Thank you very much for creating a non clickbait, clear and concise video. That is a rare find these days. I'm trying to move beyond Amazon KDP after having several negative interactions with their customer service who clearly struggle with English.
✨Omg Jason! This is the most thorough breakdown of KDP AND INGRAM SPARKS - self publishing process I ever heard. Please continue the good work and you have an amazing platform. Thanks again! You're a godsend🌌🌠💯✨
Before watching your video, I found myself thoroughly perplexed about utilizing both KDP and Ingram Spark for self publishing. Your video is concise and easy to understand. It cleared my mind and provided the clarity I desperately needed. Thank you!
This was very helpful, especially the part about not setting KDP's enhanced distribution in order to let Ingram Spark take that role. I had no idea. Thank you.
I spent 4 hours on several sites trying to get my questions answered and was still confused. This remarkable video clearly and succinctly sorted all of my problems. You have a very good mind for understanding something complex and describing it simply. That's a rare talent.
Excellent video, Jason! I've been publishing my ebooks and paperback books on KDP and Hardcover books on IngramSpark. I've always wanted to publish my paperback on IngramSpark because of their wider distribution but wasn't sure if it would mess up my KDP published paperbacks. But you've cleared that up. So it is ok to go ahead and publish paperbacks already published on KDP on IngramSpark as long as you have your own ISBN and extended distribution isn't set. Cheers!
I'm so glad it's helpful! I had a hard time figuring this out when I was first publishing. I'm surprised there wasn't more info about this online when I was originally searching for it.
@@jasondoroughauthor hello one person from ingramspark says you cant use your own isbn on ingramspark and kdp as they distribute to both and another support worker said otherwise. I don't think that's true is it? Thank you.
After publishing 22 books at Amazon in 2022, I’ve been trying to plan my Ingram spark release of those books. Thank you for answering a few questions I had that nobody else had answered in their videos.
This was one of the best presentations about navigating the mad world of Indie publishing, and the advantages of going with both KDP and Ingram, that I've seen. Thank you.
Amazing guidance, Jason! I'm writing a book on women's safety and I want this book in every woman's hand. So, I'm trying to do the best thing possible. More than money, it's the distribution that I messed up last time. Wiser now.
Excellent video that finally explained how to set up in both KDP & IS successful! I appreciate you succinct video as so many go on and on! LOL 3 keys: buy your own ISBN, use same ISBN on both sites, & don't click expanded distribution on KDP.
Jason, this was incredibly detailed and specific info and exactly what I was looking for. And @Billy down in the comments asked my questions about ebook specifically. Thank you for being SO kind and generous with your time and knowledge!
@@jasondoroughauthor Hey Jason - one "cart before the horse" question here and maybe self explanatory but once you're all set up with (KDP, IS and KDP, D2D for eBook) and are ready to do your presale... how do you do your presale? I'm gonna lurk on your website and see if you've got something like that happening right now but I was just wondering about where you're linking your readers to. Obviously not multiple links, surely. Or maybe yes?
I've already done the two things you told us not to do on KDP. I accepted the ISBN and I selected expanded distribution. Wish I had seen this video first.
You can uncheck the ED anytime you like. If you haven't made sales yet, you could opt to archive the title on KDP and start all over again having purchased an ISBN first. Just an idea.
What a great video Jason! Naive question for anyone: What happens when you go for 2 or more ISBNs for the same book? The only consequence I can imagine is that the book shows up twice on Amazon. Is there anything bad about this?
Thank you so much, for your very clear answers to questions I have had for weeks regarding publishing on both IngramSpark and Amazon, the how-to's, which one first, etc. You are the first person who explained it clearly and succinctly. I will send fellow authors to your link!
Man, thank you for this video. I watched it carefully. Thanks to this video I found out about IngramSpark. I intend to follow your advice to the end. Otherwise, information related to ISBN outside the US. I am from Serbia, in Serbia ISBN is purchased from the National Library of Serbia. So it is very easy to get ISBN in every country.
@@woodystefeneylee7290 you can transfer the KDP ISBN using Ingram's form. What I decided to do was just create a separate ISBN one for Ingram and one for KDP. It's a more comfortable work around for me. But everything has its up and down sides.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Goodness I needed help understanding this process. I feel so much better now. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge, Jason.
This was very helpful! Unfortunately I did it the other way round and uploaded to IngramSpark before KDP. Should I get a free ISBN for the KDP version - that would mean the same book would end up having two different ISBNs. I’ve also considered just using KDP for a hardcover version - that way I will still have a print version on KDP. Thanks in advance!
If you get reviews on the IngramSpark version on Amazon, do they disappear when you publish the KDP version and Amazon boots the Ingram one off? Thanks for the helpful video!
