The Short Answer
Use KDP to sell your paperback on Amazon, and IngramSpark to reach bookstores, libraries and other retailers. Most indie authors who want their book everywhere use both, with their own ISBN, and let each platform do the job it is best at.
If your readers buy almost entirely on Amazon, KDP alone is simpler and usually pays more per copy there. If you want a bookshop or library to order your book, IngramSpark is the more reliable route, because it offers the discounts and return terms those buyers expect.
Side by Side
| Amazon KDP | IngramSpark | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to set up a title | Free | Free (setup fees removed in February 2026) |
| Revision fees | None | None since February 2026 |
| Main market | Amazon stores worldwide | Over 45,000 retailers, libraries, universities and educators |
| Your share | 60% of list price minus printing at $9.99 and above on Amazon.com, 50% below | List price minus your chosen wholesale discount, printing and a 1.875% market access fee |
| Bookstore-friendly terms | Limited; not designed for bookstore returns | You choose the discount and whether books are returnable |
| Free ISBN | Yes, for print (usable only on KDP) | No, use your own |
| Hardcover | Case laminate hardcover | Case laminate and dust-jacket options |
How Each One Pays You
KDP
On Amazon.com, KDP pays 60% of your list price minus the printing cost when the paperback is priced at $9.99 or more, and 50% minus printing below that. Other Amazon marketplaces have their own thresholds in local currency.
Amazon's own example makes the math concrete: a $15 paperback with a $5.00 printing cost earns $4.00 per sale on Amazon.com at the 60% rate. Through KDP's Expanded Distribution to other retailers, the same book earns 40% minus printing, which is $1.00.
IngramSpark
IngramSpark pays the list price minus the wholesale discount you set, minus the printing cost. Since February 1, 2026, books enabled for distribution also carry a 1.875% market access fee. IngramSpark adjusted its print prices at the same time, so run your numbers in its compensation calculator before you set a price.
Using the same $15 price and a $5.00 printing cost for illustration, a 55% discount leaves $6.75, and $1.75 after printing, before the market access fee. That looks low next to KDP, but it is the price of being on terms that bookstores will actually order from.
Where Your Book Gets Sold
KDP is built around Amazon. Your paperback appears on Amazon's stores quickly and benefits from Amazon's search, recommendations and ads. Expanded Distribution makes the book available to other retailers and libraries, but on terms most bookstores are reluctant to accept.
IngramSpark is a wholesale distributor. It lists your book in the catalog that bookstores, libraries and universities already order from, which is why it reaches more than 45,000 outlets. It also sells to Amazon, but most authors prefer KDP for that channel because it pays more and gives direct control of the Amazon listing.
Discounts and Returns
Bookstores buy books at a discount from list price and expect to return unsold copies. IngramSpark lets you set both.
- Wholesale discount. IngramSpark's help center says a 53% to 55% discount with returnable status generally gives the widest availability through retailers and bookstores. A lower discount can work if you expect mainly online sales.
- Returns. You can choose non-returnable, returnable with copies shipped back to you, or returnable with copies destroyed. If books come back, you are charged their wholesale cost plus any shipping and handling.
Returnable status is what makes bookstores comfortable stocking your title, but it carries risk. A large return can cancel out months of royalties, so many authors start non-returnable and switch only when they have real bookstore demand, such as a local launch or an author event.
ISBNs: The Rule That Trips People Up
KDP offers a free ISBN for paperbacks and hardcovers, but it can only be used on KDP, and Amazon is listed as the publisher. IngramSpark requires an ISBN you own.
If you plan to use both platforms for the same edition, buy your own ISBN and use it on both. In the US, Bowker sells single ISBNs for $125 and ten for $295. Owning the number also lets you list your own imprint as the publisher, which looks more professional to bookstores.
Formats and Print Options
Both platforms print paperbacks and hardcovers on demand, so you never hold inventory. IngramSpark generally offers a wider range of trim sizes, paper and binding options, including hardcovers with a printed dust jacket, which suits gift books, memoirs and premium nonfiction.
KDP's hardcover is a case laminate cover, with the design printed directly on the board. It looks clean and costs less, but if a dust jacket matters to your book, IngramSpark is the place to make one.
Both also handle ebooks. KDP sells Kindle ebooks on Amazon, and IngramSpark can distribute ebooks to other stores, though many wide authors use a dedicated ebook aggregator instead. Our comparison of IngramSpark and Draft2Digital covers that choice.
I'll handle your KDP and IngramSpark setup, ISBNs, pricing and distribution settings so nothing conflicts.
Using Both Without Conflicts
Running the two side by side is common, but the order and settings matter. This setup avoids most problems:
- Buy your own ISBN for each print edition, and use the same number on KDP and IngramSpark.
- Publish on KDP for Amazon, and leave Expanded Distribution switched off for that edition.
- Publish on IngramSpark with distribution enabled, so it supplies bookstores, libraries and other retailers.
- Use identical files and the same list price on both, so listings, previews and prices match everywhere a reader finds the book.
- Order a printed proof from each. The two printers can produce slightly different results from the same file, so check color, paper tone and trim on both before launch day.
Turning off KDP's Expanded Distribution matters because it and IngramSpark both supply other retailers. Leaving both on for the same ISBN can cause listing conflicts and confusion about who supplies the book.
Pricing One Paperback for Both
Because your list price is the same everywhere, it has to work on the platform that pays least. That is usually IngramSpark at a bookstore discount.
- Start with comparable books. Look at what similar titles in your genre and page count sell for in print.
- Check IngramSpark first. At your chosen discount, the price must still cover printing and the market access fee with something left over.
- Then check KDP. Make sure the price clears the 60% threshold on Amazon.com, which is .99.
- Keep the price identical on both platforms, so retailers and readers see the same number.
If a 55% discount leaves almost nothing per copy, you can raise the price slightly, choose a smaller trim size to lower printing costs, or set a lower discount and accept that fewer bookstores will order.
A Note for Authors Outside the US
KDP's 60% threshold is set per marketplace in local currency. On Amazon.co.uk it applies from £7.99, on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.au from 13.99 in local dollars, and in the main European stores from 9.99 euros. IngramSpark and KDP both print in several countries, so check each market's printing cost before you set international prices.
Which Is Right for You?
| If you... | Choose |
|---|---|
| Sell mainly through Amazon and its ads | KDP alone |
| Want bookstores or libraries to order your book | KDP for Amazon, IngramSpark for the rest |
| Need a hardcover with a dust jacket | IngramSpark |
| Want the simplest possible start | KDP, adding IngramSpark later with your own ISBN |
| Run events, talks or a local launch | Both, so local stores can order easily |
Frequently Asked Questions
Neither is better overall. KDP pays more per copy on Amazon and is simpler. IngramSpark reaches bookstores, libraries and other retailers on terms they accept. Many authors use both.
No. IngramSpark removed title setup and revision fees in February 2026. It now applies a 1.875% market access fee to books enabled for distribution.
No. A free KDP ISBN can only be used on KDP. To publish the same edition on IngramSpark, use an ISBN you own on both platforms.
Only if you are actively seeking bookstore orders. Returnable status helps stores stock your book, but you pay the wholesale cost of returned copies, so many authors start non-returnable.
Yes, for the same edition. IngramSpark already supplies the retailers and libraries that Expanded Distribution targets, and running both can cause conflicts.
Rarely. Bookstores usually order through wholesalers on discount and return terms that KDP is not set up to offer, which is why authors use IngramSpark for that channel.