The Death of No Content Publishing

About this video

Dale L. Roberts reacts to an IngramSpark email announcing it will actively remove print content that harms buyers and the reputations of its publishers and retail and library partners, with removals taking effect April 27, 2020 per the announcement he cites. He highlights four targeted categories: books with blank pages exceeding 10% (notepads, journals and similar); books that mirror or mimic popular titles through similar covers, titles or author names; misleading books likely to confuse buyers, including inaccurate descriptions and cover art; and books created with artificial intelligence or automated processes — mass uploads of templated content with identical or near-identical interiors under varying covers. He stresses the wider stakes: IngramSpark sits under Ingram Content Group, which he says fulfills KDP Print’s expanded distribution, so he theorizes — presenting it as his own speculation — that KDP could follow IngramSpark’s precedent, and he reports that some publishers he knows have already had KDP accounts terminated over similar-content detection. His advice: do not rely on IngramSpark for no-content or low-content distribution, do not expect KDP expanded distribution for such books to last, stop using mass-upload software without real differentiation between titles, and make each product unique. As an alternative route, he suggests selling no-content books directly through Lulu or Lulu xPress integrated with Shopify.

Key takeaways

• IngramSpark announced it would remove books with more than 10% blank pages, titles mimicking popular books, misleading books, and AI/automated mass-upload content
• He notes Ingram Content Group fulfills KDP Print expanded distribution, so IngramSpark’s policy could affect KDP authors too
• His theory — stated as speculation — is that KDP may follow IngramSpark’s lead; he reports some publishers have already lost KDP accounts over similar content
• Stop mass-uploading templated interiors with only cover changes; each title needs genuine differentiation
• Suggested alternative: sell no-content books direct via Lulu or Lulu xPress with Shopify instead of relying on IngramSpark or KDP expanded distribution

Episode details: published February 26, 2020 · 14:15 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.

← Previous: KDP Amazon | Category Squatters Who Ruin Self Publishing · Next: No Content Publishing: An Open Letter to @AmazonKDP →

All Dale L. Roberts videos · Dale L. Roberts profile · Dale L. Roberts on YouTube