One of the biggest decisions you’ll make as a self-published Canadian author is choosing your self-publishing platform, so which one is better, Amazon KDP or IngramSpark Publishing?
Which self-publishing platform should you use to publish your book, Amazon KDP or IngramSpark Publishing?
It’s a great question and one of our most frequently asked self-publishing questions, which is why we took an in-depth look at different self-publishing platforms to compare their pros and cons in our article, The Best Self-Publishing Platforms for Canadian Authors, where we discuss the best self-publishing platforms for Canadian authors looking to self-publish their books.
While we would like to point out one of these self-publishing platforms and say that it’s the best one, and that it’s the one you should publish your book on, the answer is a little more complicated than that and will involve weighing up the pros and cons of each platform.
With almost a decade of publishing industry experience, we’ve worked out one thing: no two authors, or their books, are exactly alike, and there’s not a ‘one size fits all approach’ to self-publishing.
If you’re writing a book and need any assistance with paperback or ebook formatting, cover design, professional editing, uploading to self-publishing sites such as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, or Amazon KDP keyword and category research, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We also offer children’s book illustrations and formatting services.
The Benefits of Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Although IngramSpark Publishing has been working to streamline book uploading and author account setup, Amazon KDP is still a bit more user-friendly and offers an author dashboard that is a bit more beginner-friendly.
The backend and author dashboard setup are clean and easy to navigate, and although there are a few questions during upload that authors will need to research, most of the upload process can be straightforward.
Most authors can have a print and ebook uploaded and published in approximately an hour. Once you’ve done it a couple of times and know what to expect and what information you’ll need throughout the uploading, you can cut that time down substantially.
In an age when AI chatbots dominate customer support, Amazon KDP refreshingly offers support via email, chat, and phone with real agents. If you have an issue you can’t work out, authors can request a call-back, and it’s typically very quick. While support and feedback can be hit-or-miss, and it may take multiple attempts to resolve a technical issue, you will get there in the end.
Amazon dominated the North American book market and, to some extent, the global book market. If you’re planning on selling your book on any of Amazon’s marketplaces, it makes sense to upload to Amazon KDP and manage those titles directly rather than relying on any 3rd party distribution sites.
According to Automateed, Amazon is responsible for more than 50% of all print book sales in the United States, and almost 67% of ebook sales.
While their print-on-demand (POD) option is a huge plus for self-published authors and was arguably responsible for the massive rise in self-published authors when it was first introduced, quality and consistency have always been hit-or-miss.
If you’re ready to self-publish your book and considering Amazon KDP, check out Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing for Canadian Authors, where we discuss everything you need to know about setting up your Amazon KDP account, uploading print and ebooks, and managing titles through your author dashboard.
The Disadvantages of Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Publishing your book on Amazon KDP, even if you choose their expanded distribution option, probably won’t result in your book being picked up by any libraries or bookstores. However, that’s not just an issue you’ll face on Amazon KDP.
Both IngramSpark Publishing and Amazon KDP use the same expanded distribution or wholesale network, and while, in theory, your book will be available to libraries and bookstores, getting them to stock it on their shelves is another thing altogether. However, Amazon didn’t reach the top of the book world by being friendly, and many bookstores steer well clear of the platform.
If you’re interested in getting your self-published books into libraries, check out 5 Steps for Canadian Authors to Get Their Books into Libraries, where we discuss how Canadian authors can get their books added to library shelves.
Amazon offers very limited hardcovers. Amazon KDP only added hardcover (case laminate) books in 2022, and its trim sizes are limited to 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9, and the large trim sizes 6.14 x 9.21, 7 x 10, and 8.25 x 11. They don’t offer duplex covers, cloth covers, or dust jackets.
The Advantages of IngramSpark Publishing
IngramSpark Publishing doesn’t operate as a book retailer; it only offers distribution to other platforms, including Amazon, which gives it a wide global reach. If your plan is to eventually see your book on library and bookstore shelves, then adding it to IngramSpark Publishing, which controls the largest wholesale book list in the world, should be on your list of priorities.
IngramSpark will also give you more control over the wholesale pricing and discounts you offer retailers. In contrast, Amazon KDP has the same set price for all wholesalers, and you can’t adjust anything through the author dashboard.
If you choose to publish via IngramSpark Publishing, they’ll get your book added to Bookshop.org, one of the fastest-growing book retailers in the world. Bookshop.org was set up to counter Amazon KDP’s global dominance and allows customers to donate a % of their sales to local independent bookstores.
While both Amazon KDP and IngramSpark Publishing offer print-on-demand (POD) services to authors, IngramSpark’s choice of paper, trim sizes, and covers is much bigger than Amazon KDP’s. If you’re looking for high-quality paper, specialty trim sizes and cover options, then IngramSpark Publishing is a great choice.
If you have been considering self-publishing your book on IngramSpark Publishing, check out the Complete Guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Canadian Authors, where we cover account setup, title uploading, royalties, pricing, and much more!
The Disadvantages of IngramSpark Publishing
Amazon KDP and IngramSpark Publishing are, in a way, direct competitors. While IngramSpark Publishing doesn’t offer direct-to-customer sales through a large retail platform like Amazon Marketplace, they are working towards offering a direct-to-customer print-on-demand (POD) option. This would allow Canadian authors to add links to their websites or marketing campaigns that consumers could click to print and ship them a book directly.
IngramSpark’s print, shipping, and handling costs are a little higher than Amazon KDP’s. However, many authors argue that the quality is slightly higher, making the additional cost worthwhile.
There’s no great way to say this, but compared to Amazon KDP’s customer support, IngramSpark Publishing has a long way to go, and over the last few years, they’ve been heading in the wrong direction entirely.
Unlike Amazon KDP, unless you pay for additional support, you can’t just call someone at IngramSpark or request a call. You have to email them, and their standard response time is hovering somewhere above 3 days!
The user dashboard on IngramSpark, where you upload your book, manage titles, and order copies, isn’t as user-friendly as Amazon KDP. It’s not impossible to navigate, but it’s a little more complicated and requires a little bit more research.
Amazon KDP or IngramSpark Publishing: Which Self-Publishing Platform Is the Best for You? | Conclusion
So, which one is the best self-publishing platform, and which one should Canadian authors choose? We’re always going to recommend that our authors utilize both self-publishing platforms if they want to put their book in front of as many potential customers as possible.
Amazon KDP is more user-friendly, offers better support, and controls a large share of the retail book market, but IngramSpark Publishing has a much wider global distribution network, provides high-quality products, and gives authors more options for paper quality, trim size, and cover options.
We recommend publishing directly to Amazon KDP first, print and ebook, but not using their expanded distribution and then once that’s live on their site, publishing the print and ebook to IngramSpark Publishing to take advantage of their global wholesale network. It’s like having your cake and eating it too!
If you are writing a book and need any assistance with paperback or ebook formatting, cover design, professional editing, uploading to self-publishing sites such as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, or Amazon KDP keyword and category research, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We also offer children’s book illustrations and formatting services.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below, and we’ll do our best to answer them or point you in the right direction.
