In short
CreateSpace no longer exists: Amazon folded it into KDP in 2018, so the real print-on-demand choice today is between KDP Print, IngramSpark and Lulu. Most indie novelists get the best reach by using KDP Print for Amazon and IngramSpark for everyone else, with their own ISBN.
- CreateSpace merged into KDP Print in 2018
- KDP Print covers Amazon, IngramSpark covers bookstores and libraries
- Owning your ISBN is what makes combining platforms work
Search for advice on printing a self-published book and you will still find articles that compare CreateSpace, Lightning Source and Lulu as if it were 2012. That was a sensible comparison back then. It is not any more. One of the three no longer exists, one is mostly aimed at publishing companies, and the third has changed its business considerably. This guide explains what happened and what the realistic options look like for an independent science fiction author in 2026.
What happened to CreateSpace
CreateSpace was Amazon's print-on-demand service for many years. Authors uploaded a print-ready PDF and a cover, ordered a proof, and the paperback appeared on Amazon. It was cheap to start, reliable, and for a long time it was the default first step for indie authors, including many science fiction writers who published their debuts in the early 2010s. Massimo Marino's Daimones, for example, first came out as an indie-published novel in 2012, in the period when this was the standard route.
Amazon had launched paperback publishing inside Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) in parallel, and in 2018 it moved CreateSpace authors and titles into KDP and closed the old service. Today the print side of KDP is usually called KDP Print. If you read an old tutorial that tells you to log in to CreateSpace, translate every step into the KDP dashboard, where ebook and print editions of the same book now sit side by side.
Lightning Source and IngramSpark: two doors into Ingram
Ingram is the large book distributor that most bookstores and libraries in the English-speaking world order from. It runs two print-on-demand services. Lightning Source is the publisher-facing service, designed for publishing houses and larger independent presses that manage many titles and expect an account-level relationship. IngramSpark is the self-service door built for independent authors and small presses, with an online dashboard similar in spirit to KDP.
For a single author with one series, IngramSpark is almost always the right door. Lightning Source makes sense if you run a small press with a sizeable catalog and want the account structure that comes with it. Both print through the same Ingram infrastructure, so the physical book and the distribution reach are broadly comparable.
Lulu in 2026
Lulu was one of the first print-on-demand platforms for individuals. It is still active and has shifted towards being a print and direct-sales service: you can sell from a Lulu storefront, connect it to your own website shop, and offer formats that the big two handle less flexibly, such as certain trim sizes, bindings and photo books. Lulu also offers retail distribution, but for a novel that mainly needs to be on Amazon and orderable by bookstores, it is usually a complementary tool rather than the main channel.
KDP Print vs IngramSpark vs Lulu at a glance
The comparison below is qualitative on purpose. Royalty rates, print costs, any setup or revision fees and wholesale discount rules change from time to time, so check the current terms on each platform before you set prices.
| KDP Print | IngramSpark | Lulu | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main strength | Direct, fast listing on Amazon stores | Reach into bookstores, libraries and online retailers via Ingram | Direct sales, storefronts, unusual formats |
| Formats | Paperback and hardcover | Paperback and hardcover, more trim and paper options | Wide range including coil, photo books, hardcover |
| Cost to start | Free to upload | Check current terms; fee policies have changed over the years | Free to upload |
| Bookstore friendliness | Low; stores rarely order from Amazon | High; you set wholesale discount and returns | Moderate |
| Control over discount and returns | None; Amazon sets retail mechanics | Full; you choose discount and returnability | Limited |
| Free ISBN offered | Yes, but tied to KDP | Depends on country; check current terms | Yes, tied to Lulu |
| Best used for | Amazon sales | Everything outside Amazon | Author-direct sales and special editions |
How to combine them without conflicts
The common setup for independent novelists is simple: publish the paperback on KDP Print for Amazon, and publish the same book on IngramSpark for everyone else. The two platforms do not compete; each covers a channel the other handles badly. What makes this work is the ISBN.
- Buy your own ISBNs from your national agency (Bowker in the US, Nielsen in the UK, and equivalents elsewhere). A free platform ISBN usually lists that platform as publisher and cannot be reused elsewhere.
- Set up the paperback on IngramSpark first, using your ISBN, your trim size and your chosen wholesale discount.
- Set up the same edition on KDP Print with the same ISBN, trim size and page count.
- In KDP, leave the Expanded Distribution option switched off for that edition. Ingram already distributes it, and two sources for one ISBN cause listing problems.
- Order proofs from both. Paper stock and colour rendering differ slightly between printers, so check the cover on both copies.
- Use Lulu, if at all, for things the others do not do well: signed special editions sold from your site, a companion art book, or a coil-bound worldbuilding bible for your readers.
Where ebooks and audiobooks fit
Print decisions interact with your ebook strategy. If you enrol your ebook in KDP Select to be part of Kindle Unlimited, the exclusivity applies to the digital edition only: you cannot sell that ebook on other stores, but your paperback can still be on IngramSpark and Lulu. If you go wide with the ebook instead, a distributor such as Draft2Digital can deliver it to Apple, Kobo, libraries and others from one dashboard.
Audiobooks are a separate track. ACX remains the Amazon-owned route to Audible, with its own exclusivity choices; other distributors cover the wider audio market. The Daimones audiobook appeared in 2013, a year after the ebook, which is a reasonable rhythm for a debut: let the text settle, fix the errors readers report, then record.
Which setup should you choose?
- You want minimum effort and most of your readers buy on Amazon: KDP Print alone is a legitimate choice, and you can add IngramSpark later with a new ISBN if needed.
- You plan bookshop events, library visibility or a launch at a convention: add IngramSpark from day one with your own ISBN.
- You sell directly to readers, run crowdfunding, or want premium editions: add Lulu or a similar print service for those editions only.
- You run a small press with many titles: look at Lightning Source as well as IngramSpark.
Print on demand is no longer about choosing a single platform. It is about deciding which platform serves which reader, and keeping the files identical everywhere.
The landscape will keep shifting, as the disappearance of CreateSpace showed. The principles stay the same: own your ISBN, keep clean master files, read the current terms before you price, and let each platform do the part it does best.
Questions
Can I still use CreateSpace?
No. Amazon merged CreateSpace into KDP in 2018. Paperback and hardcover publishing for Amazon now happens in the KDP dashboard, usually referred to as KDP Print.
Should an indie author use Lightning Source or IngramSpark?
For a single author or a very small press, IngramSpark is the self-service option built for that purpose. Lightning Source is Ingram's publisher-facing service and suits presses with larger catalogs.
Does KDP Select stop me from selling my paperback elsewhere?
No. KDP Select exclusivity applies to the ebook. Your print edition can be distributed through IngramSpark or Lulu at the same time.
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