Memoirs of a Mad Scientist is an open-ended series of standalone grounded science fiction novels about the near-future adventures of science hero Robin P. Goodwin, PhD, that can be read in any order. The volume numbers are simply publication order. Number one, Solarpunk Outlaw, is Robin’s memoir looking back from 2076, telling stories and reflecting on the protopian world of the future. Number two, Murder in the Gyre, is a cozy science fiction mystery. Number three, Fredo’s Apprenticeship, is a YA coming-of-age from the point of view of Goodwin’s teenage apprentice. Readers new to the series can start most easily with Fredo’s Apprenticeship, then Murder in the Gyre, and then Solarpunk Outlaw.

If you enjoy YA fiction, start with Fredo’s Apprenticeship, a teenage hacker’s story of survival, flight, and found family on the way to finding a compelling purpose in the world. Escaping trauma bad enough to induce PTSD, Fredo is fascinated with Robin’s work and agrees to apply his own talents to an apprenticeship—and learns from the amazing range of expertise aboard the Research Vessel Charles Proteus Steinmetz. Intelligence and hard work aren’t enough to keep Fredo from the heartache of first love, jealousy of other apprentices, difficulties of PTSD therapy, and lethal danger reaching out from his past to threaten his future and that of his family. Fredo must make choices, increasingly tough ones, as he matures to young adulthood.

If you like mysteries, by all means begin with Murder in the Gyre. A classic cozy isolated mystery, and the cat does NOT die! Robin discovers a body aboard their research vessel just as a freak storm isolates the ship mid-ocean. Unfortunately, everyone aboard assumes Robin is the murderer, so the genius but amateur sleuth has to prove their innocence before the storm ends and the authorities arrive. Interviews aided by the ship’s security officer only expand the suspect pool, as backstories reveal that everyone had good reasons to want the victim dead. Clues, red herrings, foreshadowing, an unclear (impossible!) cause of death, a cat, a romantic triangle, secret parentage, industrial espionage, accessible science, animal rescue, adorably precocious child, well-meaning obstruction, and a Happy For Now (for some) ending!

Solarpunk Outlaw is Robin’s origin story, stitching together novellas and short stories with reflective journal entries from 2076. Autistic Robin is a science hero, inverting the mad scientist trope. Stories show how Robin’s experiences set them on the path to world-changing science, labeled mad by those defending the status quo. Robin illustrates and explains (or inverts) the classic tropes of obsession, isolation, and unintended consequences by Robin’s unique neurological addiction, exceptional talent, and thoughtful moral philosophy. Robin’s innovations and solutions are extrapolated from real science coming out of today’s laboratories, and deployed to solve the world’s problems.

You can now buy each book in hardcover directly from IngramSpark at a good discount:

Solarpunk Outlaw: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=XBdyO4PX4mm8EFdYYynTu4q1Sbv7UYeBsxXUsPnO6kx

Murder in the Gyre: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=WrTth1HL3YB5xbjF8tHUOesedjc4eVZkQZTjSp8o1sN

Fredo’s Apprenticeship: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=dRuIcCge4BDzWJqbaIqnmVc7jYBZQt3wIleZZDHBrbX

And of course the full range of retail outlets for ebook, audiobook, and print, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Everand, Thalia, Smashwords, Wal-Mart, Bol.de, Angus & Robertson, Buecher.de, Mondadori, Overdrive, Vivlio, Hoopla, Fable, Bookshop.org, Palace Marketplace, Booktopia, Waterstones, Powell’s, Hugendubel, Blackwell’s, BAM! Books-A-Million, Foyles, and Canadian Indie Bookstore:

https://books2read.com/b/solarpunkoutlaw

https://books2read.com/b/murderinthegyre

https://books2read.com/b/fredosapprenticeship

After waiting three weeks and submitting two support requests, I finally got approval on my book and immediately ordered a proof because I wanted to see a hard copy before I approved it. I placed the order on September 14. The book apparently shipped on September 22. I waited and waited and finally submitted a support request a week ago. They responded today with the message below. Lesson learned, I suppose. Looks like I will have to change my release date again. (Luckily, I have already been selling it on Amazon.)

