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I recently decided to overhaul my backlist to ensure everything like covers and blurbs are as perfect as I can make them. I also want to go as wide as possible with my books, including setting them up for purchase as paperbacks (maybe even hardbacks) and audiobooks.

The Genehunter is kind of my guinea pig book; it’s the one I always pick first for these things. I’ve done quite a bit to it: re-encoded it in ePub3 format and updated its cover and so on.

It’s now also available in paperback. I’ve decided to use two distributors: Amazon KDP for Amazon (obvs) and Ingram Spark for everyone else. So far as I can tell, this gives me the best combination of wide availablity and integration with the mighty Amazon. I have acquired an ISBN (978-1-9993395-0-0, oh yes) and soon I’ll be sending a copy of Simms’ adventures off to the British Library as it’s now a paperback published in the UK. Pretty cool.

It’s interesting to compare the quality of Ingram Spark’s printing to Amazon’s though. My Ingram Spark version looks really good. It’s exactly how I hoped it would look. The Amazon verion though? Not so much. The paper isn’t as good and it isn’t as well printed and my sample copy came with a massive crease right down the front cover. It’s poor.

Maybe I was unlucky. I’ll certainly leave my KDP Print version up on Amazon – but I’m very glad I went Ingram Spark too. In my view, they’re the ones to use for professional indie paperback publshing…