Spines vs KDP: As you research your options as an independent author, you will undoubtedly come across the companies that dominate the self-publishing market (BookBaby, Ingram Sparks, and a slew of others). With a wealth of choices, it can be difficult to decide which option is right for your specific needs. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is one of the industry’s most popular choices, and Amazon’s pedigree and global reach make it a tough competitor.
Spines is new to the self-publishing world, but it has a progressive vision to revolutionize the industry with use of artificial intelligence technology to shorten the proofreading, editing, and formatting labor process and significantly cut costs without sacrificing the quality of the resulting product. Spines also boasts a world-class in-house design and editing team, as well as the opportunity to digitally distribute your book across 100+ channels all from their platform.
You’ll find that KDP and Spines differ greatly in processes, prices and services. Let’s break down how these two companies (and their packages) compare.
Spines vs KDP: Pricing
Kindle Direct Publishing offers a compelling sales pitch – as long as you have the manuscript, cover and design elements ready to upload to their platform, publishing your book is quick and free, allowing authors to have instant digital copies of their book immediately available in Kindle stores worldwide. Unfortunately, this is all KDP offers authors, so they are on their own to outsource their own distribution and marketing.
Spines’ lowest tiered Basic Plan ([db_wc_production_price id=”6852″]; monthly subscription available starting at $20/month for distribution) gives authors basic proofreading, formatting and design services, so that even if you are in need of editing and design help, you can have production help at an affordable price, all managed by Spines’ in-house staff. The Basic Plan also offers a consultation with a production manager, so you can review your materials with a Spines representative before you publish. Spines also includes accessing countless channels of distribution, while KDP does not handle distribution, leaving it to the author to manage distributors independently. KDP warns that your book must meet a list of strict requirements to be accepted for expanded distribution through retailers and bookstores – and you are on your own in assuring your files meet the requirements. In comparison with KDP, Spines offers all-inclusive packages, acting as your publishing team from the early part of the process (like editing and proofreading) to book cover design, formatting, distribution, and marketing, all from Spines’ platform. Most importantly, you will have both AI technology and Spines staff guiding you every step of the way, so you can avoid costly mistakes.
In essence, you get what you pay for – and since the majority of independent authors are not publishing professionals, choosing a company that can provide the same services major publishing houses would provide puts authors at a huge advantage.
Royalties
KDP offers 70% of your book’s revenue, but you are responsible for your own distribution and production, so your net revenue will be minus whatever those costs are. You also have the opportunity to sign up for their Expanded Distribution program, which is just permission to make your book available to distributors. This, however, is not a guarantee that your book will be accepted by distributors; KDP promises only 40% net revenue if your book is accepted by distributors.
Spines also offers 70% royalties for your sales after distributor cuts, while including production and distribution costs in their packages. Though Spines has upfront costs, being able to centralize your production and distribution costs with one company can be an easier, more streamlined choice; the alternative is to manage accounts on several different platforms, and potentially be paid a variable amount in royalties based on each company’s policy.
Book Maintenance
Because KDP does not offer services in proofreading or editing your work, you may find book maintenance is a lengthy process if you are not careful. Though you do not have to pay for edits, it is your responsibility to make sure your book is ready for print, which means you risk printing and distributing a book that has errors, leaving you having to pull your book from shelves and start the process over again. If you are outsourcing for proofreading and editing, chances are this won’t be an issue.
Spines offers each customer their own production manager who will look over all of their final proofs before publishing, and also offer proofreading and editing services for manuscripts in their mid and top tier packages. Having a devoted Spines representative can be immensely helpful in reducing errors and miscommunication in the book maintenance process.
Distribution
KDP directly handles distribution of eBooks in the Kindle marketplace, worldwide, but you will have to outsource the distribution of physical copies of your book. You may also enroll in Expanded Distribution, which makes your book available to other distributors, but it does not guarantee your book will be accepted and sold with them.
Spines handles distribution with over 100+ companies, at a competitive rate, in all of their packages, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, Baker & Taylor, Adlibris, Bookazine, Books Express, Book Depository and Ingram. Spines offers a 70% revenue after online retailer cuts/print costs, and the convenience of managing your inventory and sales all on their platform, which streamlines the process for authors considerably.
Timing
Most of KDPs limited services are as simple as uploading your files, so publishing can take only about 24-48 hours. Within that, the author is expected to already have a finished product. In addition, KDP has a comprehensive technical guide that acts as a FAQ and troubleshooting reference for customers, but customers are otherwise on their own to sort out uploading issues, file requirements, and a final proofread.
A Spines customer’s average publishing time is 8-12 days, but that can also include manuscript editing and proofreading, cover design, and other elements that would need to be otherwise outsourced. Considering these steps can take months with publishers, 8-12 days is a very quick turnaround time. This is thanks to Spines’ revolutionary method of using AI technology to do a first glance for book and design errors, allowing authors to cut down on labor costs. Customers are then assigned a devoted production manager who takes one more look, and walks the customer through their order before sending the final materials to distributors. Especially as a first-time author, having your publisher help you every step of the way is a uniquely personal touch that makes Spines stand out as a competitor.
Languages Supported
Currently, KDP offers customers the ability to upload books with content and metadata in 44+ languages. Currently, Spines only offers services in English – a huge aspect of the publishing services Spines seeks to expand moving forward.
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If you are an author who has digital files of your book ready to be published, it can be a good idea to upload your book to KDP, since the process is free and using their service can give you a headstart on digital book sales. However, since KDP doesn’t handle distribution with other retailers, your best bet is to pay for an all-inclusive package like Spines’, which ensures you’ll get maximum royalties across retailers and the accessibility of handling sales across platforms on Spines’ site.
If you’re a first time author and are unsure how to get your manuscript ready to be published, Spines’ packages are designed to assist with everything from your manuscript and cover design to managing sales and marketing of your book, with Spines staff helping you every step of the way. Having excellent customer support is invaluable to those at the beginning of their publishing journey – and Spines’ publishing platform promises that in spades. If you’re looking for a publishing company that can act as your one-stop shop from start to finish, Spines is a compelling option.
