Most self-published authors focus their attention on Amazon and treat every other platform as an afterthought. Barnes & Noble Press is one of the most overlooked options in that “afterthought” group, despite the fact that it reaches millions of readers through the NOOK ecosystem and Barnes & Noble’s physical store network. For authors going wide with their distribution, B&N is a meaningful additional income stream that takes minimal extra setup work to access.
This post walks through how Barnes & Noble publishing works in 2026, how to set up B&N Press, what formatting and pricing decisions matter for the platform, and how to actually drive sales after publication.
Why B&N Deserves Attention
Barnes & Noble remains the largest physical bookstore chain in the United States. NOOK, their ebook platform, has a smaller but committed user base who buy ebooks specifically through B&N rather than Amazon. NOOK has been operating since 2009 and has worked through several strategic shifts over the years, but it remains a real distribution channel.
For self-published authors, B&N Press offers a direct route into both the ebook and print sides of Barnes & Noble. Books published through B&N Press appear on barnesandnoble.com, in the NOOK store on devices, and can be ordered for in-store pickup or shipping.
The royalty rates are competitive. NOOK ebook royalties run 40% to 65% depending on price point. Print royalties through B&N Press print-on-demand run roughly 55% of list price after print costs.
The audience is different from Amazon’s audience. NOOK readers tend to be older, more loyal to Barnes & Noble specifically, and less price-sensitive than typical Kindle Unlimited readers. Books that struggle on Amazon sometimes find more receptive audiences on NOOK.
Setting Up Your B&N Press Account
B&N Press setup is straightforward but has a few platform-specific quirks.
You need a Barnes & Noble account first. Visit press.barnesandnoble.com and sign in with an existing B&N account or create a new one. The publisher account uses the same login.
Provide your tax information. B&N requires W-9 forms for US authors and W-8BEN forms for international authors. Without proper tax forms, royalties are subject to withholding the same way they are on other platforms.
Set up your bank account for royalty deposits. B&N pays via direct deposit on a monthly schedule with about a 60-day delay after the end of each sales month.
Verify your author identity. B&N requires basic verification before activating your publisher account. The process typically completes within a few business days.
Once your account is active, you can upload your first book through the dashboard. The interface is functional but less polished than KDP. Plan for a slightly steeper learning curve than Amazon’s publishing tools.
Preparing Your Manuscript
B&N Press accepts ebook and print files with specific format requirements.
Ebook Files
NOOK accepts EPUB files. Not MOBI, not Word documents converted on the fly. Proper EPUB format produces better display results than auto-converted alternatives.
Create your EPUB using Vellum (Mac), Atticus (cross-platform), or hire a formatter. The EPUB should validate cleanly using EPUBCheck before upload. Invalid EPUBs get rejected and need fixes before publication.
NOOK supports embedded fonts, but only for fonts you have licenses to embed. Stick to standard reading fonts unless you have specific licensing rights.
Cover images for ebook should be JPEG at minimum 1400 x 2240 pixels with 1:1.6 aspect ratio. Higher resolution is fine. Lower resolution produces blurry display.
Print Files
B&N Press accepts PDF files for print covers and interiors. Each trim size has specific dimensions that include bleed.
The standard trim sizes B&N Press supports include 5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9, 7 x 10, and 8.5 x 11. Specialized sizes are available through their professional publisher program but not the standard self-publishing path.
Interior PDFs should be in CMYK color mode for print accuracy. Black-and-white interior books require pure black text rather than RGB-derived black, which can print muddy.
Cover PDFs should include front, spine, and back panels in a single wraparound file with proper bleed. B&N Press provides template files for each trim size that show exact dimensions.
Metadata & Listing Setup
Strong metadata helps your book appear in B&N searches and recommendations.
Title and subtitle should match exactly what appears on your cover. Mismatches can cause technical issues during publication.
Author name needs to be consistent across all your books on B&N. Different spellings or variations create separate author profiles that don’t share visibility.
Description fields support up to about 4,000 characters. Use this space for the full blurb plus supporting content (testimonials, what readers will get, series order if applicable). HTML formatting works for paragraphs, bold, italics, and lists.
Categories on B&N work similarly to Amazon. Pick two main categories that accurately fit your book. Inaccurate categorization confuses the recommendation algorithm and reduces visibility.
Keywords on B&N are less prominent than on Amazon but still matter. Use phrases that NOOK readers actually search for in your genre.
ISBN can be free through B&N Press (using their assigned ISBN) or your own purchased ISBN. Authors with their own ISBN have more flexibility for moving across platforms later, but the free option works fine for B&N-exclusive titles.
Pricing Strategy
B&N pricing follows different rules than Amazon.
