IngramSpark Cost Calculator: Print Cost, Author Copies and Fees (2026)
Work out what a book costs to print on IngramSpark, what an order of author copies costs delivered, and what you are paid when a shop sells a copy. The calculator uses IngramSpark's rate card effective 1 February 2026, every binding and paper on it, in US dollars, pounds, Australian dollars or euros. It runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
Quick answer
IngramSpark costs nothing to set up a book, and since 1 February 2026 nothing to revise one either. You pay for printing ($1.33 a copy plus $0.01 a page for a 6 x 9 black-and-white paperback, so $4.25 at 200 pages), 1.875% of the list price on each copy sold through its network, and shipping on copies you order. Ten copies of that book by US basic shipping cost $50.49, about $5.05 each.
IngramSpark print cost, author copy and earnings calculator
Describe the book, then the order and the sale. Pick a starting point below or set your own figures.
Print cost per copy
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Your order
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You earn per sale
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Where the list price goes
Rates: IngramSpark Rate Card effective 1 February 2026 and published US flat shipping rates, checked 13 Oct 2026. Small trims are under 6.15 in wide. IngramSpark's trim matrix decides which trims each binding and paper is offered in; the calculator prices any trim the rate card covers. Sales tax, VAT, GST, currency conversion and order handling outside the US flat rates are not included.
Every IngramSpark fee in 2026, in one table
IngramSpark rewrote its pricing on 1 February 2026. Its help centre announcement lists three changes: "Pricing adjustments will result in some books costing more to print, while others will cost less"; books enabled for distribution are "assessed a 1.875% market access fee"; and "Revisions are FREE". Title setup was already free and stays free. The rate card calls the new charge the global distribution fee. Here is the whole list, checked 13 Oct 2026.
| Fee | 2026 amount | When you pay it |
|---|---|---|
| Title setup (print, ebook, or both) | Free | Never. It used to be a per-title charge and stays free on the 2026 card. |
| Revising files | Free | Never, since 1 February 2026. |
| Global distribution fee | 1.875% of the local list price | Deducted from each copy sold through the network. |
| Printing | Per cover + per page (see below) | Deducted from each sale; paid by you on copies you order. |
| Rush printing | +30% of the print charge | Only on your own orders, if you choose it. |
| Printed inside cover (duplex) | $0.30 / £0.20 / A$0.35 / €0.25 a cover | Every copy printed with it. |
| Perforated pages | $0.003 a page (US only) | Your own orders only; not sold through distribution. |
| Shipping and order handling | Flat rates in the US; quoted elsewhere | On copies you order. |
| File copies administration | $25 a title | If you ask for your files back (five a year). |
| Paper cheque | $25 a cheque | US payments by cheque only; direct deposit avoids it. |
| Returns | Wholesale price, plus $3 or $20 shipping on Yes-Deliver | Only if you make the book returnable. |
Two costs sit outside that list. The wholesale discount, the biggest share of every sale, goes to the wholesalers and shops. And every print edition needs an ISBN, a one-off cost: IngramSpark sells owned ISBNs for $85 each or offers a free US one with limits, and our guide to whether you need an ISBN compares both with buying a block yourself. On copies that shops order, the rate card is explicit: "No costs are billed to the publisher for wholesale channel orders." The printing comes out of what you are paid.
KDP has no setup or distribution fee either; the two sit side by side in our IngramSpark vs KDP comparison.
How IngramSpark works out the print cost per copy
The rate card gives the formula: "COST PER PAGE x NUMBER OF PAGES + COST PER UNIT = COST PER BOOK". Both numbers depend on four choices:
- Binding. Paperback, hardcover, or hardcover with a dust jacket. The hardcover fixed charge is about four times the paperback one.
- Ink and paper. Four black-and-white papers and four colour grades, from $0.01 to over $0.10 a page.
- Width. Under 6.15 inches wide is the small rate, wider is the large rate. Height does not matter: 6 x 9 costs the same as 6.14 x 9.21, and 7 x 10 the same as 8.5 x 11.
- Currency. Separate US, UK, Australian and euro prices, not conversions of each other.
