1. Bakkerbaard

    Bakkerbaard Contributor Contributor

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    Slightly more urgent IngramSpark question

    Discussion in 'Self-Publishing' started by Bakkerbaard, Oct 12, 2021.

    I've already posted this question at the IngramSpark facebook group, but, you know, facebook. And I've mailed them directly, but I'd still prefer to ask you folks because I plan to go live on November 1st.

    Here's the situation:
    - Had a title/ISBN transferred from B&N to IngramSpark. The process has just been completed and I have control over the ISBN at Ingram's place. Sort of.

    Here's the problem:
    - It looks like it's only slated for US distribution. Needs to be Worldwide.
    - I can't find a way to link the ebook version to it, which I accidentally deleted now anyway. Not a big problem, but it does kinda look like they plan on charging me separately for print and ebook. I don't care for that.
    Either way, the title is not the way I like it at the moment.

    Here's my plan:
    - Delete the title completely, thus freeing up the ISBN for a proper do-over.
    But I can't figure out how to do that. Seems to me it should be possible, since I even did it by accident with the print/ebook combo from my very first attempt.
    As far as I'm aware, the transferred title hasn't been made available anywhere - unless B&N screwed with it without telling me - so technically it doesn't exist yet, right?

    I could use some advice if you have it, because there's a lot still in the way of a good release, and I feel shouting at the cat for no good reason.
     
  2. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    Link the ebook version to it? Is this ISBN currently assigned to a print edition?

    While you can technically publish an ebook without an ISBN (not with the same ISBN as a print edition, but withOUT an ISBN), my research has left me with the conclusion that it's better to assign a unique ISBN to each digital edition. By that, I mean one ISBN for a Kindle (.MOBI) version, and another ISBN for a Nook (.EPUB) version.

    Beyond that, I'm sorry I can't offer any guidance. I started to set up an account with Ingram Sparks but, the more I looked into their process and fees, the more I concluded that I would be better off publishing through Amazon KDP and Barnes & Noble Press.
     
  3. Bakkerbaard

    Bakkerbaard Contributor Contributor

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    Very much agreed. I do have separate ISBNs for the print and the ebook.

    I'll have to take a quick look, but I think I just went with the Amazon assigned ASIN for the MOBI. Either that, or the ebook ISBN.
    Anyway, I've got my ISBN affairs in order.

    Believe you me. The whole reason I have to ask this question is because I initially tried to avoid IngramSpark. The whole idea of these people charging me for an upload and then taking a slice out of what's left after everybody else has done so didn't sit well.
    But eventually I remembered I don't wanna be in it for the money, it would just be cool to get read, so I might as well join up to increase my potential readers. And then IngramSpark starts complaining that the ISBN has already been taken, which turned out to be because Barnes & Noble also uses Lightning Source (I don't know what I'm saying, I'm just paraphrasing emails) and I needed to have that ISBN transferred from B&N to IngramSpark.

    Maybe I phrased that wrong.
    Amazon has kinda the same thing: You can set up a title and have the data for it be that same for bot print and ebook. IngramSpark allows you to do that too. You either pick Print & Ebook, Print Only, or Ebook only. With the first two being 50 bucks and the latter 25.
    I initially had a Print & Ebook option prepared, but couldn't go through with it because of the ISBN issue. Now, after the ISBN's been transferred, the print is basically ready to go, but there doesn't seem to be a way to get that sweet Print & Ebook option again.
    I don't really care about having to pay the extra 25, but I don't really feel like filling out all the data again.

    Anyway, so far it's looking like that's just not an option.
    At least I'll know all of this for the next book. ;o)
     
  4. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    Can you cancel out of everything and start over?
     
  5. Bakkerbaard

    Bakkerbaard Contributor Contributor

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    That's what I came here to find out, but so far all signs point to no.
    It's not a showstopper kind of problem, thankfully. I just hoped to get it exactly the way I wanted it. ;o)
     
  6. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    There is absolutely no need for ISBNs on ebooks

    also is the ISBN yours or a free one provided by B&N ? you can't use a B&N freebie (or any isbn not registered to you) on IS. (excepting isbns procured via iS if they offer that - I can't remember)

    that aside if the ISBN is used to publish an edition you can't reuse it to publish a different edition later... so deleting the book will not 'free up' the isbn in the way you intend if the book has already been published on B&N even with our own isbn

    In terms of linking ebooks and print books together, ingram spark suck as an ebook distributor... better to use them for print only and do your ebooks individually or via a decent aggregator like draft to digital... you can link the books on distributors that sell both (mostly amazon)...
     
