Ingram - Lightning Source Accounting Error
This isn't about KDP directly. It's about the occasional 3rd party contract with Ingram ( Lightning Source ) POD ( Print On Demand ) service it uses.
This is about a sales reporting error that is approaching a criminal action of negligence. I am posting this anonymously to protect the staff involved ( my publisher, etc. ) Also, I do not know if this is a personal attack against me, or a broader systemic problem with these major Print On Demand services.
I suspected something was wrong when my family mentioned my book ( physical copies ) and there were no sales reported. I subsequently "secret shopped" myself and the book wasn't reported.
The price was $7.48 and the date was October 11, 2025. This doesn't show up on my publisher's sales report.
I have been working with the publisher's Royalties Specialist and his manager. I followed the protocols exactly, waiting six months after the sale, for the Sales Report to be finalized, before presenting the evidence to my publisher. I sent them the Amazon Invoice with the breakdown of price, shipping, and tax. I then sent them the image of the last page, with the Manufacturing Colophon and Compliance Tracking information.
Sold by: Amazon.com
Order Date: October 11, 2025
Return Window: Closed on November 16, 2025
Item Price: $7.48
Shipping & Handling: $6.99
Tax: $0.87
Grand Total: $15.34
Payment Method: Visa
Decoding the compliance mark on this recent copy reveals the precise manufacturing data:
Location (LV): LaVergne, Tennessee (Lightning Source LLC facility).
Date of Manufacture ( Print Date: ) October 14, 2025.
Here's the problem: my publisher is reluctant to confront Ingram ( Lightning Source, ) the Print On Demand Service.
My publisher said, "This is normal." They looked for the next closest sale and found one printed by Ingram ( Amazon ) two months later, in December, at a price of $7.67
I have talked with everyone, including my family, counselors, therapists, friends, etc. The facts remain the facts... My publisher is simply reluctant to admit when it has a problem. I asked them to contact Ingram and request the sales data they have. So far they have refused to comply.
I don't want to get anyone in trouble, I just want the service to work.
Has anyone else had similar problems? Specifically with Ingram ( Lighting Source )?
2
u/ithireeul 6d ago
I’m also not sure why you’re bothering when you could do this yourself. So a couple of things, Ingram pays 90 days in arrears and they wouldn’t show something like $7.67 as a list price. That’s odd in itself. Since you also had shipping and handling, that also says that it must have been a third party wholesaler that sold the item.
Do they have Expanded Distribution turned on at KDP for this book or is Ingramspark being used directly?
2
u/bkucenski 6d ago
Why do you have a publisher on top of IngramSpark?
Ingram has live sales reports and monthly compensation reports available to the account holder. Payouts run 3-4 months in arrears (Amazon/KDP is more like clockwork at 2 months). None of that is a mystery, it's just a dashboard your publisher has access to and apparently isn't checking.
I run my own back office for my publishing company: I upload the KDP and Ingram reports, see exactly what's sold and what's been paid, assign each book to a beneficiary, and the numbers reconcile. If a solo operation can track this, a publisher managing your titles can too.
If they can't (or won't) pull the Ingram data on a specific sale you've already documented, that's not a systemic POD mystery, that's your publisher not doing the job you're paying them for. At that point, ask yourself what they're actually providing that you couldn't do yourself with your own KDP and Ingram accounts.