IngramSpark Review - Should YOU Self-Publish with IngramSpark?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ย. 2020
- #IngramSpark #SelfPublishing #FantasyStorytelling
IngramSpark Review - Should YOU Self-Publish with IngramSpark?
In this video, Jay Sherer breaks down his self-publishing experience with IngramSpark's self-publishing service. Should YOU use IngramSpark to self-publish your next book?
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WRITING RESOURCES FOR SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS:
- Marketing 101 for Self-Published Authors (Jay's eLearning Course): mailchi.mp/14fa87070d6a/marke...
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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT (PARTIAL):
IngramSpark Review - Should YOU Self-Publish with IngramSpark?
If you’re looking to self-publish a book, you’ve got a LOT of partnership options available to you. In this video, I’ll be reviewing one of those options: IngramSpark.
IngramSpark is a self-publishing service. IngramSpark offers Print-on-Demand options and an ebook distribution service, which means that they can print small quantities of books quickly and easily as well as distribute your ebook to online book stores.
Those are both huge benefits for self-publishers... BUT working with a distributor-as opposed to working directly with a retailer, like publishing through Amazon directly-also creates some additional challenges.
As far as book formats go, IngramSpark supports ebooks, paperback books, and even hardcover books. And that last point is important because many of the retailers who offer self-publishing services do NOT support hardcover formats.
But, the services retailers offer are always changing, so just verify that before you choose a service for your self-published book.
Let’s start with the benefits of self-publishing through IngramSpark.
The first, as I just mentioned, is that you’ve got the option to publish a hardcover version.
Second, distribution through IngramSpark is SUPER simple.
And the third advantage of self-publishing through IngramSpark: With one major exception-IngramSpark’s interface is fairly simple and straightforward, which makes submitting your self-published book pretty easy.
So let’s jump into that-the drawbacks of using IngramSpark… and some of those drawbacks may be deal-breakers for you.
First: My biggest complaint about IngramSpark… is their reporting.
IngramSpark reports ebook sales data anywhere from 25 to 55 days AFTER an ebook sale has occurred!
Now, that’s bad enough, but I also have one other major issue with IngramSpark’s reporting. Based on my analysis of their data, they report book sales for the wrong month.
Meaning that, they report book sales-particularly ebook sales-NOT for the month the book was actually sold, but rather in the month the report the book was sold became available, which, as I’ve already said, is delayed.
Which brings me to another drawback: My experience with IngramSpark’s customer service varies.
And, my FINAL drawback-and this is likely true for ANY distribution service you use, especially Print-on-Demand services… their ease-of-distribution is going to cut into your royalty percentage.
If you self-publish direct through a retailer, the retailer takes a cut, and you get the rest. If you self-publish through a distributor, both the distributor and the retailer take a cut, and you get less.
If I had published direct through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service, I would have had instant access to sales data AND I would not have had IngramSpark taking a percentage of my royalties.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Overall, I’d give IngramSpark a C grade or maybe a 5.5/10.
I recommend IngramSpark if:
One: You want the convenience of wide distribution, without having to do a lot of that work yourself.
Two: You want a hardcover edition of your book.
But, if your main focus will be ebook sales, I don’t recommend IngramSpark because of the data and reporting issues I’ve talked about.
I’d consider using IngramSpark in the future if I want to self-publish a hardcover edition, but not if I’m focused on an ebook option.
I talk a lot about distribution options for self-published authors in my eLearning course: Marketing 101 for Self-Published Authors. If you feel overwhelmed with all the marketing options and you need some foundation marketing knowledge, take my course! You’ll get the confidence boost you need to make better decisions. For more info, click the link in the description down below.
What self-publishing services have YOU used? Help out your fellow self-published authors! Leave me a comment and let everybody watching know.
Thanks for watching, and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and click the bell for notifications.
Keep writing, keep grinding, and I’ll see you on the next video...
Using IS for my hardcover. Got my proof copy last week and loving it! The quality is stunning. Using KDP for ebook and paperback, but so happy I've decided to do the hardcover with IS. My book is coming out in a few weeks, and I just hit that "enable distribution" button yesterday. Quite the feeling. My only complaint is that their current response time from their support team is 20 - TWENTY - days. 🙈 So, needless to say, being a first-time author, I could use more support. 😎🤣
Congrats!!! And that sounds like a fantastic strategy. Good luck! - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork Thank you Jay!
@Sheeshkebabz Huge Congrats! Such a big moment! 🎶🎂🎉🌺 Hope you celebrate! Before you move on to exploring all the options. You wrote a book!!! 😍👍 You did it!👏
@Sheeshkebabz Sounds fantastic! We have 2 things to celebrate today. You have finished your book (is it your first?) and I... drum roll please.... just listened to my first podcast interview ever! It was terrible, but I forgive myself and will sound better on my next one. 🤣
The host said everyone hates hearing their own voice in recording, (is that true?) so he made me feel a bit better. I thought I was calm and collected, but I spoke so fast and there was plenty of nervous giggling too 🤦♀️ Because writing has been a gentle teacher, I said to myself: "Not bad for the first draft. If I had a chance, I'd revise the whole thing 10 times". I don't know how you do this for a living, putting yourself out there. Hats off to you! 😎😂 I need more courage to start putting together video content. Any advice?
