IngramSpark Publishing Direct Sales for Australian Authors

Direct sales via a link or QR code have now been enabled for Australian authors who self-publish their books on IngramSpark with Share and Sell!

If you’re an Australian self-published author and you published your book on IngramSpark Publishing, you’re probably pretty excited about their latest direct sales news. Authors in Australia will now be able to bypass 3^rd party retail sites and direct their customers straight to their book.

One of the biggest drawbacks to IngramSpark Publishing, in my opinion, has been the inability to directly send potential customers to your book on that platform.

On Amazon KDP, you always had that direct link to your book on the marketplace, but with IngramSpark Publishing, you could only direct customers to a 3rd-party retail site. However, that’s all changed now thanks to the IngramSpark Publishing direct sales option.

What Are Direct Sales On IngramSpark Publishing?

With IngramSpark’s announcement on the launch of Share and Sell, Australian-based accounts on IngramSpark Publishing can now direct readers or customers directly to their book. Authors will have three options to choose from:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. HTML Embedded Tag – This is what you will add to your author website if you have one set up. This embedded link/tag would send any potential customers or readers straight to the purchase option on IngramSpark.
               2. URL Link – Anytime you post about your book, social media, author bio, blogs, etc., you could add the direct URL link.
               3. QR Code – The QR code is ideal for any physical or printed advertising you do, like brochures, bookmarks, business cards, as it allows someone to scan the QR code with their smartphone and be directed to your book.

How Does the Direct Sales Pricing Work?

It’s also important to note that if you have customers in the UK or the USA, they’ll also be able to purchase through the same link. The order will be processed at a printing and shipping facility located in one of those countries.

Below is an example of how the pricing and costing will work with their new direct sales link.

Please note: The reader will pay all applicable sales taxes, such as GST, and all shipping and postage charges associated with the purchase.

If the recommended retail price (RRP) of your book is $30 AUD, and the print cost is $10, you take away the print cost and the IngramSpark Publishing Share and Sell fee of $5.50, for a royalty or publisher compensation amount of $14.50.

Instead of your book selling for $30 RRP on a 3^rd party site, and then you are losing fees to that platform and IngramSpark, with the direct Share and Sell sales you’re getting almost the entire royalty for yourself.

If you have been considering self-publishing your book on IngramSpark Publishing, check out The Complete Guide to IngramSpark Publishing for Australian Authors, where we cover account setup, title uploading, royalties, pricing, and much more!

IngramSpark Publishing Share and Sell FAQs

To help make the experience a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of the most common Share and Sell FAQs. You can check out IngramSpark’s full Share and Sell FAQs here.

• • • • • • Do the Share and Sell links work for ebooks? ~ No. Currently, the IngramSpark Publishing Share and Sell links are for print books such as paperback or hardcover only.
          • Can I preview the link first? ~ Yes. Hit the ‘View Link’ in the “Link History’ dropdown menu to preview what your product page looks like.
          • Is there a preview or look inside function? ~ No. IngramSpark doesn’t offer a look inside feature as Amazon does for books.
          • How many books can I sell per link? ~ Currently, it’s one book per link. Each title or format will require its own link.
          • Who can buy books through this link? ~ Currently, customers located in the US, UK, and Australia with shipping addresses in these countries can purchase books via the links.

IngramSpark Publishing Direct Sales for Australian Authors | Conclusion

The new IngramSpark Publishing Direct share and sell options give Australian self-published authors an entirely new direct-to-customer sales approach. For authors who attend in-person events, like book fairs and trade shows, QR codes to direct sales on a platform other than Amazon KDP are a game-changer.

If you have any questions about the self-publishing process, 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, Amazon KDP Keyword and Category Research, animated book cover reveal videos, beta reading, and social media and marketing.

If you’re currently considering self-publishing, and you’re not sure which is the best self-publishing platform for you, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), IngramSpark Publishing, or others, check out The Best Self-Publishing Platforms to Publish Your Book! We cover the pros and cons of Australia’s most popular self-publishing platforms.

Clayton Hobbs, owner of Author Services Australia, has over a decade of experience in the self-publishing industry, assisting Australian authors with self-publishing services such as editing, cover design, formatting, and ghostwriting. Starting out as a freelance writer specializing in website content, articles, and guides, before switching to children’s picture and chapter books, Clayton is the author of best-selling books Hockey Wars, Softball Strikeout, and The Day My Fart Followed Me To Hockey, writing under the pen name Ben Jackson, along with many other children’s books.