Book Distribution in Brazil: What to Know
If you want to self-publish in Brazil, good thinking. The demand for digital books in Brazil is on the rise. If you’re a Brazilian indie author or publisher looking for more ways to expand your reach in Brazil and beyond, that’s excellent. Now is the time to publish wide around the world. Let’s go over what to know about book distribution in Brazil.
This write-up goes over:
Key takeaways
- Brazil's digital book sales surged by 23% in 2021, led by the popularity of ebooks among younger readers thanks to a major shift towards digital post-pandemic.
- Self-publishing empowers authors by offering control over distribution on major platforms like Amazon, Apple Books, and Kobo, bypassing traditional gatekeepers.
- Aggregation platforms like PublishDrive simplify global distribution for ebooks, audiobooks, and prints.
Book Market Stats in Brazil
Brazil’s digital book sales revenue grew by 23% in 2021. And the growth is expected to continue at an annual rate of 1% between 2023 and 2028. What else:
- Ebooks accounted for the majority of digital book copies sold in Brazil.
- Audiobooks gained momentum as well. (In the U.S., audio has been the fastest-growing segment in publishing. We can expect the same in Brazil.)
- There is an increase in the 16-34 age group, indicating the next generation’s preference for digital over paper.
Overall, the ebook market has boomed in Brazil due to the increasing popularity of digital reading devices and online options. This is part of a global trend, especially since the pandemic, which sparked a drastic shift to digital consumer habits.
This shift has been a game-changer for indie authors and publishers. That’s because self-published books are mostly distributed as ebooks across online retailers like Amazon, libraries like Bibliotheca, and subscription platforms like Dreame. And nowadays, indies can easily distribute audiobooks as well as prints (via print-on-demand for books).
If you’re a newbie figuring out exactly how to publish, let’s go over the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing in Brazil. (If you’re already self-publishing and looking for more channels to reach in Brazil and beyond, skip to the next section.)
How to Distribute to Brazil: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
Back in the day, aspiring authors would pitch their manuscripts to publishing houses and hope to hear back. Then came self-publishing, which completely eliminated the gatekeeping, allowing anyone to publish their content on their terms. Although traditional publishing is still running today, the chances of getting signed are slim. With self-publishing, you get to decide when, where, and how you want to distribute your book.
Here’s a quick rundown of the differences:
| Self-publishing | Traditional publishing |
Funds | You take care of the editing, design, marketing, and more. | The publisher pays for most things. |
Royalties | Earn 60-70% per book, depending on the store you sell in. | Earn around 10% per book, depending on the publisher and country. |
Rights | You keep all the rights. You’re responsible for purchasing the rights of any artwork you use. | The publisher has the rights to your book. The exact conditions depend on the publisher and contract. |
Decisions | You make all the decisions in your self-publishing business, such as choosing your cover design. | Your publisher calls the shots. |
Timing | You decide when you’d like to publish; your book can be on the shelves within months. | Publishing a book can take up to two years. |
Getting published | Anyone can publish. Your success depends on how well you reach potential readers in your market. | Competition is tough. With limited funds, publishers choose only a select few for publishing. |
Effort | You choose how much you want to invest in your publishing and marketing. | The publisher takes care of the publishing and the early stages of marketing. |
Know-how | You’ll have to know how to manage the entire publishing process and/or outsource for help. | Publishing pros handle the editing, publishing, marketing, etc. |
For a deeper understanding of the two routes, read self-publishing vs. traditional publishing.
One of the main perks of distributing with a big publisher is the opportunity to sell in established bookstores. However, these days, self-published books are accepted by big retailers such as Amazon (the largest marketplace for books.) From Brazil, you can easily get your book listed on Amazon and reach a global audience.
So, if you decide to take the path of self-publishing, you’re going to be okay. With endless resources and support available, all it takes is your willingness and commitment to learn and keep on.
⭐ Note for indies with English-language books: You may wonder if you should get your book translated into Portuguese to successfully sell in Brazil’s market. The translation process takes time, money, and effort. So, I say go for it if you have the funds. But rest assured that many authors have found success with their English-language content across numerous countries. For more details, see self-publishing internationally.
List of Brazilian Publishing Companies and International Platforms
One of the best ways to ensure you get your book discovered is by publishing wide, meaning reaching every market that you can. To help you do that, below is a list of Brazilian publishing companies, distributors, plus international platforms to know about.