So a 6 x 9 inch, 200-page black-and-white paperback costs $1.33 plus 200 x $0.0146: $4.25. Every 100 pages adds $1.46 at a small trim and $2.12 at a large one.
| Binding, ink and paper (US$) | Under 6.15 in wide | 6.15 in and wider | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback, black and white, 50 lb white or cream | $1.33 + $0.0146 a page | $1.39 + $0.0212 a page | 18 to 1,200 |
| Paperback, black and white, groundwood | $1.33 + $0.0144 a page | $1.39 + $0.0211 a page | 18 to 900 |
| Paperback, black and white, 70 lb white | $1.35 + $0.0232 a page | $1.41 + $0.0361 a page | 18 to 900 |
| Paperback, standard colour, 50 lb | $1.16 + $0.0249 a page | $1.23 + $0.0392 a page | 18 to 1,200 |
| Paperback, standard colour, 70 lb | $1.35 + $0.0374 a page | $1.41 + $0.0593 a page | 18 to 900 |
| Paperback, premium colour | $1.35 + $0.0721 a page | $1.41 + $0.0946 a page | 18 to 900 |
| Paperback, ultra-premium colour | $2.66 + $0.0849 a page | $2.66 + $0.1061 a page | 18 to 900 |
| Hardcover, black and white, 50 lb | $5.31 + $0.0132 a page | $5.26 + $0.0185 a page | 18 to 1,200 |
| Hardcover with jacket, black and white, 50 lb | $7.76 + $0.0147 a page | Not offered | 18 to 1,200 |
| Hardcover, premium colour | $6.51 + $0.0752 a page | $6.69 + $0.1003 a page | 18 to 840 |
| Hardcover with jacket, premium colour | $8.43 + $0.0752 a page | Not offered | 18 to 840 |
From the IngramSpark Rate Card effective 1 February 2026, checked 13 Oct 2026. Cream paper costs the same as white and is offered only up to 6.14 x 9.21 in. The large groundwood paperback is a US short-run product. Landscape ultra-premium books (up to 400 pages) have their own rows on the card.
Print cost for eleven real books
Exact on the 2026 US card. Bar length is cost divided by the highest cost in the list ($15.60).
Black-and-white books are cheap at any normal length, and the paper barely matters (groundwood saves two hundredths of a cent a page). Colour is where the money goes, and standard colour is the bargain for short books: a 32-page picture book costs $2.48 in standard colour against $4.44 in premium. A dust jacket adds about $2.90 at 300 pages.
IngramSpark stores every interior with an even page count and uses the last page for its own printing information, so enter the even number. For choosing a size, see the trim size guide; for settling the page count before upload, the print-ready PDF guide.
The same books in pounds, Australian dollars and euros
| Rate card | 6 x 9 paperback, 200 pages | 6 x 9 hardcover, 300 pages | 8.5 x 8.5 picture book, 32 pages premium colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| US dollars | $4.25 | $9.27 | $4.44 |
| Pounds sterling | £3.69 | £8.54 | £3.45 |
| Australian dollars | A$7.46 | A$16.35 | A$6.18 |
| Euros | €4.33 | €10.05 | €4.05 |
Each figure is what comes off a sale in that market. In Australia, take another 10% of the print cost off for GST, which IngramSpark says its own compensation calculator leaves out.
Author copies: what an order really costs
Copies you order for a launch, a school visit, a signing or reviewers are "publisher direct orders": print cost, minus a quantity discount from 100 copies, plus 30% for rush, plus shipping. To the contiguous US, IngramSpark publishes flat rates with no handling fee:
Basic (media mail or similar)
$2.99 an order plus $0.50 a copy, up to 25 copies. Not tracked, not insured; "the publisher assumes all risks of damage or loss".
Standard (UPS Ground)
$8.99 an order plus $0.70 a copy for 1 to 15 copies, $0.65 for 16 to 49, $0.60 for 50 or more. Tracked.
These rates date from 1 July 2023 and are still the ones IngramSpark publishes. Faster services and orders outside the contiguous US are priced when you order.
