MG Breakdown and Price Increases
Roundup Article of Jan/Feb 2025 News
This is a roundup article of recent news from early 2025.
Ingram Spark Price Increase
If you print on demand with Ingram Spark, you probably already received this notice that they have a price increate effective April 14, 2025. They reserve the right to adjust prices yearly, but promise to never increase by more than 5%. So, it’s that time of year. Their calculator with include the new pricing schedule soon, so you’ll want to check your pricing and make any adjustments necessary.
And just a heads up: every POD printer (except Amazon) has a professional level of pricing. The terminology or what they call it may vary, but they all have it. If you do a substantial amount of business with any printer, you should be inquiring about pro pricing/better pricing/discounts for large accounts, etc. It varies from printer to printer, but the discounts can add up and increase your bottom line.
Middle Grade Books Analyzed
Wow! Author Sam Subity had done an analysis of middle grade novels from legacy publishers, and if you write MG, you’ll want to look at this! He looks at top genres, 1st v 3rd person POV, word counts by genre, gender of the MC, what months MGs are released, ratings reviews, race of authors, and subject tags. I’ve never seen such a thorough look at MG before! Usually, we are ignored. Thanks, Sam! Amazing job!
.Mobi Files are History
And, as noted in previous articles, .mobi files are history, even for fixed format picture books. Read this article on how to format your picture books for Kindle now:
Kindle ebooks from Your Children's Book - 2025 Update
You have a great print version of your children’s book, but you want it published as an ebook also. This is the 2025 update on the issues and techniques for creating that ebook.
Do You Have Questions?
What questions do you want answered? I’m happy to answer or research something and answer in a post.
Sam Subity's data analysis is always fascinating! I've found myself particularly thinking about how few middle grade books are by and about boys. Don't know what to make of that, but I keep thinking about it!
Thanks for the information about Ingram Spark. I no longer trust them, though. I've never had trouble until last year when ALL of my proofs, at two different times, came back with pages glued together and faded colors. Many others have also had problems. Any chance you could do an article that addresses that? Thanks.