7 Top Brazilian Publishers
First up, here’s a list of the top Brazilian publishers. These are fantastic options to consider, especially if you decide to take a more traditional or local approach.
1. Editora Companhia Das Letrinhas
Companhia das Letras is Brazil’s largest publishing house. It started as a literary publisher in 1986 and grew into 17 publishing entities with a wide readership across ages and genres.
2. Grupo Editorial Record
Grupo Editorial Record is an online publishing conglomerate firm that ranked first in the Brazilian media and publishing sector in 2021.
3. Macmillan Education Brasil
Macmillan Education Brasil is a global publisher with a regional focus in Brazil, distributing mostly educational content to its network of institutions, educational authorities, and more.
4. Vida & Consciência Editora e Distribuidora Ltda.
Vida & Consciência Editora is a leading publishing house that first started with spiritual and wellness content in 1969. These days, a variety of books are being published for Brazilian readers.
5. Novatec Editora
Novatec Editora is recognized for its quality publications, specializing in technical books across a range of categories such as computer science, digital marketing, business, and finances.
6. Editora Rocco Ltda.
Editora Rocco is a prominent traditional house with a catalog of more than 2,000 titles in the genres of fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, psychology, and more.
7. ÔZé Editora
ÔZé Editora publishes a range of content, including illustration and graphic art books. Its catalog includes several award-winning titles in recent years.
See this full list of Brazilian publishing houses.
7 Top International Publishing Platforms
To reach Brazil and go beyond, check out these top international platforms for distribution. The best thing about these platforms is that you can self-publish online in no time.
1. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing
Amazon KDP is THE place to publish as an indie author or publisher. Amazon captures half of the digital market worldwide, being the #1 retailer of digital books.
2. Apple Books
Apple Books is pre-installed on every Apple device, which is a pool of over a billion users in over 50 countries.
3. Google Play Books
Google Play Books is pre-installed on every Android device, which is a pool of over 3 billion users in over 75 countries.
4. Kobo
Kobo is a leading book entity that manages books in Walmart, a giant retailer in the U.S. The rest of its online bookstores reach over 190 countries.
5. Scribd
Scribd is a subscription digital library that provides over 2 million ebooks and 300,000 audiobooks to global readers. To publish on Scribd, you must go through a 3rd-party partner like PublishDrive. (More on this below.)
6. Storytel
Storytel is the world’s largest subscription service for streaming audio and ebook content in over 20 markets.
7. PublishDrive
PublishDrive is a book aggregator that can distribute your book to all the top international platforms mentioned above, plus literally thousands of other channels (over 400 bookstores and 240K libraries, to be exact!)
⭐ What to REALLY know: An aggregation platform like PublishDrive is an all-in-one publishing solution that helps indies distribute to multiple marketplaces from one single place. That means instead of working with various channels to reach their audience, like the ones mentioned above, you can work with an aggregator to handle everything for you.
Especially for publishers managing catalogs for numerous authors across numerous stores and countries, a single platform will help cut down the time, energy, and administrative costs for everyone involved in the publishing process.
Wondering exactly which stores you can reach with PublishDrive? We’ll send you our entire store list with detailed info like royalty payouts and more. ↓
How to Self-Publish a Book in Brazil and Beyond With PublishDrive
Publishing wide to every country and store is easy with PublishDrive:
- Sign up for PublishDrive. It's free to create an account and try for 14 days. Then, you can subscribe to a monthly plan. (Authors earn more with subscription-based book aggregation, where you pay a flat monthly fee for publishing versus giving up your royalties.)
- Upload your book files for ebook, audio, or print format.
- Fill out the metadata information like book description, categories, and more.
- Enable all the stores you’d like to sell in!
- Hit submit for a quick review by PublishDrive’s industry experts.
And that’s it for the distribution part! Do keep in mind that to make the sales you want, you’d need a solid digital marketing plan for books. Check this guide on how to harness digital marketing in the publishing industry, along with PublishDrive’s book promotion success stories.
Happy publishing!
Now You Know All About Book Distribution in Brazil . . .
What’s next? Watch how to run your entire publishing gig with PublishDrive:
✅ Publish ebooks, audiobooks, and print formats around the globe.
✅ Get a suite of book promotion services.
✅ Access automated royalty reports, sales analytics, and more.