For authors who have decided that both Amazon-focused sales and wider trade distribution matter to their book, the practical question becomes how to actually run KDP and IngramSpark together without creating conflicting editions or wasted effort. This guide sets out the main decisions to get right.
Because KDP Select exclusivity terms, expanded distribution options and ISBN policy can change, always verify current rules directly on Amazon’s KDP help pages and IngramSpark’s documentation before committing to a specific setup.
Why some authors use both
The most common reason authors use both platforms is that they want the Amazon-focused reach and simplicity of KDP for their core paperback and Kindle sales, while also wanting their paperback to be genuinely orderable by independent bookshops and libraries that source through Ingram’s catalogue rather than Amazon. Rather than choosing one at the expense of the other, using both lets a book reach two largely separate audiences.
Setting up the paperback on both platforms
A common approach is to treat the KDP paperback and the IngramSpark paperback as separate editions of the same book, each with its own ISBN, even though the content is identical. This avoids conflicts between the two platforms’ systems and keeps each one’s sales reporting clean, while still allowing readers on either channel to buy what is, in substance, the same book.
Some authors instead use a single, self-purchased ISBN across both platforms where each platform’s current policy allows this. Whichever approach is chosen, it should be a deliberate decision made after checking each platform’s current requirements, not an accidental outcome of uploading files without a clear plan.
ISBN strategy in more depth
The ISBN recorded against an edition typically determines who appears as the publisher of record in book industry databases. If you use a KDP-assigned free ISBN for the Amazon paperback, that edition’s publisher-of-record details will generally reflect that, whereas an IngramSpark edition using your own purchased ISBN will show you, or your imprint, as the publisher instead.
For example, an author who wants full consistency in how their imprint is recorded across every retail and library listing may choose to purchase their own ISBNs for both editions from the outset, accepting the modest upfront cost in exchange for long-term consistency and control, rather than relying on a platform-supplied ISBN for either edition.
Matching metadata across platforms
Keeping the title, subtitle, author name, series information, description and categories consistent across both platforms reduces reader confusion and makes it easier for reviewers, media and bookshops to recognise that listings on different platforms refer to the same book. Small inconsistencies, such as a slightly different subtitle or blurb, can look careless and may create doubt about whether two listings really are the same edition.
Matching trim size and files
Wherever practical, using the same trim size, cover design and interior layout across both editions makes the reading and buying experience consistent regardless of where a reader buys the book. It also simplifies your own workflow, since a correction to the interior file or cover generally needs to be made and re-uploaded separately to each platform, and keeping specifications aligned reduces the chance of introducing new inconsistencies during that process.
Amazon listings when using both platforms
When both a KDP-published paperback and an IngramSpark-distributed edition could technically reach Amazon (depending on current IngramSpark distribution settings), most authors deliberately keep their KDP paperback as the primary Amazon listing, since it is native to the platform, integrates with Amazon Ads, and avoids any ambiguity about which edition a customer is buying.
Expanded distribution considerations
KDP has, at various times, offered an expanded distribution option intended to make a KDP paperback available to some additional retailers and libraries beyond Amazon itself. Because the current scope, coverage and terms of any such option can change, and because it can overlap in purpose with what IngramSpark offers, check Amazon’s current KDP help documentation directly to understand what expanded distribution currently includes before deciding whether you still need IngramSpark for the same purpose, or whether the two are complementary for your goals.
Ingram distribution settings
On the IngramSpark side, you generally choose which territories and channels your title is distributed into, along with wholesale discount and returnability settings for the trade edition. These settings should be reviewed and set deliberately, based on where you actually want the book available, rather than left at default without consideration.
Ebook distribution when using both
Most authors using both platforms publish their Kindle ebook directly through KDP, since that is the native route to the Kindle store, and use IngramSpark mainly, or exclusively, for the print editions. If you are also considering distributing an ebook through IngramSpark to other retailers, check whether this is currently offered and whether it is compatible with any exclusivity commitments you have made elsewhere, particularly KDP Select.
KDP Select implications
KDP Select is an optional Amazon programme that gives an ebook access to certain Amazon-specific promotional tools and Kindle Unlimited inclusion, in exchange for the ebook being distributed exclusively through Amazon during the enrolment period. This exclusivity applies specifically to the ebook edition; it does not, in itself, prevent you from selling a paperback through IngramSpark, since KDP Select’s exclusivity terms are about the ebook, not the print format.
That said, exclusivity terms and their exact scope are set by Amazon and can be updated, so before enrolling an ebook in KDP Select while also planning wider ebook distribution through IngramSpark or another platform, check Amazon’s current KDP Select terms carefully at kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help to confirm what is and is not compatible at the time you are making the decision.
Pricing across both platforms
It is worth deciding, and keeping track of, how the retail price compares between your KDP and IngramSpark editions. Large unexplained price differences between what is essentially the same book on different platforms can look confusing to readers who spot both listings, so many authors aim to keep prices reasonably aligned, while accepting that underlying costs and margins differ between the two.
Wholesale settings for the trade edition
For the IngramSpark edition specifically, wholesale discount and returnability are worth setting deliberately if bookshop placement is a genuine goal, since these are the terms a bookshop buyer will actually see when deciding whether ordering the title is worthwhile. These settings do not apply to the KDP edition, which operates on a different, Amazon-specific model.
Updating files across two platforms
When you correct a typo, update a cover, or revise content, remember that this generally needs to be uploaded separately to each platform; a correction made on KDP does not automatically appear on the IngramSpark edition, and vice versa. Keeping a simple checklist of "what needs updating where" avoids one edition quietly falling out of date compared with the other.
Avoiding duplicate or conflicting editions
Keeping a combined KDP and IngramSpark setup tidy
- Decide your ISBN strategy before uploading anything, and record which ISBN belongs to which platform and edition.
- Keep title, subtitle, author name and description identical across both platforms.
- Check current KDP Select exclusivity terms before enrolling an ebook if you also plan wider ebook distribution.
- Set IngramSpark wholesale discount and returnability deliberately if bookshop placement matters to you.
- Order a physical proof from each platform separately before making either edition live for sale.
- Review both listings periodically to check pricing and metadata have not drifted apart.
Common mistakes
- Uploading to both platforms without an ISBN plan. Deciding ISBNs as an afterthought can create confusing publisher-of-record records that are hard to unwind later.
- Assuming KDP Select blocks all print distribution elsewhere. KDP Select exclusivity applies to the ebook; it does not automatically prevent a paperback being distributed through IngramSpark.
- Letting metadata drift between platforms. Inconsistent titles, subtitles or descriptions across editions can confuse readers and reviewers.
- Forgetting to update both platforms after a correction. A fixed typo or new cover uploaded to only one platform leaves the other edition out of date.
- Not checking current exclusivity terms before enrolling. KDP Select terms can change, so assumptions based on older information can lead to accidental breaches of exclusivity commitments.
Frequently asked questions
Does KDP Select stop me from using IngramSpark for print?
KDP Select exclusivity applies specifically to the ebook edition. It does not, in itself, prevent a paperback from being distributed through IngramSpark, but always check Amazon’s current terms to confirm.
Should I use the same ISBN on both platforms?
Many authors use separate ISBNs for each platform’s edition to avoid conflicts and keep sales reporting clean; check each platform’s current policy before deciding.
Will my book show as two different products?
It can, if the editions have separate ISBNs. Keeping the cover, description and pricing consistent helps readers recognise them as the same book despite this.
Can I stop using IngramSpark later if it is not working for me?
Generally yes, since you control your own account and files, but check the specific process and any implications for existing stock or orders on IngramSpark’s current documentation.