Oh my goodness I've been trying to figure out how to set up a preorder without having 2 copies of it on amazon! I've been trying to find out if doing it that way works! Thanks so much! Ahh!!
You're welcome! I'm so glad this is helpful! It took a lot of digging around, talking to other authors, and experimenting before I could figure this stuff out. It's definitely not a straightforward process.
An author I work with is in that position for two of her books. I think if you update the ISBN, it's a different version of your book, and any reviews would not port over to the updated one. Will have to confirm that. Otherwise, it's like any other book on Amazon that has a few editions to choose from.
Wow, Jason, you're amazing. This is the first truly clear info I've ever seen on this muddy question. I somehow (accidentally) managed to get your key 3 takeaway steps correct before I saw this, and I'm so relieved! Also, I had no idea you could enable the. book for preorder on Ingram Spark and have it show up as available for preorder on Amazon. I had heard stories about Amazon showing the dreaded "out of stock at the publisher" message instead of listing it for preorder. Know anything about that situation?
this video was very informative and got quite a few tips thank you. OWuld have really made it much more intuitive to see screenshots or screen recordings of the pages on KDP and Ingram you were talking about though
I'm glad it helped! IngramSpark and KDP occasionally change their interfaces, so I felt like including screenshots or recordings could cause the video to become outdated rather easily. The concepts don't change, though, so keeping it to just the descriptions seemed like a better course for the long term.
Jason, What are the benefits of putting one’s book live on KDP but wait a bit In IngramSpark? I ask because IS has mass distribution. Could an author get pushback from IS? I heard from another indie author that an author should give IS 6 weeks to get everything organized and ready for distribution. Tell us your opinion on this. Thank you for explaining. I’ll check out your other videos. You have a brand new fan! THANKS.
If you're wanting to use the same ISBN for your book at both KDP and IngramSpark, it's important to set the book up with that ISBN at KDP first, because that will log the ISBN at Amazon right away. You don't actually have to make the book live through KDP at that time; you just need to set it up and save it so that the ISBN is reserved. Then, when you set it up and distribute through IngramSpark with that same ISBN, the IS version won't distribute to Amazon (since the ISBN is already reserved there) but will distribute everywhere else. So the delay in setting up at IngramSpark is just to make sure you set it up at KDP first, so that it has a chance to populate the ISBN into Amazon's database and block it when IngramSpark tries to send the same ISBN to Amazon. With regards to giving IS time to set things up, that can vary a lot. I do think it's a good practice to have everything set up and ready to go as early as possible through any company (KDP, IS, or otherwise), as delays can and do happen, and their regular processes do take some time, too. I don't know that I'd say you need a full six weeks of lead time, but it never hurts to build in as much buffer time as possible. Good luck!
Thank you for this in-depth explanation. What happens if your 'blurb' at KDP and the one at IngramSpark do not match: which one is used by which system? The same question applies to the use of keywords.
Thank you!! This is EXACTLY what I needed. This is the best video I have seen in a long time. Very concise and all around just perfect. BRAVO!! Keep it up. One question...do you purchase the barcodes with the ISBN #?
Thank you for this, I have a question. I have set up my book on KDP, saved as draft. Now on Ingram Spark -- do I set to publish on IS for the preorders? I saw another author indicate that Amazon will buy the preorders from IS and then when it goes live on Amazon, they will return them and cost the author a lot of money. Also, how long of a preorder period do you recommend before publishing live on KDP?
Thank you so much for this information. Should I use a barcode with my cover designer while doing my black cover art? I generated barcodes with Ingram Sparks and my ISBN's. Again thank you so much!!!!
I always have my designer leave space for the barcode in the design, but I don't have her actually include the bar code when she sends me the art. I just have KDP and IngramSpark add the bar code into the space she left for them when I set the books up. Good luck!
@jasondoroughauthor my goodness.. Thank you, man (a designer just kinda gypped me when I asked them to insert my various price containing barcodes). They wanted so much from me. Thank you, big time, sir! Also, I am more than ready to put my two books out after 10 years of writing. But I just don't know my books, trim sizes, or optimal price to finish the cover design!!! Any advice would be extremely appreciated!
Thanks Jason for your your detailed guide. I am an author in the UK and I am just about publishing my new book. I opted to do my Ebook, paperback and hardcover through KDP and my paper back and hardcover through Ingramspark. However, I enabled expanded distribution for Ingramspark and now KDP have rejected the ISBN for the print books saying it already exists and I believe this is due to the Ingramspark version. However, when uploading on Ingramspark, I saw no option for disabling Amazon on the expanded distribution list. Please can you advise me on what to do as my launch soon. Thanks very much.
