As authors we must balance the best way to make a profit from our writing. Amazon, with a market share of about 68% for ebooks is a no brainer, with the only question whether or not to make it exclusive for the KENP Page Reads or to have the ebook available on multiple outlets. That’s a whole other article.
For print books, it is recommended to place on Amazon without the expanded distribution (meaning it only sells on Amazon platforms), and also to place the print edition(same ISBN) on Ingram Spark so that it is available for our ages by bookstores and libraries.
IngramSpark gives independent authors and small publishers access to a global distribution network, but its return policy poses a serious challenge. The book trade operates on a consignment model: bookstores order books, attempt to sell them, and return unsold copies for credit. For authors, this creates significant financial risk because refunds are based on wholesale prices, and printing costs are never recovered.
When a book is listed as returnable, bookstores are far more willing to order it. Setting a 50–55% wholesale discount makes the book competitive in the retail market. However, the costs of returns can be substantial.
If a book is listed at $14.99, a bookstore pays $7.50 wholesale (50% discount). Printing costs might be $4.00 per copy. If 30 books are returned, the author must refund $225 (30 × $7.50) while also losing $120 in printing costs (30 × $4.00).
The author can also choose Return to Publisher or Return and Destroy.
Return to Publisher: The author pays shipping for the returned books, adding roughly $2–$4 per copy. In this example, the total loss per returned book is about $14.50, or $435 for 30 books—plus unwanted inventory.
Return and Destroy: The author still refunds the wholesale price and loses the printing cost, but avoids shipping fees. The loss per returned book drops to about $11.50, or $345 for 30 books.
Making a book non‑returnable eliminates this risk entirely—every order generates profit—but bookstores and libraries almost never stock non‑returnable titles. While online retailers like Amazon are unaffected by return settings, physical store opportunities become extremely limited.
It’s not always an easy choice:
For authors seeking bookstore placement or library orders, making a book returnable is usually necessary, at least for the launch phase. However, the safest approach is to choose “Return and Destroy” rather than “Return to Publisher.” This avoids costly shipping fees and the burden of unsold inventory while still keeping the book attractive to retailers.
A Hybrid Strategy: After a promotional period, authors can switch to non‑returnable to protect profits for long‑term online sales. This hybrid strategy balances exposure with financial responsibility, giving independent authors the best chance of success without absorbing unnecessary losses.
What’s your preferred method? What results have you found?
~W
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