KDP Select Authors Can Now Distribute Ebooks to Libraries

If you're a Kindle Unlimited author, here's news worth paying attention to: as of September 2025, Amazon updated its KDP Select enrollment terms to allow public library distribution — without breaking your exclusivity agreement.

The Change

The KDP Select enrollment page previously stated that during the 90-day enrollment period, ebooks could only be distributed through KDP. The updated language now reads:

"During the 90-day enrollment period, the Kindle eBook can only be distributed through KDP and public libraries. However, you can continue to distribute print, video, audio, or other formats of your title elsewhere."

Three words — "and public libraries" — make all the difference. Amazon made no formal announcement of the change, they simply added the new verbiage quietly.

What This Means for KU Authors

Previously, enrolling in KDP Select meant your ebook lived exclusively on Amazon's platforms — no other retailers, no author websites, and no public libraries. That's been true since KDP Select launched in 2011. The new policy carves out a specific exception: public library distribution is now a permitted channel alongside KDP itself.

Your KU ebook can now appear through major library platforms such as OverDrive, Hoopla, BorrowBox, cloudLibrary, and Vivlio Libraries, while remaining fully enrolled in KDP Select and continuing to earn page reads.

There is one important restriction: while you're in KDP Select, you must select library channels only. You cannot add your ebook to competing retail stores or other subscription platforms.

Why This Matters

Library readership is growing. According to data from Draft2Digital, library royalties grew roughly 24% year over year in early 2026, and library share of total royalties climbed from around 10% to over 12%. Romance in particular is seeing a resurgence across library platforms.

Library patrons are also more likely to take a chance on an unfamiliar author, since borrowing is free. For series authors especially, that first book discovery can lead to a reader working their way through an entire backlist.

How to Get Your KU Books Into Libraries

The recommended path is through Draft2Digital (D2D), which distributes to all major library platforms. Select library channels only — do not select any of the retail or subscription platforms.

Note that print editions and audiobooks were never restricted under KDP Select.

The Bottom Line

This is a genuine win for KU authors. You no longer have to choose between the benefits of Kindle Unlimited and reaching library readers. If you've been sitting on the fence about library distribution because of your KDP Select enrollment, that barrier is now gone.