Publish Setup · IngramSpark Topic 5 of 8
Uploading Your Files to IngramSpark
What to do
Upload your finished print-ready interior PDF and cover PDF directly on IngramSpark's own site, a separate portal and separate upload steps from KDP's.
Why it matters
IngramSpark's upload process is its own product, not the same screens as KDP's, even though you're often uploading the same underlying files. Getting the file into the right upload slot in the right format matters, and this app doesn't upload, host, or check your files for you on either platform.
Step-by-step
- After completing your title's metadata and specs on IngramSpark, go to the file upload step and upload your complete interior file as a single PDF, every page from front to back, including any blank pages, the same "one complete file, not per-chapter" rule as KDP.
- Upload your complete cover file as a single PDF containing the front cover, spine, and back cover (and flaps, if you're doing a dust-jacketed hardcover) combined into one file, sized for your exact trim size and page count, the same flat-wrap concept as KDP's cover upload, just on a different site.
- Double check you're uploading each file into the correct slot. IngramSpark's own help documentation specifically warns that uploading a cover file into the interior slot (or vice versa) is a common error message you'll otherwise have to go back and fix.
- For an ebook-only IngramSpark title, the file requirements are different: IngramSpark generally expects an EPUB file (it can convert a print-formatted PDF to EPUB for an extra fee if you don't have one), plus a separate cover image.
More information
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Important: IngramSpark is different from KDP here, it wants a real EPUB file
- This is the single most important difference to know before uploading an ebook edition to IngramSpark: unlike KDP, IngramSpark does not accept a plain Word document and auto-convert it for you. IngramSpark's own file requirements call for a genuine EPUB file (EPUB 2 or 3) for the interior, plus a separate high-resolution JPEG cover image. If all you have is a .docx manuscript, you cannot simply upload it here the way you might on KDP or Draft2Digital.
- Quick reminder of what an EPUB actually is: it's a reflowable ebook file (not a fixed-page file like a PDF), built so the text can resize itself for whatever screen or font size a reader is using. See the "What's an EPUB" walkthrough in the KDP Uploads topic earlier in this stage for the full plain-English explanation, it applies here too, IngramSpark just requires the finished file itself rather than converting one for you.
Last verified: August 2026
Getting a real EPUB file to upload
- If you already built an EPUB for your KDP ebook edition using Kindle Create, Calibre, Atticus, or InDesign (see the KDP Uploads topic's walkthrough for exactly how each of those works), you can typically reuse that same .epub file here, IngramSpark's EPUB requirement isn't a different file format than what those tools already produce.
- If you don't have one yet: Atticus has a built-in Export EPUB button (Formatting tab, underneath the live Previewer panel). Adobe InDesign has a real EPUB export under File → Export → EPUB (Reflowable). Microsoft Word has no built-in EPUB export, use the free Kindle Create app or Calibre (File → Convert Books) to turn a Word document into a real EPUB. Google Docs has no EPUB export at all, download the Doc as .docx first (File → Download → Microsoft Word), then run that through Calibre.
- Don't have any of that, or don't want to build one yourself? IngramSpark offers its own paid EPUB Conversion service: if you already have a print-ready interior PDF with them, you can pay roughly $0.60 per page and IngramSpark will convert that print file into an EPUB for you, this typically takes about 15 business days, so it's not an instant option if you're on a tight timeline.
Last verified: August 2026
Where the file is saved, and exactly where you upload it on IngramSpark
- Save your finished .epub file somewhere you'll remember (Downloads, or wherever your other manuscript files live) and note the exact filename.
- Sign in to IngramSpark and open your title's ebook edition setup (a separate track from the paperback/hardcover print edition, the same one-title-multiple-formats structure as KDP).
- On the file upload step, upload your .epub file into the interior/manuscript upload slot, and upload a separate high-resolution JPEG image for the cover (not the full print wrap with spine and back cover, just the front cover image, similar to KDP's ebook cover rule).
- Double-check each file lands in the correct slot before submitting, IngramSpark's own help documentation specifically calls out uploading a cover into the interior slot (or vice versa) as a common first-time mistake.
Last verified: August 2026
What to check to confirm it worked
- After upload, IngramSpark runs the file through validation against the EPUB standard (many publishers use the free tool EpubCheck for the same purpose before uploading, catching problems early). Watch for any warning IngramSpark shows about invalid or non-compliant EPUB structure.
- Once it passes, look for IngramSpark's own preview or review step and page through it the same way you would in KDP's Kindle Previewer: confirm chapter breaks land in the right place, images show up correctly, and any table of contents links actually jump to the right chapter.
Last verified: August 2026
Common mistakes
- Uploading a plain .docx manuscript expecting IngramSpark to auto-convert it the way KDP or Draft2Digital does, IngramSpark's own requirements call for an actual EPUB file, not a Word document.
- Reusing a print-formatted PDF as if it were an EPUB. A PDF is fixed-layout; IngramSpark's ebook slot needs a reflowable EPUB, not a PDF (this is exactly what IngramSpark's paid conversion service exists to fix if you only have a print PDF).
- Manual line-break "page breaks," forced non-standard fonts, or typed-in page numbers left over from a print manuscript, all of these behave badly once the text reflows in an EPUB, see the Common Mistakes list in the KDP Uploads topic, the same issues apply here.
Last verified: August 2026
What if mine doesn't look right?
- If IngramSpark's validation flags your EPUB as invalid, the issue is almost always in the file that was fed into the converter (messy headings/styles, broken image links), not something wrong with IngramSpark itself. Go back to whichever tool built the EPUB and re-check its formatting before re-exporting.
- Still stuck? Ask Step One (the assistant panel on every page) or browse the Troubleshooting hub for more.
Last verified: August 2026
Common mistakes to avoid
- Uploading the cover file into the interior upload slot, or vice versa. IngramSpark's system will flag this, but it's a very common first-time mistake.
- Uploading only some chapters or an incomplete draft file, rather than the single complete finished document IngramSpark expects.
Completion checklist
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Troubleshooting
Can I use the exact same PDF files I already uploaded to KDP?
Usually yes, if the trim size, bleed, and page count are identical between the two editions, the underlying interior and cover PDFs don't inherently belong to one platform. Just re-check IngramSpark's own current file specification guide (PDF standards, embedded fonts, color profile) before uploading, since its technical requirements aren't guaranteed to be identical to KDP's in every detail.