Hello, and I'm sorry it took a couple of weeks to get back to you! Unfortunately, there's not a way to disable distribution to Amazon when you distribute through IngramSpark. IS's distribution generally sends the book information to all the stores in their distribution network, including Amazon (there are some exceptions, such as that you can specifically opt out of Target distribution through IngramSpark). That's why it's important to set up the ISBNs on KDP first. When you do that, the ISBNs are logged at Amazon with the KDP version. Then, when IngramSpark tries to distribute there, the numbers are already taken at Amazon, so the KDP versions remain intact there.
When should you press publish on KDP? Should it be the same date you set for the preorder on IngramSpark, or should you publish 2 days before the set date? Doesn’t KDP take up to 72 hours for your book to go live?
How about linking my Hardcover and Ebook that are on Ingram Spark to Amazon? My Paperback is on Amazon. I did check expanded distribution. Do I just have to wait until it shows up on Amazon and I can link it in Author Central and then Contact support to put them on the same product page? How long does that take?
for the ingramspark fulfilled amazon pre-orders of paperbacks, will those "count" under the new KDP listing when it comes to stats/reviews? or does it start from 0 when the KDP version releases and replaces the ingram pre-orders?
As far as I know, the IngramSpark preorders don't count toward the same stats that KDP orders count towards. In order to fulfill the Ingram preorders, Amazon will order a bulk shipment of books from IngramSpark, and that goes through different processing than KDP books do. A lot of what Amazon does is not public knowledge, and accounts of it will vary, depending on who you ask at Amazon and KDP. I definitely could be wrong on this, but my impression has always been that the IS preorders don't count towards the KDP listing.
Brilliant thank you. What if I have already just uploaded but not released on IngramSpark. Can I still release on KDP? Or is worth let IngramSpark handle it?
Someone in my facebook group told me this: "Make sure to upload info on both platforms , past the isbn page and save. Then go ahead publish kdp and when ready publish ingram. If you publish kdp and then go to upload info on ingram you will get an error 'isbn already used'" Is it true? I assumed IS would not require a draft save of a book before publishing on KDP but this sounds like you need to have the details setup up on both first even if you publish via KDP first.
Jason this was very well done, concise & clear! Thank you for taking the time to do this. Any advice if you are coming to this after the book is setup and in distribution with Ingramspark?
I added my book to kdp and you now have to set up a release date before you can go and fill in your pricing page. That being the case, I have a provisional date 30th November, so should I approach Ingram spark before this date and publish there first? Thanks
Jason, help :) You instructions are FANTASTIC. I uploaded to KDP effortlessly (use Kindlecreate to format the book), but the KDF file from Kindlecreate isn't being accepted when I upload to Ingram Spark (it says the type of file isn't accepted)--I'm clueless. What can I do to effectively upload the manuscript to Ingram Spark? TU :)
Hi Jason, thank you for this explanation! This is really helpful! I only have one question... but to make a recap of your method for uploading to KDP + IS: Use an ISBN bought by yourself, upload to KDP “without wide distribution” and save it as “draft”. Then upload to IS with the same ISBN, put it on pre-order, and before the actual launch date put it “live on KDP”. My question is the following: Is it not better to set from the beginning the same launch date for both KDP & IS? When I upload to KDP I can set an advanced publication date (e.g. 1st October) instead as saving as “draft”. Afterwards I upload to IS and I set pre-orders with the same “on-sale date” as for KDP (i.e. 1st October as in the previous example). Do you think that this small change to your method is not better than leaving my KDP upload as ‘’draft”? Thank you for your answer!
Thanks for the question! At the time I made this video, KDP didn't offer the option to set a publication date in advance for paperbacks. Now that they do have that option, I definitely do recommend using it exactly as you described. The method I describe in the video is still how I do hardcovers, though, as KDP doesn't yet offer the same scheduling capability for them.
Why am I the only one in the dark here? Someone told me that uploading to both IS and KDP can boost visibility, increase royalties, etc. but doesn’t IngramSpark already offer my book to Amazon anyway? Can you please explain in more detail the benefit of going this route? What am I missing?
Hi Jason, do you know if we can only add the ebook with Amazon’s own ISBN for KDP select while we publish the part back with our own ISBN in KDP and Ingram
You can use your own ISBN for paperback at KDP and IngramSpark while using KDP's free ISBN at KDP. I always recommend not using the free ones at all, though, if it's in your budget, because using your own ISBN gives you more flexibility in the future.
So a question on buying your own ISBN through Bowker first: I thought that e-books and printed books needed two different ISBNs. Like if somebody just buys the e-book on Amazon it will have a different ISBN than if they order a printed book.
That's correct. Each version of the book (ebook, paperback, hardcover, etc) needs its own ISBN. Audiobooks currently do not need an ISBN, but the other formats do.
