Using both IngramSpark and KDP

[kirispupis]

Hello everyone!

I'm getting very close to shipping my first self-published book (a sci-fi novel)! My editor has signed off, cover has been ordered, book has been formatted, and my marketing plan is underway.

Originally I planned to offset print 1000 hardcovers in addition to the e-book, but I'm now thinking that POD is the better way. I've read quite a bit and am leaning toward both KDP and IngramSpark. However, there are still a few questions I'm wondering about.

- My thinking is to use KDP for paperbacks and e-books on Amazon. I'll use IngramSpark for hardcovers, paperbacks, and e-books outside of Amazon. However, since the paperback and hardcover will have separate ISBNs (already purchased mine), and KDP doesn't print hardcover, can I have IngramSpark distribute only the hardcovers to Amazon? In other words, on Amazon the e-book and paperback will come from KDP, and the hardcover will come from IngramSpark. Is that allowed, or will Amazon pull my book?
- I'm a bit confused how shipping factors in for POD at IngramSpark. Per their calculator, my hardcover book should have a print charger of $10.50, and with the regular 55% discount, I should receive a royalty of $3 per book at a $29.99 list price. However, when I go to their ship + print calculator, they add a handling fee of $1.99, shipping of $4.05 to a US address, and tax of $1.69. So, if someone on Amazon orders my hardcover book, do I receive a royalty of $3, or do I take a loss of $5? What I think is the case is I only worry about the printing costs if IngramSpark is distributing to a reseller, but I pay the shipping + other expenses if I order copies myself. Is this the case?
- If I use KDP, are my paperback books automatically eligible for Amazon Prime?

Thank you so much for your help. This is my first self-published book and I want to get everything right.

[KBoards.com]

[Sleeping Cat Books]

- My thinking is to use KDP for paperbacks and e-books on Amazon. I'll use IngramSpark for hardcovers, paperbacks, and e-books outside of Amazon. However, since the paperback and hardcover will have separate ISBNs (already purchased mine), and KDP doesn't print hardcover, can I have IngramSpark distribute only the hardcovers to Amazon? In other words, on Amazon the e-book and paperback will come from KDP, and the hardcover will come from IngramSpark. Is that allowed, or will Amazon pull my book?

Don't use IS for ebook distribution. They keep too much of the revenue. Draft2Digital is a better option. If you're asking can you have a paperback with IS but *not* have that paperback distributed to Amazon, the answer is no. IS allows the publisher to select geographic markets for print books, not specific retailers. But many of us use both KDP and IS for the identical paperback edition, using the same ISBN (that we own) on both platforms. There is no issue with this on Amazon, since they build sales pages based on the ISBN.

- I'm a bit confused how shipping factors in for POD at IngramSpark. Per their calculator, my hardcover book should have a print charger of $10.50, and with the regular 55% discount, I should receive a royalty of $3 per book at a $29.99 list price. However, when I go to their ship + print calculator, they add a handling fee of $1.99, shipping of $4.05 to a US address, and tax of $1.69. So, if someone on Amazon orders my hardcover book, do I receive a royalty of $3, or do I take a loss of $5? What I think is the case is I only worry about the printing costs if IngramSpark is distributing to a reseller, but I pay the shipping + other expenses if I order copies myself.

IS shipping is for publisher orders - when *you* order books from IS. It has nothing to do with retailers. Shipping for retail copies is between the customer and the retailer. Neither IS nor you have anything to do with it, and it shouldn't factor into your retail list price.

- If I use KDP, are my paperback books automatically eligible for Amazon Prime?

Yes.

[kirispupis]

Thank you so much for your answers Sleeping Cat. This is exactly what I needed to know!

[KBoards.com]