Read Time: 4 minutes Independent authors have two primary options for self-publishing: Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark. Each of these options has benefits and drawbacks. In this post, we'll cover the basics of KDP and IngramSpark to help you make an informed decision about where to place your book. |
KDP |
IngramSpark |
|
Fees |
Free upload; free changes |
$49 upload fee; additional charge for change |
Available Formats |
Paperback and ebook |
Paperback, hardcover, and ebook |
Returns |
No returns |
Can make books returnable |
Distribution |
Better for Amazon and online sale |
Better for bookstores and libraries |
Proof and Author Copies |
Proof copies only before pub |
Author copies available before pub |
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What about cover design? Is there any place I can go for this?
Hi, William! We offer custom cover designs. You can get more information at bluepenbooks.com/cover-design.
And you can contact us at bluepenbooks.com/contact.
What would happen if I upload to IS before KDP?
The IngramSpark version of the book would populate to Amazon, which can hurt your ranking on Amazon.
Helpful. Thanks. I have created an account with IS (and signed required agreements) but have not submitted titles. I have my own ISBNs. Am I under any obligation to IS or can I still upload to KDP first? Thanks for the counsel!
Hi, Joe! You can absolutely upload to KDP first. Remember that IS and KDP are self-publishing platforms, not publishers. You are the publisher and retain all rights to your work, meaning you can publish it through as many platforms as you like.
Thank you for the article. I was wondering that if I am uploading to Ingram Spark what the purpose of me uploading to Amazon separately would be? I ask as on the Ingram Spark site it states Amazon as one of the places that it sells books to.
Many thanks for your time.
I believe this was addressed above, "The IngramSpark version of the book would populate to Amazon, which can hurt your ranking on Amazon."
I was totally wondering the same thing, and then I reread this. It sounds like Amazon gives special treatment to books published through KDP.
Thanks Eddie!
Great article about both POD companies! Here's my question that I can't seem to find anywhere. Hopefully you can help me. I want to publish through IS, but I want to get my proof copies made from KDP. Would I be able to get the free KDP ISBN number for my book, print the proof copies (even though ISBN won't be on it, but it's required to get one while setting up your book), delete what I have in KDP and just continue with distribution in IS? Would that somehow mess something up? I thought at one point if you were going to use IS that it would be a conflict of interest with KDP.
Hopefully my question was clear throughout all my typing. I'm really looking forward to your response.
Thanks!
Technically, yes—except that you can't actually delete drafts from your KDP bookshelf. You would just not publish it.
That said, ordering proofs from KDP doesn't make much sense if you're publishing through IS. First, the printing would be different and the files would be different (KDP and IS require differently formatted cover files), meaning you wouldn't actually be able to assess that everything is correct. Secondly, KDP proof copies have a watermark on the cover. But at IS, you can get non-watermarked author copies before publication.
Since you're publishing through IS, I assume you're interested in getting into brick-and-mortar bookstores, which means you should be purchasing your own ISBN. With that in hand, there's no reason not to publish through both platforms. You can absolutely publish through both KDP and IS.
If you have more questions, reach out to us at bluepenbooks.com/contact
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