KDP vs IngramSpark vs Draft2Digital vs BookVault (Which Should You Choose?)

About this video

In this Miblart-sponsored comparison, Dale orders the same title in paperback and hardcover from KDP, IngramSpark, BookVault and Draft2Digital and compares print quality, cost, shipping, distribution, royalties and ease of use. KDP distributes paperbacks to 12 Amazon marketplaces and hardcovers to nine, with limited expanded distribution; he notes royalties were traditionally 60% of list price minus print costs on Amazon (40% on expanded distribution), falling to 50% for books below price thresholds from 10 June 2025. His KDP paperback proof totalled $5.60 and arrived in about 6 days, but the cover bowed and the interior ink looked faded; the hardcover totalled $12.24, arrived in about 5 days and impressed him, aside from a faint glue mark. IngramSpark distributes via Ingram Book Group to a network often cited around 40,000 outlets, with royalties Dale puts at roughly 45% to 70% after print costs and a 1% distribution fee; uploads are free but updates after 60 days cost $25. Its paperback ($3.83) and hardcover ($7.63; order total $16.69) had stunning saturation and deep, crisp interiors, but arrived separately in 16 and 23 days. UK-based BookVault distributes to Amazon and others and sells direct via Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix and Payhip, charging a 5% distribution fee; its paperback was $3.63 and hardcover $6.64 (total $19.95), both arrived together in 10 days, interiors matched IngramSpark’s, though the hardcover arrived dented — a first, he says — and the dashboard feels disjointed. Draft2Digital, best known for ebooks, prints paperbacks via Ingram/Lightning Source in six trim sizes at a flat 45% royalty minus print costs; his paperback totalled $10.13 and arrived in 16 days, nearly identical to IngramSpark’s, and its dashboard won ease of use, but there is no hardcover. Verdicts: KDP cheapest paperback proof and fastest, IngramSpark best quality overall, Draft2Digital easiest, BookVault strongest for UK authors.

Key takeaways

• KDP gives direct Amazon access with no middleman: Dale found its paperback interior faded and weak, but its hardcover — crisp edges and clean print — was a genuine improvement, apart from a faint glue mark.
• IngramSpark, reaching around 40,000 outlets via Ingram Book Group, won hardcover print quality outright and tied for best paperback, but took 16 days for the paperback and 23 for the hardcover and charges $25 for updates after 60 days.
• Draft2Digital prints through Ingram/Lightning Source at a flat 45% royalty minus print costs, tied for best paperback and won ease of use, but offers no hardcover and allows only one print update every 90 days without a $25 token.
• BookVault, UK-based, matched IngramSpark-level interiors and delivered both books together in 10 days, but its publishing process is disjointed and it charges a first-upload fee.
• You cannot use all four at once: deselect KDP expanded distribution to use another printer, choose IngramSpark or Draft2Digital (not both, as they share Ingram), and avoid different ISBNs per platform because duplicate listings dilute marketing.

Episode details: published August 18, 2025 · 18:19 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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