The previous price increase was just a few months ago, on November 6, and it was a significant one: up 6 percent for US customers and 3 percent for UK/Australia. And that was on top of a 1 to 4 percent increase in March 2021.
Starting on March 8, 2022, IngramSpark prices will increase for US paperbacks (except premium paperbacks), most UK paperbacks and hardcovers, and most Australian paperbacks. Also, returns fees will move from $2 per unit to $3 per unit. (Ouch.)
IngramSpark didn’t mention how big the price increases will be, so we took a close look at their new pricing sheet. Here’s what we found for basic paperback POD printing starting at 200 pages, black and white.
| Nov. 6, 2021 pricing | March 8, 2022 pricing | |
|---|---|---|
| US paperback | $4 | $4.07 (+2%) |
| UK paperback | £3.15 | £3.34 (+6%) |
| Europe paperback | €3.71 | €3.93 (+6%) |
| Australian paperback | $6.67 | $7.07 (+6%) |
The current unit cost for a 200-page, black-and-white POD paperback through Amazon KDP (US) is $3.25. Here is the Amazon KDP calculator.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