Price per copy by order size
The 6 x 9 inch, 200-page black-and-white paperback ($4.25 to print), delivered in the contiguous US at the cheaper flat rate. Bar length is price per copy divided by the highest in the table.
| Copies | Discount | Basic total | Standard total | Per copy delivered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None | $7.74 | $13.94 | $7.74 |
| 5 | None | $26.74 | $33.74 | $5.35 |
| 10 | None | $50.49 | $58.49 | $5.05 |
| 25 | None | $121.74 | $131.49 | $4.87 |
| 50 | None | Over 25 copies | $251.49 | $5.03 |
| 100 | 2% | Over 25 copies | $485.49 | $4.85 |
| 250 | 2% | Over 25 copies | $1,200.24 | $4.80 |
| 500 | 10% | Over 25 copies | $2,221.49 | $4.44 |
| 1,000 | 15% | Over 25 copies | $4,221.49 | $4.22 |
One copy is expensive because the $2.99 order charge lands on one book ($7.74 delivered). Ten copies come to $5.05 each, and 25, the limit for basic shipping, to $4.87. From 26 copies standard shipping applies, so the price steps up until the discounts start: $4.85 at 100 copies and $4.44 at 500. Tracked standard shipping on ten copies adds $8.00.
Rush printing (one business day for paperbacks and two for hardcovers, against three to five and seven to ten) turns the ten-copy order from $50.49 into $63.24. A printed inside cover makes it $53.49.
How to order author copies on IngramSpark
- Check one printed copy before a big run. A typo found in copy one costs one copy; found in copy 200, it costs 200.
- In your IngramSpark account, go to Orders and choose Add Products to pick the titles.
- Add a shipping address and a return address, then choose the print location and press Continue.
- On the order details page, type the quantity for each title and press Update Pricing.
- Choose the printing option (economy or rush) and the shipping option, check the total, and pay.
You earn no compensation on copies you order for yourself.
No book yet? Write it in Inkfluence AI, export the print interior at a 6 x 9 or any of nine other sizes, and come back with a real page count.
Start your book freeIngramSpark author copies vs KDP author copies
If the paperback is also on KDP, you can order copies from either. KDP charges its printing cost plus shipping and tax. Print cost per copy, US dollars, checked 13 Oct 2026:
| Book | KDP print cost | IngramSpark print cost |
|---|---|---|
| Novel, 5 x 8, 250 pages, cream | $4.00 | $4.98 |
| Non-fiction, 6 x 9, 200 pages | $3.40 | $4.25 |
| Non-fiction, 6 x 9, 300 pages | $4.60 | $5.71 |
| Workbook, 8.5 x 11, 120 pages | $3.04 | $3.93 |
| Picture book, 8.5 x 8.5, 32 pages, premium colour | $4.20 | $4.44 |
| Hardcover, 6 x 9, 300 pages, no jacket | $9.25 | $9.27 |
KDP figures are Amazon.com printing costs from KDP's help pages (the hardcover is KDP's own example). KDP is the cheaper source of copies for most black-and-white paperbacks, about 85 cents less at 200 pages; IngramSpark is the one for a dust jacket, a 32-page standard-colour picture book (KDP's standard colour starts at 72 pages) or groundwood paper. The guide to printing one copy of a book compares KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and a copy shop.
What percentage does IngramSpark take? What you earn per sale
When a shop, library or online store orders your book, IngramSpark says: "We deduct the wholesale discount, the print fee, and the 1.875% distribution fee (based on the list price) from the list price and pay you the remaining amount."
You earn = list price - (list price x wholesale discount) - print cost - (list price x 1.875%)
IngramSpark itself keeps 1.875% plus the printing; the discount is shared by wholesalers and shops. For a $16.99 paperback of 300 pages at 55%, that is $9.34 discount (55%), $5.71 printing (33.6%), $0.32 fee and $1.62 to you (9.5%). At 40% the same book pays $4.16.
