The complete guide and tutorial for Canadian authors considering self-publishing on one of the world’s biggest self-publishing platforms, IngramSpark Publishing!
In the following IngramSpark Publishing guide, potentially one of the world’s biggest self-publishing platforms alongside Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), we’ll walk you through creating an account and uploading your print or digital books.
If you’ve never self-published through IngramSpark Publishing, their dashboard and process can initially be overwhelming, but don’t worry! We’ll take you through the whole process from start to finish.
As one of the world’s largest print and digital book distributors, with over 39,000 global retailers, schools, libraries, and distribution affiliates, IngramSpark is hard to ignore. For Canadian authors looking for a large print-on-demand (POD) self-publishing platform with global distribution, IngramSpark Publishing is well worth a look.
In the following guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Canadian self-published Authors, we’ll cover:
- Complete IngramSpark Account Setup
- Adding A New Book to IngramSpark Publishing
- Choosing Print, Ebook, or Both?
- Your Book’s Metadata Information
- What Information Will IngramSpark Publishing Need During the Title Setup?
- Pricing & Royalties, Book Distribution Information, and File Uploading & Submission
- The Pros and Cons of IngramSpark Publishing for Canadian Authors
- Is IngramSpark Publishing the Best Self-Publishing Platform for You?
If you’re still considering which self-publishing platform is best for you, check out The Best Self-Publishing Platforms for Canadian Authors, which compares the pros and cons of the most popular Canadian self-publishing platforms.
Complete IngramSpark Account Setup
- It’s time to open your IngramSpark Publishing account. Click the ‘Create New Account’ button and fill out your personal details, including email, name, and password. Once you confirm the email they sent, you’ll be ready to log in.
- Once you log in, you’ll be asked to accept the Terms and Conditions, including the IngramSpark privacy policy. Take your time and read each policy before confirming and agreeing. Some of the personal information you’ll need to have ready is your business information, tax information, banking details, and payment methods.
- The next step is to read and agree to the IngramSpark publishing agreements. Canadian authors must sign two mandatory agreements: the Global POD (Print On Demand) Agreement and the Global Ebook Agreement. Both agreements require electronic signatures. Check out this article What Is Print On Demand to learn more about how print-on-demand works for self-published authors.
- Before you take the final step, uploading and publishing books on IngramSpark, you’ll need to complete their payment and compensation sections, which allow authors to get paid and receive royalties. You’ll need to select your desired currency, CAD, and add your banking details and credit card for any title setup fees or when you order an author-proof copy of your print titles.
If you encounter any issues or errors during the account setup, you can contact the IngramSpark Help Centre, which will walk you through the process.
Adding A New Book to IngramSpark Publishing
Your next step is to add a book once your account is ready to go. If you’ve been using Amazon KDP and this is your first adventure into IngramSpark Publishing, the two platforms and how you navigate them can feel a little intimidating at first, but stick with them. Google is always your friend. If you can’t find an answer, there’s a good chance someone else was once in the same position.
When you’re ready to add your book, click the ‘Add a New Title’ button on the author dashboard and prepare to start. At this point, having a little cheat sheet that you can refer back to and copy-paste is also a good idea. Add your title, sub-title, ISBNs, keywords, categories, prices, contributors, and anything else you may need during upload. Spell-check and double-check it, and then you can simply copy-paste your answers as needed.
Choosing Print, or Ebook, or Both?
If you have a print book and an ebook ready to publish, it’s easier to do both formats simultaneously. However, IngramSpark recently added a feature that will allow you to add another format, such as a hardcover version, to an already existing title, like an ebook or paperback, which will save you a lot of time.
For Canadian authors still considering the best format to release their book in, maximizing your investment with a print, ebook, and hardcover is well worth it. It gives any potential readers a lot of options for their preferred reading format and won’t cost much more to prepare.
Why wouldn’t you maximize your chances of a sale by offering various book formats? IngramSpark has an excellent article about ebook versus print books, which is well worth reading if you’re undecided and need a little more information.
When ebooks first hit the book market, most people expected to quickly dominate print books and destroy the physical book market. However, it didn’t happen then and still hasn’t happened now. That’s not to say the ebook market isn’t growing. The latest industry statistics show the ebook market experiences about 4% annual growth.
Your Book’s Metadata Information
During uploading, one of the first things you’ll be asked is about your book’s metadata. The metadata you input during uploading will help tell retailers, online platforms, libraries, bookstores, and customers about your book and also help them find it. It’s essential to keep this metadata as accurate as possible.
