social media strategy
Thinking About Your Social Media Strategy
April 7, 2023
Book Printing Cost increase
Book Printing Cost Increase
June 12, 2023
Show all

Getting Stress Free Support from IngramSpark and KDP

Getting Support from IngramSpark and KDP

By now, authors know that getting stress free support from IngramSpark and KDP for even the most basic questions can be a daunting task. You either can’t get live support or your questions aren’t answered properly. There are also some questions that expose how two of the most popular self-publishing platforms don’t complement each other with a seamless process, even though they cater to the same audience. How frustrating!

As a publisher and marketing agency, we have been dealing with both companies for a long time. This is not a new problem. When a support issue arises for our publishing company Stress Free Kids, my heart starts to beat faster, and I find myself doing eye rolls. It shouldn’t be this way, but providing proper support in any industry is a challenge. And the pandemic made things worse in my opinion.

Below is some information on support services offered by both IngramSpark and KDP along with 5 suggestions for getting stress free customer support.

Getting Support from IngramSpark

IngramSpark has several options for getting customer support. In 2021 they replaced live phone support with email support 24/7. Response time is listed as 1 day but most of the time it’s faster than that. Authors can get many of their questions answered through their Most Frequently Searched Questions section on their website or the IngramSpark Author Community Facebook Page.

Another service IngramSpark is offering is a one-on-one paid service called IngramSpark Connect where they offer a virtual appointment with a dedicated team of book publishing professionals. Right now, this service is $49.00 for 60 minutes and $25.00 for 30 minutes. *This service is intended to address questions related to the IngramSpark platform and general title setup questions. IngramSpark will not advise on certain topics, such as pricing, discounts, and/or metadata-related fields. 

Our thoughts: We find the representatives to be knowledgeable and willing to escalate an issue if they can’t resolve it. We have had to adapt to email support and find answers through other creative ways.

Getting Support from KDP (Amazon) 

KDP customer support team is available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some topics allow you to receive a call from a dedicated representative, email in a question, or Live Chat. You need to be logged into your account to receive this support. KDP breaks down the topics with an easy-to-navigate sidebar menu. Once you choose the topic you will be given the appropriate way to contact support.

Our thoughts: live support is the only way to deal with questions for KDP as most of the emails sent in receive a generic response back. The cultural and language barrier creates a ton of frustration in trying to resolve the most basic questions. Reps that support one group (Amazon ads, Author Central and KDP) cannot help you with questions outside of their own group so be prepared to make multiple calls.

5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Customer Support

  • Emailing your question- when you choose this option be clear, precise, and detailed. Provide the ISBN or ASIN for the title in question and keep the email to the point. There is little need to explain the back story, so just ask the question, or tell them what you want to do. The more detailed you are the greater the chance you will get your question resolved. Although support responses have improved over the years, they are not without their challenges.
  • Speak over the phone if possible- this will minimize the frustrating situations where your question is not answered or gets a generic response. You will cover a lot more ground when using this option.
  • Consider asking one question at a time- this strategy is a good one, especially for complicated situations where multiple actions need to be taken. It might take a little more time to get all your questions answered but it will be less frustrating.
  • Use the internet for general questions- try searching for common questions online. Although there is conflicting information about almost every topic, there are reliable resources to follow and learn from. You can search on industry organization websites like the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) or Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) or look for reliable resources to contact.
  • Be patient and friendly- if you are planning your self-publishing campaign properly you will have the time to get questions answered, even if it takes a day or so. Make sure you don’t put unreasonable deadlines on your process as that can lead to frustration and mistakes. We all know that these support reps have a tough job and kindness goes a long way.

There are so many things to learn when publishing a book. Proper planning and a mentor to help you along the way will avoid wasting time and money. There is a right way to self-publish a book and learning this way is critical for any author, especially those who want to publish multiple books. Stress Free Book Marketing is not just a marketing agency. We also are a publisher of our own titles and offer guided self-publishing services that will bring your written words to life with 100% satisfaction.

 

Rick Lite, the founder of Stress Free Book Marketing, stands at the forefront of the ever-changing book industry. He is a seasoned sales and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in the book industry. Rick’s experience comes from tirelessly working on new and innovative ways to promote books. Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and growth, Rick works closely with authors to create custom, robust book marketing programs. His easygoing manner provides “stress-free” support and comfort to authors going through the self-publishing and marketing process for the first time. Rick is quick to share his knowledge and “insider tips” for a successful campaign that will lead to increased exposure, awareness, and most importantly, sales. You can read more about Rick and his success in the book industry by visiting his website at www.StressFreeBookMarketing.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *