International publishing can mean two different things: distributing your existing English-language book to readers in other countries, or publishing translated editions in other languages. This article focuses on the first — the distribution side — because it's the starting point, it's often free, and most authors haven't fully exploited it.

Translated editions require significant investment in translation and production; we cover that in other articles in this series. Distribution of your English book internationally is largely already done if you're on the major platforms — the question is whether you're optimizing it.

The Simplest Approach: You're Already There

If you're a self-published author using Amazon KDP, your ebook is already available internationally. Amazon operates distinct national marketplaces — Amazon.com (US), Amazon.co.uk (UK), Amazon.ca (Canada), Amazon.de (Germany), Amazon.fr (France), Amazon.co.jp (Japan), Amazon.com.br (Brazil), Amazon.com.au (Australia), Amazon.in (India), and others. KDP distributes to all of these automatically.

What this means practically: an American reader who discovers you through KDP, and a UK reader who searches Amazon.co.uk, and an Australian reader on Amazon.com.au can all find and buy your ebook without you doing anything beyond the initial upload. The international sales are happening whether you're aware of them or not.

The question is whether you're pricing appropriately for each market, whether your book metadata is optimized for each marketplace's search algorithms, and whether you're running any marketing in international markets.

Ebook Distribution Beyond Amazon

Amazon KDP covers the largest single distribution network, but a significant portion of international ebook readers buy through other platforms. Two aggregators reach the most ground with a single upload:

Draft2Digital

Draft2Digital distributes to Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Scribd, Tolino (Germany), Vivlio (France), Overdrive (library lending), and numerous smaller retailers across 50+ countries. For authors who aren't in KDP Select (Amazon's exclusivity program), Draft2Digital is the standard complement to Amazon — one upload reaches the major non-Amazon platforms globally.

D2D's interface is clean, their formatting tools are good, and they pay royalties on a predictable schedule. The commission is 10% of your royalty — meaning you receive 90% of what the retailer pays out. For most authors, D2D is the first stop after KDP for wide distribution.

PublishDrive

PublishDrive reaches over 400 stores and library systems across 100+ countries, including regional platforms in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America that Draft2Digital doesn't cover. It's particularly useful for authors who want to reach markets in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and other regions where neither Amazon nor Apple Books dominate.

PublishDrive charges either a commission model or a flat monthly subscription for high-volume authors. For authors publishing multiple books or working in markets where regional platforms matter, the subscription model can become cost-effective.

Key Non-English-Language Markets

Even before you translate, understanding which non-English markets exist and how they work helps you allocate attention intelligently.

Germany

Germany is one of Europe's largest book markets and has a substantial English-reading population — particularly for genre fiction, business books, and non-fiction. The dominant German ebook platform is Tolino (reached via Draft2Digital), a consortium of major German booksellers. Amazon.de is also significant. For English-language books with crossover appeal, Germany can generate meaningful sales without translation.

France

France has a strong domestic publishing culture and a smaller but real English-reading audience. Vivlio is the primary non-Amazon French ebook platform. For French-language editions, translation is almost always necessary to reach meaningful readership — the French-language book market is large but has lower English adoption rates than Germany.

Canada and Australia

Both English-speaking markets are already covered by your Amazon and Draft2Digital distribution. Kobo is particularly strong in Canada — Canadian ebook readers disproportionately use Kobo relative to the US. If you're targeting Canadian readers, Kobo visibility matters more than it does in the US market.

United Kingdom

Covered by Amazon.co.uk and the same Draft2Digital distribution. The UK book market is large and English-language, but has distinct tastes — particularly in crime fiction and literary fiction. UK pricing norms differ from US norms (books are typically priced in pounds at parity or slightly below dollar pricing, not at currency conversion rates).

Brazil and Latin America

Brazil is the largest book market in Latin America. Amazon.com.br is well-established, and there is a growing ebook market. English-language books find modest readership; Portuguese-language translation significantly expands reach. Spanish-language distribution (Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and the broader Latin American market) is well-served by Amazon's Spanish-language marketplace and aggregators.

