KDP vs IngramSpark: What Is the Difference?

They do different jobs, and most indie authors use both. Amazon KDP prints and sells your book on Amazon, where the majority of indie sales happen. IngramSpark distributes to roughly 40,000 retailers, wholesalers and libraries — the channels Amazon does not reach. The common setup is KDP for Amazon and IngramSpark for everywhere else, not one instead of the other.

The longer version

The framing "KDP or IngramSpark" is the wrong question. They overlap in one place — print distribution to Amazon — and the practical decision is only about which one supplies that overlap.

	Amazon KDP	IngramSpark
Reaches Amazon	Yes, natively	Yes, via distribution
Reaches bookstores and libraries	Weakly, via Expanded Distribution	Yes — this is the point
Setup cost	Free	Free (title setup fees removed in 2023)
Revision fee	Free	Around $25 per revision
Print royalty	60% minus print cost on Amazon; 50% on Amazon.com under $9.99; 40% via Expanded Distribution	List price minus wholesale discount minus print cost
Wholesale discount	Fixed	You choose, typically 40–55%
Returns program	No	Optional — often required by bookstores
Hardcover options	Limited trim sizes, case laminate	Wider, including dust jackets
Ebook	Yes	Yes, but most authors go direct or via Draft2Digital

Why the standard advice is "both"

Use KDP for the Amazon edition. It prints faster, costs less per unit, pays a better margin on Amazon sales, and gets your book into Prime shipping. Amazon is where most indie sales happen, so this is the version that matters commercially.

Use IngramSpark for everything else — bookstores, libraries, wholesalers, and international retailers. Ingram is the distributor the trade already buys from, and a bookstore that can order your title through Ingram may stock it. One that cannot, will not.

The two are linked by ISBN. If you use the same ISBN in both, set IngramSpark's distribution to exclude Amazon so the listings don't compete and confuse the catalog. Both platforms document how.

The ISBN constraint that decides this for you

A free KDP ISBN cannot be used on IngramSpark. It is locked to KDP print. So if you think you will ever want bookstore distribution, buy your own ISBN from the start — using the free one means the Ingram edition needs a new ISBN, a new product record, and starts with no reviews or ranking history.

This is the single most consequential decision in the whole comparison, and it gets made early, often by accident. See KDP ISBN vs your own ISBN.

The returns question

Bookstores generally will not stock a title they cannot return. IngramSpark lets you make a book returnable, which meaningfully improves your chances of physical shelf space — and means you can be charged for returned copies. For most indie authors without an active bookstore campaign, returns are an unnecessary risk. Turn them on when you have a specific reason.

Common exceptions

Ebook-only authors need neither for print, and usually publish direct to KDP, Apple, Kobo, and Google Play, or use Draft2Digital to reach them all.
Kindle Unlimited requires exclusivity on the ebook, which affects your ebook strategy but not print. You can be in KDP Select for the ebook and still use IngramSpark for print.
Expanded Distribution through KDP technically reaches wholesalers, but at a 40% royalty and with weaker trade acceptance than Ingram. It is a partial substitute at best.
Color interiors and unusual trim sizes often price very differently between the two. Run both calculators before committing.

Sources

Amazon KDP Help — print royalties, Expanded Distribution, hardcover specifications.
IngramSpark published fee schedule and distribution documentation.

Fees and royalty bands change. Verified 9 August 2026.