Editing Openai/6929d771-fc30-8010-ba46-601b29411176 (section)

==== 💸 Costs & Fees with IngramSpark ====

Here’s what to expect as of the most recent IngramSpark policies and community updates:

| Type of cost / fee                                  | Status / amount                            | Notes / caveats                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Account setup / title setup                         | Free now                                   | In May 2023, IngramSpark removed the title setup fee for new books. 
Reddit
+3
IngramSpark
+3
IngramSpark
+3                                                                                                                                                        |
| Revision (“make changes after publishing”)          | Free window + paid afterward               | You get a 60-day free revision window from your book’s first production date. After that, changes (cover, interior) may incur revision fees. 
On The Cobblestone Road
+3
Reddit
+3
IngramSpark
+3                                                                   |
| Print cost / manufacturing                          | Varies by size, pages, color, binding etc. | You pay the printing cost whenever a copy is sold (or when you order author copies). Use IngramSpark’s “Print & Ship” / “Publisher Compensation” calculators to estimate costs. 
AuthorImprints
+4
IngramSpark
+4
IngramSpark
+4                                    |
| Distribution / “market access” / wholesale discount | ~1% of list price (for wide distribution)  | As of a recent policy change, IngramSpark introduced a 1% market access fee applied on distributed sales (i.e. through their global wholesale / retail network). 
On The Cobblestone Road
+1                                                                        |
| Returns handling                                    | Depends on how you set return policies     | If retailers return unsold copies, you either pay for return shipping + wholesale refund or choose “destroy returns” option. In the U.S., return handling may cost ~$3 + wholesale cost if you have returned books mailed to you. 
AuthorImprints
+2
IngramSpark
+2 |
| Shipping / fulfillment                              | You or the system pays shipping cost       | When you (or a buyer) orders a printed copy, there’s a shipping / handling charge. That’s part of the cost you or the buyer bears. 
IngramSpark
+2
AuthorImprints
+2                                                                                                |

Example / ballpark numbers
* A 200-page black-and-white paperback might cost ~ US$4.00+ to print (depending on trim size, paper, etc.).
* If you set a standard 55% wholesale discount (so retailers buy at 45% of list price), your royalty is: List Price – (wholesale discount) – printing cost. Blue Paper Technology<ref>{{cite web|title=Blue Paper Technology|url=https://bluepapertech.com/small-business-operations/choosing-the-list-price-of-my-ingramspark-paperback/|publisher=Blue Paper Technology|access-date=2025-11-28}}</ref>
* Because of the 1% market access fee, for each distributed sale, you’ll lose an extra 1% of the list price from your royalty pool.

So the more expensive your book (or the higher your discount), the more that 1% eats into your margin.

Also, returns are real: if a bookstore orders 100 copies and returns 20 unsold, you may need to refund them (or pay for their return), which reduces your effective earnings. Blue Paper Technology<ref>{{cite web|title=Blue Paper Technology|url=https://bluepapertech.com/small-business-operations/choosing-the-list-price-of-my-ingramspark-paperback/|publisher=Blue Paper Technology|access-date=2025-11-28}}</ref>