Updated December 19, 2024

BISAC subject codes are essentially genre codes. These codes guide shelving, categorization, merchandising, and marketing efforts. BISAC codes help signal to potential buyers, retailers, distributors, and search engines what your book is about – the primary genre(s), topic(s), and theme(s) that matter in regard to your book. Without these codes, readers and those within the industry cannot identify what your book is about or if they'd like to stock or read it. 

On this day, internationally recognized as a day dedicated to expressing our love for one another, we on the IngramSpark team would like to write a little love note to our first love: books. And you can't have books without authors, so this one's for you too, authors! We love books so much that we decided to make careers out of helping authors create them and share them with the world through our book distribution services. We believe in the power and value of books (above all) and the magic that authors create every time they publish one, but on a more personal level, this is why we love books and authors:

If you want your book to look professional and ready for readers, it’s worth taking a little time to get things right before you hit “upload.” Once your files are uploaded, they’ll go through review, printing, and distribution—so following a few simple guidelines now can save you from paying extra fees or fixing avoidable mistakes later. Think of this as your quick checklist to make sure your book is good to go the first time.

Aside from good writing, one of the key components of a successful book is finding a niche market. Because self-publishing has become so popular, there are literally thousands of books on any given subject on the market. Experienced book publishers will tell you that finding a niche market is the best way to get your book read. But how do you find one that works for you?

In the past, publishing a book usually involved a traditional publishing house, an elite team of agents and publishers, and many high slush piles. Thankfully, that picture has evolved. There are more independent publishers than ever, which gives more authors a chance to publish a book and to realize their dreams of sharing their books with readers worldwide, giving authors and independent publishers opportunities to grow professionally and reach more people. Learn how to distribute self-published books with these ways to expand your reach as a self-publisher.

Updated September 27, 2024

Independent publishing has existed for centuries. Whether it’s a small indie press recognizing the worth of an author’s work or an author using a modern platform to self-publish, it requires a genuinely entrepreneurial spirit to succeed in the industry.

Writer’s fatigue and writer’s block are similar concepts. Whereas blocks can happen at any point in the writing process, even before you’ve begun, fatigue normally occurs after extended periods of writing. The condition is frustrating, emotionally draining, and affects confidence.