  7. Bakkerbaard

    Bakkerbaard Contributor Contributor

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    I thought I remembered reading somewhere it was smart to use an ISBN for it anyway. Something about having just the one number, instead of a ton of different ones assigned by each distributor.

    No, I'm aware of how ISBNs work. I know it's linked to this one version of my book. I just hoped to remove the title from my list in IngramSpark and then set it up from scratch again. Same book, same ISBN, but this time with the ebook (and it's own separate ISBN) "linked".
    Although, by now I've already gone ahead and did the ebook on it's own, so the whole matter is basically resolved.

    To be honest, I'm not a fan of IS as a distributor, period. Just this whole pay-per-revision deal alone is rubbing me all the wrong ways. But they have a reach that I don't get when I go at it on my own. Or at least, they give the impression that is the case.

    I'm just gonna keep an eye on it for now, and see if I want to use them at all for the next book.
     
  8. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    A lot of serious self publishers in the UK are increasingly using Clays instead of ingram... the only thing is that they aren't a PoD printer, they do high quality short runs, so you have to be sure of selling a decent number of print books for it to be worth it

    ETA there is a long post from Adam Croft here that explains in much more detail - you might need to join the group to read it (full disclosure i'm a moderator over there too but i have no personal benefit from anyone joining) https://www.facebook.com/groups/IndieAuthorMindset

    Course if you only sell print on Amazon KDP print are an option (and tbh if you only sell print on amazon its not worth worrying about ISBNs you may as well use the freebie) if you want to get into bricks and mortar bookshops however you need the ISBN/IS or similar because most bookshops won't stock Amazon printed books

    Incidentally if you do a lot of books or a lot of revisions its worth joining the Alliance of independent authors...Alli members get a free code for IS (I think thats true of society of authors as well)
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2021
  9. Bakkerbaard

    Bakkerbaard Contributor Contributor

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    Not counting friends and family who plan to "do the guy a favor," I've currently set my sights at one (1) buyer. And by that I mean one person I don't have to corner and emotionally blackmail into buying the book.

    Well, brick & mortar would be nice, but I'm not that naive. It's Sasquatch-levels of unlikely that a store is going to pick up my book. That being said, it is one of the motivations for using IS (an abbreviation which is very confusing, by the way), you know, just in case.

    That sounds like something I should check into, as well as the Facebook thing you mentioned. But with the release date of my book around the corner and the constant nagging feeling that I'm not gonna make it and I need get so much in order (yet never finding out what that is exactly), I can't really focus anymore. I'll have a look later.
     
  10. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    https://draft2digital.com/faq/#how-much-does-draft2digital-cost

     
  11. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    you missed the rather important note off the bottom of that

    also a point of note is that many people have reported their print royalties being around 30% less when done through D2D compared to KDP (and KDP arent exactly generous)

    Related to that point i have heard that D2D are in fact using ingram to deliver their service...if thats true it explains the reduced royalties because you've got another layer of profit being stripped off... also if thats true D2D print customers are likely to experience the same issues with amazon that IS experience with books being shown out of stock etc
     
  12. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    True. And that's also true of Barnes and Noble even if you use Barnes and Noble Press as your print-on-demand service. We have to recognize that there's a difference between making a book available to physical book stores, as opposed to actually getting a book into physical book stores. I used to haunt the Barnes & Noble store nearest my home. Now I probably don't go there more than maybe once a year. The disturbing (to me) trend I have observed is that less and less of the store is devoted to books, and more and more space is being given over to selling other "stuff."

    That is likely driven by the shift from print to digital for books, but the reason doesn't matter. The point is that the advent of print-on-demand has created a burgeoning market of self-published books, all competing for market exposure, at the same time physical book stores are reducing the amount of shelf space available for displaying books. Unless one of us turns out to be the next Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, Mercedes Lackey, or Robert Heinlein, we probably shouldn't harbor expectations that any distribution system is going to put our book in every book store in the country.
     
  13. Bakkerbaard

    Bakkerbaard Contributor Contributor

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    I doubt your book would get picked up even if you were. I get the strong impression (in everything, really) that quality takes a backseat to whomever can shout the loudest.
     

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