Wide vs Exclusive Publishing
How to Choose Without Regret
For many indie authors, this is the first decision that feels heavy.
Wide or exclusive. Commit or keep options open. Pick a path and hope it does not limit what comes next.
The advice around this choice is often loud and confident, delivered as if one option is inherently smarter, more professional, or more future-proof than the other. What usually gets lost is context.
Wide and exclusive publishing are not opposing philosophies. They are different tools, designed for different stages, with different trade-offs.
The goal is not to choose perfectly. The goal is to choose in a way you will not regret later.
What Publishing “Wide” Actually Involves
Publishing wide means making your book available across multiple retailers and platforms.
In the U.S. that can include:
Amazon
Apple Books
Kobo
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Libraries and subscription services
Wide publishing prioritizes reach and resilience. No single retailer controls your access to readers. It also introduces complexity with multiple dashboards, varying pricing rules, different promotional systems and slower feedback loops
Wide publishing is not passive. It rewards patience, consistency, and long-term thinking.
Why This Decision Feels So Heavy
This choice often feels bigger than it is because authors are told it defines their future. It doesn’t.
Both wide and exclusive paths can generate income, build readership, and support a sustainable career. What differs is how quickly results appear and how much control you retain. The anxiety usually comes from fear of locking yourself out of an opportunity. In reality, most authors change strategies multiple times over their careers.
When Exclusive Publishing Makes Sense
Exclusive publishing can be a good fit when you are early in your publishing journey. This may mean you want faster feedback from readers and a simpler system for uploading and reporting on sales. It could be that your genre performs well in subscription environments or you’re testing whether a series has traction. Bottom line: you prefer fewer moving parts.
Exclusivity can be a learning phase, not a permanent identity.
When Wide Publishing Makes Sense
Wide publishing tends to fit when you value long-term discoverability and pricing flexibility because you can price your books differently across different platforms. You may be building a backlist or you may want to market your book differently, depending on the publishing platform. Or, you may plan to sell your books directly to your readers.
Wide publishing is less dramatic. It rarely spikes. It compounds.
The Cost Most Authors Don’t Consider
The real cost of this decision isn’t financial. It’s attention. Exclusive publishing concentrates your effort. Wide publishing spreads it out. Neither is better.
If managing multiple platforms drains your energy, wide publishing may feel unnecessarily complicated. If being dependent on a single platform makes you anxious, exclusivity may feel like a leash. It’s less about business theory and more about how you work.
You’re Allowed to Change Your Mind
This is the part that rarely gets said clearly enough. You can start exclusive and go wide later, test wide and return to exclusivity, mix strategies across formats, or shift as your catalog grows. Publishing strategies are not like wedding vows. They are working hypotheses.
A Simpler Way to Decide
Instead of asking which option is “better,” ask:
How many platforms can I realistically manage right now?
Do I want faster feedback or broader reach?
How much complexity can I tolerate this year?
What decision supports my current energy and goals?
The answers change over time. That’s normal.
Wide or exclusive isn’t about right or wrong. It’s about choosing a path you won’t resent six months from now.
Publishing Without Regret
Regret usually comes from making decisions under pressure. Slow decisions age better.
If you choose exclusivity, choose it with intention. If you choose wide distribution, choose it with patience. Either way, you’re not closing doors forever. You’re learning how your work moves through the world.