It's a UK podcast, called Nathan on Writing. He's very good, worth a listen, and I was talking about the incredible joy of writing because I'm a writing coach. Anyways, we both had so much fun talking about the craft, so I trust his judgment to publish it.😎 Have a great day and good luck with edits and publishing! Natalya
@Sheeshkebabz That's an amazing story. Congrats! Amazing that you've kept the momentum going and already started. The very best of luck to you!
Having viewed a number of info videos focusing on IngramSpark, I'm compelled to praise this review. In addition to being very informative, I appreciate the professionalism of the vocal delivery and consistently good sound quality.
Thank you! I appreciate the comment and feedback! - Jay
I get irritated with the clunky upload process with Ingramspark, but it is totally totally worth it. The hardback quality is SO!!!! worth it. The texture of the matte cover is so pretty. It is awesome for the brand I aim for. I spoke to book store owners, and they will not purchase my kdp books. So, the only way to get into an indy bookstore is through Ingram. I so get what you are saying about the piddly reporting. Again, reporting royalties in taxes in a bear too.
Karen, that’s GREAT to hear regarding the hardcover version of your book. I may produce one of those in the future and would definitely take a look at what IngramSpark has to offer there. - Jay
This was comprehensive and well-rounded. Thank you very much.
Thanks for watching and commenting! I appreciate it!
Thank you for your time to make this video! It's not perse the money I'm worrying about, but rather if it's possible since I am publishing a small square child booklet in softcover, if companies like kindle can even sell tht, since they do not offer the trim size 😶. Also it is not clear if they work with Amazon in the different European countries, since they are not on their global list (unfortunately I didn't see this when I got started). The support team doesn't give clear answers to these questions, so I think I just gotta learn the hard way ... If you have any experiences regarding these topics I'm very happy to hear them 😄 Thanks!! Paula
Thanks for commenting, Paula! Not having done a children’s book, I not sure… I wish I could be of more help!
Love this video great for someone like me just starting off
Awesome! Glad it was helpful and thank you for the comment!
I just self-published my first paperback journal on KDP and IS. I decided to self-publish on IS because of the wider distribution they have available. However, currently, I am going to self-publish an artist book featuring my original paintings. I am considering LULU express publisher because of the quality of there printing. I am in the process of writing a self help paper back book think I will publish it on KDP in an ebook format. Great video very helpful!!
Hi .
Do you need a grafique designer??
Thanks! Good luck! - Jay
Great video! I am currently writing a book and have been trying to learn what my best options are. The subject I'm writing about will have some images to help the novice reader upstanding some of the information I'll be sharing. I was planning on using color for the images, but my dreams got shattered after seeing the cut these companies take for only using a few pages of color. Blk & wht will work fine, it's just a little less visually stimulating. Thanks for sharing this video. I'll probably be using IP when I'm ready.
Excellent! Yeah, the sticker price for color interior can be STEEP. Good luck, and thanks for watching! - Jay
Hi do you need some one to create cover for your book ??
Hi there. I wrote a children's book. I have two questions. Did you copyright your book through @t? If so, did you have to use form TX for text and form VA for your pictures to copyright for both texts and pictures? Also, where did you go for an editing service for your book? Do you recommend an editor who is very good and reliable, but not too expensive? Please advice. Thanks.
Hey, Henry! Technically, by law, as soon as you put the words on paper, they’re protected under copyright law. Getting legal copyright is just extra protection. (I’m not a lawyer, so I’m not giving legal advice here.) So, I’ve never obtained a formal copyright for my books. My wife is a professional editor (the best one I’ve ever worked with-super thorough). It’s tough to find a good editor who doesn’t charge a decent amount, though. What price range are you in?
Great video! I just published my first graphic novel via IS and was so fixated on the formatting and publishing process that I didn't even look at print cost and royalties...needless to say, it's not ideal. Any tips on decreasing print cost/increasing royalties? I don't want to set retail discount too low and discourage stores from buying my book.
Thanks! I would recommend testing pricing with your potential audience. It’s possible that your audience may be willing to pay more. Pricing can be tricky, but it might be worth asking 10-15 people who you know would buy how much they’d be willing to pay. You’ve only got the two sides of the equation, increasing price and decreasing cost. But decreasing cost might be kind of tough... Good luck! - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking even if I can break even on the retail side, it will be worth it to get it out there...but after spending a ridiculous amount on art over the last 3 years...I definitely want to see some sales!!
Absolutely! We’ve noticed that reviews are super important, so maybe you can break even for a bit, get some reviews, and then offer a bonus package with an alternate cover or something and charge a bit more. There are a lot of options. Finding what works for your customer can be tricky, but you just have to keep testing and learning! - Jay
Thanks for the video! I'm just about to publish my first book and still deciding where. I'll probably go through IS because I need a hardcover edition. One thing I'd like to mention is about their percentage. You have it as 50%. I watched other videos where self published authors who use IS recommend not using the high percentage, but the lowest, which is 30-35% depending upon the region. You get more per book. The drawback is book stores are less likely to stock your book, unless a customer asks for it. Now, I need to watch your marketing video. Thanks again and best of luck!
