Self-Publishing: Setting up an IngramSpark Paperback
By: A.D. Sterling
Sun, May 24, 2020
Read in 4 minutes
Setting up a paperback book on IngramSpark
If you want to get your books into libraries, retailers and schools the best place to list your book is with IngramSpark. They can publish hardcover and paperbacks via print on demand (POD) as well as eBooks. If you intend to distribute your book beyond Amazon, this is the best way to do so. If you choose to distribute through Amazon they are using IngramSpark anyway.
When you set up a new title with IngramSpark you can choose to list both a paperback and eBook for $49, or the paperback for $49 and an eBook separately for $25.
I chose not to list my eBook with IngramSpark because at the time I was enrolled in Amazon KDP, but once I discontinued enrollment in KDP I chose to list directly with the major eBook distributers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google and Apple). If you choose to list with IngramSpark it does distribute out through these channels as well as others, but I wanted to make sure I kept as much of my royalty payment as possible.
Paperback Document
IngramSpark requires that your files be exported to a pdf very specifically to be considered “print ready”. For this reason, and to make things easier down the road, I would recommend formatting your book per IngramSpark’s requirements and then use that file for Amazon KDP and Barnes & Noble. This will save you time down the road and make uploading a breeze.
Unlike Amazon, IngramSpark doesn’t offer templates for your manuscript as far as I’m aware. I used the template I downloaded from Amazon and modified it to match the requirements for IngramSpark.
The biggest challenge I had with creating a file for IngramSpark was getting the pdf to meet their requirements. Unfortunately Mac’s Pages application doesn’t have the export capabilities to create the file the way that they need. Their documentation references using Adobe Acrobat to create the file properly, however I don’t have that application and it’s expensive. I found I was able to use the Affinity Designer application to create the pdf and it resolved the errors I was receiving when I uploaded my pdf originally.
Cover
IngramSpark’s cover requirements are much different from Amazon’s, so don’t expect to be able to use the same file. They do, thankfully, have a Cover Template Generator available within their Help section once you’ve begun setting up your title. The nice thing about this tool is that it places a barcode in the file for you based on your ISBN. I imagine having this barcode may come in handy should I decide to use a printer that doesn’t provide a barcode.
What you need
In order to complete setup for your paperback you’ll need the following:
- Your paperback ISBN. This should be the same ISBN used with Amazon so long as you purchased your own. If you chose to let Amazon assign an ISBN you won’t be able to use that with IngramSpark.
- Your cover formatted properly.
- Your .pdf file formatted properly.
- Your author bio
I can’t stress enough how important it is to format your files properly prior to uploading them. IngramSpark won’t help you if they are formatted incorrectly and there will likely be a fee to upload them again, although I have read that during setup you may be able to re-upload your files if they don’t meet the proper requirements without being charged.
Pricing
You will need to convert the price of your book for each region you want IngramSpark to list your book in. A conversion tool will help you figure out an appropriate price in each region based on your US price. I rounded the pricing so it had a nice ending number .49 or .99 (although I’m not sure if that’s the standard in other countries).
Wondering how to price your book?
Listing
It takes approximately 4-7 days for a book to be approved with IngramSpark. Once they approve your files they will request you do a final review of the files before you can enable them for distribution.
Enabling for Distribution
Before you enable your book to be available for distribution IngramSpark recommends you purchase a copy of the book for a final review to make sure everything looks the way you expect. Unfortunately they are slow to print and ship, so expect to wait 2-3 weeks to receive your book.
Making Changes
If you choose to make changes to your documents with IngramSpark it’s going to cost you. Unlike Amazon, where you can make changes for free, there is a fee each time you want to make a change. For this reason it’s best to wait until you are confident with your manuscript to upload your title.
Read Next: Self-Publishing: Exporting a Manuscript for IngramSpark