Ingramspark Print On Demand: Are Their Paperback Books Good?

About this video

(Summary based on the Arabic caption track.) In this self-published book unboxing, Dale examines an IngramSpark paperback contributed by Gary, focusing on the physical product rather than cover design or interior content, across delivery time, shipping and handling, quality, and cost and profit. He says the book took about 4 days in total to reach his door after Gary ordered it, notably during the fourth quarter, sometime in December, and it arrived in a corrugated cardboard box undamaged. He praises IngramSpark’s matte cover finish — soft to the touch and not overly glossy compared with the glossier feel he associates with KDP Print — and notes Gary chose cream paper for this book versus white for another; he suggests white is usually better for nonfiction and cream tends to suit fiction, with no wrong choice. Interior print quality was excellent, though he credits margins and trim-line discipline to whoever formatted the interior. On costs, he criticizes IngramSpark for a confusing breakdown, saying percentages like 55 percent or 45 percent and their calculators leave authors unsure of an exact per-book profit. He flags the barrier to entry versus free KDP Print uploads: an IngramSpark upload fee of about $49 plus bringing your own ISBN, since an Amazon-assigned KDP ISBN cannot be reused there. He says discount codes can offset the upload fee, and that, per his friend Mike, members of Ally, the Alliance of Independent Authors, get upload fees waived through a partnership — which could pay for membership if publishing two books in a year. A further downside is paying another upload/revision fee if you fix typos or change a cover after publishing.

Key takeaways

• The IngramSpark paperback arrived in about 4 days during December in the fourth quarter, shipped in a corrugated cardboard box and undamaged
• Dale prefers IngramSpark’s matte cover finish, describing it as soft and not overly glossy compared with KDP Print
• Gary chose cream paper for this book; Dale suggests white usually suits nonfiction and cream tends to suit fiction, with the interior print quality excellent
• IngramSpark charges an upload fee of about $49 and requires your own ISBN — an Amazon-assigned KDP ISBN cannot be used there
• He says Ally (Alliance of Independent Authors) members get IngramSpark upload fees waived, and that fixing errors or a cover after publishing triggers another upload fee

Episode details: published March 9, 2019 · 8:39 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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