Hi Jason! Fantastic video! Thank you heaps for sharing such valuable information! I am based in Australia and here the ISBN external provider is called Thorpe-Bowker. I was wondering if apart from the ISBN, I need to buy the barcode too or if KDP and Ingramspark would generate it once I provide the external ISBN. Hope it is not a silly question, I am just on a budget and don't want to buy the barcode if it isn't necessary. An ISBN here would be $55 and ISBN plus barcode $89 or a bit more. I just don't want to buy the ISBN itself and then realised I am "trapped" with Amazon cause they provided the barcode. I greatly appreciate your time! Wishing you the best week!!
Hello! I’m sorry I didn’t see your question until now. You don’t need to buy a bar code. Both KDP and Ingramspark will generate bar codes for you for free after you enter your ISBN during setup. They’ll even do it if you use the free numbers they give you, but I always recommend using your own ISBN. There are also other sites like Kindlepreneur that will generate bar codes for you at no charge, if you publish anything outside of the more common companies. I hope this helps!
@@jasondoroughauthor hi Jason! Please don’t apologise, thank you actually for taking time to respond! 🩷🫶🏻 This is sooo helpful!! I was about to buy both of them, the isbn and barcode, but after what you’ve said, I’ll only buy the isbn, which is half the price! Thank you sooooo so much! This video is just great!! I’m working with a client who has bipolar and special needs, and his passion in life is expressing it all through poetry, and I’m supporting him in publishing his 4th book but independently this time. We’ll think of you often t her laugh out the process and whenever we have the book in our hands!! Just know you’ve been part of the journey of many here! 👣 Have the best week!
What's wrong with KDP Expanded Distribution? You advised against using it, but didn't specifically say why we shouldn't use it? I would have thought publishing to KDP, KDP Expanded Distribution, and IngramSpark would have increased the book's distribution in stores.
The intention behind KDP expanded distribution is to distribute the book into wide stores (Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, etc). It's the same thing IngramSpark does, so you can't do both KDP expanded distribution and IngramSpark; you have to choose one or the other. In practice, KDP expanded distribution doesn't really work, because most bookstores see Amazon as their biggest competitor. They don't want to support Amazon at all, and almost no stores will actually buy from KDP's distribution because they see it as giving money to their direct competition. So, when you set up a book with KDP expanded distribution, it will be available for all the wide stores to buy it, but they typically won't touch it. Stores are used to working with IngramSpark, though, and they will readily buy books there. So, if you are going wide with your print distribution, IngramSpark is the better choice since stores will actually work with them.
Thank you very much for creating a non clickbait, clear and concise video. That is a rare find these days.
I'm trying to move beyond Amazon KDP after having several negative interactions with their customer service who clearly struggle with English.
Little Update: Ingram spark no longer charges the $50 upload fee, up to 2 books per month. But they do charge a revision fee if you need to reupload.
there's a 2 book/mo limit? for no fee?
@@carinagatta Yes no upload fee.
✨Omg Jason! This is the most thorough breakdown of KDP AND INGRAM SPARKS - self publishing process I ever heard. Please continue the good work and you have an amazing platform. Thanks again! You're a godsend🌌🌠💯✨
Six weeks of information delivered in 17 minutes. Great job, thanks.
Before watching your video, I found myself thoroughly perplexed about utilizing both KDP and Ingram Spark for self publishing. Your video is concise and easy to understand. It cleared my mind and provided the clarity I desperately needed. Thank you!
This was very helpful, especially the part about not setting KDP's enhanced distribution in order to let Ingram Spark take that role. I had no idea. Thank you.
I spent 4 hours on several sites trying to get my questions answered and was still confused. This remarkable video clearly and succinctly sorted all of my problems. You have a very good mind for understanding something complex and describing it simply. That's a rare talent.
Excellent video, Jason! I've been publishing my ebooks and paperback books on KDP and Hardcover books on IngramSpark. I've always wanted to publish my paperback on IngramSpark because of their wider distribution but wasn't sure if it would mess up my KDP published paperbacks. But you've cleared that up. So it is ok to go ahead and publish paperbacks already published on KDP on IngramSpark as long as you have your own ISBN and extended distribution isn't set. Cheers!
I come back to this video every time I'm about to publish thank you so much
As a first-time author what a great video, Thanks Jason.
Thank you! In 15 minutes you've cleared up a question that's been vexing me for some time.
I'm so glad it's helpful! I had a hard time figuring this out when I was first publishing. I'm surprised there wasn't more info about this online when I was originally searching for it.
@@jasondoroughauthor hello one person from ingramspark says you cant use your own isbn on ingramspark and kdp as they distribute to both and another support worker said otherwise. I don't think that's true is it? Thank you.
After publishing 22 books at Amazon in 2022, I’ve been trying to plan my Ingram spark release of those books. Thank you for answering a few questions I had that nobody else had answered in their videos.
