IngramSpark

IngramSpark is how an independent author gets a physical book into the catalogue bookshops and libraries actually order from, which Amazon's own printing does not do on the same terms. Setup costs nothing now, print is charged per copy, and the distribution reach is the reason to be here rather than the interface. Returns, discounts and trim sizes are decisions with real money attached, and the site is better at listing them than at explaining them.

Title setup is free and the publishing tools, courses and guides cost nothing. Printing is charged per copy and calculated from trim size, page count and binding rather than published as a single figure, so the real cost of a title only appears once its specification exists. Ebook conversion is $0.60 a page if you want it done for you. The decisions with money attached are the wholesale discount and whether you accept returns, both of which change what a bookshop will order and what you keep per copy.

An independent author who wants their book orderable by bookshops and libraries, which is the thing Amazon's own printing does not do on the same terms. It suits somebody treating publishing as a business, with a cover and interior already professionally prepared. A first-time author who only wants copies on Amazon has an easier and cheaper route through KDP.