We have an order that we plan to distribute our print books for 2019. We will first upload the formatted print .pdf novel to KDP, work out the kinks, then upload to IngramSpark since there is a cost associated with making changes to the uploaded book after the initial upload. Once we have over thirty novels, we will apply for LighteningSource which may not happen until 2020.
Phenomenal One Press has come a long way in the last ten years in the publishing game. Prior to the last few years, we leveraged a small press distribution company’s print book base which offered marketing to bookstores, libraries, and other venues. It worked for a while, but the cost wasn’t worth our benefits once the ebook market started to take off.
CREATESPACE
We started with Createspace since their interface was so easy to upload our books, that it was a quick move from the former distributor to this Print-On-Demand company. It was free to upload, easy to set up, and delivered quality books.
Getting into bookstores and libraries were possible, but it wasn’t as easy as we anticipated. The former distributor had feet on the ground, selling our products. Many stores didn’t accept purchases from CreateSpace.
Createspace recently closed and KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) Print allowed conversions.
KDP Print
It was a rocky start using KDP Print. We had to make constant calls to them about our account. They apparently had duplicate accounts for us which made the merging messy. We still don’t have a clean interface and many duplicates, but it can’t be fixed. Honestly, we are afraid to ask them to try since we have had so many challenges from them.
Other than the initial merging of our print books with Createspace, the uploading and creation of print on demand books wasn’t too difficult. It is also free and doesn’t require an ISBN.
- Easy to use
- Free of charge
- Part of Amazon
- Don’t need an ISBN
INGRAM SPARK
This is an endeavor we have dragged our progress on. The interface is not as easy to understand or upload and there is a cost associated with uploading our books for print. However, they have a wide print distribution and most of the stores and libraries request that our books are available through Ingram. This will be done in the next few months. Making sure the formatting of our books were done with Vellem helps the process because we only have to get the interior formatted one time.
- Bookstores and Libraries prefer to purchase from them
- There is a cost to upload
- There is a cost for changes
- Need an ISBN
- Offer Hardback
- The publisher can offer 30% and 55% wholesale discount (which can’t control with KDP)
- Problem: the potential to lose money if stores decide to return paperback books
OUR EYE is ON LIGHTNING SOURCE
Ultimately, our goal is to add Lightning Source as one of our print-on-demand distributors. The reason is that it allows us to offer a larger and more competitive Wholesale Discount to stores and libraries.
- The publisher can offer 25% and 55% wholesale discount (which can’t control with KDP)
- Bookstores and Libraries prefer to purchase from them
- There is a cost to upload
- There is a cost for changes
- Need an ISBN
- Offer Hardback
- Problem: the potential to lose money if stores decide to return paperback books
The IngramSpark and Lightning Source is an option we chose to pursue since we want to actively pitch our books to stores, libraries and other venues that only use these distributors. Otherwise, the endeavor wouldn’t be cost effective.
ALWAYS CONSIDER THE COST BENEFIT, and if the cost and effort aren’t going to pay off, wait and pursue when it will. Phenomenal One Press is still evaluating how many booksellers are committed to purchasing before finalizing uploading of the entire list. For now, there will be only two series uploaded to both.
