We offer Enhanced Amazon distribution services to optimize your Amazon listings, where we set up your paperback and/or hardcover book for distribution through Kindle Direct Publishing [KDP], which is owned by Amazon.
Key Benefits at a Glance:
Reliable in-stock status: Without Enhanced Amazon, your book can show as "out of stock" on Amazon sites, particularly on Amazon.ca. With Enhanced Amazon, your book consistently appears in stock at your Suggested Retail Price.
- Consistent retail pricing: With Enhanced Amazon, your book always lists at the Suggested Retail Price you set. Without it, Amazon and third-party sellers often inflate the retail price on regional Amazon sites, sometimes well above what you intended.
- Fast availability: Your book typically appears on Amazon sites within 24–72 hours after distribution is complete. Without Enhanced Amazon, availability on some Amazon marketplaces can take 4–6 weeks after distribution.
- Fast shipping & Amazon Prime eligibility: Your book becomes eligible for Prime shipping in markets where Amazon prints locally (including Canada, Australia (paperback only) the US, the UK and Europe).
- Streamlined distribution: Orders placed through Amazon are printed and fulfilled by Amazon itself, rather than routed through Ingram.
These services are CA $260 + tax each (paperback and hardcover purchased separately), and we can set them up for your book at any time.
Why we offer these services
Ingram, the distributor included by default in all of our publishing packages, will make your book available through thousands of online booksellers and libraries around the world, and in most cases that includes Amazon: when a reader searches for your book on Amazon, Amazon orders a copy from Ingram, prints and ships it, and the listing shows as available.
The catch is that Amazon's regional websites, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au, Amazon.co.uk and more, don't all order from Ingram the same way. Amazon.ca is the most unreliable: it often won't carry your book through Ingram at all, and instead either lists it only through third-party sellers (used copies, marked-up prices, slow shipping) or shows it as "out of stock." We've been unable to find any reliable pattern for which books get picked up and which don't.
Amazon.com.au has similar issues, though slightly less pronounced. Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk generally work better through Ingram, but Enhanced Amazon still offers meaningful improvements in availability, shipping speed, and stock consistency.
Markets where Enhanced Amazon helps most
| Marketplace | Without Enhanced Amazon | With Enhanced Amazon | Formats Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.ca | Frequent out-of-stock issues, some books never list properly | Reliable in-stock, Prime shipping, paperback + hardcover | Paperback + Hardcover |
| Amazon.com.au | Delays of 4–6 weeks, intermittent availability | Reliable in-stock, fast local shipping (paperback only — see below) | Paperback only |
| Amazon.com / co.uk / .de / .fr / .es / .it / .co.jp | Generally works, but availability can lag | Faster listing, Prime eligibility | Paperback + Hardcover |
A note on print costs
Print pricing through Enhanced Amazon isn't universally cheaper or more expensive than Ingram — it depends on the format, trim size, page count, and market. Some configurations come out cheaper; others are more expensive. Authors can use our compensation calculator to compare royalties for their specific book before deciding.
Restrictions to be aware of
Because Enhanced Amazon runs through KDP, your book has to fit within KDP's printing specifications:
| Spec | Paperback | Hardcover |
|---|---|---|
| Trim sizes | Almost all standard portrait sizes (no landscape) | 4 sizes: 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 6.14" x 9.21", 7" x 10" (portrait only, no landscape) |
| Page count | 24–828 pages | 75–550 pages (not suitable for most children's books) |
| Paper weight |
B&W: 50-6lb (cream, white, or groundwood) Standard colour: 50-61lb (white only) Premium colour: 60-71lb (white only) |
B&W: 50-61lb (cream or white) Premium colour: 60-71lb (white only) |
| Binding | Perfectbound | Case Laminate only |
| Australia (Amazon.com.au) | Available in B&W and Premium Colour (standard colour not available) | Not available |
| RTL languages (Arabic, Hebrew, etc.) | Not supported | Not supported |
Is Enhanced Amazon right for your book?
If a significant portion of your readership is in Canada (hardcover and paperback) or Australia (paperback only), Enhanced Amazon is usually worth it, these are the markets where Ingram's Amazon coverage is weakest and where the difference is most noticeable. For authors focused primarily on the US or UK, the benefits are smaller but still real: faster listing, more reliable stock, and Prime shipping.
If your main concern is simply ensuring availability on Amazon.ca and your book format and/or budget doesn't allow for Enhanced Amazon, an alternative is to direct Canadian buyers to your Chapters/Indigo or Amazon.com listing instead.