UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion
Agony Aunt
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Can I publish IngramSpark and CreateSpace versions of the same book?
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A quick Google of "likely pitfalls of publishing the same book with two POD services" doesn't turn up anything.I can't see why it wouldn't be allowed though.
I can't see why not either. After all, they are your publishing rights.
I've never read the terms and conditions (but then very few have) but when you sign them do you promise exclusivity? If not, then I'm with Michael on this one :-)
I've seen several comment on KBoards from authors who do exactly that. And if you think about it, it's just another edition of the book, with its own ISBN etc - something that regular publishers do all the time, and no different logically than having an epub edition separate to the kindle edition.
You might want to limit your CreateSpace distribution to Amazon and use Ingram for everything else. (I do this, except with Lightning Source instead of Spark.) Apparently CS isn't looked on kindly by non-Zon outlets, but non-CS paperbacks often/usually show up on Amazon as "out of stock."
Thanks to everyone for their advice.Lance, that's what I was planning to do so good to know I'm on the right track. Cheers.
Argggh! This is all so confusing.Having published 8 books as e-versions only, I'm looking for my next one to be both print & e-book. Yet simply overwhelmed by all the contradictions between the various POD services, some of which you've highlighted here.
There's no getting away from it, Amazon is still an SP author's best friend. So if you go Lulu you get double hit for Lulu prod costs and Amazon's split. If you go CreateSpace, great for Amazon, but seems discriminated against for other platforms. had a look at Ingram Spark, seems good for being in bookshops but I think you need to be at a certain level to be able to exploit that and I'm not sure I am.
So any help in cutting through the fog would be appreciated.
Marc, I use Createspace and haven't had any problems with them.
Michael Cargill wrote: "Marc, I use Createspace and haven't had any problems with them."Same here. Haven't tried any other routes.
I've had no Createspace problems either, but then I haven't tried to get them into a bookshop.
Kath wrote: "I've had no Createspace problems either, but then I haven't tried to get them into a bookshop."You could try smuggling one in under your coat.
And drop it surreptitiously? And then shimmy out again, whistling?
Are you any good at surrreption, Kath?
As far as I know...CreateSpace
Pros:
- good for starting out
- low risk
- cheap (free) to setup
- good for getting sold on Amazon (always available on Prime and super-quick dispatch times)
- author copies fairly cheap
- can keep prices comparatively low for customer
- unlimited free file updates
Cons:
- trimming can be haphazard
- email support is fairly slow
- no telephone support
- hard to get sold in UK bookshops
- expensive postage on proofs and author copies (they come from the US)
- you'd be funding what's probably a loss-leader so that Amazon can put other PODs out of business
IngramSpark
Pros:
- you can do hardbacks, unusual trim sizes, different finishes, precision
- telephone support (now has UK number)
- proof and author copies come from the UK (cheaper postage)
- you can set a 55% margin for bookshops (they like this)
- attention to quality (e.g. consistent trim sizes)
Cons:
- costs more to set up
- a 55% margin eats into your profits
- it's prohibitively expensive to set up 'sale and return', which many bookshops require
- the costs for customers are generally higher
- just because you *can* get into bookshops, doesn't mean you will
- you have to pay a small sum for file updates
FeedARead
Pros:
- Arts council funded
- email support is good
- attention to quality (I think they're printed by Lightning Source. IngramSpark is part of Lightning Source.)
Cons:
- you have to pay to setup a title
- expensive to update files (over £100)
- limited number of trim sizes
- no telephone support
I'll add a word for Blurb to add to Rosen's list.Now does trade paperbacks (novels)in UK as well as photo-heavy books which it was set up for. I've done one book with a fair number of photos (in hardcover) and I'm just finishing my 6 Princelings series in paperback to release in a few weeks.
Pros
- you can do hardbacks, paperbacks, unusual trim sizes, different finishes, precision, good quality photos, odd layouts
- telephone support (has UK number)available 2pm to 2 am
- author copies come from the UK (cheaper postage and mine have arrived inside three days with standard postage)
- you can set a 55% margin for bookshops (they like this)
- attention to quality (e.g. consistent trim sizes)
- free to set up
- pretty much true colour display compared with printed colours
Cons:
- Takes more time to set up from your word files
- proofing is online and it misses block characters that may replace smart styles in Word
- a 55% margin eats into your profits but you can choose lower margins
- just because you *can* get into bookshops, doesn't mean you will
- you don't seem to be able to do file updates without a new ISBN (using their free one)
I wasn't aware of Blurb. They look great. Thanks, Jemima.
Thanks, Rosen. They started doing trade paperbacks for mainly print books last summer, I think. I found them at the London Author Fair March 2014.Apologies for not posting much on this forum - but I'm a champion lurker!
However, whilst researching getting into bookshops and supermarkets, I found that IngramSpark allows terms that make the book much more likely to get stocked.
I would prefer to keep my CreateSpace version, as it's much better suited to Amazon sales.
Please can anybody advise on the likely pitfalls of publishing the same book with two POD services. Is it even allowed?