Why I Never Gave Amazon Control Over My Books — And What I Did Instead

By Trish Key | TrishKey Publishing

When most people decide to self-publish, the first name they think of is Amazon.

That makes sense. Amazon is the dominant force in digital book publishing. They have an enormous built-in readership, a platform that most readers already trust, and an entry process that is genuinely simple. You upload your file, set your price, and within 24 to 72 hours your book is live on one of the most visited websites in the world.

It sounds like the obvious choice. For TrishKey Publishing, it was not even the first choice.

Here is why — and what I did instead.

What Amazon Actually Offers

Let me be fair about this, because Amazon KDP is not a bad platform. It is a powerful one. And for certain authors in certain situations, it makes real sense.

KDP gives you access to Kindle Unlimited — a subscription service that pays you per page read, placing your book in front of readers who might never have found you otherwise. It handles fulfilment for both digital and print-on-demand paperbacks. It processes payments, manages returns, and provides basic analytics. For a first-time author who wants to get a book in front of readers as quickly as possible with the least possible friction, KDP delivers on that promise.

But here is what KDP also does — and what most first-time authors do not fully understand until they are already in the system.

The Trade-Off Nobody Talks About Clearly

When you publish through Amazon KDP and use their free ISBN, Amazon is listed as the publisher of record on your book. Not you. Not your publishing brand. Amazon.

When a reader buys your book on Amazon, Amazon owns that customer relationship. The buyer's name, their email address, their purchasing behaviour — none of that comes to you. You get a royalty payment. Amazon gets a customer.

When Amazon changes its algorithm — and it does, regularly and without warning — your visibility can disappear overnight. You are entirely dependent on a platform that has no obligation to keep you visible, prioritise your titles, or maintain the terms you signed up under.

And if you enrol in KDP Select, which is required to access Kindle Unlimited, you agree to exclusivity. Your eBook cannot be sold anywhere else. Not on Apple Books. Not on Kobo. Not on your own store. Amazon becomes your only digital sales channel — and the 30 to 65 percent they take from every sale is the price of that access.

"Amazon is rented land. Your own store is property you own."

That is the trade-off. And it is one I was not willing to make.

What I Did Instead

I built TrishKey Publishing's primary home on a platform I control — a direct sales store where every transaction belongs to me, every customer relationship belongs to me, and every decision about how my books are presented, priced, and delivered belongs to me.

When a reader buys through TrishKey Publishing directly, I know who they are. I have their email address. I can tell them when the next book is ready, offer them a bundle, invite them into a community, and build a genuine relationship with the people who read and value my work.

That email list — built one direct sale at a time — is the most valuable publishing asset I own. More valuable than any Amazon ranking. More valuable than any Kindle Unlimited page-read revenue. Because it is mine, and no algorithm change can take it away.

For distribution beyond my own store — because wide distribution still matters — I use platforms that respect my independence. Draft2Digital places my eBooks on Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and yes, Amazon, without requiring exclusivity and without taking ownership of my publishing identity. IngramSpark distributes my paperbacks to bookstores and libraries worldwide. I show up on Amazon as one retailer among many — not as a tenant on their land.

The ISBN Decision

This philosophy extends to how I handle ISBNs.

Every format of every TrishKey Publishing title carries an ISBN purchased directly from Bowker — the official US ISBN agency — and registered under TrishKey Publishing as the publisher of record. Not Amazon. Not any distribution platform. TrishKey Publishing.

That single decision means that in every database, every library catalogue, and every retail system in the world, the publisher of these books is TrishKey Publishing. That is how a publishing brand builds real, lasting credibility. Not by publishing under someone else's umbrella, but by owning every element of the publishing identity from the beginning.

What This Means for You

I am not telling you never to use Amazon. I am telling you to use it on your terms — not theirs.

Start with your own store. Build your email list. Own your customer relationships. Use Amazon as one of many distribution channels, not as your entire publishing strategy.

Because the difference between a successful self-published author and one who is entirely platform-dependent is not talent. It is not even platform size. It is the decision, made early, to build something that belongs to you.

TrishKey Publishing was built on that decision. Every resource we create teaches first-time authors to make it too.

Start building your independent publishing business with TrishKey Publishing →