Checklist category
Distribution & Availability
Whether a bookseller or a librarian can actually order the book, on the terms they expect. Trade distribution, wholesaler availability, returnability and discount where you control them, and the separate routes that serve public libraries, academic libraries, and digital lending. Availability is invisible until someone tries to buy, so it is worth checking before they do.
The tasks in Distribution & Availability
3 tasks, 14 steps
Set up your print and ebook distribution
5 stepsEvery edition of your book is set up on the platforms that actually reach the buyers you want, and you can say which platform prints or sells each one. This is a decision about reach and cost, not a list of accounts to open.
ConditionalTwelve to three months before publication, once the ISBNs are settled and the files are close to finalAuthor and PublisherMake a judgment about fit, cost, or strategy.Metadata or distribution
Confirm trade distribution and terms
4 stepsA bookseller who wants to order your book can, through the wholesaler they already use, on terms they recognize. Availability is invisible until somebody tries to buy, and by then it is late.
CoreTwelve to three months before publication, before preorders openPublisher and Author and DistributorSomeone else may do it. Inspect the result yourself.Metadata or distribution
Confirm library distribution routes
5 stepsLibraries can actually order your book through the channels they buy on, in the formats they lend. Asking a library to buy a book it cannot order through its own supplier wastes everyone's time.
Industry change: Baker & Taylor closed in early 2026.
ConditionalSix to three months before publication, before you ask any library to buyPublisher and Author and DistributorSomeone else may do it. Inspect the result yourself.Metadata or distribution, Library or cataloging
Common questions
Why do I not see this section?
Because it is for authors who are the publisher of record, on a self-published or hybrid route. If a publisher holds the distribution relationship, the steps you need are in Confirm trade distribution and terms instead, where your job is to verify rather than to set anything up.
From Set up your print and ebook distribution.
Do I need IngramSpark?
Not everyone does. IngramSpark is Ingram's own self-publishing arm, a service Ingram sells to authors, so it is worth asking what you are buying. If you sell mainly on Amazon, you can publish without it. If you want bookshops and libraries to be able to order the print book through the wholesaler they already use, it is the usual route, and Amazon's own Expanded Distribution reaches part of the same trade with its own trade-offs.
From Set up your print and ebook distribution.
Can I put the same book on more than one platform?
Yes, but not the same ISBN into the same trade channel twice. Amazon's Expanded Distribution page says a book's ISBN must not have been submitted for distribution through another service, so an edition set up for wide print distribution belongs on one platform, not two.
From Set up your print and ebook distribution.
Is any of this free?
Some of it. Amazon says KDP gives you free tools to publish, and IngramSpark's pricing page says signing up and uploading cost nothing. Printing, shipping, ebook conversion, aggregator fees, and any add-on service are not free. Prices move, so read the number on the platform's own page on the day you decide.
From Set up your print and ebook distribution.
Why does wholesaler availability matter if the book is on a big retailer?
Because independent bookstores, schools, and libraries mostly order through wholesalers, not through a consumer store. A book that is only available on one retailer's site is closed to a large part of the trade.
From Confirm trade distribution and terms.
What is returnability?
Whether a bookseller can send unsold copies back. Many stores will not stock a nonreturnable book. If you control the setting, it is a real financial decision, not a checkbox.
From Confirm trade distribution and terms.
What is a trade discount?
The share of the list price the retailer keeps. Set it too low and stores have no margin to stock the book. Where you control it, find out what is normal for your category before choosing.
From Confirm trade distribution and terms.
Why do libraries need their own route?
Public and academic libraries buy through a small number of wholesalers and platforms with their own accounts, approval plans, and licence terms. Being on a consumer store does not put you on any of them.
From Confirm library distribution routes.
What about ebooks and audiobooks?
Library lending runs on separate platforms with separate licences, and being on a retail ebook store does not make a title available to libraries. Check the lending platforms specifically.
From Confirm library distribution routes.
Is this worth doing if libraries are not my goal?
Probably not, and it will stay out of your way unless you selected libraries. If a single librarian asks, it is still worth knowing the answer.
From Confirm library distribution routes.