The metadata in your book is related directly to how discoverable your book will be and also directly impacts sales. When you’re working on your author marketing plan, your book metadata, especially keywords and categories, should be on your priority list.
The best way to think about your metadata is that more is better, and accuracy is king. IngramSpark Publishing will only ask for a minimum of one BISAC subject code, but they allow you to add up to three relevant subject codes, so try to find three that relate to the content of your book.
When you’re working on keywords, consider single keywords and keyphrases or long-tail keywords, such as search inquiries. For example, religion, fishing, or flying would all be considered keywords. A keyphrase could be something like a complete guide to fly fishing or how to fly for beginners. When you’re doing keyphrases or long-tail keywords, don’t mix up the order. Put them in how you would type them yourself if you were doing a search.
What Information Will IngramSpark Publishing Need During the Title Setup?
During the title setup, IngramSpark will ask you to provide specific information. It’s one of the reasons why we wrote the Complete Guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Canadian Authors so that you’d be more prepared for uploading and not be scrambling to come up with information.
Some of the information they’ll ask for is optional, but other information is required if you want to complete the upload. Below is the information they’ll ask for:
- Book Title – Add your book title here. It’s the first thing potential readers will see, so take your time and remember to consider keywords when you’re coming up with title ideas. It’s also difficult to change without re-releasing your book, so think carefully.
- Language – Select the language in which your book is written. There’s a drop-down menu that will let you choose your desired language.
- Book Description – In this section, add your book’s description. Some HTML is allowed, such as bold, italic, paragraphs, etc., which will help make your description more impactful. Checkout Tips for Writing a Great Book Description! To get some excellent ideas for crafting a book description that sells.
- Contributors – As the primary author, you’ll be the first contributor. Still, you can also add other contributors, such as an illustrator, editor, and other authors, but all of these names will be publicly listed and linked to your title. If you hit the ‘About the Contributor’ button, you’ll be able to add a bio for all the contributors.
- Imprint – The imprint identifies your self-publishing company. Your imprint should match the information you supplied when you got your ISBNs. A lot of self-published Canadian authors simply list their imprint as self-published. However, if you created an imprint, this is where you add it.
- Subjects/BISAC Codes – These are what categorize your book and allow retailers and other listers to accurately categorize your book according to industry standards. If you want a complete list of BISAC codes, visit the Book Industry Study Group and find the BISAC code most relevant to your book.
- Book Type – Book types are both theme and regional subjects. A good example of this would be a book about the Toronto Maple Leafs. It would have a sports subject code but a regional BISAC related to Toronto or Ontario.
- Audience – Some retailers will require you to list your desired audience. It’s beneficial for children’s books targeting a specific age demographic. You can leave it to general/adult if you’re not targeting a specific group.
- Trim Size – Your trim size is the finished physical size of your book, such as 5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9, and so on. If you are at the uploading stage, you should have genuinely committed to a trim size. If you’re struggling with print or ebook formatting, professional book formatting is a great way to finish off your book so it looks perfect. You can view a complete list of IngramSpark’s trim sizes here.
- Paper Type and Black and White or Color – The next thing they’ll ask you is if you would like your print book to have a color interior or a black and white interior. If you’re going with black and white, your paper choice is crème or white. If you’re doing a color book, you have four different paper-quality options. Please note, if you choose color, even if you only have one interior color image, every page will be considered color for printing purposes, which can get quite expensive.
- Binding Type – Your binding type is a choice of paperback or hardcover. Please note your trim size will determine which binding types are available, as they’re not universal.
- Page Count – Here, you enter how many interior pages your print or ebook has, including any front matter, blank pages, and back matter.
- ISBN – Every book and format, ebook, paperback, hardcover, or audiobook, has a unique International Standard Book Number (ISBN). You can learn more about ISBNs, including where Canadian authors can get free ISBNs for their books, in this article, Do I Need an ISBN for My Book in Canada?
- SKU – The Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) can sometimes be used instead of an ISBN, but most distributors won’t sell or stock your book if it only has an SKU number.
Pricing & Royalties, Book Distribution Information, and File Uploading & Submission
Once the title setup is complete, the next step is uploading, which includes distribution options, pricing, royalties, and uploading your interior manuscript and cover.
