Welcome to IngramSpark!
We're so happy you have decided to use the IngramSpark platform to publish your content using the Print on Demand print services of Lightning Source and Ingram's global distribution services for print and digital products!
PLEASE NOTE: Account-holders should only maintain a single IngramSpark account. If multiple accounts are determined to be active in IngramSpark, Lightning Source may choose to cancel titles and/or close account(s) found to be in violation. In some circumstances, you may be asked to consolidate titles (via title transfer) into a single account, any additional accounts will be closed.
This article provides detailed step-by-step instructions for the account setup process.
Here’s what you need to start the process:
- Valid email address
- Credit card to keep on file in your secure account (can be changed at any time or others added)
- Tax ID number (because as a publisher, you are also considered a business owner)
- Banking information or PayPal information (US) (for direct deposit of what you earn for every book sold through our global distribution network)
It's important to complete the account setup process as quickly as possible to avoid systematic deletion of your account. Click HERE to learn why your account may be deleted.
The countries listed below have enacted legislation accepting electronic signatures as enforceable, which IngramSpark requires. If you or your business are located in the following countries, you are able to open an IngramSpark account:
For print books (updated August 2019):
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Macao, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Virgin Islands (US)
For ebooks (updated August 2019):
Austria, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States
To begin the account setup process, go to www.ingramspark.com
You can click on one of the links at the top of the page to learn more or scroll down and find out what all IngramSpark has to offer.
If you are ready to create an account click on the CREATE ACCOUNT button to get started
1. Add your CONTACT NAME
2. Add your EMAIL ADDRESS. This is the email address you will always use to log in to your account and cannot be changed.
3. CREATE A PASSWORD. It must be between 8 and 12 characters (no more, no less) and include 1 number, 1 letter, and 1 special character (As an example, it could be 1 of these: ! @ # $ % & )
4. Retype your password to VALIDATE PASSWORD.
5. Click the box I'M NOT A ROBOT and then click CREATE ACCOUNT
Next, you will see the message shown below.
Check the email you signed up with for an email from ingramsparksupport@ingramcontent.com
Click on the blue link in the email to move on to the next step. You have 7 days to click on the link and continue the account setup process, or you will need to start over.
As the email states, if the link doesn't work, try copying and pasting it in your browser.
If you clicked the link in the email from ingramsparksupport@ingramcontent.com, you have verified your email address is valid and will receive the message shown below.
Click the LOG IN link at the top of the page to log in and start setting up your account.
Now, you can review the TERMS OF USE and PRIVACY POLICY documents, which you can access by clicking on the words (shown circled in red below). These are hyperlinks that will take you to the documents. You can also access these documents here:
https://www.ingramspark.com/terms-of-use
https://www.ingramspark.com/privacy-policy
Click AGREE and move on to the next step.
Further below is an image of the first page of the account setup for Business Information.
1. The Progress Bar shows you how far along you are in the account setup process.
2. The Question Mark Icon. Throughout your IngramSpark account, you will see an icon of a question mark inside a bubble. You can click on the icon to learn more about the information you will provide in that field.
3. Business Or Legal Name
Help text: If applicable, enter the name of the Parent Company. This is especially applicable if your firm is a subsidiary and/or imprint of another firm.
If you are a writer or author and do not own a business, you can use your legal name. Whether you use a business name or your legal name, it should match the bank account we will deposit your earnings to, for books sold through our distribution network.
4. Contact Name
Enter the contact name of the person responsible for the account.
5. Form of Business
Help text: Use the pull-down menu to select your form of business (i.e. Corporation, Sole Proprietor, LLC, etc.)
If you are unsure what to select, you can look up the definition of each type of business listed. Many individuals who do not own a business select Sole Proprietor.
6. What Best Describes You?
From the pull-down menu select one description that best fits you. This will help us provide the best information for your publishing journey, which will appear on your account dashboard, also known as the Home page.
