The Complete Guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Australian Authors

Complete guide to self-publishing with IngramSpark Publishing for Australian self-published authors and writers!

In the complete guide to IngramSpark Publishing, arguably one of the biggest self-publishing platforms available to Australian authors, alongside Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), we’ll do a step-by-step guide to self-publishing your book. If you’re unfamiliar with IngramSpark’s dashboard, it can be overwhelming but don’t worry. We’ll walk you through it in our complete guide to IngramSpark publishing so you know exactly what to expect.

IngramSpark Publishing is one of the world’s largest wholesalers of electronic and print books to libraries, bookstores, online platforms, markets, and retailers. They distribute to over 39,000 global retailers, schools, libraries, and distribution affiliates. If you have been searching for a large self-publishing platform offering print-on-demand solutions for authors, IngramSpark Publishing could be perfect.

In the following guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Australian Authors, we’ll cover:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. IngramSpark Account Setup
               2. Adding A Book to IngramSpark
               3. Print, Ebook, or Both?
               4. Your Book Metadata
               5. What Information Will IngramSpark Publishing Ask for During Title Setup?
               6. Pricing and Royalties, Book Distribution, and File Uploading and Submission
               7. Pros and Cons of IngramSpark for Australian Authors
               8. Is IngramSpark the Right Self-Publishing Platform for You?

IngramSpark is a Print On Demand (POD) platform similar to Amazon KDP. Once you upload your print files, they’ll print and ship copies to customers on your behalf. You can learn more about POD self-publishing platforms in this article, What Is Print On Demand for Authors?

If you’re still considering which self-publishing platform is best for you, check out The Best Self-Publishing Platforms to Self-Publish Your Books! We cover the most popular self-publishing platforms for Australian and New Zealand authors, including their pros and cons and royalties.

IngramSpark Account Setup

The first step in our guide to IngramSpark Publishing is creating an account by heading to IngramSpark’s ‘Create New Account’ button. Once there, fill out your details, including your name, email, and password. Now, it’s just a matter of confirming your email.

Accepting Policies – Once you’ve confirmed your email address and logged back in, the next step is accepting the Terms and Conditions, including the privacy statement. Once you’ve clicked the links, please read them carefully and agree. It’s on to the next step.

Personal Information – Some of the personal information required includes Business information, security, agreements, compensation, and payment methods. It’s essential to note that to self-publish on IngramSpark as an Australian author, you’ll need an Australian Business Number (ABN). If you don’t have an ABN, you can register for one for free via the Australian Business Portal.

Agreements – You’ll be prompted to read and sign agreements at this stage. The two mandatory agreements all authors must read and sign are the Global Ebook Agreement and the Global POD Agreement. These agreements also require signatures electronically.

Compensation and Payments – Before you can upload your book files and set up your title, you’ll need to complete the compensation and payment section, allowing you to receive royalty payments from your book sales. Choose your desired currency, add bank information, and add your credit/debit card for book revisions and setup fees.

If you encounter any issues during the account setup stage, contact IngramSpark’s Help Center.

Adding A Book to IngramSpark

The next step after account setup is title setup. Now, IngramSpark can feel a little overwhelming at first, especially if you’ve only been dealing with Amazon KDP, but once you work through the process, you’ll find it relatively straightforward. Just take it step by step.

Head to the ‘Add a New Title’ on your author dashboard page to get started.

Print, Ebook, or Both?

If you’re ready to self-publish both a print and ebook version of your book, choose both options, as it’s easier to do both at once rather than come back and do them separately. Having a print and digital version of your book provides potential readers with the versatility to choose which format best suits them.

IngramSpark wrote a great article on ebook vs. print books, worth reading.

When first released, ebooks were expected to decimate the physical book market. However, that hasn’t happened, and physical books continue to see growth each year, but the ebook market is also growing, with the latest industry statistics showing an average of 4% growth each year in the ebook market.

Your Book Metadata

One of the first things you’ll be asked about during the IngramSpark uploading is your book’s metadata. Metadata tells retailers, customers, libraries, and bookstores about your book, so you must make your metadata as accurate as possible.

Your metadata ties directly into how discoverable your book will be and plays a key role in book sales. When preparing your author marketing plan, book metadata should be something high on your list of priorities.