NOOK ebook royalties pay 65% on books priced $2.99 to $9.99 (note: higher upper bound than Amazon’s $9.99 cap). Books priced outside this range pay 40% royalty.
For Amazon-and-B&N publishing, most authors set the same price across platforms. B&N’s higher royalty cap means a $12.99 ebook earns more per sale on B&N than it would on Amazon (40% of $12.99 is $5.20 vs Amazon’s 35% of $12.99 at $4.55).
For exclusivity-aware pricing, some authors test B&N-specific pricing that takes advantage of the higher cap. Books priced at $12.99 on B&N and $9.99 on Amazon can produce similar per-unit revenue across both.
Print pricing follows print-on-demand economics. The royalty is whatever’s left after B&N’s cut and the print cost. Authors typically price paperbacks at $12.99 to $16.99 for books in the 250-400 page range.
Distribution Reach
B&N Press distributes to two main channels.
NOOK store. Your ebook appears on barnesandnoble.com and in the NOOK reading apps. NOOK has its own subscription program (NOOK Plus) and various promotional features.
Barnes & Noble print catalog. Your paperback appears on barnesandnoble.com and can be ordered for delivery or in-store pickup. Physical store stocking is separate and not automatic from B&N Press publication.
Physical store stocking happens through a different process. B&N decides which books to stock in physical stores based on their own buyers’ assessments. Self-published books rarely make it into physical store shelves unless they have specific local appeal or generate significant online sales first.
Some authors pursue physical placement through B&N’s local store programs. Local store managers have some discretion to stock books with local connections. Author events at specific B&N stores sometimes result in those stores stocking the author’s books.
Marketing on B&N
NOOK readers respond to different marketing approaches than Amazon readers.
Email is the most reliable channel. NOOK readers who join your email list and find out about your B&N listing buy at high rates because they specifically prefer the NOOK platform.
Social media targeting B&N specifically helps. Posts that mention buying on NOOK or B&N reach readers who use that platform. Generic “available everywhere” posts default readers to Amazon.
B&N has periodic promotional opportunities for indie authors. Watch the B&N Press blog and newsletter for application windows for featured promotions, holiday deals, and editorial features.
Local store events. Authors who can travel to or visit nearby Barnes & Noble locations can sometimes coordinate signings, readings, or events. These build relationships with local store managers and reach readers who shop in physical stores.
Library distribution through B&N Press is more limited than through aggregators like Findaway or OverDrive. Authors specifically wanting library reach usually need to distribute through an aggregator in addition to (or instead of) B&N Press.
Earnings Reality
For most self-published authors going wide, B&N typically accounts for 5% to 15% of total ebook income. Amazon dominates the rest.
Authors with specific B&N audience advantages (literary fiction, certain nonfiction niches, authors with B&N physical store relationships) can see B&N rise to 20% to 30% of total income.
The earnings build slowly. New listings on B&N typically earn very little in the first 3 to 6 months while the algorithm gathers data and readers discover the books. By month 12 to 18, earnings level out at a sustainable monthly rate.
The cumulative effect over years is meaningful. A book that earns $200 per month on B&N for 5 years generates $12,000 in additional revenue that wouldn’t have come from Amazon-exclusive distribution.
Common B&N Publishing Mistakes
A few patterns trip up authors approaching B&N publishing.
Treating B&N as an afterthought. Authors who upload once and never check back often miss promotional opportunities and miss the ongoing optimization work that improves earnings.
Skipping metadata optimization. Using the same description and keywords as Amazon without considering B&N’s different reader base means missing search traffic on B&N specifically.
Ignoring formatting differences. EPUB files that work on Amazon’s KDP sometimes have display issues on NOOK because of platform-specific rendering. Test your file on NOOK reading apps before considering it final.
Pricing without considering B&N’s royalty structure. Authors who default to Amazon-optimized pricing miss the higher royalty cap on B&N for books priced $10 to $9.99.
Not building a B&N-specific reader base. Some authors have meaningful B&N readers who would buy more books from them if they knew which platform to use. Marketing that mentions B&N specifically captures these readers.
Barnes & Noble publishing through B&N Press is one of the easier additions to a wide distribution strategy. The setup takes a few hours. The maintenance is light. The income stream builds gradually but reliably over years. For authors planning multi-decade publishing careers, B&N is worth the small investment of time to establish and maintain properly. The platform doesn’t need to be your primary focus to contribute meaningfully to your overall publishing income.
One last consideration. B&N’s strategic direction has shifted several times over the past decade, and the platform may continue to evolve. Authors should check the B&N Press blog and platform updates periodically to stay current on policies, royalty changes, and new opportunities. The publishers who pay attention to these shifts tend to spot promotional windows and policy changes that less-engaged authors miss. A 15-minute check every couple of months is enough to stay informed without absorbing significant ongoing time.
