Tags
book printing, Createspace, Giacomo Giammatteo, Ingram, Ingram Sparks, print services, Self-publishing advice blog, Spark
As you know, most of my books are available in print format as well. I use Createspace for this but have often flirted with the idea of using Ingram Sparks. How can one choose?
I recently stumbled on a great post by Giacomo Giammatteo on the Self-publishing advice blog. Giammatteo has posted a great comparison that details the pros and cons of each choice.
What To Compare
The following table compares various features to explain the difference between the two services. Two important factors emerge right away: Ingram Sparks has a setup fee of $49, while the book ends up 41c more expensive. So, price-wise, Createspace is a winner. However, the book’s quality is somewhat lower, and distribution depends on Amazon.
Distribution is an important point: if you’re planning on distributing into brick-and-mortar stores, you’ll earn the same profit everywhere. With Createspace, you may be looking at a $4.55 profit if selling on Amazon, and at a mere $1.55 if selling elsewhere. That’s a big difference.
It’s also time to put another myth to rest: that bookstores won’t stock books from CS because they are owned by Amazon. As with every myth, however, this one has a kernel of truth: few bookstores will stock Createspace books because of economics: CS charges the author 60% for expanded distribution, but the bookstores only receive about 25%.
A Good Option
Giammatteo suggests using both CS and Ingram. He uses CS for the advantages it offers:
- Fast and good distribution to Amazon.
- Fast and affordable shipping to US customers.
- Shipping “review copies” to bloggers and/or for giveaways like on Goodreads.
And Ingram for the advantages it offers:
- Distribution to all stores except Amazon.
- Fast and affordable shipping to international customers.
- Shipping high-quality copies as samples to bookstores, for autographed copies, etc.
Summary
For a more detailed breakdown of the pros and cons of each service, check out the two-part post on his site and the original post on selfpublishingadvice.org.
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The Story Reading Ape said:
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Steve Boseley said:
Reblogged this on Steve Boseley and commented:
As someone looking to get his first book in print, there is a lot of useful info here
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deanie2013 said:
Reblogged this on deanieblog.
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franklparker said:
There is another option: FeedAread offers a service equivalent to Ingram with no set-up fee. https://www.feedaread.com/authors/start.aspx
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks! Have you used it? What’s quality like?
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Don Massenzio said:
Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog.
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Sue Coletta said:
One side note if I may. Spark doesn’t accept returns. It’s up to the publisher. In the case of self-publishing, the author obviously doubles as the publisher. With independent publishers, it’s up to the individual publisher whether or not to accept returns of printed books. Just thought I’d point that out in case anyone needs that info.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you for the clarification, Sue 🙂
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A Mythical Menagerie said:
One chart says Ingram doesn’t do ISBNs and the other says it does. Don’t you have to pay a considerable sum for your own ISBN if you use Ingram?
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
You’re right, the charts are a bit confusing when it comes to ISBNs. CS gives you a free one, but Ingram doesn’t. Both give you a paid option. You can buy ISBNs off CS or Ingram for $99, but you can also buy them in bulk from ISBN providers. These tend to be cheaper.
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Ernesto San Giacomo said:
Bookmarking this one.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Hope you find it useful real soon 🙂
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Ernesto San Giacomo said:
I’m finally satisfied with our editing process. The first five chapters are ready for betas. We’re getting about a chapter per week done, so hopefully the first novel will be out in 2017.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Sweet!!!
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kimwrtr said:
Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
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rijanjks said:
This is an excellent comparison!!
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you, Jan! I thought so, too 🙂
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Jean M. Cogdell said:
I use both. I purchase an ISBN from Bowker and use that same number for IngramSpark and Createspace. That way I cover all bases.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Ah, good to know of that option. Thanks 🙂
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Jean M. Cogdell said:
There is a trick to it, use the ISBN with Ingram first then use it with Createspace. This makes your print book with just one ISBN.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Ah, I see. Thank you 😀
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Jean M. Cogdell said:
The trick is to use the ISBN first on Ingram and then on Createspace.
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Micki Peluso said:
Re blogging this on http://www.mallie1025.wordptess.com. a lot here to think about. Thanks for posting.
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aurorajeanalexander said:
Reblogged this on Writer's Treasure Chest and commented:
Nicholas S. Rossis compares two printer-services for us. Thank you very much Nicholas!
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Lindsay Nell said:
Reblogged this on .
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V.M.Sang said:
Reblogged this on Dragons Rule OK. and commented:
Thought this might be useful.
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V.M.Sang said:
Reblogged this on Dragons Rule OK. Thank you for posting this, Nicholas.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you so much for sharing, I really appreciate it 🙂
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The Owl Lady said:
Reblogged this on The Owl Lady.
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The Owl Lady said:
I just started using IngramSpark, and I like it. I started out with CreateSpace but when I found out Lulu sends out to many more distributors I started using them. What I really like about IngramSpark is there is return policy if you do a book show for Barnes & Noble; that’s the only way they’ll do a signing in their store and aren’t well know. @v@ ❤
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Oh, right! I didn’t know that. Many thanks for sharing your experience, Viv 🙂
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Roger said:
Is there any conflict between Amazon’s rule about publishing elsewhere at the same time, especially if there is also a Kindle version of the same book?
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank goodness, no. Amazon’s exclusivity only concerns ebooks registered on KDP Select 🙂
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Roger said:
Thanks for that. I’m definitely going to look into it. I’m tired of being no 9999999999th on the list of amazon’s leader board. Of course that might just be because my writing is truly awful.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
With some 6,000 books published daily, I can assure you it has nothing to do with your writing. It’s all about the marketing nowadays!
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nanciq said:
Ingram uses Createspace for printing. It didn’t cost me anythng to transfer over to Ingrame from Createspace, so I saved the $49.99.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Now, there is a thought! Thanks for sharing that 🙂
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Samantha Rose said:
I am looking to publish through CS and Ingram plus my ebook through Kindle. Is there an order that I have to do it in – eg Ingram first?
I will be providing my own ISBNs and plan to have paperback and hardback as well.
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Cynthia Reyes said:
Interesting post, Nicholas. Have you used KDP? Many authors of illustrated books who have worked easily with Createspace are now finding it very difficult to work with KDP. As one KDP rep told me recently: “Createspace made small adjustments without the author even knowing. KDP isn’t set up to do so” So I wondered if you have any experience with it.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I have and I agree completely with both you and your rep. KDP Print can be pretty hard to work with, as it’s far more inflexible than Createspace. I do miss that company so much 😦
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Cynthia Reyes said:
Me too ! Thanks.
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Cynthia Reyes said:
What issues did you have with KDP? And how were they solved?
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
They are sticklers when it comes to dimensions. Even a few mm can be cause for them to decline publication. I haven’t been able to republish Smile because of this, as I’ve lost touch with the designer who did it originally.
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Cynthia Reyes said:
I hear you. They replaced a client-centred company with one that isn’t.
By the way, If you have the illustrations without text, a different designer could layout the book again for you.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you, Cynthia. I do but that designer would need to be paid 🙂
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Cynthia Reyes said:
That occurred to me.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
It’s just easier to kick the can down the road. Anyway, the book is still online; I just wanted to update the description and keywords but I’m happy to leave it as it is for now 🙂
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