That’s exactly right. You have the ability to change the percentage, but as you noted, the more you lower that percentage, the more likely the retailers are to avoid purchasing. Most self-published authors (or let’s say “not famous” authors) will rarely sell books to retailers anyway. So lowering that percentage may not even matter. KDP also has a hardcover addition option, now! Haven’t tried it myself, but you should check it out! Thanks for watching and commenting!
KDP does hardcover now.
This video was, by far, the most helpful and insightful I have had on Self Publishing and IS. Question to all- is it then possible to do both my own marketing and getting this to Amazon and the other retailers directly but buying some hardcovers from IS to distribute to booksellers like indy stores?
Thanks for watching and commenting! I appreciate it. That is definitely a strategy you can pursue. Also, I should note that KDP (Amazon’s publishing service) has started Beta testing hardcover options. So, technically, if you use KDP to self-publish, you can even try their hardcover option. I haven’t yet, and I’m not sure if it’s available to everyone, but it might be worth looking into! - Jay
This was very helpful, thanks man
Of course! Glad to help. Thanks for the comment! - Jay
Hi Jay, gr8 vid! I have had my self published ebook loaded with amazon since it released in June, but have lately had advice to cancel it and upload to ingram. Id never heard if ingramspark prior to this. I read on IS fineprint though that if its been with amazon IS wont publish for 12 months. I do want paperback but not hardcover, and i do want to be in control of my book. It is historical romance fiction so has good genre following.
Also, if its with amazon i can ask is to request it and then they have it rather than supplying amazon. Are you abld to tell us more about how thiz works?
Thanks, Pam! I appreciate you watching! Do you know why they advised you to switch to IngramSpark? I have one novel published through IngramSpark and another published through KDP, and wish they were both published via KDP. I believe you can get around the 12-month issue by releasing a new edition. But you might have to check the fine print. If I understand your second question correctly, you can order Amazon copies of your book at any time and re-sell them yourself. I believe you can even remove your book publicly from Amazon and still order author copies, but I’m not 100% sure of that. Hope that helps! - Jay
Thanks for this information! I am using Draft 2 Digital as an aggragate publisher.
I’ve heard REALLY good things from people in the comments about Draft 2 Digital. Good luck! - Jay
Hi Jay thanks for this video
... My question is, who do you recommend for print on demand, when printing notebooks with variants, for example, notebooks with different colors or different covers
I’ve never had that particular use case before… but I think KDP or maybe IngramSpark would likely work well. Let’s see if anyone else in the comments has tried to do a similar process. I’ve only printed paperback novels, which means I have limited experience with the kind of project you’re attempting. Good luck! - Jay
I LOVE your shirt!
That’s my favorite shirt! 😁
Finally got my book on IS a few days ago, and found the whole process unnecessarily laborious and extremely user-unfriendly. I'll likely never be using IS ever again.
Also, KDP do hardcover now, so that's a total win for me.
Bummer about IS, but obviously, I agree. Glad you’re moving on to KDP! Best of luck!
That was excellent. Thank you.
You got it! Thanks for the comment!
Would you recommend IS for a cook book that I want to be published in hard copy version? If I use Amazon to publish can I still have hard copy’s printed through IS?
I would! I think if you go Amazon for the paperback and ebook, IngramSpark is a good choice for hardcover. - Jay
Is it possible for anyone to get the cover of the book on the hardcover? Not in a book jacket but on the physical book? I printed through KDP and that was the way the hard cover was done and I really liked it. But with IS I've just seen the book jacket.
Very helpful!
Fantastic video. Thanks
Sure thing! Thanks for watching and commenting! - Jay
Hi Jay! I heard that if you go through IS for wide distribution you must offer a 55% wholesale discount to even be considered by a bookstore, and you must allow returns (which is pretty scary). If you offer less, who would purchase your book? (Other than Amazon)
My 8.5 x 8.5 children's picture book (28 pages) printed with premium color with the 55% wholesale discount leaves me with a royalty of 52 cents when priced at $9.99, and the same book in hardcover (32 pages) gives a royalty of 13 cents (standard color) and -$1.31 (premium color) when priced at $17.99. So I lose money going with premium :( Even at $20.99 it's only 4 cents royalty.
Of course, I can raise the prices but most people sell a children's book paperback between $8.99 - 11.99 and a hardcover between $14.99 - 17.99, so I don't want to be above the market and not sell any books.
How do people make any money back by choosing IS for a children's book?
Kelly, I totally feel your pain. This is usually one of the biggest issues self-published authors face. Sadly, most of them don’t even realize it because they don’t want to “pay attention to numbers.”
Here’s my personal opinion… the best option a self-published author has in this kind of marketplace is to try and publish direct through the retailer. For example, I choose KDP and try to sell primarily through Amazon. That usually gets you the best margin.
If you go through a wholesaler, like IS, they need to take their cut and then the retailer needs to ALSO take their cut. And it’s not like IS is actively working with retailers to stock your book. Selling the book still sits squarely on the backs of the writers.
Even if you stick with IS, I would recommend targeting your highest margin retailer and focusing all your efforts there. Also, test pricing with your target market and see if they’re willing to pay more. You never know!
