Robin Cutler is Director of IngramSpark at Ingram Content Group. She is the former Assistant Director of USC Press and founder and CEO of Summerhouse Press. She helped develop BookSurge, an early self-publishing tool that was acquired by Amazon, and then became Vendor Manager for Amazon/CreateSpace. When she is not traveling represent IngramSpark at writing and publishing events worldwide, she works, writes, reads and lives in beautiful New Mexico.
October 23, 2018 on the Author Friendly Podcast with Carla King
Listen and subscribe
About this episode
Learn about IngramSpark, the professional publishing tool from Ingram and its evolution from Lightning Source. You'll find out about free resources on the site for cover design templates, standard trim sizes, and a publisher compensation calculator to find out what your costs and profits will be when you distribute with IS.
We talk about trim size standards for novels, children's books, and coffee table books. How to choose paper color (creme or white?) and weight (50, 60, and up) and the additional costs incurred with heavier paper weight. You'll also learn about creating books "spot" color vs "full" color books.
Should you pay POD prices "as you go" or order a large number of books to save money? Where are the price breaks for high-quality digital POD copies of your book?
If you're considering a hardback book—and we think you should—what are your choices? When do you choose case laminate or a jacket?
We talk about setup fees and change charges, which don't apply to metadata changes and you'll find out why. (Hint: We love experimenting with metadata and we think you should, too.)
This is just the first half of my talk with Robin. Next week, in part two, our talk is all about distribution.
Show notes
Here are the links to the the FirstEditing sites we mention.
Listen and subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, YouTube, or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. If you like the podcast, please take a moment to post a review. Thanks!
Don't miss the next episode
Sign up to learn about writing and publishing products, tools, and services for authors and how to use them. You'll also get access to the Consumer's Guide for Self-Publishers, along with cheatsheets and checklists and notifications about new episodes of the Author Friendly Podcast.