Feed

I wasn't made to inspire everyone.
I'm here to make some people uncomfortable.
If you've built your entire personality around pretending you're fine... keep scrolling.
If you've been called too much, too loud, too emotional, too broken, too opinionated, too difficult...
Pull up a chair.
I'm Rebel Rose.
I don't write fairy tales.
I write for the people who survived them.
Around here we don't slap glitter on trauma and call it healing. We drag the ugly into the light, laugh at the chaos, call out the bullshit, and keep moving anyway.
No fake positivity. No perfect aesthetics. No guru crap.
Just messy minds. Sharp words. Dark humor. Real growth.
Welcome to the misfit table.
The normal one looked boring anyway.
🌹 Rebel Rose

Looking backwards and living in regrets won't change the past. Focus on what's ahead and plan accordingly so that you don't make the same mistakes twice.

What tools can I use to format my book?
How do I create a book cover?
Where should I self-publish?
These are the questions every independent author navigates before they turn their manuscript into a ready-to-sell title. With a growing number of self-publishing tools, writers have more freedom and agency over their publishing journey than ever, but they also face more decisions at every step of the way.
Choosing the right publishing platform is, arguably, the most consequential: it affects how much you earn per sale, when you get paid, what content you can publish, and how much control you keep over your own work.
This guide focuses on Written: what it offers, what kind of authors get the most out of it, and where it might not be the right fit.

What is Written?

Written is a direct-to-reader publishing platform for authors who want to sell their writing and keep more of what they earn. It's free to use, currently supports ebooks, and charges a flat 10% commission, which means that authors keep 90% of every sale. Payouts are instant, with no minimum threshold, and funds go directly to your bank account or crypto wallet.
Beyond standard ebook sales, Written offers exclusive features: for example, 1) limited edition ebooks, which let authors cap the number of available copies to create scarcity and exclusivity, and 2) donations, which give fan fiction authors and others a compliant way to receive direct reader support.

Who is Written for?

Authors with an existing audience

Written is built for authors who already have a community — whether that's a social media following, an email list, a Substack, or a loyal fanbase built over years of publishing. Although Written has built-in discoverability features, it’s primarily designed as a direct-to-reader platform, which means it works best when you're bringing your audience with you rather than relying on the platform to find readers for you.
If you've spent time building on BookTok, Instagram, or a newsletter, Written is where you can start converting that audience into book sales. And keep nearly all of what you earn when you do!

Authors who prioritize revenue per sale

At 90% royalties with no delivery fees and no price restrictions, Written is the highest-earning option available for ebook self-publishing. There are no royalty tiers, no fine print about file size, and no requirement to hit a specific price window to unlock a better rate.
For context: an author selling 1,000 copies of a $15 ebook earns $13,500 on Written. The same sales on Amazon KDP — where the 70% royalty applies only within the $2.99–$9.99 range, and a delivery fee is deducted per MB — would yield significantly less, and only if the book qualifies for the higher tier.

Authors who want instant access to their earnings

On most traditional platforms, authors wait 30 to 60 days after a sales month closes before seeing any money. Written removes that delay entirely. As a direct-to-reader platform, it doesn't hold or batch your earnings. Funds land in your account shortly after you click withdraw, with no minimum payout threshold.
For authors managing their writing as a primary income stream, or anyone who wants to see the direct return from a launch in real time, that matters.

Authors writing outside mainstream categories

Amazon KDP has content restrictions that go beyond legal compliance. Explicit content, certain genre and theme combinations, and anything outside their category guidelines can lead to rejected uploads or unexpected delistings.
Written applies legal content limits only, with no genre restrictions and no explicit content bans. That makes it a reliable publishing home for erotica, dark romance, and other categories that don't fit neatly into platform content policies.
It also gives fan fiction authors a compliant route to earn through donations, something few platforms support without taking a significant cut.

Authors who want to create premium or collectible editions

Limited edition ebooks are unique to Written. Authors can set a fixed number of copies available for sale, turning a release into a collectible, an exclusive early-access offer, or a high-value reward for core readers. Combined with a higher price point, limited editions give authors a way to earn more from fewer sales while deepening the relationship with their most engaged audience.
This is particularly well-suited to authors who already have a community that follows releases closely and would pay a premium to own something exclusive.

Is Written the right platform for you?

The clearest signal that Written is the right fit: you have an audience, you're a writer, and you want to earn more from what you sell.
If you've built a following anywhere — social media, a newsletter, a podcast, a community — Written is the most direct way to monetize that relationship. The 90% royalty structure, instant payouts, and zero exclusivity requirements mean you're keeping more of what you earn, getting paid faster, and retaining full flexibility to distribute wherever else makes sense.
Written also opens up revenue streams that don't exist on most platforms: limited editions for authors who want to create scarcity and charge accordingly, and donations for fan fiction creators who can't monetize through direct sales.
For authors who own their audience and are ready to earn from it on their own terms, Written is a strong long-term choice.
→ Start publishing on Written today: written.app
→ Written vs Amazon KDP compared: https://written.app/blog/1087

This is a book banner from being listed in a Featured Authors Book Festival online after my book had been published for only 2 days. Y'all, come and hang out with me in Hollow Creek 😁 ❤️

How do I self-publish a book, and which platform should I use?

This question is relevant not just to new authors, but to established writers and creators who are constantly navigating decisions around how to monetize their writing, add income streams, and maximize what they earn from their books.
In this article, we compare Amazon KDP and Written to help you choose the self-publishing platform that best fits your goals.

What is Written?

