Publish Setup · Deciding Between Them
KDP vs. IngramSpark: Which Should You Use?
What to do
Understand, in plain terms, when it makes sense to use KDP only, IngramSpark only, or both together, so you're choosing deliberately rather than by default.
Why it matters
You've now walked through both platforms' setup in detail. This is the step back: a short, practical summary of why an author actually picks one path over the other, since the two topics-lists above don't by themselves tell you which one fits your situation.
Step-by-step
- KDP only fits most first-time self-publishers well: it's free to set up, the simplest process of the two, and Amazon is by far the largest single retailer for most books. If your main goal is getting a book out into the world with the least friction and cost, start here, you can always add IngramSpark later without redoing this stage's KDP work.
- IngramSpark only makes sense if you specifically don't want to sell through Amazon at all, or if bookstore/library distribution and your own publisher imprint matter more to you than Amazon reach and free setup, though this is a less common choice, since most authors who care about wider distribution still also want the Amazon sales KDP brings.
- Both together is the common real-world approach for authors who outgrow "just Amazon": keep the KDP paperback/ebook for Amazon sales (with Expanded Distribution turned off, to avoid channel conflicts), and add an IngramSpark edition (often with your own purchased ISBN and imprint), specifically for wider retail, library reach, and hardcover options that IngramSpark supports more fully. This does mean paying IngramSpark's title setup fee and doing the metadata/file work twice, once per platform.
- A practical middle ground many authors use: publish on KDP first, get the book live and selling, and only add IngramSpark once there's an actual reason to (a bookstore or library inquiry, wanting a hardcover, wanting your own imprint listed) rather than adding the second platform's cost and complexity up front on a title that hasn't sold yet.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming you have to pick one platform forever, plenty of authors start KDP-only and add IngramSpark to an already-published book later, or vice versa.
- Running both KDP's Expanded Distribution and IngramSpark for the same print edition at the same time, which the KDP Distribution Choices topic and the IngramSpark pricing/distribution topic above both flag as a common source of conflicts.
- Treating IngramSpark's setup fee and extra process as a reason to avoid it forever, when for many authors it pays for itself through library and bookstore sales KDP's Expanded Distribution alone doesn't reach.
Completion checklist
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Troubleshooting
I'm still not sure. What do most self-publishers actually do?
Most first-time self-publishers start with KDP alone, since it's free and simplest, and add IngramSpark later if the book gains traction and they specifically want bookstore, library, or hardcover reach. Starting with both at once is more common for authors who already have a specific reason to want wide retail/library placement from day one (an existing following, a planned bookstore event, or a deliberate small-press identity).
Does this mean I have to redo the Manuscript Prep and Formatting stages for IngramSpark?
No. Your manuscript, formatting, and print-ready files from the earlier stages of this app are the same physical files you use for either platform (as long as the trim size and page count match); only the account setup, metadata entry, and platform-specific upload steps are separate.