Earnings per copy at four discounts
The 6 x 9 inch, 300-page black-and-white paperback ($5.71 to print), US market, before returns:
| List price | 55% discount | 53% discount | 50% discount | 40% discount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $14.99 | $0.76 | $1.06 | $1.51 | $3.00 |
| $16.99 | $1.62 | $1.96 | $2.46 | $4.16 |
| $19.99 | $2.92 | $3.32 | $3.91 | $5.91 |
This book earns nothing at 55% below $13.26; at $12.99 each sale costs you $0.10. That is the classic mistake: an Amazon price run through bookshop terms. More books at 55%:
- 6 x 9 hardcover, 300 pages, no jacket, at $24.99: earns $1.51 a copy; earns nothing below $21.51.
- The same hardcover with a dust jacket at $27.99: earns -$0.09; it needs $28.24 to earn anything at 55%.
- 8.5 x 8.5 picture book, 32 pages, premium colour, at $12.99: earns $1.17.
IngramSpark's own help example, a $25.99 book at 55% paying $4.52 after "$7.18 Print cost for a 6x9 (229x152mm) 400-page BW Interior paperback + 1.875% Global Distribution Fee", matches a book of about 368 pages on the 2026 card; at 400 pages the print cost is now $7.17 and the book pays $4.04.
For the same book on Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books and other stores, use the book royalty calculator; to compare with KDP copy by copy, use the KDP and IngramSpark earnings calculator, and see KDP royalties explained.
Choosing the wholesale discount: 55%, 53% or 40%
IngramSpark's guidance is short: "We recommend offering a 55% wholesale discount in all markets, but a minimum of 40% is acceptable." The reasons sit in the rest of the page:
- 55% to 53%: bookshop terms. Shops expect a trade discount, and the wholesaler needs a share too. IngramSpark suggests 53% to 55% in the US and UK and 48% to 55% in Australia, and says 53% to 55% "with a 'returnable' status, generally allows for the widest availability".
- Under 53% in the US: short discount. "If you offer a wholesale discount lower than 53% in the US, your book will be considered a 'short discounted' title, and many bookstores will not order it."
- 40%: academic and hand-selling. The usual academic short discount, and the setting for authors who sell mostly in person and want online sales to pay more.
No discount guarantees a shop will stock the book, as IngramSpark says plainly. If you want a particular shop, ask which terms it needs. Changes to price, discount or returns reach retailers at the end of each week.
Prices must end in .95, .99 or .00 in every market, and titles priced over 124.99 in US dollars, pounds or Australian dollars are reviewed by IngramSpark's support team before release. For the ebook side of pricing see how to price an ebook, and the self-publishing guide for the launch plan.
Returns: what one returned book costs you
"Books can be returned at any time and for any reason." If you allow returns, IngramSpark charges them back to you. You pick one of three settings and can change it later.
| Setting | Where | Charge per return | $16.99, 300 pages, 55% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-returnable | All markets | None | $0.00 |
| Yes-Destroy | All markets except Global Connect | Wholesale price | $7.65 |
| Yes-Deliver, US address | US market only | Wholesale price + $3.00 | $10.65 |
| Yes-Deliver, outside the US | US market only | Wholesale price + $20.00 | $27.65 |
Returns matter more than the fee. That $16.99 book pays you $1.62 when it sells. If it comes back under Yes-Deliver you are charged $10.65, leaving you $9.03 down: the earnings from 6 other sales. Under Yes-Destroy the net loss is $6.03, about 4 sales. IngramSpark "cannot guarantee the condition of the book being returned".
Returns come off the month they arrive, and if they exceed sales IngramSpark can invoice you. Switching to non-returnable leaves booksellers 180 days to keep returning; switching the other way lets shops return at once, "regardless of when the books were originally purchased". Start non-returnable unless a specific shop needs otherwise.
When IngramSpark pays you, and in what currency
IngramSpark pays "90 days from the end of the month in which the sales are reported", so March sales arrive around the end of June, by direct deposit in USD, GBP, CAD, EUR or AUD, or USD PayPal. You choose one currency at setup and cannot change it. Minimums: none for US and UK bank deposits, $30 for PayPal, and 25 in the local currency for Canadian, euro and Australian deposits.
Below a minimum, earnings carry over. Payments go to a checking account (not savings) in the account holder's name, and a cheque, if one is issued, costs $25.
