Groups / Small Publishers and... / Ingram Spark vs....
I do not yet have the final proofs to compare the printing of Ingram Spark and CreateSpace editions of "Confessions of a Golf Slut" side by side. But I can explain why (and how) I've decided to use both, and share a few tips for like-minded publishers and writers.
- CreateSpace is much more user-friendly in every way. It guides the user through the process gently, which means one might make more mistakes and take longer through the proofing process than with Ingram Spark, which won't approve a title if it finds one measly little error.
- I am a little worried that my Ingram Spark cover might be a bit off and it seems I might have to pay $25 to resubmit it. Or maybe I misunderstand their proofing process -- which, frankly, is a bit confusing, but then, see Note No. 1. CreateSpace has a lot more experience in this niche.
- I had browser issues uploading with both companies. So I would just try Firefox, then Explorer, then Chrome, until something worked. Explorer probably was the most successful, Firefox probably the least.
- I have seen three proofs of my book so far with CreateSpace and have not seen a perfect cover yet, even though we used the template. The spine has not been centered yet.
- During the proofing process, CreateSpace added the matte cover option, perhaps to better compete with Ingram Spark. I think I will prefer it to laminate.
- It costs nothing to set up a title with CreateSpace, $49 with Ingram Spark (plus $12 annual maintenance fee).
- The royalty for a book retailing at $16.95 on CreateSpace: $5.70 if sold through Amazon, $2.31 if sold through other channels. The royalty for that book if sold through Ingram Spark: $2.80. So if I sell 100 books at Ingram Spark, I've paid off my $49 and will make 49 cents more per book thereafter than I would via CreateSpace.
I've read complaints about Amazon's relationship with Lightning Source/Ingram Spark, along with complaints that booksellers hate Amazon and, by extension, CreateSpace. So I decided to use CreateSpace if only to collect that bigger royalty (with probably better service) via its parent company Amazon, and to use Ingram Spark for wider distribution.
I also will use CreateSpace for its more favorable pricing on my own copies -- $4.47 per copy plus about 50 cents per book standard shipping or $1 expedited, if you're ordering 25 books or more. For that same 25-book shipment, Ingram Spark will charge me $4.89 for each book (its bulk pricing kicks in at 100 books) plus about $1 a book standard shipping.
If I order 50 books through Ingram Spark, I will get my $49 setup fee back. Since those books will cost me just $21 more than they would via CreateSpace's publisher pricing, I will surely do that.
Next up: ebook files!
Hmm. I can see where that would make Ingram a better choice for distribution in comparison to Amazon, but it still seems like a long shot to me. Like maybe their chance of getting in bookstores when from .0000001 to .0005. With such poor odds it hardly seems worth considering. And yet, that seems to be the big value Ingram can offer: the hope of getting into bookstores. In that case I think self-pubbed authors would be better off, in general, sticking with Amazon.
Usually publishers and authors get about the same piece of the pie. The bulk goes to the bookstore, the next-biggest chunk to the distributor. Usually the author and the publisher get a buck each, maybe the publisher takes two dollars. So what Ingram Spark is doing is pretty standard, it's just not the world that self-published authors are accustomed to.
Susan,
Who was your traditional publisher?
I wonder if that is the typical royalty rate?
Christine
Hi Karma -- I believe the short answer to your question is: 55 percent wholesale discount. Authors/publishers also have an option to OK returns as well. Plus, book buyers generally hate Amazon.
GottaGoGolf is the publisher of my book. CreateSpace and Ingram Spark are the printers/distributors. It's my guess that most of my sales will come via: 1. Amazon and other online sellers; 2. Golf shops; 3. Me.
Any self-published author should know she has to work hard at PR and marketing. Wait, let me edit myself: Any author should know she has to work hard at PR and marketing. I have done two books the "traditional" way, where I was expected to do all the work in exchange for less than $1 on books that retailed for around $20. I am hoping to replace "traditional" publishing with "profitable" publishing.
Interesting, I didn't know Ingram had started their own self-publishing arm. What's critical about that is that Ingram is a major arm in the traditional book distribution process, which is the one area Amazon has no sway.
Ingram may have the connections to brick-and-morter distribution, but they've no guarantee to get a book in stores. The buyer still has to choose to buy the book, and many books get turned down.
This has to be even tougher for self-published books, considering that even traditionally-published books get 2-3 minutes to pitch their book to executive book buyers (i.e., not consumers, but the folks who decide what goes in bookstores). What will Ingram offer self-published authors in competition?
It seems to me that credibility is still an issue here. So long as anyone can self-publish a book (and that's kind of the point, eh?) there will be self-published books of poor quality, riddled with grammatical errors. And any buyer is going to know that no one, including Ingram, has vouched for the quality of these books they're offering. With only a one-minute pitch on each book (if that! That's what traditional publishers get), and that from an acquisitions team that probably hasn't read these self-published books, why would any book buyer select them for distribution?
That's a real hurdle to any self-published author! My question would be: what does Ingram offer in the way of traditional distribution?
Well, I don't sell gobs of books so it's not a problem for me. It's a very easy process, really. They send you an email notice for how many books they want, you go to your Amazon page tell them when appriox. they will get the book(s), you print out a premade address label and a form you are suppose to send with the book(s) and you ship to them. They ship to the customer. Not sure why they do that.
Yes... It will likely keep changing, so don't ever think you've got it "figured out". Be open always to new ways of navigation! Thanks Birdie!
Thank you Christine. We are looking to use a smaller 'eco' printer and go a similar route... Do you mail them to Amazon, then they ship to customers? or do you ship directly to the customer? Sounds like "gobs" of work...?
Wow, you're prolific, Birdie! What genre do you write in?
I sell on Amazon like anyone would sell anything. The site is advantage.amazon.com for paper books. Of course I am on there for ebooks as well through kdp.amazon.com.
For paper they charge me 55% of my book price, so I have to up my price (I decide the price) to make that work since I have to ship them the books when someone orders one. Folks who use createspace to create a book pay 50%. There is a way to set yourself up as a company, but it sounds kind of complicated and then Amazon can't discount the book they way they do when I just sell as a person. When they do this, they still pay me the 45% of my price not the discounted price, which is nice.