Japan

The Japanese ebook market is large and growing, with several platforms competing alongside Amazon. Rakuten Kobo has a significant market share in Japan — Rakuten is the Japanese e-commerce giant that owns Kobo globally. BookLive, Honto, and other Japanese-specific platforms serve readers outside the Amazon ecosystem. PublishDrive reaches some of these platforms. For meaningful Japanese market presence, Japanese-language translation is generally required.

China

The Chinese book market is massive but largely inaccessible to international self-publishers without local partners. Simplified Chinese translation and distribution requires either a Chinese publisher (through rights licensing) or engagement with Chinese-specific platforms that are not accessible through standard international aggregators. This market is better approached through rights licensing than direct self-publishing.

Print Distribution Internationally

Print-on-demand (POD) is the key to international print availability without warehouse costs. Two systems cover most of the global print market:

IngramSpark

IngramSpark is the industry-standard professional POD platform, with print facilities in the US, UK, Germany, and Australia. A book uploaded to IngramSpark is available to order from virtually any bookstore worldwide that uses Ingram's wholesale distribution system — which is nearly all of them. IngramSpark is the most important platform for global print availability.

UK and Australian printings ship from local facilities, meaning UK and Australian readers receive books without international shipping costs — dramatically improving the commercial viability of print sales in those markets.

KDP Print

Amazon's print-on-demand service distributes to Amazon marketplaces internationally, but books are printed in US facilities for most markets, resulting in international shipping costs that make pricing difficult. KDP Print is best for the US market; IngramSpark is better for global print distribution.

Platform-Specific Strategies

  • Kobo: Run Kobo promotions for Canada and UK readers. Kobo has a direct promotional program for indie authors (Kobo Writing Life promotions) that can significantly boost visibility in Canadian and British markets.
  • Tolino (Germany): Germany's largest ebook retail consortium. Distributing through Tolino via Draft2Digital puts you in front of German-language readers who prefer not to use Amazon.
  • Apple Books: Strong in the UK, Australia, and Canada among Apple device users. Ensure your Apple Books metadata is optimized — Apple's search algorithm differs from Amazon's.
  • Scribd and Storytel: Subscription reading services with strong European and international followings. Distribution through aggregators usually covers these.

Pricing in Other Currencies

Many authors set prices in USD and let platforms convert automatically. This is convenient but often produces awkward pricing — $4.99 USD might convert to £3.94 or €4.62, neither of which is a natural price point in those markets.

Amazon KDP and most aggregators allow you to set prices manually in local currencies. Setting a clean local price (£3.99, €4.99) looks more professional and aligns with local market conventions. Review and adjust your international prices deliberately rather than relying on automatic conversion.

Marketing in Other Countries

Distribution makes your book available; marketing creates discovery. A few channels matter most for international readers:

  • Facebook and Instagram: Facebook advertising remains dominant in most international markets and can be targeted by country. Running ads in English to English-speaking international markets (UK, Australia, Canada) is straightforward. Ads to non-English markets in other languages require translated creative.
  • BookTok: TikTok's book community is international. UK, Australian, and European BookTok audiences follow many of the same creators as US BookTok. A video that performs well in the US will surface to international audiences naturally.
  • Regional book blogs and Bookstagram accounts: In Germany, France, Brazil, and other large markets, there are active book communities on Instagram. Connecting with reviewers in these communities requires local-language engagement.

When Rights Licensing Makes More Sense

For non-English markets, self-distributing an English-language book has limited reach. Readers who don't read English fluently can't buy your book regardless of how well-distributed it is. For these markets, rights licensing — where a local publisher pays you for the right to publish a translated edition — is often a more productive approach than direct distribution.

Rights licensing handles translation, local production, local distribution, and local marketing — all managed by a publisher with local market knowledge. The tradeoff is that you receive a smaller share of revenue than direct publishing, and you lose control over the edition. For markets where language is a barrier, it's usually the right tradeoff.

Whatever markets you're targeting, your source text quality determines what those markets experience. EditRoast provides editorial feedback that ensures your manuscript is performing at its best before it reaches new audiences worldwide.