How much it costs to publish on IngramSpark, all in
With setup and revisions free, IngramSpark's own charges are the smallest part of a print book. A first paperback, in the order you meet the costs:
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Writing and editing | Your time, or an editor | Editing rates are in our book editing cost guide. |
| Interior file | From $0 with software | A PDF at your trim size with fonts embedded. |
| Cover | From $0 to several hundred dollars | Built on IngramSpark's template, with spine width from it. |
| ISBN | $85 owned, or free (US, with limits) | One per format; see the ISBN guide. |
| IngramSpark setup and revisions | $0 | Setup free; revisions free since 1 February 2026. |
| One copy to check | $7.74 | 6 x 9, 200 pages, by US basic shipping. |
| Launch copies | $121.74 for 25 | Same book, US basic shipping. |
The free US ISBN has conditions: the catalogue may list the imprint as Indy Pub, the book must be in wholesale distribution, and the ISBN cannot move to another platform. If you also sell the paperback on KDP, IngramSpark says you can, with KDP's Expanded Distribution turned off for that edition.
Every line priced in full: the real cost of publishing a book in 2026. For illustrated books, see the children's book illustration cost guide and the guide to selling children's books.
Global Connect, Canada, the UK and Australia
Beyond its US, UK, Australian and euro rates, IngramSpark prints through Global Connect partners in Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and Singapore.
- Global Connect sales are non-returnable, you must price the book in every Global Connect market, and you are paid like any wholesale sale.
- Canada pays the same as the US, because the copies are printed in the US. Your own orders to Canada carry 5% GST plus brokerage and customs fees.
- Australia adds 10% GST to printing and shipping on orders; IngramSpark suggests dividing your intended Australian retail price by 1.1.
- Groundwood paper is printed in the US and UK only; elsewhere, including Australia and Global Connect printers, the book is printed on 50 lb cream instead, with the spine width adjusted automatically.
Currency moves daily, so check each market's earnings in your own currency. For the ebook, the KDP Select vs wide distribution guide lays out the trade-off; KDP Select covers ebooks only, so it does not affect IngramSpark print.
Making the book files with Inkfluence AI
Every number here starts from a page count, and you only have a real one once the book is written and laid out. Inkfluence AI is our tool for that, and the fastest route we know from an idea or a draft to a print interior at an IngramSpark trim size. It writes a full book from your idea or outline (or imports your Word, PDF, EPUB or text manuscript), lets you edit every chapter, and exports the interior PDF.
- Trim sizes that IngramSpark prints. Nine of the ten page sizes in our export are standard IngramSpark trims, including 6 x 9, 5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 7 x 10, 8 x 10, 8.5 x 11, 8.5 x 8.5 and A5.
- A clean interior. Pages exactly at trim size, single pages, fonts embedded, no crop marks, bleed only with full-page photos.
- The real page count. The exported PDF is the finished book, so its page count (also in the KDP package READ ME) is the number to enter above.
- An EPUB 3 ebook, the ebook format IngramSpark asks for.
What you still do for IngramSpark. Our PDFs are standard RGB PDFs. IngramSpark recommends PDF/X-1a for black-and-white interiors and needs PDF/X and CMYK for colour interiors and covers, which we do not produce: convert with Acrobat Pro's preflight. Our cover designer makes a KDP paperback wrap and a front cover image, not an IngramSpark cover template, a hardcover case wrap or a dust jacket: move the art onto IngramSpark's template, or build the cover in its free Book-Building Tool from our front cover. The comparison post covers which KDP files work on IngramSpark.
The free plan writes up to five chapters and exports a PDF with a small Inkfluence footer. Creator ($9.99 a month), Premium ($19.99 a month) or a credit pack add full-length books, unbranded exports, the EPUB and the KDP package. No per-book fee, no share of your sales: see pricing.
Also useful here: the AI book cover generator, the book description generator for back-cover copy, the picture book maker, and our book formatting software comparison.
How to price a launch on IngramSpark, step by step
- Fix the format. Binding, trim, ink and paper. Remember only width changes the price: below 6.15 inches is the small rate.
- Get the real page count. Export the interior at your trim, count the pages, and round up to an even number. Front matter counts.
- Work out the print cost per copy in the calculator, in the currency of the market you sell in most.