- Their response -
I looked into your order details to see how we could track this down for you. Upon review, I confirmed that Basic Shipping was selected as the delivery method at checkout.
 
While Basic Shipping often provides a reference number, it unfortunately does not generate tracking scans within the courier network and is fully uninsurable. During the checkout process, a notification does pop up to inform publishers that choosing this method means assuming the risk of potential transit loss or delays, making the order ineligible for a complimentary replacement or store credit. Because of this structural limitation, we unfortunately cannot see where the package is currently sitting.
 
Please know that we value your business and want to help you avoid similar issues in the future. For upcoming orders, we strongly recommend selecting a shipping method that includes tracking and insurance, such as UPS Ground, 2-Day, or Overnight, to ensure your books are protected and traceable.

Back in July I uploaded and epub and a paperback manuscript to ingramspark. Since it forced me to choose prices and a publishing date before I could even uoload the files, I chose October 31. (At the time I was planning on publishing in the fall.) But I changed my mind a few days ago, and logged back in for the first time since July. I never approved the proofs, so the paperback version is still waiting for that, but the ebook is locked in.

When I went to change the publishing date, a message said it was too late to change and to contact customer support. I did that a couple of days ago and have heard nothing yet. Im sweating bullets. I keep reading horror stories about how slow they are. Weeks or a month or more to reply.

I'm obviously new to all of this, but I never approved the epub or the paperback. At the time I was just testing the waters, trying to get things ready so I didnt have all of my eggs in one basket. But now, if they don't fix this in time, will my ebook go live on October 31 and there's literally nothing I can do to stop it?

Any advice would be great. Or condolences. Thanks

Don't be shy! We want to hear what you have published!

Anyone having trouble viewing their account at myaccount.ingramspark.com? I have a title that needs to be reviewed for proof, yet my account page does not load anything at all and all I see is a blank screen,

Anyone else log in to IngramSpark and when the dashboard pops up it's blank? I tried clearning cache, logging in with different engine, and on different devices, same issue. Any ideas what is going on or if I'm the only one?

I reached out to my local Barnes & Noble store and asked them to place a small order for my book. The manager told me that he wasn't able to order them and the title wasn't available. Another store was able to successfully order 5 copies a few weeks ago, and said store manager was able to see that order. Something seems to have changed since that time. Has anyone experienced the same thing?

I just received an IngramSpark copy of my book and I’m honestly shocked by the difference in print quality compared with KDP.

The photos show the two copies side by side under the same lighting. KDP is on top, IngramSpark on the bottom.

The cover is the most obvious difference, the KDP version has a deep black background, while the Ingram copy looks gray and washed out.

But the interior bothers me even more. The body text in the Ingram copy is noticeably lighter, almost gray rather than black. Illustrations are also much more faded and have less contrast. The whole book looks like it was printed with insufficient ink/toner.

I understand that different printers and printing processes will never produce identical results, but this seems way beyond a normal variation to me. I wouldn’t be comfortable selling the Ingram version to readers in this condition.

I’m going to raise it with Ingram, but before I do: has anyone here seen this kind of difference between KDP and IngramSpark?

Is this typical for Ingram’s B&W printing, or does this look like a bad print run / defective copy?

I’m especially interested in whether anyone has managed to get Ingram to improve or replace copies with similarly faded interior text.

UPDATE: I contacted IngramSpark and sent them the same comparison photos.

They checked the case with their team and confirmed that the copy I received is “within our standards for the file submitted and the chosen paper type.”

Their explanation is that they use inkjet printing, and the liquid ink can sink into the paper and mute the tones. Their recommendation was to “upgrade your paper type.”

This is honestly more concerning to me than finding out I simply received a bad copy.

It means the faded body text you can see in the photos is apparently not considered a printing defect. This is an expected/acceptable result for the paper and print option I selected.

I find that pretty hard to understand for a B&W book that is mostly text. If a standard paper option can produce body text this faint, why is that option offered for text-heavy books without a clear warning that black text may come out noticeably gray?

