Mission Point Author Guides: Choosing the Right Publishing Service for You
Introduction
Mission Point Press works with two larger companies, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark (IS), to print and publish your book. In this guide, we navigate the main differences between the two companies so you can select the right one for your book. We discuss factors like print options, pricing/royalties, customer service, and distribution reach.
A note on distribution:
KDP and IS are companies that print your book and then make it available to companies called distributors. Bookstores and libraries can then look at the distributors’ listings, see your book, and decide whether they would like to purchase it for retail sale. KDP and IS work with many of the same distributors, but there are a few differences which we'll cover in this guide. Both companies can get your book on Amazon.com.
Calculating royalties:
Royalties are publisher’s compensation, or how much you get paid with each sale of your book. Usually this will be measured in a percentage, and the printer then subtracts tax and printing costs. Kindle Direct offers this example on their site: Say you're listing your book at $15. It's a 333-page paperback with standard distribution. Then, (royalty x list price) - (printing and tax) = your royalty per copy. In this case, (0.60 x $15) - $4.85 = a $4.15 royalty per copy.
Read on to compare the two services and get our summary on the final page.
Kindle Direct Publishing
Printing Options: Hardcover and softcover options and plenty of sizes offered. However, hardcovers must be 70 or more pages.
Setup Fees: None.
Distribution
Paperbacks: With standard distribution, your book is distributed to Amazon sites worldwide.
Expanded Distribution: If you opt in with the required lower royalty of 40% (see above), your book will also be available to bookstores, online retailers, libraries, and academic institutions. Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) only works with US-based distributors, although non-US companies may buy from them.
Books are only 10% of Amazon’s business, but books are where they got started and they have built an ecosystem around ebooks and books that involves readers at every level. In 2019, 25% of the U.S. public reported that they had read a book on an e-reader in the past year: 67% of the ebook market is sold through Amazon. Print sales are nearly the same: The NYT calculates that 50% of books are sold through Amazon, but other sources say that figure is much higher — closer to 70–80%.
But, it’s also important to know how KDP books are generally regarded by the traditional publishing industry. Some bookstores don’t like to buy from KDP because their stores receive a lower-than-standard discount on Expanded Distribution books, and they see Amazon’s online presence as competition. Also, the books are non-returnable.
Note: To be eligible for expanded distribution, your book must meet certain requirements regarding its ISBN and its size. Click here for details.
Ebooks: Distributed through Amazon; anyone with a device/PC that supports the Kindle app can read your book. If you own the necessary rights, you can make your ebook available worldwide ("All territories"). There are excellent built-in marketing tools available for ebooks published exclusively with KDP. Read about that here.
Royalties
Print titles: 60% royalties on Amazon orders.
40% royalties on orders in the Expanded Distribution program.
Ebooks: Standard royalties of 35%.
70% royalties on ebooks that meet certain requirements for pricing (for example, it must cost between $2.99-$9.99). Visit here for eligibility details.
Pros and cons. Pros include a quick and simple setup on Amazon’s easy user interface and excellent customer service. KDP usually pays a higher royalty rate on Amazon sales than does IngramSpark. Also, KDP’s price for author copies tends to be less than IngramSpark’s. (Shipping/handling rates track lower, too.) Generally, KDP is dependable in terms of quality, including four-color quality. Cons: size restrictions on hardcover, Kindle-only ebooks, and lower appeal to bookstores.
IngramSpark
Printing Options: IngramSpark offers both hardcover and softcover books. They also have more paper and cover options available than Kindle Direct.
Setup Fees: $25 for each ebook; $49 for a print book or print book + ebook
Distribution
Print Books: Distributed through Ingram Book Group, which makes your title available to over 39,000 bookstores and retailers (including Amazon and Barnes & Noble), plus libraries and schools. Ingram works with print distributors in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Generally, Ingram is highly regarded by the bookselling industry. They have been around for a long time, and their products tend to sell better in bookstores than books from Amazon’s print program.
Ebooks: Distributed to 25+ of the largest global retailers including Amazon Kindle, Apple, and Barnes & Noble.
Royalties
You can set your own list price for both print and ebooks.
Print titles:
IngramSpark will pay the author 45% of the list price on print titles sold through its distribution channels minus the production cost. Most bookstores will want to buy the books from Ingram at a minimum 40% discount. Because IngramSpark keeps a portion of the proceeds from the sale of your book, we advise you to set a distribution discount of about 50% to 55%. A link, for more advice on pricing your book.
Ebooks:
Ingram Spark will pay 65% to 70% on ebook sales depending on the market.
Pros and cons: Pros include wider selection of hardcovers and ebook distribution that goes beyond Amazon. Cons: Sometimes poor customer service and mixed production quality. And royalties on Amazon sales typically are lower than through KDP. Finally, the cost of author’s copies tend to be higher at IngramSpark than at KDP. And shipping/handling rates track higher, too.
Our Summary
If you need to distribute books widely to bookstores — in the United States and beyond — it’s likely worth it to sign up with IngramSpark. Ingram will also distribute your ebook to several companies, while KDP (understandably) only sells your ebook at Amazon.
But be prepared for some quality hiccups from IngramSpark. IngramSpark generally makes things right with authors experiencing quality and service issues. But it can prove distracting.
KDP also has occasional quality stumbles. It’s the nature of print-on-demand. However, KDP’s customer service is top-notch and problems are remedied quickly.
Our usual recommendation is that you publish with both IngramSpark and KDP. With IngramSpark, you’ll get a company that booksellers trust, and with KDP, you’ll earn maximum royalties.
However, if your goal is just to produce a book for, say, family and friends, or if you plan to sell most of your books through online services like Amazon, we recommend publishing with just KDP. Quality and customer service are KDP’s strengths.
Talk to your Mission Point rep to decide on the best plan for your book!
To print any of the Author Resources, right click on the guide and select “print.” If you need additional help, ask your team leader to email the guide as an attachment.