Digital Publishing: Ebooks, Audiobooks and Print on Demand Explained
The short answer
Digital publishing means releasing your book as an ebook, an audiobook or a print-on-demand paperback, all made from one edited text. Nothing is printed until someone orders it, and you keep your rights. Start with the ebook and the paperback; add the audiobook once the book has readers.
Updated October 2026 · By Harmony Publishing
The three formats at a glance
| Format | What it is | How you are paid | Who it reaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ebook | A converted file (EPUB or Kindle format) | Royalty per sale: KDP offers 35% or 70% of the list price | A reader on a Kindle, phone or tablet |
| Audiobook | A narrated recording | Royalty per sale: ACX, 25% to 50% depending on exclusivity and royalty model | A listener on Audible, Amazon or Apple Books |
| Print on demand | A print-ready PDF and cover | A printing price per copy, taken from each sale | A buyer who wants a physical book |
Rates are the platforms' published terms, checked 22 October 2026; they change, so confirm on the platform before you decide.
Ebooks
An ebook is your manuscript converted to a reflowable file that readers open on a Kindle, phone or tablet. It is made once and sold without stock, shipping or reprints. Conversion matters: headings, the table of contents and images have to survive on small screens. See our ebook conversion service and the guide to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
How you are paid: on Amazon KDP you choose a 35% or a 70% royalty option for each ebook. The 70% option is calculated on the list price without VAT, less delivery costs, for sales to customers in eligible territories (35% elsewhere), and is open to in-copyright works only, not public-domain content.
Source: Amazon KDP, eBook Royalties, checked 22 October 2026
Audiobooks
An audiobook is a narrated recording of the book, either read by a person or produced with a synthetic voice. It needs a finished, edited text first, because every correction after recording means re-recording. See our audiobook production service.
How you are paid: on ACX, the Audible, Amazon and Apple Books route, a rights holder who distributes exclusively earns 40% on the legacy royalty model or 50% on the new one. Non-exclusive distribution, which lets you sell elsewhere too, earns 25% on the legacy model or 30% on the new one. ACX says the legacy model is being discontinued at year-end, so check which model your title is on before you compare offers.
Source: ACX Help, How royalties work, checked 22 October 2026
Print on demand
Print on demand (POD) is the printed side of digital publishing: your book exists as a file, and a copy is printed only when someone orders it. There is no stock to store and no minimum run. KDP's own formula is a fixed fee plus a per-page fee; using its worked example figures ($1.00 fixed plus $0.012 a page), a 200-page black-and-white paperback comes to about $3.40 to print.
POD suits a first book, a backlist or a book whose demand you cannot predict. If you expect to sell hundreds of copies at events or to schools, a printed run can cost less per copy. Compare both on our print-on-demand printing page or with the book printing cost calculator.
Source: Amazon KDP, paperback printing cost, checked 22 October 2026
How the three fit together
1. Finish and edit the text first
Every digital format starts from the same final text. Editing after conversion or recording costs more, so complete your editing and proofreading before anything else.
2. Get an ISBN you own
Each format is a separate edition and can have its own ISBN. Buy them in your own name so the records stay with you. More in ISBNs for books.
3. Format for each product
Print needs trim size, margins and bleed; an ebook needs reflowable text and a linked table of contents. Our book formatting covers both.
4. Choose where to sell
Amazon KDP covers ebook and print on demand in one dashboard; ACX covers audiobooks. Wider distribution is covered in how to self-publish a book.
Want us to handle it?
Harmony Publishing takes your manuscript through editing, design, ISBN, ebook conversion, printing and distribution while you keep 100% of your royalties and rights.
Frequently asked questions
What is digital publishing?
Digital publishing is producing and selling a book as a digital product instead of, or as well as, a printed run. In practice it covers ebooks, audiobooks and print on demand, where a printed copy is made only when it is ordered.
Is print on demand digital publishing?
Yes, in the sense that the book is held as a file and printed per order, so there is no stock. The reader still receives a physical book.
How much do I earn from an ebook on Amazon?
Amazon KDP offers a 35% and a 70% royalty option. The 70% option is calculated on the list price without VAT, less delivery costs, for eligible territories, and applies to in-copyright works only. See Amazon's eBook Royalties page for the current terms.
How much do I earn from an audiobook on ACX?
For a rights holder, ACX pays 40% (legacy model) or 50% (new model) for exclusive distribution on Audible, Amazon and Apple Books, and 25% (legacy) or 30% (new) for non-exclusive distribution. ACX says the legacy model ends at year-end.
Do I need a separate ISBN for the ebook and the print book?
Each format is a separate edition, so an ISBN covers one format of one book. Retailers and libraries use the ISBN to tell the editions apart, so register one per format you want listed.
Can I publish digitally and keep my rights?
Yes. Self-publishing keeps your rights with you. With Harmony Publishing you also keep 100% of your royalties.
Which should I do first: ebook, audiobook or print on demand?
Most authors start with an ebook and a print-on-demand paperback from the same edited text, then add an audiobook once the book has readers, because recording is the costliest step to redo.