Thank you for this! I love how clear and thorough you are here. Totally cleared up my confusion.
This was one of the best presentations about navigating the mad world of Indie publishing, and the advantages of going with both KDP and Ingram, that I've seen. Thank you.
Thanks for the info. KDP now lets you take preorders on a future publish date. I guess they had a lot of feedback from authors.
You ROCK AT EXPLAINING the answer to the questions about publishing on both Ingram and KDP! I am saving your video! Thank you for your clarity!
Just terrific. Thanks a lot. And you speak very well. Not an "um" or an "er" in there. Bravo.
Thank you! I'm glad it helped!
Amazing guidance, Jason! I'm writing a book on women's safety and I want this book in every woman's hand. So, I'm trying to do the best thing possible. More than money, it's the distribution that I messed up last time. Wiser now.
Excellent video that finally explained how to set up in both KDP & IS successful! I appreciate you succinct video as so many go on and on! LOL 3 keys: buy your own ISBN, use same ISBN on both sites, & don't click expanded distribution on KDP.
What if you already selected expanded distribution and published on KDP, does this mean you can’t put the book on Ingram Spark?
This video was outstanding, thorough, and clear! Thanks so much!
What you mean: ISBN # lost if you used it first in IngramSpark? Great info, thanks!
Right? I would think it would work on both platforms if it's your own ISBN.
Thank you. This was very helpful indeed!
Jason, this was incredibly detailed and specific info and exactly what I was looking for. And @Billy down in the comments asked my questions about ebook specifically. Thank you for being SO kind and generous with your time and knowledge!
You're welcome, and I'm so glad I was able to help!
@@jasondoroughauthor Hey Jason - one "cart before the horse" question here and maybe self explanatory but once you're all set up with (KDP, IS and KDP, D2D for eBook) and are ready to do your presale... how do you do your presale? I'm gonna lurk on your website and see if you've got something like that happening right now but I was just wondering about where you're linking your readers to. Obviously not multiple links, surely. Or maybe yes?
I've already done the two things you told us not to do on KDP. I accepted the ISBN and I selected expanded distribution. Wish I had seen this video first.
You can uncheck the ED anytime you like. If you haven't made sales yet, you could opt to archive the title on KDP and start all over again having purchased an ISBN first. Just an idea.
What a great video Jason!
Naive question for anyone: What happens when you go for 2 or more ISBNs for the same book? The only consequence I can imagine is that the book shows up twice on Amazon. Is there anything bad about this?
Great video! I also love your stuff on the shelves.
Fantastic information
Thank you so much, for your very clear answers to questions I have had for weeks regarding publishing on both IngramSpark and Amazon, the how-to's, which one first, etc. You are the first person who explained it clearly and succinctly. I will send fellow authors to your link!
Really great and informative video Jason. Untangled in minutes, what can be a damn confusing mess. Thanks
Paused it at 7:19 to say "Man, you're the truth." Thank you so much. I gotta binge your channel now.
Great presentation. I am a newbie preparing to self publish my first book. this was so helpful and so clear! Thank you!
Man, thank you for this video. I watched it carefully. Thanks to this video I found out about IngramSpark. I intend to follow your advice to the end.
Otherwise, information related to ISBN outside the US. I am from Serbia, in Serbia ISBN is purchased from the National Library of Serbia. So it is very easy to get ISBN in every country.
That was the information I was looking for. Thanks.
Very clear and helpful, Jason!
THANK YOU! I can't thank you enough. This video answered all my questions and more, especially the part about pre-orders, thank you 🙏
This was awesome! You answered every question I had clearly and concisely. Thank you!!🙏
Very well spoken and to the point and clear-cut. Thank you.
Thank you for answering questions I've been unable to find answers to!
In Australia your ISBN is via Thorpe-Bowker in Victoria
Thank you very much! Such a useful video and all information!
This is the error people are getting. [ The print ISBN is already in use.] Please address this?
Exactly what I need help with
Any answers?
@@woodystefeneylee7290 you can transfer the KDP ISBN using Ingram's form. What I decided to do was just create a separate ISBN one for Ingram and one for KDP. It's a more comfortable work around for me. But everything has its up and down sides.
Did you do it on KDP or Ingramspark first?
@@77GAN_Cuberhe says toward the end of the video to set it up on KDP first, not Ingram spark 😊
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Goodness I needed help understanding this process. I feel so much better now. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge, Jason.
Thank you, Jason! This video is so helpful. I've been trying to find a way to publish on both KDP and Ingram.
Thank you so much for explaining this process! Much needed. Great teaching!
You should update this video:)
THANK YOU! This is exactly what I needed to know. I'm going to follow your advice when I publish my first book within the next couple of weeks.
