Hello again! So, working to finally get book #3 published and into distribution has run into a little hiccup. The easy button is to do everything from within Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing and publish on Amazon and choose global distribution from them. This is convenient but has some limitations. I published book #2 on KDP as well as IngramSpark. Ingram gets distribution to traditional bookstores and libraries that Amazon’s global distribution might miss. But it’s not as easy.

I purchased my own ISBN numbers to be listed in my book and to maintain full rights to my intellectual property. A big lesson learned though for those who want to be listed on Barnes and Noble. If you list on B&N first, you can’t list on IngramSpark and vice versa because the ISBN is already listed on their networks. I listed book #2 on Ingram first and couldn’t then do a separate listing on B&N. Why would I want to list them separate you ask? You get a higher royalty rate by listing it directly with Barnes & Noble Press than Ingram. BUT, you lose the broader distribution. I found this out the hard way when I went to list book #3 on B&N first and found I was locked out of Ingram. So, long story short, I must delete the listing on Barnes & Noble and relist on Ingram to get my global distribution.

Amazon is by far the largest and widest distribution seller, but Ingram gets me opportunities for retail placements worldwide. It also gets me listed in all of the major book sellers including Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and others. But Ingram also has a few differences as well. They have some different file requirements and you have to decide if you want to make your print book available to their retail partners. If you decide to distribute with Ingram, whoever does your book cover must follow their formatting instructions which are different from KDP. If you choose your print version to be available wholesale to other retailers, expect a 55% price discount and decide how to manage returns (trash and credit, or send them back to you). Plan for your distribution before you publish to minimize some frustration.

Well, working toward a 1 September 2026 launch of book #3, A Cancer in the Kingdom. Hopefully I’ll have my professional review completed by onlinebookclub.org and get some early interest. Considering running a Goodreads Giveaway so stay tuned!

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