KDP or IngramSpark, a jargon-free guide for authors
If you've started looking into self-publishing, you've probably bumped into these two names and felt your eyes glaze over a bit. You're not alone! Almost every writer I talk to hits this same wall. So let's clear the fog together, in plain English, no acronyms left unexplained or harmed in the writing of this post.
What are we even talking about?
KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. It's Amazon's own self-publishing service. You upload your book, Amazon prints it (or makes the ebook available) and sells it, and you get a cut of each sale.
IngramSpark is a separate company that doesn't sell books directly to readers itself. Instead, it acts like a middleman, getting your book listed with thousands of bookshops, libraries and online retailers around the world, not just Amazon.
Both of them use something called print-on-demand (you'll sometimes see this shortened to POD). This means a physical copy of your book is printed only after someone orders it, rather than you paying to print hundreds of copies upfront and storing them in your garage. Handy, and much lower risk.
So at the simplest level: KDP gets you into Amazon. IngramSpark gets you into (almost) everywhere else.
So which one should you use?
Here's the good news: for most authors, this isn't really an either/or decision. Let me walk you through why, category by category, in the plainest terms I can manage.
Cost to get started: Both are free to set up these days. The one thing to watch is that IngramSpark charges a small fee if you want to make changes to your files more than 60 days after you first uploaded them. KDP lets you make changes for free, any time. So if you think you might want to tweak your cover or fix a typo down the line, keep that in mind.
How much money you keep: Because KDP is Amazon's own service, there's no middleman taking a slice, so the percentage you keep tends to be higher. With IngramSpark, because it's connecting you to lots of different shops, each of those shops takes their own cut too — so your earnings per book are usually a bit smaller, but you're reaching more readers in more places.
Where your book actually turns up: This is the big one. KDP mostly means Amazon (plus a few other online options). IngramSpark means your book becomes "orderable" by independent bookshops and libraries — because it appears in the catalogue they use to order books. A nice caveat here: being listed doesn't guarantee a bookshop will actually stock it, but it does make it possible, which KDP alone doesn't really offer.
Ease of use: KDP's dashboard is simpler and friendlier for beginners. IngramSpark's system has improved a lot, but it can still feel clunky and slow to update. If you make a change and it doesn't seem to have worked, don't panic or keep clicking. Just give it a few minutes.
Book format options: If you're doing a straightforward paperback or ebook, either platform will serve you well. If you're dreaming of a proper hardcover with a removable dust jacket (rather than the image printed straight onto the cover), that's currently only available through IngramSpark. If you want speckled edges and foil then it’s not on either platform, you’ll have to go to a litho printer for this.
Setting up pre-orders: If you want readers to order your book before it's officially out, IngramSpark lets you do this for both print and ebooks, up to a year ahead. KDP currently only allows pre-orders for ebooks. But pre-ordering isn't always the marketing win people assume it is, so it's worth thinking if it's right for your book specifically.
Getting help when something goes wrong: Both offer decent customer support, and both can occasionally take a frustratingly long time to sort out trickier issues. Being clear, specific and patient with either company will get you the best results.
You have a choice
You don't actually have to pick just one. Lots of independent authors use both: KDP to make the most of Amazon's audience, and IngramSpark to open the door to bookshops and libraries beyond it. Used together, they cover your bases nicely.
The right combination really does depend on your goals for your book — whether that's seeing it on a real shelf in a real shop, keeping things simple, maximising your earnings, or all of the above.
Let's work out your plan together
If your head's still spinning a little (completely normal!), I'd love to help you work out what's right for your book specifically. Book a free 15-minute chat with me and we'll talk through your goals and map out the simplest path forward — no jargon, I promise.
