A New Way to Sell Your Books

I work with two types of authors.

One type of author aims to reach the world. It’s often industry leaders or memoirists who want to impact as many people as possible. Their vision and goals drive their book projects through the entire publishing, marketing, and PR process.

Another type of author aims to reach only a select audience. For example, some people write their autobiographies or family histories for their inner circles. Some corporations publish internal communications for their teams. The process involves development, design, and printing – but stops short of distribution and marketing. (I wrote a post all about the reasons some authors opt out of distribution.)

The “line” separating these two authors is between printing and distribution. Both types of authors want to print books, but many authors aiming for a select audience don’t want wide distribution. 

Until now.

Glenn Cashion just published for a select audience and has a simple method for distribution. 

(You might recognize him from his 2023 release, Baseball Is in My DNA, part regional history and part memoir.)

Glenn just released his second book, My Irish Heart. It preserves his family’s 175-year history, from ancestors who helped grow an American town to his journey from a small-town boy turned international corporate executive. It’s a heartfelt tribute to family, faith, and the Irish spirit that flows through generations.

 

Glenn wanted the best of both worlds: He wanted to produce a legacy primarily for his family and friends. He also wanted to make the book available to others interested in the family and regional history – without putting it on Amazon.

The solution is Share & Sell purchase links. It’s a relatively new feature through Lightning Source/IngramSpark, an on-demand printer/distributor. Share & Sell purchase links allow readers to purchase copies of your book directly from your distributor. It lets Glenn focus on his inner circle while making it easy for others to order his book.

Want to know more about Share & Sell purchase links? 

Here are some pros and cons of this option.

 

6 Pros of IngramSpark Share & Sell purchase links

• You don’t have to list your book on retail sites. Projects intended for select audiences, such as family histories or internal corporate communications, can be made available directly to target readers through IngramSpark.
• But you can choose to list your books on retail sites. If you want to reach the world, you can use Shareable Purchase Links alongside your retail links to offer readers another buying option. 
• You might pocket more earnings per sale. You pay the cost of printing one book plus a fulfillment fee ($3.50). You don’t have to pay retailers their 40%-55% portion of the retail price since no retailers are involved.
• You can create links to special runs of the book for specific audience segments. For example, you can set up a link for a book with a dedicated page for social media followers or attendees at a corporate event.
• Share & Sell purchase links work as easily as retail links. When a copy of your book is sold, IngramSpark prints it, ships it, and collects sales tax, without you lifting a finger, just like using an Amazon or Barnes & Noble link.
• You can link to your book from your website. When you create a link, IngramSpark provides a standard URL, a QR code, or an HTML embed code for your website.

6 Limitations of IngramSpark Share & Sell purchase links

• There are only two market options at this time. Links are for the US and the UK.
• It may be more difficult to cross-promote. Each book format must have its own link, and each link displays only that format. This is unlike retail pages that show all available formats, allow multiple formats to be added to a cart, and offer one streamlined checkout process.
• It might be more expensive for your readers. Orders cannot be combined, and each order incurs a $3.50 fulfillment fee plus shipping and tax, which may not benefit Amazon Prime members. 
• It still requires some distribution-related work. While you don’t have to plan for Amazon categories and keywords, you still need to develop a marketable retail price and book description.
• Pricing may not be as flexible as IngramSpark suggests. The distributor says you can use the links to “set special prices for your books… for special events.” But if your book is also on Amazon, the retailer may match your price on IngramSpark, which could impact your earnings. It’s best to be consistent with your pricing across all platforms.
• Customer relationships are not as supported as IngramSpark implies. IngramSpark says the links let you sell “directly to readers.” While the links are more direct by bypassing retailers, IngramSpark operates like a retailer in that it doesn’t provide your buyer’s contact information. A true direct sale affords you a direct connection to your reader.

Final Thoughts

Share & Sell purchase links are a simple option that offers benefits for both types of authors. Authors who want to reach the world can use the links to give readers another buying option. And authors who want to reach a select audience can use the links to bypass retailers and still allow a purchasing option. 

But there are some limitations to using the links, so do your research or consult with a pro to avoid any missteps. If you have a question about Share & Sell purchase links, hit reply and ask. I’ll be happy to answer!

Want to check out the IngramSpark Share & Sell page for Glenn’s autobiography? You can visit it here.

Congratulations on your new release, Glenn!