OK, so I use KDP to print and publish the majority of my books. I also use Ingram Sparks so I can have my paperbacks in a brick and mortar setting. Now there are pros and cons to both printers. KDP is “cheaper” and usually easer to manage. The profit margin is better (slightly), and the cost to print is lower. Ingram however is more expensive to print your books, thus you have to set the price higher in order to make any profit, which is next to nothing. Their website is, clunky is the wrong word, not user friendly, yeah lets put it that way. And the customer service, if you wanna to someone you have to schedule and appointment and pay for it! See n user friendly. But you want the book in a brock and mortar, as an indie that’s you only shot if you wanna go wide.

Now you may ask why use them? More expensive, not user friendly and little to no profit. Ok here’s why, other than the option to take your work wide, they have a better product. Don’t get me wrong. KDP is fine, but the colors, paper weight, and so on are a higher quality. And more often than not, if you are ordering from copies form Ingram you’re gonna get books that aren’t messed up. Trying to keep it clean here. 🙂 So if that is the case why not order from them you ask? Because your cost to print is higher and your bill will be higher, and as an Indie, we all know that the output ins MUCH higher than the input.

So why the rant? Ok I put an order in on KDP for several copies my books, different titles, all hardbacks. Why? I have orders to fill. I waited 6 weeks for the books to arrive. Finally they arrived last night and I was excited because that meant that I was going to be able to sign, wrap and fill the orders. When I opened the box, I was enraged to see that every single book was wrong! The text blocks on all of them were sifted down, the book bords went evenly settled and one of them didn’t even have the headbands and tailbands. Upon further inspection I saw that the printer that was used in notorious for sending out subpar books and was incensed. I was issued a refund for the books, told to keep them and instructed to reorder. GAH!

Now I have dilemma. Do I reorder and hope that they do it right this time? Or do I bite the preverbal bullet and order through Ingram sparks?

Thankfully the recipients were understanding at the delay and I have decided to go through Ingram. There I will pay more but at least know the books will be better. And I can upgrade the books. See KDP only offers Cased Laminate bindings with their hard backs, and while I do like the look, I’ve always like to have a dust jacket. So that’s what I’m gonna do. Quelocand: Land of the Queens hardback, through ingram, will have a dust jacket with some bonus marital on it. But that means the book will be price higher, ugg. Don’t worry the books that were in this order will not increase. I’ll eat the sale

Will this mean that I have to wait, for the books, yes, yes it does. But the bright side I might have a cool, slightly deluxe version of the Hardback. Cool huh?