- Set the list price against similar books, ending in .99, .95 or .00, and check it earns at your discount (the calculator shows the lowest price that does).
- Choose the discount and returns setting together. Bookshops want 53% to 55% and returnable; if you are not ready for returns, start non-returnable.
- Price the author copies for launch, events and reviewers. Order one copy, check it, then order the rest early enough to skip rush.
- Write the numbers down: print cost, list price, discount, earnings and the cost of one return. A shop asking for terms will want them.
For monthly income, put your per-copy earnings into the ebook income calculator; for the weeks before release, the book launch checklist; for the Amazon side, our KDP tools.
Pricing a book you have not finished? Draft it in Inkfluence AI first: the page count, and so every number above, comes from the finished file.
Draft the bookEight IngramSpark cost mistakes
- Budgeting for setup and revision fees that no longer exist. Setup is free, and revisions have been free since 1 February 2026. Older reviews and course material still quote fees for both.
- Leaving out the 1.875% fee. $0.32 on a $16.99 book: small, but decisive on a thin margin.
- Pricing for Amazon, then setting 55%. A 300-page 6 x 9 paperback at $12.99 loses $0.10 a copy at 55%.
- Making the book returnable by default. On the $16.99 example, one Yes-Deliver return wipes out the earnings of 6 sales. Decide on purpose.
- Paying for tracking you did not need. Basic shipping stops at 25 copies. Fifty copies in one standard order cost $251.49; two basic orders of 25 cost $243.48, if untracked delivery is acceptable.
- Ordering 99 copies. The 2% discount starts at 100. For the $4.25 book, 100 copies cost $416.50 to print and 99 copies cost $420.75.
- Paying for rush you did not need. Rush adds 30% to printing; economy takes three to five business days for paperbacks.
- Choosing a dust jacket without pricing it. A jacketed 300-page 6 x 9 hardcover prints for $12.17 and needs a list price of $28.24 just to break even at 55%.
If the files are the worry, the book formatting guide covers margins, fonts and page numbers, and why KDP rejects books lists common file problems to fix before any upload.
IngramSpark costs: frequently asked questions
How much does IngramSpark cost?
Setup is free, and revisions have been free since 1 February 2026. You pay for printing (a 6 x 9 inch, 200-page black-and-white paperback is $4.25 a copy in the US), 1.875% of the list price on each copy sold through its network, and shipping on copies you order. Ten copies of that paperback by US basic shipping cost $50.49. Printing for copies sold to shops comes out of your earnings, not your pocket.
Is IngramSpark free to publish?
Free to set up and to update: the 2026 rate card lists every kind of title setup as free, and revision fees ended on 1 February 2026. Not free to print: every copy carries a print charge, taken from your earnings when a shop orders it or paid by you when you order copies, and each sale carries the 1.875% fee. You also need an ISBN: buy one from IngramSpark, take its free US one with conditions, or bring your own.
What percentage does IngramSpark take?
IngramSpark keeps 1.875% of the list price plus the cost of printing. The bigger slice is the wholesale discount you set (55% recommended), which goes to wholesalers and shops. On a $16.99 paperback of 300 pages at a 55% discount, $9.34 goes in discount, $5.71 to printing, $0.32 in the fee, and you are paid $1.62, about 9.5% of the list price.
Does IngramSpark still charge setup or revision fees?
No. The 2026 rate card lists all title setup as free (IngramSpark calls free setup an ongoing benefit), and revision fees were removed for all books on 1 February 2026. Older reviews still quote fees for both. What remains: the 1.875% fee per sale, $25 to get your files back, and $25 per paper cheque in the US.
How much do IngramSpark author copies cost?
Print cost, less any quantity discount, plus shipping. A 6 x 9 inch, 200-page black-and-white paperback prints for $4.25. One copy by US basic shipping costs $7.74; ten cost $50.49 ($5.05 each); 100 by standard shipping cost $485.49 ($4.85 each, with the 2% discount). Rush adds 30% to printing; taxes are extra.
How much is IngramSpark shipping?
