• Export what aggregators want. A reflowable EPUB with a table of contents, a DOCX (which PublishDrive converts free and D2D accepts), a PDF, and KDP print files with a full-wrap cover. The exporting help lists every option.
• Audio and translation. Chapter MP3s for stores that accept labelled AI narration, and translated editions for other language stores; see the translation help and the AI audiobook generator.
• Sell direct as well. Publish the ebook to your own Gumroad or Etsy shop from the Publish menu, with no aggregator in between.

The free plan lets you try it first. Creator ($9.99 a month or $89 a year) and Premium ($19.99 a month or $179 a year) remove Inkfluence branding from your exports and add more daily AI use and audiobook chapters; see pricing. Our guide to publishing AI-generated books on KDP and the self-publishing guide cover the rest of the path, and if you are racing the holiday season, check KDP's Christmas deadlines.

Draft2Digital vs PublishDrive: FAQ

Sources

All read on 28 October 2026. Store percentages are the aggregators' own published figures; Draft2Digital describes its percentages as approximations.

• Draft2Digital: FAQ (commission about 10% of retail, fees, payments, ISBNs, Amazon, D2D Print, AI nonfiction)
• Draft2Digital: Ebook royalty rates (store, subscription and library percentages)
• Draft2Digital: Understanding D2D's activation and maintenance fees (14 April 2026)
• Draft2Digital: Pricing (annual maintenance waived in the first year)
• Draft2Digital: Content guidelines (last updated 27 October 2025)
• Draft2Digital: Partners and How it works (stores, libraries, Voices by INaudio, sales reports)
• PublishDrive: How much does PublishDrive Distribution cost? (plans, prices, features, refunds)
• PublishDrive: Free publishing plan and Pricing (no commission; Abacus; Publishing Assistant)
• PublishDrive: Do different formats of the same title count as different books?
• PublishDrive: AI-generated/assisted/narrated, what to declare and how (acceptance table by store)
• PublishDrive: AI-generated vs AI-assisted content
• PublishDrive: Distributing to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
• PublishDrive: Distribution to Google Play Books
• PublishDrive: Distribution in China, special terms
• PublishDrive: Stores and its own comparison guide (channel and library counts are PublishDrive's claims)
• PublishDrive: Do I need an ISBN?
• PublishDrive: When can I expect my earnings?, How will I get paid? and Managing your payment threshold
• PublishDrive: Amazon Advertising
• PublishDrive: Hardcover and Ingram annual distribution fee
• PublishDrive: Uploading audiobooks and Apple Books digital narration
• PublishDrive: I don't have an EPUB and Working with other distributors
• Apple Books for Authors: Get started with digital narration (partners: Draft2Digital, Ingram CoreSource, PublishDrive)
• StreetLib: What you can do with StreetLib, Deine Ebook-Marge and Content integrity guidelines

Related reading

• How to publish your ebook beyond Amazon in 2026: every store, aggregator and AI rule
• Draft2Digital review (2026): the fees, the stores and who it suits
• Which stores allow AI-written books?
• How to get your ebook into libraries
• Where to sell ebooks in 2026
• Barnes & Noble Press guide
• The real cost of publishing an AI book
• How to turn an ebook into an audiobook with AI
• Audiobook length calculator
• From Google Docs to KDP