Good luck! It’s very tricky!
- Jay
I heard the print cost for printers is better if the book is over 100 pages. Compared to low content sub 100 page books.
If I purchase my own ISBN and then go through IS to get a hardcover version of my book, can I then use the ISBN that I purchased separately to go through KDP for the soft cover version??
Great question! Last time I checked, there’s nothing wrong with that. You might want to label them as different “editions” to avoid any confusion, but I think that still works. KDP is also beta testing hard cover options. That might be worth looking into as well! - Jay
So if I publish through IS, does that mean I wouldn't be able to publish through Amazon Direct Publishing or Barnes and Noble Press separately? I'm really only interested in IS for the hardcover prints as well as possible distribution to retailers.
I haven’t read a recent contract, but usually the contract applies to an ISBN specifically, meaning that if you have an ISBN for the hardcover, you could do a separate addition for paperback and ebook (which already have separate ISBNs). Generally speaking (again, you’d have to look at their contract in detail), if you sign a contract with expanded distribution, they’ll put a stipulation in it saying that you can’t publish that edition elsewhere as well. But, if your hardcover is a separate edition, that’s usually fine. I use all these adverbs because it can change and there are more factors at play, but I think you can likely find a way to do what you’re suggesting.
Definitely love IngramSpark for its quality and printing options, but I've been so frustrated with their customer service. It's the one thing I wish they put more care into. And their reporting is nearly useless compared to other distributors like KDP.
Totally agree! Thanks for watching and commenting!
great video thank you
Thanks for watching and commenting! - Jay
Is it worth to use both platforms at the same time for the same book? (IS for hardcovers only lets say, ale KDP for paperback and ebooks although not sure if an ebook is a good option for kids anyway…) I am getting ready to self publish my first children book and it’s tricky enough cos I live in UK but writing in my native language… I do plan to publish in English too, but later on…
I know Amazon has a hardcover option now, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t speak to it. I think the main reason to use IS is to get into bookstores. BUT, in order for that to work, for self-published authors, you would need to contact your local bookstores and “sell” to them to order your book. Personally, I think that option is really only beneficial to self-published authors who have name recognition. Good luck!!! I hope the process goes great!
So hard yes for hardcover, hard no for e-book....what about paperback? At the moment I am selling both ebook and paperback through Amazon and out of my (still very modest) sales the paperback takes the cake. I as well did the test of sending a few printed copies to a small retailer and they sold quite quickly.
Nice! I use KDP for paperback as well. The advantage is not as remarkable compared to the ebook, but I still think it makes sense to use KDP for paperback. Good luck! And congrats on early sales! - Jay
Thank you.
You’re welcome!
Hey! I heard you say you co-authored Timeslingers with Nathan- was it easy to split royalties through IngramSpark? I'm going into a partnership situation and am wondering how straightforward that is. Thank you!
Great question! I’m not totally sure, because we set up an organization together. So all payments go into our organization.
I published a book with Ingram sparks and used a publicist . I wanted to publish the journal with my book but not pay her fee. Does anyone have any information on how I can do this myself using my Ingram spark account ?
Overall, I can only see disadvantages to using IS for digital publications.
Really the only advantage, in my mind, is convenience. The problem is that convenience is going to cost a lot! For most authors, the better margin and faster access to data are way more important. - Jay
3years later, is the reporting issue with IS, remedied?
hey great info! I have a question. So i had just uploaded my book and paid ingram spark the fee to upload my ebook. It has not yet been released as the release date is still pending. Could I still use kdp as a platform to sell my book?
I'm referring to ebook only
Great question! You should be able to use KDP. Did you sign the Amazon agreement with IngramSpark? If not, then I would assume you’re free and clear. It’s a separate agreement I didn’t know about until I went, “Hey, how come my book isn’t on Amazon?” Then they sent me that agreement. But, you can always ask them, too! Great question! - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork thanks for the quick response. So it's a seperate form? I've not received anything like that. I'm glad I cleared that all up now I can just focus on the physical copies. Thanks again!
@@Dhir_11 Yeah, it was for me. And IngramSpark works pretty well for physical copies and distribution, so you should be good there. And, later on down the road, you can use them for a hard cover edition! - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork can I reach you through email I had few other questions I was not sure with. I've emailed Ingram spark but they aren't very responsive as you mentioned in the video.
👍 👍
I am trying to publish my novel and I want to do with ingramspark but ebook, I don't mind waiting for the results since I feel that ebook is much faster than print on demand. What is your opinion on using the print and ebook option?
The reporting is delayed on both print and ebooks. In other words, you won’t get the ebook reports any faster with IngramSpark. I usually recommend publishing through multiple retailers directly, and KDP (Amazon’s company) is usually where most people buy ebooks. But, that’s just my personal preference. If you don’t need reporting that comes in right away, IngramSpark will likely work just fine!
@@HowStoriesWork Thank you for responding, sir. I've been trying to research on which is better ingramspark or Amazon. I originally was going to do Amazon but I saw there was a sale with ingramspark and with my lack of financial income I wanted to take advantage of it the sale package; before it expires.
I do have another question can I publish my book with both ingramspark and kdp at the same time?