7. Country
From the pull-down menu select the country the Sole Proprietor or the business resides in.
8. Address Line 1 (and line 2 if needed)
Provide the street address where the Sole Proprietor or the business is located. Do not provide a Post Office Box.
9. City
Provide the city where the Sole Proprietor or the business is located.
10. State/Providence
Provide the state or province where the Sole Proprietor or the business is located.
11. Phone
Provide a valid phone number where the Sole Proprietor or the business can be reached.
11a. IMPORTANT NOTE
The phone number entered will be shared with the shipping company selected when an order is submitted by the Sole Proprietor or the business. IngramSpark is not liable for undeliverable shipments where a valid phone number is not provided.
Click continue to move on to the next page.
Please be sure to select a security question and provide an answer you will remember. If you should forget your password, it will make the process of resetting your password much easier and quicker for you. Be sure to click SAVE!
AGREEMENTS
In the image further below, you will see 3 agreements you can read and accept. Click on the title of the agreement, which is a hyperlink, so you can see the full agreement.
- Global Print & Ebook Agreement- Click the "I Accept" box for this if you want an IngramSpark account.
- Apple (Agency) Ebook Agreement - Click the "I Accept" box for this if you want your ebook sold on Apple's iBookstore.
- Amazon (Kindle) Ebook Agreement - Click the "I Accept" box for this if you would like us to supply your ebook to Amazon Kindle. If you have supplied any ebooks to Amazon Kindle during the past 12 months, we will not be able to distribute your ebooks to Amazon, due to your prior agreement with them. Please do not check this box and accept the agreement.
- We also provide a link to the IngramSpark Price Sheet, which you can also access here. You can view available trim sizes, binding types, page count minimums and maximums, and the print cost for each product type we offer.
- You will also see a link to the IngramSpark User Guide, which you will access in the Help section of your IngramSpark account and you can access it here. Please download this guide and use it for reference, as it will help answer any questions you have while using your IngramSpark account.
Signature Type in your legal name into the signature field.
Title Type in your title or role with your company, such as owner, publisher, president, CEO, etc. in the title field. Please do not type in the title of a book.
6. Electronic Signature: By electronically completing the fields in the signature section below, you, (i) are agreeing to use electronic signatures to execute the Agreement, (ii) are agreeing to be subject to the provisions of the U.S. E-SIGN Act (i.e., the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN, 15 U.S.C. ch.96) and (iii) the country in which your company resides is listed herein and has enacted legislation accepting electronic signatures as enforceable. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Macao, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Virgin Islands (US).
After you add the account information and click the SIGN AGREEMENTS button you are welcomed to IngramSpark (image below). However, your account is not fully set up and you cannot submit any new titles until all the steps of the account setup process are completed.
You will need to:
- Complete Publisher Compensation (so we can pay you for distribution book sales)
- Add Publisher Payment (so you can pay us)
- Enter Tax Information (if required)
If you prefer, you can click the VISIT DASHBOARD button and learn more about IngramSpark and your dashboard or home page.
Click the FINISH SETTING UP MY ACCOUNT button to complete the process.
VISIT THE DASHBOARD
If you clicked VISIT DASHBOARD, this is where you land! (image below)
- A) Home page, all known as the dashboard and the page you are seeing.
- B) A reminder to finish setting up your account. You'll click the SETUP ACCOUNT button.
- C) Important Business Updates share information such as how long it takes to print a book is listed here. Check it often!
- D) Important Notices share information about changes to be aware of.
- E) Upload a title after you finish setting up your account. If you do not have print-ready digital files you can use the Book Building tool to create the files we need to print from.
- F) Marketing recommended articles to help you in your publishing journey.
- G) SUPPORT! Click this button to access our Help Center where information is stored which you can access 7 days a week, 24 hours a day to help answer your questions. Click the Help Center button and begin typing in the search field to find information.
