Quick answer: Use Amazon KDP if most of your sales will come from Amazon and you want a free, simple setup. Use IngramSpark if you want your book orderable by bookstores, libraries and schools. Most serious authors, in any genre, use both: KDP for Amazon, IngramSpark for everywhere else.
KDP vs IngramSpark at a Glance
Fees and rates change. Check KDP’s royalty page and IngramSpark’s pricing update before you publish.
What Is Amazon KDP?
Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is Amazon’s free self-publishing platform. You upload your manuscript and cover, set your price, and your book goes live on Amazon as an ebook, a paperback, or a hardcover. Print copies are made on demand, so you never pay for inventory.
Pros
- No upfront cost
- Fastest way to get on Amazon, where most consumer book sales happen
- Ebook royalties of 70% on eligible prices
- Simple dashboard and royalty calculator
Cons
- Bookstores and libraries rarely order KDP titles through expanded distribution
- Expanded distribution pays only 40% minus printing cost
- Amazon controls the listing, pricing rules and account
What Is IngramSpark?
IngramSpark is the self-publishing arm of Ingram Content Group, one of the largest book wholesalers in the world. It prints your book on demand and lists it in the catalog that bookstores, libraries and schools order from.
Pros
- Reach to a global network of 45,000+ retailers, librarians, universities and educators
- You choose the wholesale discount and returns setting bookstores expect
- More hardcover and format options
- Free title setup and free file revisions
Cons
- A 1.875% market access fee on distributed print sales
- Lower per-copy profit on Amazon sales than KDP
- You must supply your own ISBN and print-ready files built to exact specs
- Uploads get rejected often if the cover spine or file specs are off
Royalties and Costs Compared
The two platforms pay you differently, so compare them on the same example.
Example: a 333-page paperback listed at $15 with a printing cost of about $5.00 (this is the figure KDP uses in its own help example).
- KDP, sold on Amazon: (60% x $15) – $5.00 = $4.00 per copy
- KDP Expanded Distribution: (40% x $15) – $5.00 = $1.00 per copy
- IngramSpark at a 55% wholesale discount (simplified): $15 – $8.25 discount – $5.00 print cost – $0.28 market access fee = about $1.47 per copy
Ingram’s real print cost differs from KDP’s, so treat the last line as an estimate and use IngramSpark’s own calculator for your book.
What this means: you earn more per copy on Amazon through KDP. You earn less per copy through Ingram, but that lower margin is the price of being orderable by bookstores and libraries.
Distribution: Where Can Readers Actually Buy Your Book?
KDP puts your book on Amazon storefronts. That covers most online consumer sales, but not bookstore shelves.
IngramSpark feeds the wholesale catalog used by independent bookstores, chains, libraries and schools. A bookseller or librarian can order your title through the system they already use.
Note that a listing in a catalog does not mean a bookstore will stock your book. Stores still decide based on demand, reviews and returns terms. IngramSpark simply makes ordering possible.
Print Quality, Hardcovers and Control
Both platforms use print on demand, and quality is good for most books. Differences show up in the details:
- Hardcovers: both offer them, but KDP hardcovers cannot use Expanded Distribution. IngramSpark is the usual route for hardcovers that need wide distribution.
- ISBN: KDP offers a free ISBN, but it lists Amazon as the publisher of record on that edition. With your own ISBN, you stay the publisher. IngramSpark requires your own ISBN.
- Returns: bookstores often expect a returnable book. IngramSpark lets you enable returns. KDP does not.
- Color books: color interiors cost much more to print on both platforms. Compare KDP’s royalty calculator and IngramSpark’s print cost calculator for your exact page count before you set a price.
Can You Use Both KDP and IngramSpark?
Yes, and this is the setup most professional publishers use.
- Buy your own ISBN for each format (paperback, hardcover, ebook).
- Publish the ebook and paperback on KDP.
- Publish the print edition on IngramSpark with the same ISBN.
- Turn Expanded Distribution off on KDP so the two platforms do not compete for the same sales channels.
- Keep your files and metadata identical across both.
This gives you Amazon’s higher margin and Ingram’s bookstore and library reach.
Which One Is Right for Your Genre?
The best choice depends on where your readers buy.
Fiction (romance, fantasy, thriller, sci-fi, mystery) Readers buy heavily on Amazon and Kindle, and ebooks make up a big share of sales. Start with KDP. Add IngramSpark if you want bookstore signings, library copies or a hardcover edition.
Nonfiction, business and self-help Libraries, corporate buyers and bookstores matter more here, and authors often sell books at speaking events and from their own website. Use both. IngramSpark helps with library and institutional orders, and KDP covers Amazon.
Memoir and biography Readers include family, friends, local bookstores and book clubs. Use both, and consider a hardcover through IngramSpark for gifting and local stores.
Children’s picture books Color printing and hardcovers raise your cost per copy, so run the numbers on both platforms first. Many authors list on KDP for Amazon and use IngramSpark for bookstores, schools and libraries.
Poetry, cookbooks, photo and art books These often need color interiors and special trim sizes. Check printing costs on both platforms before you decide on a price, and compare format options.
Academic, educational and textbooks Universities, libraries and educators order through wholesale catalogs, so IngramSpark is usually part of the plan. Add KDP for direct Amazon sales.
Short answer for any genre: if you want to sell beyond Amazon, use both.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using a free KDP ISBN, then trying to move to IngramSpark. Buy your own ISBN from the start.
- Leaving Expanded Distribution on while also publishing through Ingram. This can create duplicate listings.
- Pricing too low. Check the minimum list price and your per-copy royalty before you set the price.
- Wrong cover spine width. It depends on your exact page count and paper. Calculate it after your interior is final.
- Skipping professional editing and cover design. The platform does not fix a book that is not ready. Readers judge the cover and the first pages, not the printer.
Not Sure How to Set This Up?
Getting a book onto both platforms means two accounts, two sets of print specs, ISBN registration, spine calculations and keeping metadata in sync. A small mistake can mean rejected files, delays or a book that earns less than it should.
At Inknova Publishers, we help authors take a book from idea to published, including ghostwriting, editing, cover design, formatting and publishing setup. If you want a second pair of eyes on your plan, we are happy to talk it through.
Book a free consultation with Inknova Publishers
About Inknova Publishers
Inknova Publishers is a publishing and ghostwriting company based in Dallas, Texas. We help authors write, polish and publish their books, from first draft to Amazon KDP and IngramSpark.
Sources: Amazon KDP paperback royalties, IngramSpark: changes in print cost, market access fee and more. Rates and fees were checked in October 2026 and may change.