Should I go with just print with ingramspark and ebook with Amazon? That way I can make income with Amazon kdp and if I want to give a physical copy to someone/have it in bookstores and libraries I can print on demand?
Thank you.
This topic is something I'm looking into anyway, but I watched just because there's finally a dude doing something with books. The lovely ladies flooding TH-cam with authortube and booktube all have great advice but it certainly feels like I'm in the wrong line of work. Thanks for being here!
The more voices, the better! Which female authortubers/booktubers are your favorites? I’ll reach out to them and maybe collaborate on future videos! - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork
The ones that keep coming across my feeds are the following
iWriterly
Alexa Donne
Bethany Atazadeh
Jenna Moreci
Heart Breathings
and
Ellen Brock
Yours and Kent Shawn are the only male channels I’ve HAPPENED across. I’m sure there are more but I haven’t looked specifically.
Great! I’ll check them all out!
@@HowStoriesWork Bethany Atazedah is amazing. Abbie Emmons is my favorite!
Hello what do you suggest for children paperback should I signup with amazon or best way to market
Hey, Anthony! Thanks for the comment. If you need a paperback edition, then KDP should still work. Is your book illustrated? We’ve included illustrations in our books, but they’ve not been full color. Amazon will give you a proof, though. So you have the ability to ensure it looks great before publishing. - Jay
I am a new author and I currently have my children's book published on amazon but I am making the switch to Ingram. My issue is there return options especially since I am self published and returns would be coming back to my home. What do you think about returns options and what did you choose? And do they charge you if you change it after the fact?
I never had an issue with returns, but most of my returns were ebooks. However, my return percentage was super low. Of the 5,000+ books I sold, less than 10 were returned. In my experience, most people don’t return the books once purchased. I don’t think they charge you for changing the return option, but I haven’t looked at that specifically in a while. Good luck! - Jay
I was watching another video about someone using Ingram Spark because the book stores would buy from them. And often ordered multiple copies. If they didn't sell all of them, would return many...and gave a choice for the writer to take them back or have them destroyed, but be responsible financially for the cost of the book return either way. And paying for subsequent shipping too, if returned to the writer. So if a bookstore bought many copies, it might be a problem. This one writer had had 1000 copies purchased but half returned, so it was why she brought it up in her video.
Could you say: 1) I want to sell books online and 2) I want to sell books in bricks and mortar stores (especially Independent Book Stores). For the latter, use IngramSpark?
It depends on a couple factors: 1) the author’s popularity, and 2) the author’s willingness to work with the stores directly. For 90% (e.g., not famous) of authors choosing KDP or IngramSpark or a similar service, they’re going to have to convince the brick-and-mortar stores to stick their book. Technically, both services will distribute to brick-and-mortar stores (and Ingram might be slightly better), but the issue is that it’s unlikely they’ll be asking for the author’s book. Which means the author is the one who has to “sell them” stocking the books. Which means Ingram may have a slight edge, but for 90% of writers, that edge may have zero impact. 🤷🏻 - Jay
Can you use KDP for the ebook and Ingramspark for the hard back for the same book?
Great question. And, yes, absolutely! I think the margin would still be superior on the KDP paperback, but since KDP doesn’t offer hardcover (actually, the service is constantly changing so maybe check their offer before you make a decision), then you can easily go with IngramSpark for that. The only thing you may need to do is get a separate ISBN, but that’s usually easy. - Jay
Yes, you can do that. Paperbacks and hardbacks ALWAYS have different ISBNs though. But if you have your own ISBN on amazon for paperback, you can resue it on Ingram for paperback from them.
Couple of maybe stupid Qs: Have you ever encountered resistance by bookstores to book a signing event b/c the book is distributed via Ingram? Also, how does one make sure that books will be at the store by the event date via Ingram? Does the publicist tell the booker to order them several weeks in advance of the signing? Thanks in advance.
Not stupid questions at all! I haven't tried a book signing where the books available were ONLY coming from IngramSpark. I would take a look at this article in regards to book signings at stores: onthecobblestoneroad.com/bookstore-signings/. In answer to your second question, this is going to probably be vastly different for different authors. It's not that easy to get book stores to carry your book. Even if they do, they'll likely buy only a few copies (unless you're famous) and see if those even sell. So, if you want to do a signing (and you're not famous), my guess is that you'd order copies of the books, bring them with you, and sell those (giving a cut back to the store for letting you use their space). BUT--and this is a big caveat--I don't have a ton of experience with this, so I would look to someone with more experience!
Thanks for your response! @@HowStoriesWork
I think I’m still gonna use ingramspark. I really like the hardcover option. Also, can’t I do both as long as I don’t sign the ingramspark Amazon agreement?
Yep! You should be able to do both, no problem. And it depends on which Amazon agreement you’re referring to. I’m fairly certain you can distribute the hardcover on Amazon. That shouldn’t be an issue. Good luck! - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork thank you!
@@HowStoriesWork How do I go about distributing the Hard Copy on KDP. Can I publish it on KDP and just use Ingramspark for the hard copy. I’m new to the process, just trying to figure it all out.
