Unbeknownst to me before now, there are a lot of publishing platforms out there besides KDP, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books. In my defense, though, I haven't sought any out for years. When I made the decision to self-publish, I first looked into Smashwords, which is an aggregator. Its interface was awful. They now own Draft2Digital, so they have apparently caught up with the times. Nevertheless, they're still an aggregator. They convert your book to an epub, then distribute it to various retailers.
But here's the thing: How many copies will you sell through those sites? With my first two or three novels, I went wide, which at the time meant the big four. I've never sold a single copy through any site but Amazon. Where do people go to buy books online? Yes, you got it.
Draft2Digital also distributes to other sites as well, sixteen in all. Most I've never heard of. Most hardly anyone has heard of. And Draft2Digital doesn't allow any front or back matter, not even a title page! What? How "professional" your book will appear! Personally, I would hate that. I like having the usual book elements, along with an epigraph, a bio, and a list of my other books.
I go with KDP Select. The hell with any other booksellers. If I can't makes sales on Amazon, I'm sure not going to make any somewhere else. KDP Select rules me out of using other sites anyway. I don't have to go with Select, but why wouldn't I?
I think authors get excited about new, shiny things. I did. We're always looking for the magic formula. Jaded me, however, likes to simplify things. And I don't like wasting my time.
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