KDP vs IngramSpark: Which Should You Use?

If you are publishing a print book, two names come up again and again: Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. Authors often frame it as a choice between them, but that is the wrong frame for many books — they do different jobs, and plenty of authors use both. Here is the honest comparison so you can decide what fits your goals.

For the wider process, see our guides on how to self-publish a book and how to publish a book on Amazon KDP.

What each platform actually is

Amazon KDP is Amazon's own publishing platform. It puts your ebook and print book directly onto Amazon — by far the largest book marketplace — and it is free to use.

IngramSpark is the self-publishing arm of Ingram, the largest book distributor in the world. Its strength is reach beyond Amazon: it feeds your print book into a network of tens of thousands of retailers, bookstores, and libraries worldwide.

Distribution reach

This is the core difference:

• KDP dominates Amazon and is unbeatable there. But its "expanded distribution" to non-Amazon channels is limited and less attractive to bookstores.
• IngramSpark reaches the channels KDP cannot serve well — physical bookstores, libraries, schools, and international retailers — because that is Ingram's entire business.

If Amazon is your world, KDP alone is enough. If you want bookstores and libraries, you need Ingram in the mix.

Print options and quality

IngramSpark generally offers more choices — a wider range of trim sizes, paper options, and strong hardcover support — which matters for bookstore-quality print. KDP's print offering is solid, simpler, and now includes hardcover too, but Ingram gives serious print authors more control.

Royalties and pricing

On Amazon sales, KDP typically pays a better royalty than routing the same sale through Ingram, because there is no middle party. IngramSpark uses a wholesale discount model — you set a discount for retailers, who then have room to stock and sell your book — and it supports returns, which bookstores expect before they will shelve a title. That returns option is essential for bookstore placement and irrelevant if you only sell online.

ISBNs

• KDP provides a free ISBN if you want one.
• IngramSpark requires you to supply your own ISBN.

If bookstore distribution and your own imprint matter to you, buying your own ISBN and using it across platforms is the cleaner path.

Fees

KDP is free to publish. IngramSpark's fee structure has changed over time and varies by plan and promotion. (Check IngramSpark's current setup and revision fees before you commit, as these have been adjusted and sometimes waived.)

The strategy most serious indies use: both

Here is what many experienced self-publishers actually do — use both, each for what it does best:

• KDP for Amazon sales (best royalty, biggest marketplace).
• IngramSpark for everything else — bookstores, libraries, and wider retail.

The one rule: if you use both, turn off KDP's expanded distribution so the two platforms are not competing to supply the same non-Amazon retailers. Amazon via KDP, everywhere else via Ingram.

Which should you choose?

• Amazon-only, keep it simple: KDP alone.
• You want bookstores, libraries, or wide retail: add IngramSpark alongside KDP.
• First-time author testing the waters: start with KDP, add Ingram later when bookstore reach becomes a goal.

Both pull your print files the same way, so our guide on how to format a book for KDP and print applies to either.

The bottom line

KDP wins Amazon; IngramSpark wins bookstores and libraries. For online-only sales, KDP alone is plenty. For real-world retail ambitions, the smart move is not choosing one — it is using KDP for Amazon and IngramSpark for everywhere else, with expanded distribution switched off to keep them from overlapping.