@@tiffanystrong3090 Yep, I've been in the exact same place! Looking back, I would publish both the paperback and the ebook through KDP and then print the hardcover option through IngramSpark. Good luck! - Jay
At the end of the day. a book store can tell you exactly how many copies of each title has been sold. That's because the cash registers are computerized. So Ingram Spark is earning interest on the author royalties it is holding on to.
That’s true, too. They’re definitely keeping any “float” income. Good point! - Jay
Do you think it would be a smart idea to sell paperback on KDP and Ingramspark, and ebook only on KDP?
Well, for paperback, you really only need to choose KDP or IngramSpark, I not sure there’s a benefit to publishing two paperback versions separately. In the past, my recommendation was to do a hardcover edition through IngramSpark, and then paperback and ebook through KDP. But, I do know KDP was beta-testing hardcover, so you might be able to do all 3 versions through KDP now. Good luck! - Jay
So, ingram spark for my paperback and later to come hardback - and Amazon for the Kindle version?
Not sure who to go with for the ebook and audio versions yet though? Any advice please x
If it were me…
1. Publish to Kindle via KDP
2. Publish to Barnes & Noble and Apple through their publishing services
3. Publish paperback via KDP
4. I haven’t tried publishing a hardcover yet… so I’m not sure!
Note: this is prioritizing reporting and profit (% of book revenue that comes back to me).
@@HowStoriesWork
@HowStoriesWork
Thank You for your response x
But, doesn't Ingram spark handle the distribution for kdp with regards to the paperback? and aren't there percentage higher than Amazon?
@@lysgworld7986 The biggest benefit of IngramSpark (or services like it) is physical distribution. They’ll also distribute ebooks on multiple retailers. Two things to keep in mind, though: (1) IngramSpark will take a cut (meaning you will earn less than publishing direct through Amazon or Barnes & Noble), (2) Physical distribution (paperback and hardcover) is extremely limited for authors who don’t have name recognition. Brick and mortar stores won’t see a reason to order your book. IngramSpark just makes your book available for them to order, but if they don’t order it, IngramSpark doesn’t help that much.
@@HowStoriesWork
Thank You. So it's better to go through the retailer's rather than the distributor then. I guess I wanted to use Ingram spark for its distribution reach... This all feels so confusing at times, I don't want to make the mistake of tying myself up to the wrong companies.
Thank You for your advice - I Very much Appreciate it x
Awesome video! Real quick, how can i take my novel off ingram and go to a retail directly?
Great question! I haven’t looked at Ingram’s terms of service in a while... so you’d probably want to verify that there are no issues with this, but the easiest way is to create a new edition (add a different intro or something), get new ISBNs, and then take down the old edition. That wouldn’t be difficult, and it shouldn’t be all that expensive, either. That’s my guess at your best bet, but like I said, always check the terms first. I tried to take my audiobook off ACX, and it says in their terms that once you commit to them, they have your book for 7 years! They refused to take it down. That’s why I think having a new edition takes a lot of headaches out of the process. Good luck! - Jay
You can take it off Ingram without any problems, you don't need a new ISBN or rewrite a book. They are not your publisher, just a printer/distibutor. You wil have to find a different distributor and printer then. Not easy.
@@HowStoriesWork ACX and Ingram work very differently, don't confuse the 2.
In my opinion it's not worth it. you must have a distributor. By the time you take hours upon hours and get new isbns, update files etc you could be using the expanded distribution though Ingram and making money and selling books. So, you may make a bit less in royalties. Not a big deal. If you really want your book to be available everywhere and want bookstores to be encouraged to order (or stock) it AND sell more, Ingram is one of the best choices. (And you can use Ingram and Amazon's KDP to publish, just be sure to not choose expanded distribution on KDP). I disagree some with Jay here. Everything about the writing/publishing process takes time. So, sales reports take a bit longer (that is not Ingram's problem)--so you may miss a bit in royalties.... wouldn't you rather be able to walk into a bookstore and say, "Yes, I'm an author". Then they look up your book and smile and can order it; or introduce yourself in a bookstore and say, "My book is on Amazon....". They will not smile and they will not order your book. Not for anyone.
Great Video, I have been trying to get my book printed at Ingram Spark but cannot seem to get past their checkers. I have spent hundred with graphic artist to no avail?
Oh, wow, I haven’t heard that one before! Are they telling you why they’re flagging it? - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork Its like a popup inside a popup with details.
I have had the same issues! It’s why I’m, for right now, only going to go with KDP. For some reason, they (Ingram) would not approve my hardcover cover, and I was doing all of the same things (technical workings to create it), that I did with my paperback, that immediately got approved. After awhile, literally close to 20 attempts, I gave it one more shot and their template was even coming up with errors in Canva Pro, so.. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but after they kept rejecting it, THEIR file was now coming up with errors when I opened it… so, I’m still not exactly sure what happened.. but they simply kept directing me to their help questions and cover generator section, so I reached out to them and asked them to please simply cancel my title altogether. If I can’t publish the hardcover with them, I didn’t want to publish either one of them. KDP has been much easier to work with, and their customer support (a live chat) was also a lot more helpful than days of waiting, and emailing, to the point where weeks are literally going by, and things aren’t being able to change or get done with Ingram.