This was very helpful! Unfortunately I did it the other way round and uploaded to IngramSpark before KDP. Should I get a free ISBN for the KDP version - that would mean the same book would end up having two different ISBNs. I’ve also considered just using KDP for a hardcover version - that way I will still have a print version on KDP. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for this valuable information.
Thank you so much, very detailed and clear info!
Great insights Jason. Thanks so much.
If you get reviews on the IngramSpark version on Amazon, do they disappear when you publish the KDP version and Amazon boots the Ingram one off? Thanks for the helpful video!
Thanks for this video Jason. This just answers my question for which one to go for regarding my paperbacks.
Got the answer I was looking for! Thank you!
Oh my goodness I've been trying to figure out how to set up a preorder without having 2 copies of it on amazon! I've been trying to find out if doing it that way works! Thanks so much! Ahh!!
You're welcome! I'm so glad this is helpful! It took a lot of digging around, talking to other authors, and experimenting before I could figure this stuff out. It's definitely not a straightforward process.
Many thanks for this video it is great help, fast and clear!!!
Nice and clear, thank you!
Ingram Sparks recently dropped the upload fee. they charge 25 bucks to upload corrections.
This is incredibly helpful and valuable information. Thanks so much!
Excellent. Very helpful. Ive been seeking what to for an age
Thank you so much for this video. Answered so many of my questions. Much appreciated!
That was extremely helpful. Thank you so much.
Oooooooh! So helpful! Jason, do you have a checklist to help with these steps? Timing seems key! Thanks
Thanks !!!! Can you update your own ibsn number later if you already uploaded to kdp and took the free ibsn number ?
An author I work with is in that position for two of her books. I think if you update the ISBN, it's a different version of your book, and any reviews would not port over to the updated one. Will have to confirm that. Otherwise, it's like any other book on Amazon that has a few editions to choose from.
Wow! Thank you for this video! 👊✨
Wow, Jason, you're amazing. This is the first truly clear info I've ever seen on this muddy question. I somehow (accidentally) managed to get your key 3 takeaway steps correct before I saw this, and I'm so relieved! Also, I had no idea you could enable the. book for preorder on Ingram Spark and have it show up as available for preorder on Amazon. I had heard stories about Amazon showing the dreaded "out of stock at the publisher" message instead of listing it for preorder. Know anything about that situation?
Excellent info! Thanks much.
this video was very informative and got quite a few tips thank you. OWuld have really made it much more intuitive to see screenshots or screen recordings of the pages on KDP and Ingram you were talking about though
I'm glad it helped! IngramSpark and KDP occasionally change their interfaces, so I felt like including screenshots or recordings could cause the video to become outdated rather easily. The concepts don't change, though, so keeping it to just the descriptions seemed like a better course for the long term.
Jason,
What are the benefits of putting one’s book live on KDP but wait a bit In IngramSpark? I ask because IS has mass distribution. Could an author get pushback from IS?
I heard from another indie author that an author should give IS 6 weeks to get everything organized and ready for distribution.
Tell us your opinion on this.
Thank you for explaining. I’ll check out your other videos. You have a brand new fan! THANKS.
If you're wanting to use the same ISBN for your book at both KDP and IngramSpark, it's important to set the book up with that ISBN at KDP first, because that will log the ISBN at Amazon right away. You don't actually have to make the book live through KDP at that time; you just need to set it up and save it so that the ISBN is reserved. Then, when you set it up and distribute through IngramSpark with that same ISBN, the IS version won't distribute to Amazon (since the ISBN is already reserved there) but will distribute everywhere else. So the delay in setting up at IngramSpark is just to make sure you set it up at KDP first, so that it has a chance to populate the ISBN into Amazon's database and block it when IngramSpark tries to send the same ISBN to Amazon.
With regards to giving IS time to set things up, that can vary a lot. I do think it's a good practice to have everything set up and ready to go as early as possible through any company (KDP, IS, or otherwise), as delays can and do happen, and their regular processes do take some time, too. I don't know that I'd say you need a full six weeks of lead time, but it never hurts to build in as much buffer time as possible.
Good luck!
Thank you for this in-depth explanation. What happens if your 'blurb' at KDP and the one at IngramSpark do not match: which one is used by which system? The same question applies to the use of keywords.
Thank you!! This is EXACTLY what I needed. This is the best video I have seen in a long time. Very concise and all around just perfect. BRAVO!! Keep it up. One question...do you purchase the barcodes with the ISBN #?
Thank you for this, I have a question. I have set up my book on KDP, saved as draft. Now on Ingram Spark -- do I set to publish on IS for the preorders? I saw another author indicate that Amazon will buy the preorders from IS and then when it goes live on Amazon, they will return them and cost the author a lot of money. Also, how long of a preorder period do you recommend before publishing live on KDP?
Thank you. Very good information.