When it comes to metadata, more is better, and accuracy is key. While you’re only required to enter one BISAC subject code, you’re allowed up to three, so if you have three relevant BISAC subject codes, enter three.

What Information Will IngramSpark Publishing Ask for During Title Setup?

You’ll be asked to provide different information during the title setup process.

While some information is required, other information is optional, but as we mentioned above, the more information you provide, the better your book’s metadata will be. It’s also a good idea to have all this information in a word.doc or Notepad file so that you can copy-paste it to avoid any typos.

Book Title

This is where you add the title of your book. It’s one of the first things potential readers or customers will see.

Language

What language is the book written in? You can choose from several different languages using the drop-down menu.

Full Description

This is where you add your book description. You can use HTML in your book description to make it more visually appealing. If you’re struggling with your book description, check out How To Write A Book Description That Kills!

Contributors

You must add at least one contributor (author, illustrator, editor), but remember these names will be publicly listed along with the other book information. You can click the ‘About the Contributor’ button to add an author bio or a bio for any other contributors you’ve listed.

Imprint

Your imprint identifies your self-publishing company. Many authors simply list their imprint as ‘self-published,’ but if you created a self-publishing company/imprint, this is where you would list it.

Subjects

Also known as BISAC codes, will categorize and describe more about your book using industry-standard codes. For a complete list of BICAC subject codes, visit the Book Industry Study Group.

Book Type

These are Thema and Regional subjects. For example, a book about the Sydney Swans football club might have a football or sports subject, but it also has a regional BISAC code related to Sydney.

Audience

This is your book’s intended audience, and some retailers must list this information to allow them to accurately categorize your book. It’s useful for children’s books and when you want to target a specific age group. However, if your book is intended for adults, leaving it to the default of adult/general is the best option.

Trim Size

This is the finished physical size of your print book. If you’re at the uploading stage, you should have already determined your trim size and had your print book professionally formatted to this size along with your cover files. While some universal or industry-standard trim sizes exist, each platform is different. You can view a complete list of IngramSpark’s trim sizes here.

Paper and Color

Next, the system will ask you if you want your print book to be either black and white or in color. If you choose black and white, you can select white paper or crème. If you choose colour, you’ll have four different paper quality options. However, please note. If you select colour, every page in your book will be considered colour for printing and cost purposes. So, even if you only have one photograph or illustration, your entire book will be priced as if every page was colour which can make the printing cost much higher.

Binding Type

Here, you have the option of either a paperback binding or hardcover binding for your physical book. Please note trim sizes and binding types aren’t universal, so your trim size will determine what binding options you have to choose from.

Page Count

This is how many interior pages your print book has, not how many numbered pages. Your page count includes all front matter and back matter, as well as any blank pages.

ISBN

The system assigns a unique International Standard Book Number (ISBN) to your book. Each format, print, digital, and audio, should have its own ISBN. You can learn more about ISBNs in our article Do I Need An ISBN In Australia?

SKU

A SKU or Stock Keeping Unit number may be used instead of an ISBN, but distributors won’t stock or sell a book with a SKU number.

Pricing, Book Distribution, and File Uploading

Okay, so once you’ve completed the title setup, you’ll be ready to move on to the next stage of book uploading, which includes pricing, book distribution, and uploading.

Book Pricing and Royalties

You will see six different markets in the pricing sections. If you set your global pricing, it should automatically calculate the rest of your individual markets. You can list your price lower than it costs to produce and ship, but setting your book price too high may dissuade some retailers from stocking it. You are also responsible for:

List Price

This is the price retailers charge their customers when selling your book. If a retailer chooses to discount your book, this comes off their end, not yours.

Ebook Pricing

Here, you set the ebook retail price (which applies to all retailers except Apple Books) and Apple Books Agency Price (which only applies to Apple Books).

Wholesale Discount

You can offer a wholesale discount between 30%-55% for US and Canadian markets and 35%-55% for international markets. Most retailers will want the most significant possible discount.

Return Status

This is important as it is a key factor in whether or not many brick-and-mortar retailers will stock physical copies of your book. You have three options:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Non-Returnable – Where retailers cannot return the book after purchase.
               2. Yes-Returnable/Deliver – Where retailers can return the book, and it’s returned to you.
               3. Yes-Returnable/Destroy – Where retailers can return the book to IngramSpark, where it’s destroyed.