Also, I heard Jay mention that 95 percent or so of his sales actually came from KDP. When I heard that, I was like wow… so, you can work so hard to get approved by IS and all of that, and still, the majority of your sales (which I’ve heard this now from many people), still came from KDP, despite IS being “wide.” Something to consider, especially when you’re spending a lot of money on things. Something that doesn’t work with IS, will most likely be a great fit for KDP.
What about Children Book Authors would u reccomend KDP
It all depends on the format of your book. If your book is an illustrated book that’s mostly about the artwork and not as much about reading words, those are usually (not always) hardcover. KDP doesn’t offer a hardcover option, so IngramSpark may be a great alternative. But, if you want a digital version, I do recommend KDP for that. - Jay
Is it better than Lulu
I want my book in a bookstore. Can IngramSpark do that? If so, do you recommend them?
They can! The bigger problem is, most book stores won’t purchase many books from self-published authors unless they’re aware of them and there’s buzz about them or maybe the author is known. But Ingram can supply them. It’s just a matter of demand for the book. - Jay
Do they merge my illustrations with my text? KDP says to use word but that is troublesome and i have no success making this happen on the Word program.
We had fairly simple illustrations with each chapter opening, but we had no issues implementing them (from what I could tell). My co-writer did the layouts with Affinity Publisher. You have more options than just Word, though, right?
@@HowStoriesWork I've never heard of that. The problem is I honestly dont know all my options. I'm not in an area where I can get much mentorship with this. Its why I watch the various TH-cam videos for assistance. Thanks for you comment and I will look into Affinity Publisher
@@ericwilliams1023 Yeah, definitely check it out. I'm sure there are some videos out there on how to format your book, but I don't work with that directly, so I'm not SUPER familiar with it. Best of luck!
@@HowStoriesWork I literally logged into the site an hour ago and it is definitely going to be helpful! Thanks again
Have you used Draft2Digital? If you have, what are its positives and drawbacks?
I haven’t! Has anybody else watching used it and could let Alexander know how it is? - Jay
Literally just published my first book through Draft2Digital. It's an eBook only service right now although they do have a beta POD service you can sign up for. I've been signed up for two weeks now and haven't heard any progress for my print service. Which is why I'm here looking at IngramSpark for my print distribution only. I had several interactions with their customer service center both through email and phone, and both were very informative. Their customer care so far has been top notch. Their automatic formatting tool to get your front matter and eBook ready from manuscript to readable program is pretty cool, but as with all formatting tools, some stuff can get lost in translation. I couldn't get the map to go where I wanted in the front matter of my book so it's kinda stuck in the wrong spot. Not a huge deal for me but book snobs might turn their nose up at that. Then again, they should be able to fix it through an email. They give you a free ISBN number and after your book is formatted, give you as many downloads as you want of the newly formatted epub, mobi, and pdf files of just about every size of book there is for print publication on another website or provider. I just wish their beta print program was fully operational, then it'd be a 10/10.
@@PowBamZing Awesome! Thanks for leaving the feedback! - Jay
They are a distributor which means they take their cut but they seem to be very good and they really care for authors. Even if you don't publish via them, they have some free tools you can use. The best idea would be to publish ebook via kdp, and if you have people asking for other formats, you can go to D2D and they will distibute your ebook to all the other ebook retailers. I think some libraries use them too to get ebooks. If you use D2D, don't use smashwords though, as they are the same type of distributor. They are not the same company though, they are competitors.
If you decide to stick with kdp only and enroll in KU (kindle unlimited program on amazon) you will have to take down all the ebooks you have elsewhere online and have only ebook on amazon, so going to D2D to remove it would be much easier than going to all the retailers separetelly one by one. So they are really useful, but they do take a little cut for that, which is only fair. You will also see all the sales in one place, instead of logging in into 20 other platforms. But use amazon directly, not via D2D.
@@PowBamZing Do you think you made the best decision?
Can we get an update on ingram spark? Which. Company ks better?
I don’t think much has changed. I still prefer KDP, personally. - Jay
has Ingram improved re: royalty reporting, and customer service in the last two years since this video was posted?
Not that I’m aware of… The issue is that the retailers often have their own self-publishing options (e.g., Amazon has KDP), so there’s no incentive to release the data earlier… it’s a bummer.
Can you buy your own ISBN number and then publish on both at the same time? Is that possible. Can you not buy your own ISBN number through a broker and then let the two companies give one… But still publish at them both?
Yep, you can. But also, they likely need to be different editions. I don’t believe that it’s an issue for an ebook vs. a paperback (you’d have to check the latest wording in their contracts, but I don’t think that’s an issue). But if you wanted to publish an ebook through IngramSpark and a Kindle version via KDP, but have different ISBNs, then it’d be the best to have different editions. Maybe a different cover or a different introduction or even a bonus chapter or something.
I only have one problem with IngramSpark: they don't accept PDF from Scribus. That would be very helpful! If anyone knows how to create PDF with Scribus that IngramSapark will accept, please share it on lulu.boards.net!
Good to know! Thanks for the comment! - Jay
I'm from Pakistan, I love to write English stuff but not many people love English here in my land so, I've been writing an English novel for 2 years and I just published my 1st edition today and found about IS but I am confused what's best for me.