Thank you so much for this information. Should I use a barcode with my cover designer while doing my black cover art? I generated barcodes with Ingram Sparks and my ISBN's. Again thank you so much!!!!
I always have my designer leave space for the barcode in the design, but I don't have her actually include the bar code when she sends me the art. I just have KDP and IngramSpark add the bar code into the space she left for them when I set the books up. Good luck!
@jasondoroughauthor my goodness.. Thank you, man (a designer just kinda gypped me when I asked them to insert my various price containing barcodes). They wanted so much from me. Thank you, big time, sir!
Also, I am more than ready to put my two books out after 10 years of writing. But I just don't know my books, trim sizes, or optimal price to finish the cover design!!!
Any advice would be extremely appreciated!
Thanks Jason for your your detailed guide. I am an author in the UK and I am just about publishing my new book. I opted to do my Ebook, paperback and hardcover through KDP and my paper back and hardcover through Ingramspark. However, I enabled expanded distribution for Ingramspark and now KDP have rejected the ISBN for the print books saying it already exists and I believe this is due to the Ingramspark version. However, when uploading on Ingramspark, I saw no option for disabling Amazon on the expanded distribution list. Please can you advise me on what to do as my launch soon. Thanks very much.
Hello, and I'm sorry it took a couple of weeks to get back to you! Unfortunately, there's not a way to disable distribution to Amazon when you distribute through IngramSpark. IS's distribution generally sends the book information to all the stores in their distribution network, including Amazon (there are some exceptions, such as that you can specifically opt out of Target distribution through IngramSpark). That's why it's important to set up the ISBNs on KDP first. When you do that, the ISBNs are logged at Amazon with the KDP version. Then, when IngramSpark tries to distribute there, the numbers are already taken at Amazon, so the KDP versions remain intact there.
Wondering if Ingramspark and Draft2digital covers the same market? Thanks for sharing your experience anyway 🙂
excellent detail easy to understand and follow- thank you!
Very helpful, thanks! I have been wanting to do something with all of this and did not know where to begin.
You're very welcome! I'm glad it's helpful, and good luck to you!!
Fantastic thanks I’m going to go this route
Good luck!
Excellent video, thanks for sharing!!
When should you press publish on KDP? Should it be the same date you set for the preorder on IngramSpark, or should you publish 2 days before the set date? Doesn’t KDP take up to 72 hours for your book to go live?
Thank you very much. This is very good and helpful content and I am very glad I found your channel.
You're welcome! I'm so glad to help!
How about linking my Hardcover and Ebook that are on Ingram Spark to Amazon? My Paperback is on Amazon. I did check expanded distribution. Do I just have to wait until it shows up on Amazon and I can link it in Author Central and then Contact support to put them on the same product page? How long does that take?
for the ingramspark fulfilled amazon pre-orders of paperbacks, will those "count" under the new KDP listing when it comes to stats/reviews? or does it start from 0 when the KDP version releases and replaces the ingram pre-orders?
As far as I know, the IngramSpark preorders don't count toward the same stats that KDP orders count towards. In order to fulfill the Ingram preorders, Amazon will order a bulk shipment of books from IngramSpark, and that goes through different processing than KDP books do. A lot of what Amazon does is not public knowledge, and accounts of it will vary, depending on who you ask at Amazon and KDP. I definitely could be wrong on this, but my impression has always been that the IS preorders don't count towards the KDP listing.
Thank you for this video, really clear and explained at a nice pace.
How can you fix it, if you checked expanded distribution on KDP?
What about when you publish the kindle or laptop format? Is this process the same as described for the paperback?
Great video. Thanks. If print version by IS better than KDP, then isn't it better to not go live on KDP?
Brilliant thank you. What if I have already just uploaded but not released on IngramSpark. Can I still release on KDP? Or is worth let IngramSpark handle it?
Question….Can you use your own ISBN number on KDP for your paperback, but use their ISBN number for a digital version on Kindle?
Someone in my facebook group told me this:
"Make sure to upload info on both platforms , past the isbn page and save. Then go ahead publish kdp and when ready publish ingram. If you publish kdp and then go to upload info on ingram you will get an error 'isbn already used'"
Is it true? I assumed IS would not require a draft save of a book before publishing on KDP but this sounds like you need to have the details setup up on both first even if you publish via KDP first.
Jason this was very well done, concise & clear! Thank you for taking the time to do this. Any advice if you are coming to this after the book is setup and in distribution with Ingramspark?
I added my book to kdp and you now have to set up a release date before you can go and fill in your pricing page. That being the case, I have a provisional date 30th November, so should I approach Ingram spark before this date and publish there first? Thanks
Jason, help :) You instructions are FANTASTIC. I uploaded to KDP effortlessly (use Kindlecreate to format the book), but the KDF file from Kindlecreate isn't being accepted when I upload to Ingram Spark (it says the type of file isn't accepted)--I'm clueless. What can I do to effectively upload the manuscript to Ingram Spark? TU :)
Hi Jason, thank you for this explanation! This is really helpful!
