This is Part 7 in my Self-Publishing Made Simple blog series.

Print Book Distributors for Indie Authors

Print distribution options for indie authors include, but are not exclusive to, Ingramspark, KDP Print, Barnes and Noble Press, and Draft2Digital Print. Uploading is free, or in Ingram’s case, free with a coupon code. Books are printed on demand, so there is no print book run like for a traditional publisher. You may order author’s copies at a discount. Usually, you’ll bring your own books on consignment to a signing event.

Print Options
Amazon KDP Print: https://kdp.amazon.com
IngramSpark: https://www.ingramspark.com/
Barnes & Noble Press: https://press.barnesandnoble.com/
Draft2Digital: https://draft2digital.com

Disclaimer: This information changes rapidly, so it only represents my interpretation at the time this article was written. Please let me know if you have any updates or corrections.

KDP Print
Benefits of publishing paperbacks with KDP include:
• You can reach readers through Amazon websites in the US, Europe, and Japan.
• Physical proofs and author copies are available. Your KDP proof and author copies for the UK and Europe will be printed and shipped from within Europe. For author’s copies, you pay printing costs plus shipping and tax.
• Use your own ISBN, or KDP can supply one for you. This free ISBN can only be used on KDP for distribution to Amazon and its partners. It cannot be used with another publisher or a self-publishing service.
• If you use your own ISBN, KDP will check to see if your imprint matches what is on file at Bowker. If you are reprinting your book, the title, author name, and trim size/binding type must stay the same. The ISBN cannot be changed after publication. A new edition requires a new ISBN.
• Royalty is 60% of retail price minus printing costs. Printing Cost for a 77,000 word book that’s 268 pages in pdf format is $4.07. So for $14.99 x 60% royalty = 8.99 – 4.07 = $4.92 royalty
• You can save your book as a draft and order proof copies before publication. Proof copies will have a “Not for Resale” watermark on the cover and a unique bar code but no ISBN. You pay only the printing cost for your selected marketplace plus shipping.

Barnes & Noble Press
• Print preorders are available up to 180 days in advance.
• E-book preorders are available up to 12 months in advance.
• One free correction for print book files per cover and interior file.
• Can order advance copies of print books ahead of publication even if the book is available for preorder, before your on-sale date.
• To transfer a title from D2D: B&N will give you a transfer request form that you send to D2D. They will release the book over to B&N. You keep your reviews and EANs so you don’t have to change any links.
• Print books published by B&N Press will more likely be available to their own booksellers for ordering.
• You’ll be able to create an e-book coupon code to sell your books at a specially discounted price to NOOK readers, without worrying about price matching on other retail sites. Go to the Manage Promotions section from your Projects page.
• Series Management allows you to view your titles’ metadata grouped by Series.

Draft2Digital Print
• Cover Converter—If you need a print-ready version of your e-book cover, they’ll generate one for you.
• Cover Templates—If you want to supply your own existing print cover, you can use their free cover templates to ensure it is the right size.
• Various Trim Sizes—All of the POD industry-standard trim sizes are here.
• Auto-Generated Interior—If you submit a .doc file, this can help keep the weird line breaks and widowed and orphaned text to a minimum. You can also upload your own print-ready pdf file.
• Other Choices—Matte or glossy finish for your cover, cream or white paper for your interior, a free ISBN from D2D or supply your own.
• Brick & Mortar Distribution—You will need to request that a bookstore order and carry your books. They can place orders through their regular channels. Draft2Digital does not distribute directly to physical bookstores. They do distribute to Baker & Taylor.

The Best Choice
• Use KDP for print distribution to Amazon and Amazon Europe only. Do not enable expanded distribution.
• Use BN Press for distribution to Barnes and Noble.
• Use Ingram for print distribution everywhere else. The next two posts will focus on this distributor.
• You can use the same ISBN number for all print editions in the same format, such as trade paperbacks. If you want a hardcover edition, you’ll need a different ISBN. This is assuming you own the ISBNs and not the distributor.

If you’ve uploaded to Ingram first, and Amazon is showing your book as unavailable, submit your KDP print edition. Amazon will use this version instead of the Ingram book and your title will show up as being available. But you can only upload your file to KDP when you are ready to release the title.

Likely you’ll have to access your account at Amazon Author Central, claim your new title, and request the print edition on Amazon be linked to the e-book edition.

Coming Next: Why Choose Ingram?

Did you miss our earlier posts on Self-Publishing Made Simple Blog Series? Go here to catch up:
Part 6 – E-book Distributors, https://wp.me/paLXP7-4qf
Part 5 – Book Production for the Indie Author, https://wp.me/paLXP7-4q6
Part 4 – Buying and Assigning ISBNs, https://wp.me/paLXP7-4pO
Part 3 – Adding Front & Back Material, https://wp.me/paLXP7-4pz
Part 2 – Manuscript Preparation for the Indie Author, https://wp.me/paLXP7-4oX
Part 1 – Getting Started as an Indie Publisher, https://wp.me/paLXP7-4oQ

<><><>

For updates on my new releases, giveaways, special offers and events, sign up for my newsletter at https://nancyjcohen.com/newsletter. Free Book Sampler for new subscribers.