KDP + IngramSpark Dual Distribution Strategy

How Mindful Machines Press runs “wide” distribution: Amazon KDP direct for Amazon, IngramSpark for everywhere else. Covers ISBN rules, the Amazon-channel conflict, and the tax paperwork both platforms require.

The core strategy

• Amazon (ebook and/or print): publish directly via KDP, not enrolled in KDP Select (Select requires 90-day Amazon exclusivity, which is incompatible with wide distribution).
• Everywhere else (Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, libraries/Overdrive, international print-on-demand): publish via IngramSpark.
• Both use the same ISBN for the same edition/format — this is correct and standard, not a mistake. An ISBN identifies an edition, not a sales channel.

ISBN rules

• You must own the ISBN (not one of Amazon’s free ones) to safely reuse it across platforms this way. MMP holds an owned 10-block via Bowker.
• Each format needs its own distinct ISBN: paperback ≠ hardback ≠ ebook. Never reuse one ISBN across formats — this was a real mix-up caught mid-setup on The Rope and the Algorithm (a number initially labeled “Paperback ISBN” turned out to actually be the intended Ebook ISBN — the fix was correcting the label/field, not the number).
• When setting up the ebook title in IngramSpark, do not let the wizard assign a free IngramSpark-owned ISBN — always enter your own from the block. A free IngramSpark ISBN locks the imprint name to “Indy Pub” and ties that ISBN to IngramSpark exclusively.

The Amazon-channel conflict — the one thing to get right every time

IngramSpark’s own distribution setup screen carries this exact warning:

“If you have provided ebooks to Amazon via a direct relationship within the last 12 months, we will not be able to provide the service to you through IngramSpark for those same ISBNs. If this is the case, please do not check ‘Opt In.’”

Rule: leave “Amazon (Ebook)” un-opted-in inside IngramSpark for any ISBN you’re also publishing directly through KDP. Opting in on both sides creates a duplicate-listing conflict on Amazon that you did not intend and that’s hard to untangle after the fact.

• Opt in to Apple (Ebook), Lightning Source Sharjah, and any other non-Amazon channel offered — this is exactly the “wide” setup working as intended.
• This Amazon-specific caution applies to the ebook distribution step. For print, IngramSpark distributing to Amazon is normal and desired — there’s no equivalent conflict unless you’re also separately running that exact paperback ISBN through KDP Print directly (uncommon for MMP’s setup; confirm case-by-case if it comes up).

Tax paperwork — same for both platforms, only done once per structure

Both KDP and IngramSpark are US platforms and will run a W-8BEN tax interview before paying out royalties to a non-US publisher.

• As an Australian individual/sole trader, this drops US withholding on royalties from the 30% default to 5% under the Australia–US tax treaty — claimed just by entering your Australian TFN as the Foreign Tax ID on the W-8BEN. No US ITIN or EIN needed.
• If MMP is ever incorporated as a Pty Ltd company instead, the company would file a W-8BEN-E and needs its own EIN — one more step to add if/when that switch happens. See the Author/Publisher Business Setup Notes (Australia) guide for the full sole-trader-vs-company reasoning.

Reusable checklist for the next title

• Same ISBN used consistently across KDP and IngramSpark for the same format/edition
• Different ISBN for each distinct format (paperback / hardback / ebook)
• Not enrolled in KDP Select if running wide distribution
• “Amazon (Ebook)” left OFF in IngramSpark’s distribution opt-ins for any ISBN also live directly on KDP
• Apple, Lightning Source Sharjah, and other non-Amazon channels opted IN
• W-8BEN filed with Australian TFN as Foreign Tax ID on both platforms