If you attempt to set up a book/new title before completing the account setup, you will see this message and will not be able to go further. You will need to finish setting up your account and then may have to re-enter the information for your book.
If you've taken a tour of the dashboard and visited other pages, we recommend you continue with the account setup process.
When you click the SETUP ACCOUNT button you land on the PUBLISHER COMPENSATION page, shown below.
Select a currency to be paid in when we pay you for books sold through Ingram's global distribution network. Choose carefully, as you will only be able to change this one time, in your account.
Click continue, almost done!
A) Below is an image of what you see if you select US currency.
NOTE: Be sure to select the correct currency for your compensation payments because you will not be able to change it.
B) Depending on the currency you choose, you'll be asked to provide banking information to deposit your compensation earnings. We can deposit your payment for earnings into checking accounts. We do not deposit into savings accounts.
C) PayPal is an available option for US currency payments.
D) Make sure you enter your complete email address if you want to be notified of deposits.
E) Click SAVE
F) Click CONTINUE or you can go to the dashboard.
PUBLISHER PAYMENT
IngramSpark accepts credit cards for payment of fees and services as described here and in the image below:
Because some transactions require a valid credit or debit card, you will need to provide this information within your account. This includes fees related to title setup, revisions, manufacturing, and distribution. The credit card information is encrypted for your security and can only be entered and changed by the account owner.
Agreement to Pay by Credit Card: By entering credit card information on this site, you hereby agree to the following: You are the Cardholder of the Credit Card provided or have the authority to sign on behalf of the Cardholder and shall immediately notify Lightning Source LLC. ("LSI") should any of the foregoing change. You hereby grant authorization to LSI to charge Your and/or Client/ Publisher's credit card for all orders placed by Client/Publisher over the Lightning Source website and in advance of Services or shipment. Said orders will be charged to Your and/or Client/Publisher’s credit card upon order submission. You further grant LSI authorization to charge the credit card for all additional services and fees incurred in accordance with the contract(s) between LSI and Client/Publisher. These fees may include, without limitation, digital catalog fees, title setup fees, title setup revisions, and custom work, advertising, and international freight and customs invoices, as applicable. You retain the right to dispute amounts charged to the credit card within 30 days of the charge if you legitimately believe the charge is erroneous or inconsistent with contract(s) between LSI and Client/Publisher. All disputed transactions will be researched by LSI on a timely basis and will either be credited to the cardholder or become due and payable, depending on the outcome of our research.
Click ADD NEW CARD button to add your credit card.
A form will appear for you to complete and provide your Credit Card Billing Information.
Click SUBMIT
After you submit the billing information for your card, you will see the image below, displaying the last 4 digits of your card and the expiration date.
Notice the status bar... almost done!
TAX INFORMATION
The last step is to add your tax information. If you will be selling and shipping your book to addresses in the US, you may need to submit tax forms for reselling products, to avoid being charged sales tax on those orders.
A) Select the country you or your business is located in. This will provide you with the required tax information needed for your account.
B) Enter your taxpayer ID. If you do not own a business, you will enter your social security number, for tax purposes.
C) Select the type of tax number you provided.
D) If you do not have a business that is incorporated, select the state you or your business are located in.
E) Electronically sign by typing in your name and your title (publisher, owner, etc) Please do not type in the name of your book.
"By electronically signing your name you hereby agree to accept the terms and conditions specified in the agreement and the provisions concerning the use of electronic signatures."
Click SAVE. After you click save, an image of the tax doc with your Info will appear for you to verify.
F) Claim US Tax Exemption. If you have tax reseller affidavits, click this button to add the tax information to your account.
G) Upload tax documents. Click the button to upload any tax documents you provided information for, to exempt you from paying sales tax.
If you have any questions about claiming a tax exemption, please visit the "Sales Tax Information" page in our Help Center.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have finished setting up your account and can now begin setting up a title. Email support with any questions at IngramSparkSupport@IngramContent.com
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