IngramSpark raised its prices on February 1st, 2026. If you use IngramSpark for print distribution, and particularly if you set your pricing before that date and have not revisited it since, the changes are worth understanding in specific terms.
Here is what changed: the global distribution fee increased from 1.5 percent to 1.875 percent. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like a large increase, but it compounds with rising production costs across most formats. Hardcovers with colour jackets increased by 20 to 30 cents per unit. Revision fees, which were free within the first 60 days, are now $25 per revision, regardless of when they occur.
What does that look like for an actual fantasy novel? IngramSpark's compensation for a title sold through its network is roughly 40 to 45 percent of the list price, minus production costs. A 400-page, 6-by-9-inch paperback at a $17.99 list price has a production cost of approximately $6.50 to $7.50, depending on paper type and cover finish. That leaves a per-copy return of $1.50 to $2.50 before the distribution fee, depending on your retail channel.
KDP's royalty structure for the same book works differently: 60 percent of the list price minus printing costs, with printing costs that are slightly lower for most standard paperback configurations. A comparable 400-page paperback at $17.99 on KDP yields roughly $4.00 to $5.00 per copy, again depending on paper and finish choices. The trade-off is distribution: KDP print reaches Amazon fulfillment, while IngramSpark gets your title into the catalogues that independent bookshops, libraries, and academic distributors actually use.
The February changes do not make IngramSpark a bad option. They make the margin math less forgiving than it was, particularly for longer books and hardcovers. Authors using both platforms, which is increasingly common for maximum reach, need to run updated numbers. IngramSpark's print-and-ship calculator is the right tool for this; the figures above are illustrative, not precise for your specific book.
What the price increase clarifies is the cost of access. Distribution through IngramSpark is genuinely broader than KDP alone. That breadth, however, now costs more. Whether it costs more than the value it provides depends on where your readers buy.
Map's Edge Media is working through the same calculations for A World Reborn. When those decisions are made, we will document them here.