Paperback Comparison: Self-Published Books on Amazon & Beyond

About this video

In the first part of a four-part proof comparison, Dale orders the same paperback — indie author Arista Homes’s debut novel Changeling, published in March 2023, 5.5 by 8.5 inches, black-and-white on cream paper, matte cover, 399 pages — from KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu, Barnes and Noble Press, Blurb and Draft2Digital, and compares distribution, royalties, cost and delivery. He reports KDP reaching 12 Amazon regions with 60% minus print fees on Amazon sales (40% on expanded distribution), delivering in 3 days for $9.92 total and earning 4 out of 5 despite padded-envelope shipping and a cover watermark on proofs. IngramSpark and Lulu also score 4 out of 5: IngramSpark for wide Ingram reach and slightly better quality at $14.21 in 11 days, Lulu for what he calls second-to-none print quality and 80% storefront terms at $17.22 in 9 days. Barnes and Noble Press scores 4 out of 5 at $15.02 in 6 days, while Blurb scores 2 out of 5 for limited trim sizes, glossy-only covers and poor transparency despite good quality, and Draft2Digital scores 3 out of 5, praised for ebook-to-print conversion tools but criticised for a $30-plus proof and an ISBN issue that went unnotified.

Key takeaways

• Order proofs from several platforms for the same book to compare quality, total proof cost and delivery time side by side before choosing a distributor.
• KDP was fastest and cheapest in this test at 3 days and $9.92 total, but proofs arrive in padded envelopes and carry a cover watermark customers never see.
• Avoid duplicate distribution: using KDP, IngramSpark and Lulu together means opting out of KDP expanded distribution and Lulu global distribution to prevent overlapping listings.
• IngramSpark updates are free for the first 60 days and $25 per update after that, so Dale advises getting the book right inside that window.
• Draft2Digital’s unique strength is its ebook-to-print conversion tools for covers and interiors, even though its proof cost and approval communication lagged rivals.

Episode details: published May 14, 2023 · 23:13 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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