Congrats! That’s exciting. It really comes down to where you want to distribute your book and what’s most important to you!
@@HowStoriesWork The language of the book is English, and English is a universal language so, I'm sure I want my book to be distributed universally. 😊
How does it work with print on demand? Or is it only good for ebooks?
IngramSpark? Or KDP? Both primarily use Print of Demand. And when someone orders a book, they print and send. I believe that IngramSpark either fulfills the print orders and sends OR they actually print a limited quantity to store in an Amazon warehouse. I’m not totally sure on that. But they work pretty similar. - Jay
Man....this is all so exhausting. Are there any services that I can pay to handle all of this?
It’s a lot. Some small presses will help with publishing and marketing. I don’t know many that are good with the analytics piece… but maybe others here in the comments can help with that.
Does IngramSpark print upscale art books?
I haven’t tried to publish one myself, but based on what I know about IngramSpark, I’m pretty sure they could handle an upscale art book very well. Especially if it’s a hardcover edition. You might be able to get some better feedback from another commenter who has tried it! - Jay
What about softcover books? What service would you recommend?
Thanks for the great video?
I’m still a fan of KDP for paperback, personally. Others may like IngramSpark or another service, but I think KDP is fantastic for paperback. Thanks for watching! - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork Thanks so much. There are alot of YT videos out there about publishing and wading through them is overwhelming. Yours seem to get right to the point without filler, which I greatly appreciate!
@@jasonmason066 Awesome! Glad I could be of help! - Jay
Can u go nationwide with KDP
Yep! You can. Basically, with KDP, you can sell anywhere Amazon sells (which is all over the world), and then beyond that you can choose extended distribution to other retailers, too. - Jay
What about Ingramspark vs Lulu?
Great question. I haven’t used Lulu. I would imagine, based on how the business model works, Lulu would be very similar to Ingram Spark. If I get a chance to check it out, I’ll let you know! - Jay
Can u go nationwide with Ingram Sparks
I believe there are even options for worldwide distribution! But most retailers and distributors will have similar options. - Jay
EVERYBODY who has now published two or more books are now charging for classes. Man! This is children books...you don't get all your money back as it is lol. Whatever happened to, "let me help you because I was in your place once before?"
Happy to help with any detailed questions you have here in the comments. I only charge for the business/marketing related classes, so it’s a totally different thing. And it takes 40-80+ hours to put those classes together. So I offer both free and more detailed options! In the meantime, good luck! - Jay
Could you not use both and just uncheck the Amazon option on IngramSpark?
Good question! I would have to look that up. I believe you can use different services, however, if I’m remembering correctly, some of the services have policies about publishing your book in one place (per ISBN, I think?). Technically, you’re 100% right. It’s just a matter of the distributor’s policy on it... My plan, as long as it adheres to policies, will be to publish to each ebook/paperback retailer directly, and then use IS for hardcover. The hardcover shouldn’t be an issue. The question is more on the multiple ebook/paperback distributors... - Jay
Yes! You can publish on both!
But with respect there is no way to get real time book sales -especially when you consider you are one of a million authors selling in a multi tiered platform to countries around the world.
Amazon’s KDP program gives daily stats for ebooks (but they have the data directly). Which is a game-changer comparative to 3rd party book publishers like IngramSpark. Also, KDP’s printed book sales are reported on the day they ship. So, maybe not “real-time,” but certainly far superior. - Jay
the most bad support i've ever seen in my life, i contacted them more than 2 weeks ago but no reply.. even the chat support is always offline hhh really weird service.
I’ve had both good and bad experiences with their customer service. It really feels, at times, like they realize they won’t be making very much money off MOST self-published authors (or very little money), so they try to avoid long conversations, which is really frustrating! - Jay
Just try Amazon it's way better man
Oh, yeah, KDP (e.g., Amazon) is my favorite (I kinda say that later in the video). Thanks for the comment! - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork your welcome
New author 😅
Try Lulu it's way better man
I haven’t tried Lulu! Have you had a good experience with them? - Jay
@@HowStoriesWork it's the best👍💯 you can make your own book and you can make comic books as well and ebooks and it's all free or if you weren't to buy the pro
Everyone told me not to publish my book through IngramSpark but my curiosity got the better of me. Alas, my worst fears were not only confirmed but this company is far worse than the reviews would suggest. And TH-camrs are outright lying about the benefits of IngramSpark.
It is simply not worth your time dealing with idiots at work. Publishing a book through this company is almost next to impossible due to poor setup of features and idiotic criteria. And that is working from the comfort of a desktop PC with a 30-inch monitor rather than a cumbersome laptop or mobile device.
In addition to these, the site logs you out as soon as you close a tab and you must log in again on. But, when you do, the system frequently blocks you out and locks your account. In fact, I got locked out multiple times over the course of just a couple of days while uploading my ebook at a turtle's pace due to the ridiculous features. Each time you get locked out, you must ask for a new password to be sent and then create a new password every time!! I ended up doing exactly that until I got fed up with such nonsense and simply chose not to pursue.
If logging into your account becomes impossible, how can one even manage their account.
Stay away from this company.
Rather use Draft2Digital, which has just as big a global footprint but makes publishing your book and managing it a cakewalk.