Ingram / KDP Combination

[Richard]

A recommended publication strategy is to publish on both KDP and Ingram Spark - KDP for sales on Amazon and Ingram everywhere else. You use your own ISBNs (the same for both) and select standard distribution on KDP.

I am preparing a hardback version on Ingram Spark and a paperback version on KDP, as they don't do hardback. The paperback is intended primarily as a cheap (limited) source of ARC copies, but would - per unit - be the most profitable format.

Is anyone else using this combo?

(I am assuming the two formats would be paired on Amazon, but I'm not clear how this would happen.)

[P.D.]

I do paperbacks through KDP Print and Ingram Spark. And I do hardcovers through Ingram Spark. Yes, they will all show up on the same product page. Claim them all on Author Central. If they don't merge onto the same product page within a few days, then contact support at Author Central and ask them to add whichever edition to the product page.

[Mark]

I am using KDP, Ingram and D2D in combination.

Ingram for the Paperback and Hardback to all retailers except Amazon. KDP for the Paperback and eBook to Amazon. And D2D for the eBook at all e-sellers except Amazon. I was advised this combo yields the highest royalty returns for the author while making your book 'Available Everywhere Books Are Sold'.

With Ingram I am able to offer the standard 55% discount to brick and mortar retailers which I understand most of them require if they are going to consider stocking your book. When I ran the numbers at KDP, I was unable to offer the retail discount unless I priced the paperback at a ridiculous high number.

Overall this combo seems to be working well for me. The one drawback is I am unable to use KDP Select unless I drop Ingram and D2D. I have not yet released the Hardback but understand it will post to Amazon, along with the Paperback and eBook which have linked.

[P.D.]

You don't have to drop Ingram to be in KDP Select. KDP Select only relates to ebooks, so you would have to pull out of D2D.

[Richard]

P.D. wrote: "I do paperbacks through KDP Print and Ingram Spark. And I do hardcovers through Ingram Spark. Yes, they will all show up on the same product page. Claim them all on Author Central. If they don't me..."

Thanks P.D. To confirm, you used your own ISBN on KDP.

[Richard]

Mark wrote: "I am using KDP, Ingram and D2D in combination.
Ingram for the Paperback and Hardback to all retailers except Amazon. KDP for the Paperback and eBook to Amazon."

Good to hear, Mark.

I'm having issues with pricing. I can't offer 55% wholesale discount in hardback without pegging the book well above market rates, while an appropriate price for the paperback (on Ingram) would draw less than £2 per copy. (I'm in the UK.)

[P.D.]

Richard - yes, correct. I use my own ISBN numbers.

Don't worry about pricing the print books too high on Ingram. Use the full 55% wholesale discount and price it to give yourself at least £2 per copy. Yes, the price will look way too high, but the retailer doesn't actually have to price it that high, and likely won't.

To use round numbers, if the "cover price" is $100, then the retailer is only paying you $45, and they can charge it anywhere between $45 and $100 and make a profit (ignoring his overhead for this exercise). You have made sure that you are making a profit, no matter what he sells it at. The purchaser sees a cover price/suggested retail price of $100, sees that it's been marked down to $60, and is delighted he's getting such a steal. Everybody is happy.

[Richard]

P.D. wrote: "Don't worry about pricing the print books too high on Ingram."

Thanks for this advice, P.D.

[Anne]

Richard wrote: "A recommended publication strategy is to publish on both KDP and Ingram Spark - KDP for sales on Amazon and Ingram everywhere else. You use your own ISBNs (the same for both) and select standard di..."

I have used and am using this combo, but I want to issue a caveat. My last book order with Ingram came with a cover that had a slight reddish tinge ( it's green!) and some folded pages inside a couple of the copies. I ordered a few print copies from Amazon for comparison and they were beautiful.

[Tom]

When using the Amazon/IngramSpark combo for paperbacks, does Amazon just 'know' to fulfill from KDP print, or is there a setting at IngramSpark that keeps that version out of Amazon?

[Anne]

Not sure what you mean. If you order from KDP print, that's what you get. IngramSpark doesn't care. The only think you have to worry about is your ebooks. If you want KU, you can't use Ingram for eBooks. For print, I have also used a local book printer ( they do a great job, but are more expensive).

[Mark]

P.D. wrote: "You don't have to drop Ingram to be in KDP Select. KDP Select only relates to ebooks, so you would have to pull out of D2D."

Thanks PD - I appreciate your feedback and may go ahead and drop D2D at least for a while so I can try promotions with Select. So far I am not selling a lot of eBooks through D2D channels anyway and want to try some promotion efforts with KDP. Again, Thanks!

[Tom]

Anne wrote: "Not sure what you mean. If you order from KDP print, that's what you get. IngramSpark doesn't care. The only think you have to worry about is your ebooks. If you want KU, you can't use Ingram for e..."

If an author sets up a print book at both KDP and IngramSpark (IS), when an Amazon customer places an order, how does Amazon choose which print on demand (POD) source to use? Does the KDP version automatically take precedence, or is there a setting in the author's IS dashboard that tells IS not to make their version available at Amazon?

[Anma]

Yes, Amazon will automatically use the KDP Print version of your paperback for any Amazon site orders. Amazon's back end DB knows which ones they can get from both.

IngramSpark doesn't allow you to choose retailers at all, but Amazon handles it, just like any other products they can get from multiple suppliers including themselves :-)

[B.A.]

With the POD, if you are using Ingram, you really don't need to use KDP but what happens is there is a 'delay' in shipping because the book has to be ordered from Ingram then shipped. It takes a week to get the ordered books from Ingram. You can use Amazon without using their e-book and POD services like the publishing houses do. I just find it easier to use the Amazon set up for their site and elsewhere for the rest of the big sellers. Ingram has a bigger reach than Draft2Digital but doesn't offer all the help that D2D has. Oh, Google play is very difficult to use for books for loading, maintaining, advertising, etc.

[Tom]

Thanks, Anma!

There's also an argument to be made that you may end up better off by channeling all your POD sales through IngramSpark (IS) because if you get enough sales volume they might do a small offset print run, cutting your cost in close to half per book. With your sales channeled through two POD services, the likelihood of getting the IS channel up to volume is lower.

[Peter]

The hardback option with Ingram seems to me worthwhile. It appears as an option on Amazon and, for the one book I've done this with, I get a trickle of sales from Amazon customers who prefer a hardback. They don't know that the orders are fulfilled by Ingram.
On the basis of those sales, Amazon seem to be holding a small stock (9 copies at last look), both to be able to fulfil Prime next-day delivery and (presumably) to get a modest quantity discount from Ingram.