IngramSpark, the sister POD service of Ingram’s Lightning Source subsidiary, has long been a favorite of serious self-publishers. There are a lot of great reasons professional self-publishers use it, hardcover printing and affordable color printing being just two. But the main reason I think it’s a must-use vendor is its ability to offer print books for pre-order.

As I explain in my free Countdown to Book Launch course (see below), pre-order is one of the most powerful sales tools available to authors that begin their marketing well in advance of their book’s release date. Pre-release marketing, combined with the reader’s ability to actually order the book, can help your book break through and climb the charts.

I recently connected with Bailey Davis, Content Acquisition Sales Specialist for Lightning Source and asked her to share her insights and advice for self-publishers using IngramSpark Pre-Order.

I’m sure you’ll find this helpful for planning your next book release.

1. How soon should titles be listed for IngramSpark pre-order? I imagine the sooner the better but are their best practices or limitations to be aware of?

Bailey: Retailers make their buying selections a season ahead of time, or around 6 months. Industry standard is to give yourself 6 months of pre-sale time so that you can market and promote. However, we know that in the world of POD, instant gratification can be a tempting thing. 3 months is the minimum that I would recommend to really do a pre-sale.

This gives online stores time to get the listing up and accurate, and also gives you time to do marketing and promotion in accordance to your marketing plan and budget. Publishers who take the full 6 months to promote, market, and sell their books before the onsale date tend to have better results when the books go live.

I like to think of it as similar to how movies are marketed and promoted ahead of time to build buzz and get people in the door, your book is entertainment too, so start building up the demand for it and make your readers excited to get their hands on it.

2. What if the book isn’t fully ready? What’s required for listing, and how late in the release schedule can the book be updated?

Bailey: With Lightning Source or Spark, if your files aren’t totally ready, it is technically an option to put up temporary files so that we can at least send out the metadata. However, I’d strongly advise against that method for two reasons:

  1. If pre-orders are received (which is your goal), it is possible that they may be printed at the time of order but held until the live date. So if you don’t have the final files in place, we may print what you gave us as the orders come in. If that is a temporary file, then that is what will be shipped come the on-sale date.
  2. When you submit the final files as a revision, the availability is interrupted and disrupts the feed for pre-sale, potentially negating the purpose for pre-sale in the first place.

It really is best practice to have the final files in place when you put it up for presale, be it for a 6 month lead time or 3 month lead time. This is to avoid interruptions in data feeds or potential missed deadlines, and the first prints being the first files you submit.

The requirements for listing are the same that are required to put a title into production and distribution. We require all of the same metadata, including cover and interior files, but with a future onsale date.

3. Where should a publisher expect to see their book offered for pre-order?

Bailey: Amazon is the most popular retailer to check for your presale, but Barnes & Noble also can opt to list the title for presale.  It’s heavily dependent on the self-publisher getting the content out there on time and with the right data to fit the needs of the retailer to list it for presale.

If they do it right, and early enough, it could be a much wider range of online retailers (and more consistently with Ingram, Amazon, and B&N). Keep in mind that with the realities of POD having shorter pre-sale windows, it’s a smaller pool of retailers that can list it for pre-orders.

Again, it is important to emphasize that it is up to retailers like Amazon and B&N whether or not they will list a book for pre-order. There is nothing requiring them to list it.

The best way to ensure your book is available, is to plan well enough in advance of your release date.

Bailey Davis, Content Acquisition Sales Specialist
IngramSpark is a service of Lightning Source, a subsidiary of Ingram Content Group

What is your experience with pre-order?

Please drop your feedback in the comments box below.

3  additional resources

I have written 6 guides and articles for self-publishers interested in using IngramSpark. Three of these are available on AuthorImprints.com, as noted below.

How to Print Advance Reader Copy (ARC) Books Using IngramSpark (AuthorImprints)

How Much Does It Cost to Produce a Print-on-Demand Book Using IngramSpark? (AuthorImprints)

Countdown to Book Launch, for professional self-publishers (AuthorImprints)