I only have one question... but to make a recap of your method for uploading to KDP + IS: Use an ISBN bought by yourself, upload to KDP “without wide distribution” and save it as “draft”. Then upload to IS with the same ISBN, put it on pre-order, and before the actual launch date put it “live on KDP”.
My question is the following: Is it not better to set from the beginning the same launch date for both KDP & IS? When I upload to KDP I can set an advanced publication date (e.g. 1st October) instead as saving as “draft”. Afterwards I upload to IS and I set pre-orders with the same “on-sale date” as for KDP (i.e. 1st October as in the previous example).
Do you think that this small change to your method is not better than leaving my KDP upload as ‘’draft”?
Thank you for your answer!
Thanks for the question! At the time I made this video, KDP didn't offer the option to set a publication date in advance for paperbacks. Now that they do have that option, I definitely do recommend using it exactly as you described. The method I describe in the video is still how I do hardcovers, though, as KDP doesn't yet offer the same scheduling capability for them.
This video gave me hope
Why am I the only one in the dark here? Someone told me that uploading to both IS and KDP can boost visibility, increase royalties, etc. but doesn’t IngramSpark already offer my book to Amazon anyway? Can you please explain in more detail the benefit of going this route? What am I missing?
Hi Jason, do you know if we can only add the ebook with Amazon’s own ISBN for KDP select while we publish the part back with our own ISBN in KDP and Ingram
You can use your own ISBN for paperback at KDP and IngramSpark while using KDP's free ISBN at KDP. I always recommend not using the free ones at all, though, if it's in your budget, because using your own ISBN gives you more flexibility in the future.
So a question on buying your own ISBN through Bowker first: I thought that e-books and printed books needed two different ISBNs. Like if somebody just buys the e-book on Amazon it will have a different ISBN than if they order a printed book.
That's correct. Each version of the book (ebook, paperback, hardcover, etc) needs its own ISBN. Audiobooks currently do not need an ISBN, but the other formats do.
Hi Jason! Fantastic video! Thank you heaps for sharing such valuable information!
I am based in Australia and here the ISBN external provider is called Thorpe-Bowker. I was wondering if apart from the ISBN, I need to buy the barcode too or if KDP and Ingramspark would generate it once I provide the external ISBN.
Hope it is not a silly question, I am just on a budget and don't want to buy the barcode if it isn't necessary.
An ISBN here would be $55 and ISBN plus barcode $89 or a bit more.
I just don't want to buy the ISBN itself and then realised I am "trapped" with Amazon cause they provided the barcode.
I greatly appreciate your time!
Wishing you the best week!!
Hello! I’m sorry I didn’t see your question until now. You don’t need to buy a bar code. Both KDP and Ingramspark will generate bar codes for you for free after you enter your ISBN during setup. They’ll even do it if you use the free numbers they give you, but I always recommend using your own ISBN. There are also other sites like Kindlepreneur that will generate bar codes for you at no charge, if you publish anything outside of the more common companies. I hope this helps!
@@jasondoroughauthor hi Jason! Please don’t apologise, thank you actually for taking time to respond! 🩷🫶🏻
This is sooo helpful!! I was about to buy both of them, the isbn and barcode, but after what you’ve said, I’ll only buy the isbn, which is half the price! Thank you sooooo so much! This video is just great!!
I’m working with a client who has bipolar and special needs, and his passion in life is expressing it all through poetry, and I’m supporting him in publishing his 4th book but independently this time.
We’ll think of you often t her laugh out the process and whenever we have the book in our hands!!
Just know you’ve been part of the journey of many here! 👣
Have the best week!
What's wrong with KDP Expanded Distribution? You advised against using it, but didn't specifically say why we shouldn't use it? I would have thought publishing to KDP, KDP Expanded Distribution, and IngramSpark would have increased the book's distribution in stores.
The intention behind KDP expanded distribution is to distribute the book into wide stores (Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, etc). It's the same thing IngramSpark does, so you can't do both KDP expanded distribution and IngramSpark; you have to choose one or the other. In practice, KDP expanded distribution doesn't really work, because most bookstores see Amazon as their biggest competitor. They don't want to support Amazon at all, and almost no stores will actually buy from KDP's distribution because they see it as giving money to their direct competition. So, when you set up a book with KDP expanded distribution, it will be available for all the wide stores to buy it, but they typically won't touch it. Stores are used to working with IngramSpark, though, and they will readily buy books there. So, if you are going wide with your print distribution, IngramSpark is the better choice since stores will actually work with them.