Royalties and Book Pricing
There are six different markets in the IngramSpark Publishing pricing section. If you set your price in the first section, typically the United States market, it will auto-calculate the rest of the individual markets. You can’t list your book for less than it costs to print and ship, but you can easily overprice your book. Take some time to research competitor books in your genre to get a good comparison of prices to ensure your book is competitive. Interestingly, the Canadian market is the only market that doesn’t display an author compensation number as it’s linked to the USD and exchange rate.
You’ll also be responsible for setting the:
- List Price – This is the price that retailers will charge customers when they sell your book. If a retailer wants to discount your book, they can, but that discount comes off their cost, not yours as the author.
- Ebook Pricing – You can set the retail price of your ebook, which will apply to all retailers except Apple Books. You can learn more about Apple Books in our article, The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing on Apple Books for Authors.
- Wholesale Discount – Because IngramSpark Publishing is primarily a wholesaler and distributor, not a retailer like Amazon KDP or Apple Books, you have the option of setting a wholesale discount between 30%-55% in the US and Canadian markets and a 35%-55% discount for international markets. Most retailers will want the highest discount possible but don’t sell yourself short.
Return Status
The return status of your book plays a critical role in whether or not brick-and-mortar retailers will stock your book, as they don’t want to get stuck with books they can’t sell or return. You have three options:
- Non-Returnable – This means that retailers who choose to purchase your book can’t return it.
- Yes–Returnable – This means that retailers who choose to purchase your book can return the book. The book is returned to you, not IngramSpark.
- Yes–Returnable/Destroy – This means that retailers who choose to purchase your book can return the book, but it’s destroyed, not returned to you.
Please note: For both option two and option three, you, as the author, are responsible for all costs associated with returns. If a retailer returns a book, you’ll have to refund the initial cost of the purchase along with any associated shipping costs. For option 3, you are only responsible for the refund amount, but this could be several months after you’ve been paid the royalty associated with the original sale.
The Pros and Cons of IngramSpark Publishing for Canadian Authors
Like all self-publishing platforms, Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Smashwords, etc., IngramSpark Publishing has its pros and cons, and it’s up to you as a Canadian author to carefully weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing via IngramSpark.
Advantages of IngramSpark Publishing:
- High-quality print-on-demand (POD) books are available in paperback and hardcover.
- Direct access to an extensive international distribution network.
- More trim size, cover, and customization options for Canadian authors.
- Direct access to the Chapters Indigo bookstore network.
Disadvantages of IngramSpark Publishing:
- Authors focused on direct-to-customer marketing platforms such as Amazon KDP find that it isn’t perfectly suited to their marketing and publishing style.
- The IngramSpark Publishing platform, sales, and dashboard can be hard to navigate for new authors and have a steep learning curve.
- The print and shipping costs are higher on IS compared to those of Amazon KDP.
Is IngramSpark Publishing the Best Self-Publishing Platform for You?
Your marketing and publishing goals will ultimately determine whether or not IngramSpark Publishing is the best self-publishing platform for you. Fortunately for Canadian authors, you can self-publish on multiple platforms, so there’s no reason you can’t publish your books on Amazon KDP and IngramSpark.
Below are some of the common reasons why Canadian authors choose to self-publish on IngramSpark:
- You want to get your book into brick-and-mortar stores such as Chapters Indigo, schools, libraries, and other retailers, but you don’t want to manage multiple self-publishing platforms and prefer to do it through one platform.
- You want to avoid setting up an Amazon KDP account or don’t wish to support Amazon.
- You’re focused on a hybrid publishing approach that utilizes multiple platforms and takes advantage of their potential advantages.
Complete Guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Canadian Authors | Conclusion
Like all self-publishing platforms, Amazon KDP, Apple Books, and many others, IngramSpark is relatively easy to use if you have your files and information ready and take the time to work through the setup and uploading process. Hopefully, with the detailed information above, you’ll be prepared to upload your first book to IngramSpark.
If you are writing a book and need any assistance with paperback or ebook formatting, cover design, professional editing, or uploading to self-publishing sites such as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We also offer children’s book illustrations and formatting services.
Our experienced and professional self-publishing team stands by to assist you with your self-publishing dreams. Do you have any additional writing or self-publishing questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us directly. One of our friendly and professional team members will get back to you ASAP!
For authors still considering which self-publishing platform suits them as a Canadian author, read The Complete Guide to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing for Canadian Authors, where we cover everything you’ll need to know about getting started on Amazon KDP for the first time.
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.
