IngramSpark - the Good and the Bad

If you don't know, I self-published through IngramSpark. IngramSpark isn't a publisher like Scholastic or Bandersnatch - it's a website that partners with indie authors to help them self-publish books. A lot of people have asked me what IngramSpark is like - is it good or bad, pricey, etc. So I thought I'd write a blog post about what publishing with Ingram looks like!

What does and doesn't IngramSpark do?

IngramSpark is not a publisher. They don't exactly promote your book just because. They don't do all of the formatting, any editing, proofreading, put you in contact with illustrators, etc. All of that is up to you. But they also don't own your book (if you buy your own ISBN) like a publisher, in a way, would. And they don't charge you or pay you to publish.

Ingram also owns a printing company, so if you self-publish through them, they take care of all the printing. They will give you a cover template, etc., if you need it. They have connections to be able to sell your book through other retailers - this is why you can find The Otherfolk on most book retail websites. Essentially, that's what they do - print and get you into bookstores and libraries. While bookstores generally won't buy books self-published on Amazon (their competitor), they will buy from IngramSpark (a supplier).

IngramSpark will also give you a free ISBN if you want it to. I don't know as much about the downsides of that as I do about Amazon, but I can assure you that they're there.

What if I want one?

Another great thing about IngramSpark is that you get your books wholesale. I get copies of The Otherfolk for about $6-$7 (printing cost) plus shipping, which means I can make more money by selling copies directly to friends and family. You don't have to pay any fees or anything to get copies yourself.

Print quality?

Very high! I heard a story from a friend's mom about half of someone else's book being printed in one specific copy of hers, but I haven't had any problems with anything like that. There have been a couple of slightly off-center spines, but not anything horrible.

Format options?

Print and ebook. You can pick from paperback and hardback, and there are different types of binding.

How about retailer profit?

The way IngramSpark does profit is a little confusing, but once you understand it, it's rather straightforward. They let you set the maximum percentage of the profit the retailer can take (profit being price minus print cost). Let's say The Otherfolk costs $15 on Amazon (which it does), and for simplicity's sake, we'll pretend the print cost is $5. So the profit is $10. If Amazon takes 40% of the profit, that means they get $4 and I get $6 (that's my publisher compensation). IngramSpark takes a very, very small portion of the profit (1%, or 10 cents in our scenario).

So, why can't you just tell IngramSpark that the maximum profit retailers can take is 0%? Technically, you can do that, but no retailers will sell it. I sell books through an IngramSpark link, and which takes around 30%. Amazon takes 40% (as far as I know). There are other retailers that take more or less, but none of them take 0%. So, no retailers would sell your book if it was set to 0%, Amazon wouldn't sell it if it was set to less than 40%, etc.

Okay, and what's the down payment?

Surprise - nothing! There is no initial down payment or investment user cost. IngramSpark takes a small portion of your profit (1%), and that's it.

There is a file/cover editing fee, as well as extra marketing services you can pay for.

What's the bad news?

There are three things that come to mind in terms of bad news about IngramSpark. First of all, retailer payment. When someone buys your book from, say, B&N, it's reported to you right away. At the end of the month, IngramSpark sends you an estimate of how much money you earned that month. The bad part? You don't get it for 3-4 months. So my money from March won't go into my bank account until July. Second, there's a bit of a lag with the updates. You might have seen that The Otherfolk had no cover on Amazon for over a month, and that's one of the things that takes it a bit to get right. And third, it's tricky to order proof copies without publishing your proof copy. It's possible, I believe, but I don't know exactly how (when I learn, I'll tell you!).

All in all, IngramSpark has done very well for me. I highly recommend it to other self-publishing authors, especially young ones like me! If you have any questions about IngramSpark and how it works, you can find their website here or use the contact form to ask me what I know!