"Should I publish on KDP or IngramSpark?" It's a question I hear often, and my answer usually starts with another question: Where do you want people to find your book?

The two platforms overlap, but they do different jobs. If your focus is Amazon, then KDP may be all you need. If you also want your book available through the channels that bookstores and libraries use, IngramSpark becomes important. For many independent authors, using both gives them the best combination of the two.

Where KDP fits

KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is Amazon's self-publishing platform. It gives you a direct route to selling your book on Amazon, with no setup fee and print-on-demand production, so copies are printed as they're ordered.

KDP does have an Expanded Distribution option for paperbacks, which makes a book available beyond Amazon through distributors serving bookstores, libraries, and other retailers. There are situations where that may be enough for an author, particularly if keeping everything in one account is the priority. But it isn't the route I generally recommend when bookstore and library distribution are an important part of the publishing plan.

Most bookstores already order through established wholesalers such as Ingram, and Amazon is also one of their biggest competitors. Expanded Distribution also comes with tradeoffs. You have less control over terms that matter to bookstores, such as returns, and the royalty is lower than it is on qualifying sales directly through Amazon.

There's an ISBN consideration as well. An ISBN enrolled in KDP Expanded Distribution can't also be submitted for distribution through IngramSpark. If you think you may want to use IngramSpark, I recommend leaving Expanded Distribution off.

It is worth knowing that IngramSpark also distributes to Amazon, so a print book set up through IngramSpark can appear for sale there even if it isn't set up directly through KDP. Even so, I generally recommend using KDP for Amazon and IngramSpark for the broader book trade.

One reason is simply reliability on Amazon. IngramSpark-distributed books appearing on Amazon sometimes show long delivery estimates or messages such as "temporarily out of stock," even though the book is available ready to be printed on demand through IngramSpark. Amazon controls how that availability is displayed. Setting the book up directly through KDP gives Amazon its own fulfillment route and can help avoid that problem.

What IngramSpark adds

IngramSpark works differently. It isn't a retail site where readers browse for books. It's the self-publishing arm of Ingram, whose distribution network is already used by bookstores, libraries, schools, online retailers, and other book buyers. When you make your book available for distribution through IngramSpark, those buyers can find and order it through systems they already use.

That's the important distinction. Amazon is a major place for readers to buy books, while Ingram is part of the wholesale system the book trade already uses.

Being available to a bookstore or library, however, is not the same as being stocked by one. IngramSpark makes it possible for them to order your book, but it doesn't create demand for it. This is where local connections can matter. Introducing yourself and your book to local bookstores and libraries, asking about their policies for local authors, and creating some interest in your community can give them a reason to take a closer look. Wholesale discounts and returnability matter here too. I’ve written more about how IngramSpark’s book returns work and what authors need to consider.

IngramSpark also gives authors some print choices that KDP doesn't. For example, KDP hardcovers are case laminate only, while IngramSpark also offers jacketed hardcovers. There are differences in trim sizes, paper, and color printing options as well.

There's a useful difference when it comes to early copies, too. KDP allows you to order a printed proof while your book is still in draft, but the cover of that proof is watermarked "Not for Resale." With IngramSpark, you can approve your files and order printed copies without first making the book available for distribution. Those copies aren't marked as proofs, which can be useful for advance copies, reviewers, or simply seeing the finished book before release.

A word about ISBNs

Both KDP and IngramSpark offer free ISBNs, and for an author publishing through only one platform, using the free option may be perfectly adequate. The important limitation is that a free ISBN belongs to the platform that supplied it and can't be used somewhere else.

That becomes important if you want the same paperback available through both KDP and IngramSpark. You can use KDP's free ISBN for one version of the book and IngramSpark's free ISBN for the other, but the two platforms are then identifying them as separate editions rather than the same paperback moving through two distribution channels.

For a reader, that distinction can become visible. The KDP version and the Ingram-distributed version may appear as separate listings in retail databases, with different ISBNs, availability information, or seller options. Instead of one paperback with one identity wherever it's sold, you've created two records for essentially the same book.

Buying your own ISBN avoids that. The same ISBN can be assigned to your paperback on both KDP and IngramSpark, so both platforms are distributing the same edition. You also control the publisher imprint associated with the ISBN rather than using the imprint assigned by either platform.

The bottom line

KDP and IngramSpark aren't really an either/or decision. KDP gives you a direct route to Amazon, while IngramSpark connects your book to the wholesale network used throughout the book trade. If you want both kinds of reach, using both platforms with an ISBN you own is usually the cleanest setup: KDP handles your Amazon sales, while IngramSpark handles the wider distribution network.

Getting the files ready is only one part of bringing a book to print. I also help authors work through these decisions and handle title setup on KDP, IngramSpark, or both. If your book is getting close to publication and you'd like help setting it up correctly, get in touch.