Please note that for options 2 and 3, you are responsible for costs associated with returns. If a retailer purchases 100 copies of your book and only sells 50, you will be accountable later for the costs of printing, shipping, and postage for the 50 copies that the retailer returns. This could occur much later, even after the original royalties have been applied and credited.

Book Distribution

Global Connect is IngramSpark’s distribution program, allowing your book to be distributed to other countries and their distribution channels. They currently have established relationships with printers in Germany, Poland, China, Spain, India, Italy, and South Korea.

The next thing you’ll be asked is your Publication Date. This is when you plan on making your title available to retail and distribution channels. If you set a specific On Sale Date, retailers won’t sell your book until this date, which is helpful if you plan book launches.

The final part of the distribution process is choosing ebook distribution rights. You can select either global worldwide rights or specific regions. If you choose ‘Yes,’ it defaults to worldwide distribution. If you choose ‘No,’ you’ll be given a list of specific territories.

Guide to IngramSpark Publishing | File Uploading and Submission

Here, you will upload and submit your book’s files, including the ebook cover, ebook interior, print cover, and print interior. Ebook interior files must be in an ePub format, and cover files must be in a JPEG format. Your print book will require a print interior file and a print cover file in a PDF format.

Print File Submission – Once you upload your print files, they pass through an initial Content Validation process, which ensures they’re the correct file type. If there are any initial issues with your files, the system may flag them. Flagged errors must be corrected before proceeding. After initial approval, files proceed to a more in-depth review process, which can take 3-5 business days to complete. At the end of this final review process, you’ll receive an eProof as a final confirmation if approved. The eProof must be authorized before your book is sold or distributed.

Ebook File Submission

Like the paperback files, your ebook cover and interior files will go through the Content Validation process. Issues that are flagged, need to be corrected before moving to the next stage. Unlike print books, there is no additional proofing process for ebooks.

Pros and Cons of IngramSpark for Australian Authors | Guide to IngramSpark Publishing

Like any self-publishing platform, IngramSpark has pros and cons. Australian authors must evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of IngramSpark’s self-publishing platforms to determine whether the platform suits their budget, marketing, and distribution needs.

Advantages of using IngramSpark:

• • • • • • High-quality print-on-demand books.
          • Access to a vast distribution network.
          • More trim size, cover, and customization options for authors.

Disadvantages of Using IngramSpark:

• • • • • • Authors focused on Amazon platforms find it isn’t perfect.
          • The platform, sales, and dashboard can be hard to navigate.
          • Print and shipping costs are higher than those of Amazon KDP.

Is IngramSpark the Right Self-Publishing Platform for You?

Whether or not IngramSpark Publishing is the right self-publishing platform for you will ultimately depend on your publishing and marketing goals. It makes sense to publish your book as widely as possible. However, it might not be worth the added time and expense if you don’t have time to manage, market, and promote on multiple platforms.

Below is a summary of why some Australian authors choose to self-publish their books on IngramSpark:

• • • • • • If you want to get your book into physical, brick-and-mortar stores, libraries, and schools, you don’t have time to learn dashboards from multiple self-publishing platforms.
          • You don’t want to self-publish on Amazon KDP or feel most of your book sales will come from other channels.
          • You’re looking for a hybrid-publishing approach that utilizes multiple self-publishing platforms, such as Amazon KDP for print-on-demand and direct-to-customer sales on Amazon and IngramSpark Publishing for all other online and brick-and-mortar retailers.

The Complete Guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Australian Authors | Conclusion

Hopefully, the information above will give you a clear guide to IngramSpark Publishing and assist you during the uploading process. If you have questions about self-publishing, including IngramSpark Publishing uploading and title setup, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

At Author Services Australia, we support Australian and New Zealand self-published authors and writers with a full range of affordable self-publishing services, including ghostwriting, copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, ebook and paperback formatting, book cover design, children’s book illustrations, graphic design services, manuscript uploading assistance, and social media and marketing.

How was your experience with IngramSpark Publishing? Drop a comment below. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to avoid missing out on any future author news and updates.

Remember, once you set up your account, it’s a good time to work on your author profile. If you need a few tips on writing an author bio, How To Write An Author Bio is full of valuable tips, tricks, and ideas.