Which Publishing Platform Works?

Whether 'this nobler to suffer the sling and arrows of Amazon and iBookstore or rather post to Kobo?

Question asked by +Robert Worstell. I don't know the answer to this question. However, I have been doing my research. It's all about what you value and how you want to publish. The real question here is Amazon versus Kobo. iBookstore is not as large as the other two, as it only reaches out to Mac and apple uses. Both Amazon and Kobo are global. Here are the pros and cons to each.

AMAZON POSITIVES:

• Amazon is an innovator. They are always changing and making their site better. Their technology is top notch. They are good business people. 
• Their online store base. Not only is their kindle the top of the list, they sell everything. I buy more paperback books for cheap on amazon than anywhere else. It's convenient for those of us that have a busy life. 
• The royalties are better than traditional publishers according to research. 
• Easy to publish. For those of you that aren't technological or computer savy, publishing a book on createspace is easy. Publishing an ebook is even easier!

AMAZON NEGATIVES:

• According to research, createspace doesn't assign or name a publisher to your book. This makes the book look a tad unprofessional. 
• Now, this is a complaint from someone so it might be a little exaggerated because he seemed angry. He published a book with amazon and it was being sold to extended places and being charged an arm and a leg. He didn't want this and they still charged him. This man also had problems when he was dealing with trademarks. Here is the link. Not sure the validity in that. 

KOBO POSITIVES:

• The actually publishing aspect is very easy. They have a step by step guide to help you the whole way. 
• They are expanding rapidly and are becoming global. They are said to be the only real competition for createspace aka amazon. 
• They want to be great. I keep reading articles where CEO's and people who work there write about how badly they want to make their business the best. They work hard there and want to excel. 

KOBO NEGATIVES:

• I have heard that their search engines need a little bit of work. It is hard to find things are their site. 
• The conversion aspect sometimes is very slow or doesn't work. They have a conversion chart that is helpful though and tells you exactly what you need to do. 

The final say... iBookstore is a nice extra platform. They aren't huge yet since they only cater to those who use apple products. Right now amazon is the way to go. They get the most people to see your book and generally are helpful. Keep looking at Kobo though. Kobo is going to keep improving and keep growing. Soon, they might be the best in the market. Stick with amazon for now but don't sign any contracts, in a few years the best thing may just be Kobo.