IngramSpark vs Draft2Digital for Print and Wide Distribution

The Short Answer

Choose Draft2Digital for ebooks and IngramSpark for print. Draft2Digital makes it easy to send an ebook to dozens of stores and library platforms from one dashboard. IngramSpark gives you more print formats and full control over the discounts and returns that bookstores care about.

You do not have to pick only one. Many authors who publish wide use Draft2Digital for ebooks, IngramSpark for paperbacks and hardcovers, and Amazon KDP for Amazon itself.

Two Different Kinds of Company

The comparison makes more sense once you see what each company was built to do.

Draft2Digital is an aggregator. You upload once, and it delivers your ebook to many retailers and library services, collects the payments and sends you one combined royalty. It started with ebooks and later added a print service, D2D Print.

IngramSpark is a print distributor. It is the self-publishing arm of Ingram, the wholesaler that supplies a large share of bookstores and libraries. Print is its core strength, and it offers ebook distribution as well.

Side by Side

Fees and How You Are Paid

Draft2Digital earns mainly through commission. Its FAQ describes this as approximately 10% of the retail price of every sale. New accounts also pay a one-time $20 activation fee, and accounts with books in distribution that earn under $100 in a year pay $12 for that year.

IngramSpark removed its title setup and revision fees in February 2026. Books enabled for distribution now carry a 1.875% market access fee. For print, you are paid the list price minus your wholesale discount and the printing cost, and both IngramSpark and D2D Print raised printing costs from February 2026.

Ebook Distribution

This is where Draft2Digital shines. From one upload, your ebook can reach Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Kobo Plus, Bookshop.org, Tolino, Everand, Vivlio, Gardners and the Smashwords Store, plus library platforms such as OverDrive, cloudLibrary, Hoopla and BorrowBox. Amazon distribution through Draft2Digital is by invitation only, so most authors upload to KDP directly.

Library reach is a real advantage for some books, especially long series that heavy readers work through one after another. Libraries buy ebooks through these platforms, and a book that is available there can be requested and borrowed by readers who may never have found it in a store, which can lead them to buy the rest of a series.

IngramSpark can distribute ebooks too, but most wide authors find Draft2Digital's dashboard, store choices and single payment easier to manage for digital editions.

What a $4.99 Ebook Earns Through Draft2Digital

A quick example shows how the commission works in practice. Apple Books pays publishers 70% of the list price. On a $4.99 ebook, that is about $3.49. Draft2Digital's commission of roughly 10% of the retail price takes about 50 cents, leaving you close to $2.99 per sale, or about 60% of the list price.

Each store pays a slightly different share, and some depend on your price, so your actual royalty varies by store. The point is that the aggregator's cut is modest compared with the reach it adds, which is why so many wide authors accept it rather than managing a dozen store accounts themselves.

Print Distribution

D2D Print produces perfect-bound, black-and-white paperbacks. According to Draft2Digital, those paperbacks are made available to the channels Ingram serves, including Barnes & Noble, along with Amazon and most US independent bookstores. For a straightforward novel or text-based nonfiction book, that is a simple way to add a paperback.

IngramSpark goes further. It prints paperbacks and hardcovers, offers dust jackets and color interiors, and lets you choose your wholesale discount and whether copies can be returned. Those two settings are what bookstores look at before ordering, so IngramSpark gives you more say over whether a shop will stock your book.

If you also sell on Amazon, the way your print editions interact matters. Our guide to KDP vs IngramSpark explains how to run Amazon and Ingram side by side without conflicts.

Ease of Use

Draft2Digital is widely seen as one of the friendliest platforms for new authors. The upload process is guided, the dashboard is simple, and one payment covers every store.

IngramSpark asks more of you. You choose trim sizes, paper, binding, discounts and returns, and you supply print-ready files built to its specifications. The extra settings are what make it powerful for print, but they also make mistakes more likely if you are new to publishing.

The Split Most Wide Authors Use

For authors who want their books available everywhere, a common setup looks like this:

Some authors prefer to keep things simpler and use D2D Print for their paperback instead of IngramSpark. That works well for text-based books when you do not need hardcovers, color or control over bookstore returns.

When Draft2Digital Alone Is Enough

• You publish ebooks only, or mostly.
• Your print edition is a plain black-and-white paperback.
• You value one dashboard and one payment over fine control.

When IngramSpark Is Worth the Extra Setup

• You want bookstores or libraries to order your print book.
• You need a hardcover, a dust jacket or color pages.
• You plan events, signings or a local launch where shops order copies.

Switching Platforms Later

Your first choice is not permanent. Authors often start simple and move editions as their plans grow, for example adding IngramSpark once bookstores show interest, or moving ebook distribution to Draft2Digital to reach library platforms.

When you switch, do it in order. Remove the edition from the old platform's distribution first and wait until the stores confirm it is gone, then publish through the new one. That avoids two suppliers listing the same edition at the same store, which can cause duplicate listings and price mismatches.

Keep your files, ISBNs and metadata in one place, so moving an edition is a matter of uploading, not rebuilding.

Tips Before You Upload

• Use your own ISBNs for print if you plan to be on more than one platform.
• Keep metadata identical everywhere: title, subtitle, author name, series name, description and categories.
• Avoid duplicate distribution. Do not send the same edition to the same store through two platforms.
• Order proofs from every printer you use, since paper, color and trim can differ slightly between them.
• Check the stores after launch to confirm each edition appears with the right price and description.

Frequently Asked Questions