An EXPENSIVE and COSTLY Self-Publishing Mistake YOU Need to Avoid! | IngramSpark

In December 2022, I choose an option when uploading my book to IngramSpark that cost me $830! This mistake could have been avoided and I want you to learn from the mistake that I made so you can make an informed decision on what option you should choose when deciding to 'Allow Returns' or not?
I also show you my 2022 Revenue from IngramSpark and why you should consider using the platform to also develop a passive income for your self-publishing business.
Learn How to Self-Publish your Book with IngramSpark
Course Outline (Free Download): bit.ly/3OrrCdu
Course Links to Purchase Course:
Udemy: bit.ly/3oDO2hk
Skillshare: skl.sh/3Pfd029
📽Self-Publishing Courses Created by Romney Nelson
Courses Hosted on Udemy.com
1. How to Publish Low and No Content Books with KDP (Best-Seller): bit.ly/3om49QI
2. How to Self-Publish with IngramSpark: bit.ly/3oDO2hk
3. Email Marketing using ConvertKit: bit.ly/3s8Cp4z
4. How to Create Standout Book Covers for Amazon KDP: bit.ly/3CHrqCU
5. How to Write, Create and Design Children’s Books for KDP: bit.ly/3vOa9G7
6. Mastering Amazon Advertising: bit.ly/3xQ0Ypx
7. How to Launch a Book on Amazon KDP: bit.ly/3gSx662
8. How to Plan, Create and Design and Online Course with Thinkific: bit.ly/3XeqD66
Courses Hosted on SkillShare.com. Visit: skl.sh/3MAAwVJ
1. How to Publish Low and No Content Books with KDP
2. Email Marketing using ConvertKit
3. How to Create Standout Book Covers For Amazon KDP
4. How to Write, Create and Design Children’s Books for KDP
5. Learn How to Self-Publish With IngramSpark
6. Mastering Amazon Advertising for KDP Self-Publishers
7. How to Launch a Book on Amazon KDP
Free Online Tools to Scale Resource: bit.ly/3JbuXLt
My Top 25 KDP Tips - Free Resource: bit.ly/3OHenps

[@traderbenji]

I work in the book industry and we as bookshops hate dealing with ingram spark.

[@globalselfpublishing]

That’s really interesting! I appreciate your comment. Regards, Romney

[@AimeeKisaboyun]

This platform gives me the creeps.

[@AnnaMaledonPictureBookAuthor]

Why is that? And what is the other option for independent publishers?

[@aminfay1309]

Would you mind share your experiences here to let us know what was the problem, Thanks. @@AimeeKisaboyun

[@darceelee8441]

Getting ready to publish and would love to know why. Do you have another you'd prefer to work with?

[@billytheboywhostares]

It is interesting how this happened. To me, it looks like a wholesaler's error. As a normal distributor usually you would buy a few copies and see if they sell. If they sell, you will order more and more and more and more by raising the bar bit by bit. Ordering 300 and returning 299 sounds like a stupid way to go from the distributor's perspective or they for some reason wanted you to cope with this loss. Also, to my knowledge selecting returns to "No" potentially can hurt your sales significantly due to the reasons that in this case, the distributor takes all the risk. Also, another potential theory :) - IngramSpark could be a shady company, strike a deal with that wholesaler. Wholesaler pretends to return, while IngramSpark pretends to destroy the books and they share the profits while you are dealing with the losses, but this is just my elaborations :)

[@globalselfpublishing]

I'm not sure what went wrong in the process but I also don't think that Ingram are shady. They books could have been damaged in the post and returned and I've needed to cover this cost but I really don't know?

[@bookmuffin]

I have now changed them to books to no returns and very pleased you mentioned this was a better option.

[@globalselfpublishing]

A better option if you don’t want the hassle of risking returns but could limit your opportunity for large bulk orders. That’s the downside.

[@Anonymuser0]

@@globalselfpublishing I wish you could allow returns for let's say, up to 50 books at a time, rather than all or nothing.

