Amazon KDP vs IngramSpark: Where Should You Publish Your Book?
For most self-published authors the answer is both: Amazon KDP for readers who shop on Amazon, and IngramSpark for bookstores and libraries. Here's how they differ and how to set them up so they work together.
Side by side
| Amazon KDP | IngramSpark | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | Free | Free |
| Changing files later | Free | Free since February 1, 2026 |
| Where it sells | Amazon stores worldwide | A network of over 45,000 retailers, libraries, universities and educators |
| Paperback royalty | 60% of list price at $9.99 and above, 50% at $9.98 and below (US), minus printing cost | You set the wholesale discount; you're paid list price minus discount and printing cost |
| Extra fee | None | 1.875% market access fee on books enabled for distribution |
| Hardcover | Case laminate, no dust jacket | Case laminate or dust jacket |
| Free ISBN | Yes, but usable only on Amazon | Use your own for bookstore distribution |
Figures from KDP's paperback royalty page and IngramSpark's 2026 pricing update.
Amazon KDP: where most readers buy
KDP is the simplest way to sell ebooks and print books on Amazon. Paperbacks are printed on demand, so there's no stock to buy. On a $15 paperback with a $5 printing cost, KDP's own example works out to $4 in royalty per copy sold on Amazon.
KDP also offers Expanded Distribution, which pays 40% of list price minus printing cost. Many authors use IngramSpark for bookstore reach instead, because it gives more control over discounts and returns.
IngramSpark: bookstores and libraries
Bookstores and libraries order from Ingram's catalog, not Amazon's. Listing your print book on IngramSpark makes it orderable at independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble and libraries. Since February 2026 IngramSpark has dropped revision fees but added a 1.875% market access fee for books in distribution, and print costs changed for some formats.
What about ebooks?
For ebooks the choice is different: you can enroll in KDP Select, which makes your ebook exclusive to Amazon and adds it to Kindle Unlimited, or go wide and publish to Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and others. Romance and some genre fiction often do well in Kindle Unlimited. Nonfiction and literary fiction often do better wide. You can switch at the end of each 90-day KDP Select term.
The setup we usually recommend
- Buy your own ISBNs if you want bookstore distribution, so the same number works on both platforms.
- Publish the paperback on KDP for Amazon, with Expanded Distribution turned off.
- Publish the same paperback, and a hardcover if you want one, on IngramSpark for everyone else.
- Decide between KDP Select and going wide for the ebook based on your genre.
We set all of this up on your own accounts in our Complete and Premium Publish packages, so royalties from every store go straight to you.
Sources
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