Difference Between An Aggregator and Self-publishing Websites

What is the difference?

An aggregator in business is also known as a networking e-commerce business model, which collects data pertaining to goods offered by other competing websites or online business and displays it on it's own website or software. Whereas, a publishing aggregator is a service that lets you upload your manuscript in one place, and then distributes your work to multiple channels—the retailers who sell you work, such as Apple iBooks, Kobo, Amazon, and more. Naturally, your book is subjected to their terms and service.

Whereas, self-publishing refers to an author or writer completing the entire publishing process on their own or with their own resources. This is done without the help of a traditional publisher or publishing company but sometimes not without the help of a self-publishing service company. A lot of the time self-publishers will request for self-publishing services such as professional editing and cover design in order to compete with traditionally published books.

Self-publishing service companies provide:

• Education: such as self-publishing programs which will teach you how to self-publish on your own allowing you to obtain and keep the majority of royalties.
• Done-For-You: these are self-publishing service companies that offer author services from graphic design through to publishing. Some are vanity press publishers which should be avoided.
• Platform: A self-publishing platform is a company that allows you to upload your actual book for distribution.
• Editing & Design: This type of service is known as author services in the self-publishing industry. It includes services such as manuscript editing, cover design, book illustration, and formatting. Every self-published author needs professional author services to publish a quality book, so investing in this type of company is a must-have.
• Platform & Printing: This service is from companies that serve as a platform for eBook distribution, but also have book printing services. For example, Amazon’s KDP would fall under this category because it allows authors to distribute their eBook on the platform, and prints and fulfills physical book orders.
• Marketing & Promotion: Self-publishing companies that are mainly book promotion sites will fall under this category.
• Tools: Some of the tools listed in this category are strictly designed for self-publishing, but we also include other general tools that authors may find useful.

In Conclusion,

Whether you decide to self-publish and do everything yourself or use an aggregator the choice is yours. It's best to do a lot of research before deciding which company to use. You normally can tell the genuine companies from those that are genuine by asking a lot of questions and becoming informed.

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