Books.by vs IngramSpark

The short versionIngram is mass-market aggregation. Books.by is direct sales, with no middlemen.

Ingram collects your book and distributes it across a vast network of retailers. Each layer takes a cut. By the time a sale reaches you, it's passed through multiple hands.

Books.by removes all the middlemen. Readers buy from you, we print and fulfil your books, you get paid 100%. That's it.

Different tools for different jobs. Most authors use both. Here's how to think about each.

What IngramSpark does wellIngram built the aggregation and distribution infrastructure that powers traditional publishing. That's not nothing—it took decades.

‍Ingram's strengths:
‍• Massive distribution network (40,000+ retailers and libraries)
• Gets your book into bookstore ordering systems
• Library catalogs recognize Ingram-distributed titles

If you want your book orderable through independent bookshops or available in library systems, Ingram is how that happens. They're the pipes connecting publishers to the retail world.

The Ingram Aggregation Tax‍Here's what aggregation actually means: your book passes through multiple hands before reaching a reader, and everyone along the way takes their cut.

‍The typical chain:
‍You → IngramSpark → Ingram Printing (a separate company, with markups) → Wholesaler → Retailer → Reader

Each layer exists for a reason. Retailers need margin to keep their doors open. Wholesalers need margin for warehousing and logistics. Ingram needs margin for maintaining the network. The printer needs a martin to sustain their business.

‍What that costs you:
‍• 55% wholesale discount is industry standard—retailers take more than half your cover price
• Setup fees per title (currently around $49)
• Revision fees if you need to fix something ($25)
• Payment terms of 90 days
• Zero visibility into who actually bought your book
• Returns that can claw back royalties months later

None of this is Ingram being greedy. It's just how aggregated distribution works. It's a pre-internet model that was built to incentivise each partner to take a risk on selling your book. By the time everyone takes their slice, you're left with a sliver—and you never learn who your readers are.

What Books.by does differentlyBooks.by isn't an aggregator. There's no distribution chain, no wholesale layer, no retailer margin. Just a direct line between you and your reader.

The Books.by chain:
‍You → Reader

That's it. When someone buys from your Books.by store, they're buying directly from you. We print the book, ship it to your customer, and you get paid. No middlemen deciding your margins. No layers siphoning off your earnings. No gatekeepers sitting between you and your customers.

‍What that means in practice:
• 100% of royalties stay with you
• Daily payouts to your bank account
• You own the customer relationship
• No returns

The trade-off (because there's always a trade-off)Books.by doesn't do distribution. Your book won't appear in traditional bookstores or library catalogs through us. Instead, it will only appear in a single location—on your personal Books.by bookstore link.

If a bookshop owner wants to stock your title, you will need to arrange an Author Copies order to ship to them directly. Or, you can continue to use Ingram to service a broader retail market. We recommend doing both.

The economics, side by sideLet's say you have a paperback with a $19.99 retail price and a $4.50 print cost.

That's roughly double. Same book, same reader, same price.

The difference is what disappears when you remove the aggregation layers. Retailers need that 55% margin to survive. When you are the retailer, you keep it.
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Who is Books.by forBooks.by works when you're sending readers somewhere specific. If you have:
‍
• An email newsletter
• Social media where you promote your work
• A podcast or speaking engagements
• Book launch events
• Any marketing where you control the link

...then directing those readers through an aggregation chain means giving up margin you don't need to give up. Send them to your own store instead.

If your goal is "get my book into Barnes & Noble" or "make my book available to libraries," that requires distribution infrastructure. That's Ingram's job. We're not trying to replace it.

Why most authors use bothThis isn't an either/or decision. The practical setup:

‍Use IngramSpark for:
• Bookstore and library availability
• Wholesale distribution to retailers
• Readers who want to buy through their local bookshop

‍Use Books.by for:
• Every link you share directly
• Email list promotions
• Social media bios
• Launch campaigns
• Speaking events and signings
• Any traffic you're personally driving

Ingram puts your book in the system. Books.by captures more value when you're doing the work to find readers yourself.

Two different problems, two different solutionsIngramSpark answers: "How do I get my book into the traditional retail and library ecosystem?"
Books.by answers: "How do I sell directly to readers without middlemen taking most of my earnings?"

Both are legitimate questions. Most serious authors eventually need answers to both.

Ingram built the aggregation infrastructure that connects books to retailers. That matters for discoverability. But when you're the one finding readers—through your own marketing, your own audience, your own work—routing them through layers of middlemen means giving up money and customer relationships you don't need to give up.

Books.by lets you sell direct. No wholesalers, no retailers, no 55% discount disappearing into other people's margins. Just you and your readers.

Use Ingram to be in the system. Use Books.by to keep what you earn.