When I first started self-publishing, I thought my ultimate goal—after publishing on Amazon, which is relatively easy and straight-forward—would be to get my books onto IngramSpark, a print-on-demand and global distribution platform that makes books available to online retailers, libraries, and bookstores. This means that instead of only being able to purchase books at full price individually on Amazon, distributors could order my books in wholesale in larger quantities.
It was a bit of a struggle for me to figure out IngramSpark (took a few weeks), but once my book was uploaded, I was stoked because this meant bookstores could now stock my books. Easy, right?
Well, actually… no.
While IngramSpark is a fantastic platform for distributing print books worldwide, there’s a big difference between “available for order” and “ordered and available” at your local bookstore or online retailer.
Here’s why the process is more complicated.
55% Wholesale Discount Required
Did you know most bookstores expect a 55% wholesale discount from publishers? This means most booksellers prefer to pay 45% of the sale price to acquire books. This makes sense because they need to first buy the books and then sell the books. That 55% discount is their margin—it needs to cover the cost of their rent, pay their employees, pay for operations, marketing, etc…
But on the flip side, while I understand that bookstores need to make money, too, keep in mind that authors also have printing costs, too. We need to pay IngramSpark to print each book.
Here’s a real example of what that looks like from my books:
Love at First Flight costs me about $5.80 per copy to print-on-demand.
You Had Me at Waffles has more pages and costs me almost $6 per copy.
If I priced Love at First Flight at $15.00 (what I originally wanted), here’s what happens:
IngramSpark takes $5.80 for printing.
With a 55% discount, the bookstore pays only $6.75 per book.
That leaves me making about $0.95 per book.
Not exactly sustainable.
If I priced Waffles at $18.00 (what I thought miiight work), here’s what happens:
IngramSpark takes $6 for printing.
With a 55% discount, the bookstore pays only $8.10 per book.
That leaves me making about $2.10 per book.
To actually make a decent margin, I calculated I would need to price the book at around $23.99—but who’s going to pay that much for a paperback romcom?
So, I compromised:
I set a firm 40% discount instead of 55%.
I decided to price Love at First Flight at $19.99 and You Had Me at Waffles at $20.99.
This way, I still don’t make much per book—but at least I’m not forced into impossible pricing. The tradeoff, of course, is that some bookstores may simply refuse to stock my books because I didn’t give them the “standard” discount.
Oh well.
The Returnability Requirement
The second hurdle is returns.
Most bookstores won’t order your book unless it’s returnable. That means if the book doesn’t sell, they can ship it back to IngramSpark. And here’s the kicker: you, the author, pay for it.
I’ve heard it costs as much as $20 per book for Ingramspark to process the return. For this reason, returned books are often destroyed, which means not only do you lose your royalties, but you also eat the printing cost.
I’ve heard horror stories of authors suddenly hit with hundreds of dollars in return fees because a chain decided to clear shelf space.
Or there’s that indie bookstore that wanted to order 10 copies, but the new employee added an extra zero at the end costing the indie author $400 dollars in print/return costs. Ouch.
Bookstores Are Selective
Independent bookstores and big chains alike take risks when they stock new authors. Shelf space is limited, and every book has to earn its keep. Without a proven sales record, glowing reviews, or reader demand, they’re less likely to gamble on an indie book—even if it’s distributed through IngramSpark. Even if it’s sold at a 55 discount. Even if returns are available.
This is why it’s important that indie authors invest time (and sometimes money) into marketing and getting reader reviews. Get on social media, book author events, build an author website, research paid ads, find and build relationships with ARC readers, etc… it’s not easy and it takes a lot of time, but if your dream is to see your books on bookshelves, it’s essential to spend at least half your time marketing and thinking of ways to promote your book(s).
Competition Is Fierce
There are over a million books available through IngramSpark. Bookstores can order any of them, but that also means your book is competing with every other indie title, plus the thousands of traditionally published books released each year.
Unless your book stands out—through strong local marketing, author events, or personal connections—there’s little reason for a store to pick your book over the next.
Margins for Small for Everyone
If you’re an indie author and just starting out, something you may not realize is how small margins are in the publishing industry.
Bookstores themselves don’t make huge profits. For example, if they buy several copies of Love at First Flight for $12 (with a 40% discount) and sell it at full price $19.99, they are only making $8 per book. But they also need to pay rent, pay employees, pay for operations, pay for marketing… pay for all of the things to keep the lights on. And that’s if they manage to sell every book they buy.
That’s why they demand high discounts and returnability: it’s the only way their business model works. For indie authors, that reality stings—but understanding it helps frame why the requirements are so strict.
What This Means for Indie Authors
All of this doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get into bookstores—it just means you need to be strategic. Some indie authors focus on local stores where they can build relationships and do events—like me! (For now.) Others use consignment, where they leave a small batch of books and split profits only when they sell.
But relying on IngramSpark alone to get you onto shelves? That’s not realistic. IngramSpark is a distribution channel, not a marketing machine. The heavy lifting of convincing stores to carry your book still rests with the author.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a self-published author, it’s normal if you’re not on bookstore shelves right away. The hurdles are real: steep discounts, returnability risks, fierce competition, and tight margins.
Instead, think of IngramSpark as a tool that makes your book available to bookstores—and then focus your energy on building demand. When readers start asking for your book by name, that’s when bookstores are most likely to take notice.
Hope that was helpful.
In the meantime? Keep writing, keep marketing, and keep putting your stories into the world. Good luck!
—Tracy
www.tracywrightbooks.com
Have you looked into book return insurance?