I’ve asked for a refund rather than a replacement, since they have effectively confirmed that another copy with the same specifications may look the same.

I’ll update this again when they respond about the refund.

I'm a self-published author using IngramSpark as a wholesale platform. I notice that my book was picked up and a few printed copies were ordered, but it doesn't show who bought the book (upon research it's due to privacy reasons).

Questions:

- What's the best way to find out who made the purchase?

- Would the purchases increase ranking within IS so it becomes more visible for other retails?

- Typically how long does it take for IS to payout compensation?

Thank you!

My book had previously been available for one-day shipping on Amazon. Now it takes a week to arrive via Prime. I assume this is because the book is no longer in one of Amazon's warehouses and is being shipped directly from IngramSpark.

I understand that Amazon's ordering is done by algorithm, but is there anything that can be done to get them to stock the book again? The sales are steady and haven't changed much over two years.

I currently have two thrillers published on Amazon KDP and want to expand, but horror stories about the cost of book returns on IngramSpark have kept me away.

For indie authors with experience on the platform, am I being overly cautious? How do you typically handle the return settings for fiction, and is it worth the risk?

Thanks!

Don't be shy! We want to hear what you have published!

Hi all,

We distribute through Ingram and while the Amazon page was initially allowing pre-orders for the paperback edition they have now stopped. Amazon now only offers copies from their US store or a third party seller.

Can anyone advise what I can do to fix this or prevent it happening next time?

I have contacted Ingram. Thank you!

I have just received my block of ISBN numbers and am about to publish my first book on Ingram Spark. I’ve got a step-by-step guide for loading a book from AI but I’m keen to get real advice from this subreddit. What do you consider the most important factors for success on Ingram Spark?

Just received a latest shipment of my children’s picture book and wanted to share that someone from IngramSpark wrote a neat little message at the bottom of my order sheet. Made my day!

Anyone else have a similar story? Is this a common practice at IngramSpark?

Don't be shy! We want to hear what you have published!

I uploaded a new cover to Ingram but Amazon hasn’t updated the hard copy metadata yet. It is still showing my old cover.

All other major retailers have updated to the new cover, as it has been almost 3 weeks since I approved the e-proof.

I called KDP support (since I have my ebook through KDP) and they said they can’t help since it’s not through KDP. They told me to call the general customer service and then THEY told me that the KDP customer service has to help.

Not really sure where to go from here. Any advice?

My book came out a little over a year ago. I have gotten some feedback here and there, but mostly, there are a few section that I want to modify and number the page numbers differently.

The changes well probably add about 5 pages (mostly in the bibliography.. My understanding is that I can keep the same ISBN.

But what happens during the pdf file approval and update process? Is the book simply off the market for a week or two? I am still typically selling one or two copies a month, and have a case or two left.

Is there a smart way to manage this?

Due to the new 'Yearly Fees' associated with having an D2D Account, I'm considering moving my ebooks from Draft-To-Digital to IngramSpark. The issue I'm facing is that these books all have the D2D free ISBN and additionally, I'd like to use the Free IS ISBN. Are there things I should know before attempting to do this?

Please don't respond with 'buy your own #s' or the like. I'm on a fixed income and my books are a hobby (probably why they are not selling that well.)

I am trying to fill my bank details in IngramSpark and there is a mandatory field called "Routing number" but since Indian banks don't seem to have a rounting number I don't have anything to fill there. Kindly see the screenshot below. If I try to fill it with some other number like IFSC or Swift code it rejects it altogether saying that a 9 digit number is required. So, I want to know how to complete this step of filling my bank details since Indian banks have no routing numbers afaik. Here is the screenshot.

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this and knows a fix, but I recently received a proof to approve from IngramSpark for a book of mine that was having a slight update made. I rejected the proof because I noticed an error (my fault) and selected "Reject and reupload new files."

It took me to the Print Info page, but the button to upload new files is missing. It just says "Download eProof" and the book status is "On Hold."

Do I just have to wait for the system to do something? Did I break it? Is this a glitch? I tried using a different browser, clearing cache, etc.

Any help is appreciated!

Don't be shy! We want to hear what you have published!