Self-publishing with IngramSpark gets you access to one of the largest wholesale book distributors in the world, which means thousands of retailers and libraries can easily order your book. However, these places are concentrated in English-speaking countries or where English is often learned as a second language. With the Global Connect Program (GCP), you can achieve a truly global reach that will get your book in the hands of people who otherwise might never hear of it.
How Does It Work?
In markets that aren't currently served directly by Ingram, we've developed partnerships with trusted and vetted printers. Bookstores in those markets can purchase high-quality printed books from the printer that’s near them, saving on overseas shipping costs for the stores. Shipments will also be received much sooner. When bookstores don’t have to worry about shipping, currency exchange, or import/export issues, they're much more likely to stock your book.
When you create an IngramSpark account and upload your book, you'll need to enter a U.S. retail price and wholesale discount for each title. At that time, we’ll make your titles available to each current GCP market as well as any additional markets that become part of the program in the future.
When you add pricing in one market, it's automatically calculated for the other markets, and you're compensated just the same as when your book is ordered by your local bookstore.
There are a couple of things to be aware of:
- Drop ship orders are not available through this program
- Any order manufactured by Global Connect or printer partners will be subject to print signatures based on the equipment used as that location. Print signatures are the number of pages that are printed at one time on a single sheet of paper.
What Are Some of the Benefits of the Global Connect Program?
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- Eliminate shipping costs to foreign markets
- Eliminate the guesswork of determining how much inventory to print and ship
- Remove the risk of offering a title to the global market with low or unknown sales potential
- Never miss a sale in these markets
- Make titles available without dealing with the local printer, unsecure file distribution, or currency exchange
- Possible frontlist solution into foreign language markets
- Books sold in the Global Connect markets are non-returnable
Currently, the Global Connect Program markets are Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, and South Africa. You can find more details on the printers in each country here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What currency am I paid in?
All payments to the publisher are calculated in US$ and paid in the currency the publisher normally receives. The payment currencies supported today are USD, GBP, AUD, EUR, and CAD.
Who sets the price in the local market?
The publisher provides a price they will be paid for each book in US$ and the printer partner will convert this to their local currency, add margin and print cost, and then determine the price to sell the book in their market and their currency.
How often do I receive reporting?
We provide sales reports for GCP sales monthly within the existing U.S. POD publisher comp statements. You can also generate reports from your IngramSpark account. This can be found under Reports > Print Sales Reports. Select the option for the Global Connect/Espresso report. If viewing online, be sure to deselect the option for POD.
Can I remove pricing from a particular GCP market?
No. Participation in the GCP requires you to offer pricing in all GCP markets.
When do I get paid?
Payments are made to the publisher 90 days from the end of the month in which the sales are received and reported.
The Global Connect Program is especially helpful for those who have written a book in a foreign language or want to get their book translated. Many self-published authors have had a second wave of success selling their books in another language, whether they're bilingual themselves or used translation services.
You might be concerned about how you’d be able to enter a market all the way across the world, but if you’ve written a book that can delight, educate, or capture readers, rest assured that IngramSpark can get it to them.