[@C2676GDH]

How many days after the book is enabled for distribution will it show on Amazon? Thanks

[@alexb4325]

Thank u thank u thank u

[@globalselfpublishing]

You are so welcome!

[@illgetanimated5255]

You answered my question. What is the difference between return-yes destroy and no on the return.

[@globalselfpublishing]

Glad I could assist.

[@shienipierce1]

Can we put the same title in KDP and ingramspark and use the same ISBN? and is ingramspark also give the marketing or we have to do the marketing ourselves? i know with KDP we have to market it ourselves.

[@globalselfpublishing]

You can use the same ISBN in both as long as you have purchased the ISBN yourself. Ingram distribute your book to thousands of online locations so hard to market specifically so I just allow organic sales to occur.

[@shienipierce1]

@@globalselfpublishing Thanks a lot for the fast reply.

[@rollypolypress]

Hi Romney, do you have any success with low content on Ingram spark?

[@globalselfpublishing]

Yes, however my Low Content books are a mixture of Childrens Books and prompted journals etc as I gram do not permit certain kinds of low content books and definitely not No Content books.

[@SpeakTruth-zi9nx]

why my books are not getting enabled for distribution i appealed in Category integrity appeal but they give no specific reason and simply says violation of policy. i have my own content good cover and valid isbn bought from bowker. am us based in june 2023 they used to take my books but after that something changed. kindly help. i price my book 30 usd for 200 pages black and white 6x9 size paperback. no opensource content. copyrighted and build as per ingrams file creation guidlines.

[@globalselfpublishing]

Unfortunately I’m unable to assist as I have no control over the decision of Ingram to approve or not approve books via any potential policy violations. I’m really sorry you’ve had that experience.

[@AuthorLindsayDuncan]

Have you heard stories of authors that did not have enough royalties to cover returns and invoiced instead?

[@globalselfpublishing]

Yes stories, but no hard evidence or have personally been on the recieving end myself. I'm sure it occurs though!

[@alexgibson7960]

This might be a dumb question, but do you have to pay for returns out of pocket, or is it deducted from your earnings? Because if it is deducted from earnings, then it doesn't matter to me since I'm not publishing for the money. I'm just trying to get my books into as many hands as possible.

[@globalselfpublishing]

It does come out of your royalty earnings but if you get a Bulk Return like I have mid-year of over $700 USD in one go you need to ensure your royalty payments will cover this cost otherwise it will come out of your own pocket.

[@alexgibson7960]

@globalselfpublishing Thank you. It looks like non returnable it is.

[@marieflorbriones2993]

Hi sir will IngramSpark charge you even if you don't have any sales yet?

[@globalselfpublishing]

No

[@user-rk4bw1mm4y]

I marked "no" but I got "Return Charge" why? Thanks

[@globalselfpublishing]

Did you ask Customer Service of IngramSpark? If not, always approach the 'source' first.

[@sidm4027]

Hello! Allowing no returns doesnt instead get you bad reviews from possible unhappy customers?

[@globalselfpublishing]

I wouldn't think so and I've not experienced that before.

[@AnnaMaledonPictureBookAuthor]

You don't deal directly with customers. If IngramSpark messed up in any way with the print or shipping then the bookstore will have to deal with them, not with you, they get part of your profits, so they act on your behalf. The same kdp would act on your behalf. With kdp you don't even get customers' details, you don't know who bought your book, so kdp/amazon deals with all the customer service problems. That's my understanding of things. I've been selling through kdp for 2 years, but I just set up my first book with IS and am waiting for a proof copy to arrive. I think the returns relate to the unsold copies from brick-and-mortar stores, and those copies could be perfectly fine, just unsold, and maybe they are seasonal books like Christmas books or Easter books, so bookshops don't want to store them for a year. I disagree with authors paying for a bookstore's fault of ordering far too many copies.

[@user-rk4bw1mm4y]

Hi Romney, Does Ingramspark ask you to refund the money?

[@globalselfpublishing]

They take it from royalties that are generated from your other book sales….😖