Written is a direct-to-reader publishing platform that allows authors to publish and monetize their writing while earning 90% on every sale. Free-to-use and currently available for ebooks, it also supports instant payouts, limited editions and resale, offering additional revenue streams for authors and creators with an audience.

What is Amazon KDP?

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is Amazon’s self-publishing platform, allowing authors to sell books directly through Amazon’s marketplace as Kindle ebooks and print-on-demand paperbacks. It’s free to use and offers royalties of up to 70% on ebook sales.

Amazon KDP has been around for a while and is familiar to many first-time self-publishers, but it comes with tradeoffs, including genre restrictions and exclusivity requirements.

Amazon KDP vs Written: ebook pricing and royalties

Both Amazon KDP and Written support ebook self-publishing and are free to use, with no upfront cost on either platform. The big difference is in the royalty structure.

On Amazon KDP, authors earn 70% royalties on books priced between $2.99 and $12.99, but with conditions: the title must be enrolled in KDP Select, which requires exclusivity and restricts distribution on other platforms, and the book cannot be priced lower elsewhere.

A delivery fee also applies on the 70% tier, deducted per megabyte (MB)of file size — a large ebook with images quietly eats into your earnings. Outside of that price range, anything below $2.99 or above $12.99, the royalty drops to 35%.

Written keeps ebook royalties it simple: a flat 90/10 split on every sale, regardless of price point. Written takes 10% commission, and authors keep 90% of each sale — no royalty tiers, no per-megabyte delivery fees, and no exclusivity required.

1000 books x $15 each = $13500 on Written
1000 book x $15 each = $5250 on Amazon KDP
1000 books x $8 each = $7200 on Written
1000 books x $8 each = $5600 on Amazon KDP

Amazon KDP vs Written: paperback pricing and print-on-demand

For print-on-demand paperbacks, Amazon KDP charges printing costs plus a 40% distribution cut from the list price. Printing costs depend on page count, ink type, trim size, and whether the interior is black and white or color. Color interiors are significantly more expensive and can reduce royalties to very thin margins or even negative amounts at lower price points.

At the moment, Written does not offer print-on-demand paperback functionality, but will add it in the near future.

Amazon KDP vs Written: exclusivity

While authors do not have to exclusively publish and distribute books on Amazon KDP, a temporary exclusivity period is required to participate in KDP Select, Amazon’s promotional program.

In exchange for enrollment in Amazon and Kindle promotions, KDP requires a 90-day exclusivity period, which means authors cannot publish, sell, or give away their books anywhere else. While attractive for first-time authors, KDP Select lock-in is one reason authors with an established audience look for alternatives.

Written, on the other hand, never requires exclusivity from authors, making it both a useful additional distribution channel, and a priority platform choice. However, exclusivity is highly recommended on the platform — especially for limited editions.

Amazon KDP vs Written: payout speed

Amazon KDP pays authors monthly, roughly 60 days after the sales month ends, with a minimum $10 payout threshold for bank transfer. If you’re asking how to withdraw money from KDP, that delay and threshold are important factors to consider.

Written, as a direct-to-reader publishing platform, does not have a payout threshold or a long waiting period — authors can withdraw any amount instantly. Written does not process payouts or act as a financial intermediary – all funds land directly in your bank account or your crypto wallet.

Unlike Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Written allows authors to receive payouts in stablecoins.

Amazon KDP vs Written: content restrictions

Both Amazon KDP and Written have strict legal compliance rules that protect copyright and prohibit plagiarism. Beyond those legal limits, Amazon KDP is also known for restrictions on certain content categories, including explicit content, which can be a pain point for some indie authors.

Written, while still strict about legal compliance, does not impose genre or explicit content restrictions, allowing authors working in erotica and other categories to distribute their work like everybody else. Unlike Amazon KDP, Written also gives authors a way to distribute fanfic-adjacent work in a compliant format, with an option to receive donations.

Amazon KDP vs Written: ease of use and user interface

For a first-time author, publishing an ebook on Amazon KDP usually takes 30 minutes to an hour. The setup is split across three sequential steps: first you enter your book details (title, description, and keywords), then you upload your manuscript and cover files and check the layout in KDP's built-in previewer, and finally you set your pricing and royalty options before submitting for review.

The process is straightforward but not frictionless. The large number of fields and settings make authors pause to figure out what applies to them that makes publishing process feel slower than expected.

Written is built for speed and simplicity. The entire ebook publishing process happens in a single window: drag and drop your book file, add your title details, set your price, and submit for moderation. If you want to create a limited edition ebook, a feature unique to Written, you can define the number of available copies in the same flow.

Should I publish my book on Amazon KDP or Written?

The best self-publishing platform depends on your author profile and goals: whether you are an indie writer focused on niche work, a genre novelist seeking wide discoverability, or a creator with an established readership and clear monetization priorities.
Amazon KDP is ideal if you want the widest marketplace reach, mature print-on-demand services, and access to programs like Kindle Unlimited.

Written, by contrast, suits authors who already have an audience and prioritize higher per-sale earnings: its flat 90% royalty and instant payouts deliver better revenue, and the platform’s streamlined setup means you can publish an ebook in minutes.

Written also offers features KDP doesn’t, such as limited-edition ebooks that create scarcity around a release. It imposes fewer content restrictions, making it a natural home for erotica, serialized fiction, fanfic-adjacent work, and other formats that don’t fit neatly into traditional categories.

If you own your audience and want the highest royalties, the simplest publishing workflow, and the freedom to sell any kind of writing on your terms, Written is the clearer choice.