To the contiguous US, flat rates: basic (untracked, uninsured) is $2.99 an order plus $0.50 a copy, up to 25 copies; standard (UPS Ground, tracked) is $8.99 an order plus $0.70 a copy for 1 to 15, $0.65 for 16 to 49 and $0.60 for 50 or more. Express and non-US orders are quoted when you order.
What wholesale discount should I set on IngramSpark?
IngramSpark recommends 55% and accepts 40% at minimum. In the US, under 53% is a short discount and many bookshops will not order the book. For bookshops and libraries, use 53% to 55% and price high enough to earn at that discount; for online availability and hand-selling, 40% pays much more per copy.
How do IngramSpark returns work and what do they cost?
Three settings. Non-returnable costs nothing, but most bookshops will not stock the book. Yes-Destroy charges the wholesale price of each returned copy. Yes-Deliver (US market only) charges the wholesale price plus $3 a copy to a US address or $20 outside the US, and sends you the book. On a $16.99 paperback at 55%, one return under Yes-Deliver costs $10.65, the earnings from about 6 other sales.
Does IngramSpark give a bulk discount on author copies?
Yes, on copies you order: 2% off printing from 100 copies, 5% from 300, 7.5% from 400, 10% from 500, 15% from 1,000, 20% from 1,500, 25% from 2,500, 30% from 5,000 and 35% from 10,000, applied automatically with no promo code. Below 100 copies there is no discount.
Did IngramSpark raise its prices in 2026?
It changed them. On 1 February 2026 a new rate card made some books cost more to print and others less, removed revision fees and added the 1.875% fee on each sale; setup stayed free. The card allows one change a year of no more than 5%, so check it before setting a price you plan to keep.
Sources
All checked 13 Oct 2026. IngramSpark can change its rate card once a year by up to 5%; if a number here and IngramSpark's own page disagree, IngramSpark's page wins.
- IngramSpark Rate Card, effective 1 February 2026: setup fees, distribution fee, per cover and per page rates, quantity discounts, rush, duplex, perforation, file copies, cheque fee, annual pricing policy.
- Changes in Print Cost, Market Access Fee, and More: free revisions and the 1.875% fee from 1 February 2026.
- Pricing Your Book For Ingram's Global Distribution Network: compensation formula, wholesale discounts, short discount, price endings, Australia and Canada notes, the $25.99 example.
- Compensation Payments, Payment Schedule: 90-day payment, payment methods and minimums, cheque charge.
- Distribution Returns Information: return options and charges, 180-day period, invoicing.
- How Are Shipping Charges Calculated?: US flat rates, Canada and Australia taxes.
- Ordering Multiple Copies of Your Book on IngramSpark: the order steps.
- Global Connect Program: markets, non-returnable sales, pricing in all markets.
- Available Trim Sizes, Bindings and Papers: groundwood paper rules, duplex covers, perforation.
- IngramSpark ISBN help and free ISBN terms.
- Using KDP and IngramSpark together.
- KDP Paperback Printing Cost: the KDP author-copy comparison.
IngramSpark, Ingram, Lightning Source, Amazon and KDP are trademarks of their owners. Inkfluence AI is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Related tools and guides
IngramSpark vs KDP (2026)
Fees, print cost and earnings on both, and how to use them together.
Book Royalty Calculator
Per-sale earnings on KDP, Kobo, Apple Books and more.
Ebook Income Calculator
Monthly and yearly earnings at your sales volume.
Do You Need an ISBN?
Free or owned, and which ones each store needs.
How to Print One Copy of a Book
Six routes to a single printed copy, priced.
The Real Cost of Publishing a Book
Every line of a self-publishing budget.
KDP Cover Size and Spine Calculator
The paperback wrap for the page count you priced.
Book Trim Sizes
Which size suits which book, and what each costs.
Paperback Publishing
From the finished book to a printed paperback.
Book Cover Design Guide
Front, spine and back cover that work in print.
AI Book Generator
Write the full book, then export it for print.
How to Sell Workbooks
A large-trim workbook priced as a paperback and a printable.
Know the numbers before the first copy is printed.
Write the book, export the interior at your trim, and bring the real page count back to the calculator. Free to start, no per-book fees.
Start your book on Inkfluence AI