IngramSpark POD royalties are now compatible with PD Abacus!
Since the release of Abacus, top independent publishers and authors like Michael Anderle have been saving hours of time and streamlining their workflow in book publishing.
We’re excited to announce that IngramSpark for print on demand royalties are now compatible with Abacus, one of PublishDrive's services for publishing royalty calculation and managing co-royalties.
Why is this great for authors? In addition to Amazon KDP/KU sales reports, you can now easily import your IngramSpark POD sales reports for convenient royalty splitting!
In this post, we’ll explore the benefits of distributing print books using IngramSpark, and how you can easily split royalties for co-authored print global books with Abacus.
What Is IngramSpark?
If you didn’t know, IngramSpark is an online platform where you can distribute ebooks and POD (print on demand) books. IngramSpark’s print on demand service in particular is a top choice for indie authors. Why? Let’s take a look at the benefits of print publishing with IngramSpark.
Benefits of Distributing Print Books:
Added Income Stream: If you’re an indie author and you only distribute ebooks, you should really consider expanding to print books as well. It’s a great way to further monetize your backlist and add another income stream. It’s not easy writing a book, so be sure to use every opportunity possible to monetize your work in different formats.
Not Restricted by Amazon’s Exclusivity: You can publish print books through IngramSpark even if you’re enrolled in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited/KDP Select program. As mentioned in a previous article about going wide, exclusivity is one of the main cons of KU/KDP Select. For every 90-day period you’re enrolled, you can’t distribute your ebooks anywhere else.
This leaves you with only one income stream. However, exclusivity with KU/KDP Select does not include print books; it only includes the digital distribution of your titles. If you’re exclusive with Amazon, no problem; you can still earn additional income with print books.
Great for Conferences and Reader Events: Print books are great for “reader swag” when you’re headed to a conference. They’re also handy when you want to generate buzz through reader giveaways, book signings, and similar events.
And with IngramSpark’s flexible range of print choices, like high-quality paper, the option for hardback covers, and personalization features like inscriptions, you can really make a more professional impact.
How to Split Royalties for IngramSpark POD (Print on Demand) Books?
This is an abbreviated checklist. For the full list of royalty splitting steps, feel free to review our Help Center article here.
1. Sign up for Abacus, PublishDrive’s Royalty Splitting Service
If you don’t have a PublishDrive account, you can sign up for FREE on the publishing platform. Then navigate to Abacus in your dashboard.
2. Export Your IngramSpark POD Data
Sign in to your IngramSpark account here: https://myaccount.ingramspark.com/. Then navigate to Menu > Report > Print Sales. Follow the on-page instructions to export your print sales reports for your desired time period.
The reports will be emailed to you from “Sales_Comp_Dept.US@lightningsource.com”. Download the XLS files included in these emails.
3. Import Your IngramSpark POD Data Into Abacus
Navigate back to Abacus in PublishDrive, then click “ADD DATA & UPDATE” at the top of the page. Drag and drop the XLS files you received from IngramSpark. Add your contributors’ information and then complete the import process.
After that, you can calculate co-author royalties, track costs and author advances, and manage other team finances for your IngramSpark print books.
Would you like to try it out for yourself? Sign up for PublishDrive, the TRUSTED publishing company for FREE below. Start importing your reports into Abacus today!
And don’t forget: royalty splitting for your first book is free forever. :)