When I published Fragmented Echoes, I knew there would be choices to make. Different paper types, margins, ISBNs. But I didn’t expect the biggest challenge would be simply making the book available in other countries where a good portion of my readers live.
This is the post for anyone who's ever asked:
“Why is your book ‘out of stock’ on Amazon?”
Or:
“Why are there two paperback versions?”
Here’s the short answer:
Because Amazon makes things difficult on purpose.
The setup I'm using: KDP & IngramSpark. For those outside the publishing bubble, most indie authors use one of two main print-on-demand platforms:
• KDP Print (Amazon’s own system)
• IngramSpark (used by bookstores, libraries, and pretty much everyone else)
They serve different needs.
IngramSpark prints high-quality books and distributes them to places like indie shops, Bookshop.org, and yes, even Amazon. KDP, meanwhile, handles Amazon orders directly and quickly.
You’d think it would be smooth. It isn’t. Simply put, Amazon doesn’t like outsiders. Despite technically accepting IngramSpark books, Amazon often:
• Marks them “out of stock” or “unavailable”
• Doesn’t offer shipping to certain regions
• Hides them in search results
• Splits them into duplicate listings with no clear connection
Why? Because Amazon prefers anyone to use their printing service. It’s faster, cheaper for them, and keeps everything in-house.
I use both, because I care about accessibility and design integrity. But that does come at a cost. Now I’m sitting here with the same book, but two different versions.
If you search for Fragmented Echoes on Amazon, you’ll see something strange: Two paperback versions in the same listing. One is priced cheaper and usually immediately ready to ship (via KDP). One has no price, a higher price, no stock, long shipping times etc, and a quiet little publisher line: Sofia Yorke. That’s my Ingram version.
Both contain the exact same words. But the print quality, cover colour, and paper stock are slightly different. KDP prints darker. The cover shifts in tone and colouring. Unfortunately, this is mostly out of my control. I could spend days trying to fix the cover to align more closely with my original design. But the truth is, I don’t have the design expertise to fix it in just a few attempts. I would have to tweak, upload, wait for approval etc until it is the way it is supposed to look.
You might think, well who cares? I do. To me, it matters.
If you're wondering which one you should buy? If you're in a hurry or live in one of those countries that Amazon likes to exclude Ingramspark indie authors from? Order the KDP version. It's faster, more reliably in stock, and perfectly readable.
If you care about the subtleties of print, the way the cover was meant to look, order the Ingram version through indie bookstores, Bookshop.org, or wherever you usually buy your books online.
Right now, I’m keeping both editions up. Not merged. Not simplified. Because they each serve a purpose.
Publishing as an indie means working with imperfect systems. Amazon isn’t built for nuance. But my books are.
If you ever notice strange listings, price discrepancies, or availability issues, it’s not an accident. It’s the ecosystem we’re working in. I’ll keep adapting around it, but I won’t compromise the soul of the work just to please an algorithm.
Thanks for being here.
Thanks for reading the fine print (literally and metaphorically).
Sofia
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