Day 64 – Creating Paperbacks

Until recently, I used to manually create my paperbacks using Word documents. It was a real pain in the ass. I freaking hated it. It would take me most of the day to get it done. I’m not even going to post links to templates for the process, because it sucks that much. They didn’t look that good either.

Nowadays, I use Vellum to create my paperbacks. It’s done automatically, based on the formatting I use for my ebooks. It’s dead simple, fast, and… expensive. The program is overpriced for a lot of people. And it’s Apple only. Lame. Fortunately, I have an old Macbook Air that I can use for the formatting.

I don’t recommend Vellum to new authors, because it can be difficult to recoup that cost. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time on formatting though, this is the option for you. They look much better than the manual job I was doing too.

A free option is to upload your manuscript to Draft2Digital. They have a great formatting section on their website that can spit out good-looking print and ebooks. I’ve used it several times and have always been happy with the output. I recommend this to most people who don’t want to shell out the cash for Vellum. Draft2Digital is also an outstanding ebook distributor that I use and love. Check ’em out.

When it comes to publishing these things, I’m at a bit of a crossroads. I used to publish my paperbacks through Createspace, which is an Amazon company, but that option has been folded into KDP Print. This is the best way to get your books on Amazon. It’s simple, fast, and you get a decent royalty rate, depending on your pricing.

KDP Print has an Extended Distribution option, which allows bookstores to order your work for their customers. Sounds great, right? It isn’t. A lot of bookstores refuse to do business with Amazon, which means they won’t stock independent authors like me. Because I’ve always used Createspace, now KDP Print, my books haven’t been available to people who shop in physical stores.

Nook Press, owned by B&N, now has its own print-on-demand service for paperbacks. They’re limited to US distribution. I have one paperback, Ruined, published through their system. It wasn’t that difficult, but I’m not sure it’s worthwhile either. I have yet to sell a copy of it there.

IngramSpark is an interesting option. They’re the best way to make your work available in bookstores. They allow for discounting and returns, which are huge for convincing stores to stock your books. Lots of good stuff.

But it has a few problems. First, you have to pay $50 to publish a print book there. That sucks. The process is also more complex than going through KDP Print. Those two reasons are why I haven’t used their service yet.

But that might change. I’m interested in increasing my income with regards to print, and IngramSpark seems like the best way to do that. I’m curious how many people have used them and what their experiences have been. I’m thinking about trying it after I finish the next two books in The Hunger.

Today, I wrote 1138 words in my untitled fifth book in The Hunger. More to come.

See ya tomorrow.

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