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Createspace experience?
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I'm perfectly happy with this thread being here. Sadly I know nothing. Does anyone else use createspace?
I'm going out shortly but will post in detail later - I have used Createspace and I'm more than happy to share my experience!
I've used Createspace. The books look fine and the whole process is pretty easy. As for how many copies to print, that depends what you want to do with them, i.e. whether you think you can sell a lot personally. If you get preorders sorted then it will help you gauge how many to print/order, which will then bring the cost of postage down. The books have pretty good distribution if you choose the distribution option, but mainly in the US I think. As for the comparison with ebook sales, ebooks far outweigh my paper book sales. I priced mine as low as possible, which works out at £6.29 on Amazon.co.uk and $11.99 on .com. Hope that helps a little.
I use CreateSpace, although I originally started with BookSurge before they merged. CreateSpace is a POD remember, so no books are printed unless someone orders one for purchase. So there are no real upfront costs. You don't have to order books to keep on a shelf (unless you want to!).
They provide guides you can download that show you how to format text for the pages. They show you what margins to use and how to mirror indents, and how to calculate spine width from page count. You can also choose between page sizes like 6 x 9 and so on.
You can upload both your cover and a pdf of your text once you are ready. Or you can use their cover builder and create a cover online.
You don't have to order a proof copy when you are done, although it is best to do so. You can view your book online, both the inside text and the cover.
Only costs are in distribution, although I think they may have dropped that now. So the best thing to do is sign up and have a play. You can always change things as much as you like to experiment. Nothing is final or published unless you decide to click the final button. And you can still change things afterwards. Also they now distribute to the UK, which they didn't before.
Worth investigating.
ETA: You also set your own price for the books. I chose the lowest possible price after the printing costs are taken into account. I have ten trade paperbacks with them ranging from 100 pages to 700 pages. My ebooks outsell them.
They provide guides you can download that show you how to format text for the pages. They show you what margins to use and how to mirror indents, and how to calculate spine width from page count. You can also choose between page sizes like 6 x 9 and so on.
You can upload both your cover and a pdf of your text once you are ready. Or you can use their cover builder and create a cover online.
You don't have to order a proof copy when you are done, although it is best to do so. You can view your book online, both the inside text and the cover.
Only costs are in distribution, although I think they may have dropped that now. So the best thing to do is sign up and have a play. You can always change things as much as you like to experiment. Nothing is final or published unless you decide to click the final button. And you can still change things afterwards. Also they now distribute to the UK, which they didn't before.
Worth investigating.
ETA: You also set your own price for the books. I chose the lowest possible price after the printing costs are taken into account. I have ten trade paperbacks with them ranging from 100 pages to 700 pages. My ebooks outsell them.
Thanks everyone for sharing your experience.This is something I'm hoping to have a go at, but need to get myself a new day job first (I'm anticipating wanting to have a small to moderate initial print run to start with and can't afford to do that at the moment, particularly if no one will take my book).
As a matter of interest, who do createspace distribute to? Do you all try to get your local stores to take your books as well?
CreateSpace only sell through online stores, mainly Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and such like. They do not put books in bricks and morter stores. That also goes for most if not all the other POD companies like Lulu and the rest (Note to All: Please feel free to contradict me on this if you know better).
If you want your local stores to stock your books you have to approach them yourself. Maybe arrange a book signing. Most stores don't take POD supplied books because they are not returnable. You will have to cut a deal where you may have to provide the books and take back what they don't sell.
Many self published authors have a boot (trunk in the US) full of books in their car to distribute like this themselves. They go on tours of bookshops and arrange signings where they bring the books. If you can arrange a signing with a friendly bookstore manager who will contribute to the book costs, or even buy direct from CreateSpace, then you are laughing.
It's all down to personal choice and asperations. Some enjoy marketing and selling, some, like me, do not. Like Shaun and I said before, and others can add their knowledge to this, ebooks outsell real books. But I like the look, feel and smell of a new book with my cover on it in only the way an author can.
If you want your local stores to stock your books you have to approach them yourself. Maybe arrange a book signing. Most stores don't take POD supplied books because they are not returnable. You will have to cut a deal where you may have to provide the books and take back what they don't sell.
Many self published authors have a boot (trunk in the US) full of books in their car to distribute like this themselves. They go on tours of bookshops and arrange signings where they bring the books. If you can arrange a signing with a friendly bookstore manager who will contribute to the book costs, or even buy direct from CreateSpace, then you are laughing.
It's all down to personal choice and asperations. Some enjoy marketing and selling, some, like me, do not. Like Shaun and I said before, and others can add their knowledge to this, ebooks outsell real books. But I like the look, feel and smell of a new book with my cover on it in only the way an author can.
You may also find this thread helpful, Alex.http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...
Createspace has been mentioned in several threads, I believe.
You may find more comments about it by putting the word createspace over in the search bar on the right.
Hi Alex,I was tempted to use CreateSpace but ultimately was put off by having to pay in dollars, and by the time lag in getting copies sent to me, so went with FeedaRead in the end - thanks to Rosen and Steve Robinson's advice in that thread, and Rosen's v useful blog about her Feedaread experience.
I can well imagine (in fact I'd expect) that ebooks would outsell printed ones, but as i have some relatives who don't even have computers, initially I started thinking about this for their sake. Any possibility of actual sales would be a bonus.I'll look at the other POD providers too Karen, but I assumed that if you're registered with KDP Select that precludes you going elsewhere (or does that include createspace too I wonder)?
Thanks again everyone (I will have a closer look at existing threads Patti).
I believe KDP Select requires exclusivity of ebooks only, not print books, so you should be okay there.
With regard to Feedaread, I also use them for the odd book in the UK as Createspace were not distributing outside the US at the time. That has now changed and CreateSpace books are now on Amazon.co.uk. I believe Feedaread is UK only.
Please note that the last time I was on Feedaread there was a distribution cost, so there is no difference moneywise in making your choice.
With regard to Feedaread, I also use them for the odd book in the UK as Createspace were not distributing outside the US at the time. That has now changed and CreateSpace books are now on Amazon.co.uk. I believe Feedaread is UK only.
Please note that the last time I was on Feedaread there was a distribution cost, so there is no difference moneywise in making your choice.
David wrote: "I believe KDP Select requires exclusivity of ebooks only, not print books, so you should be okay there.With regard to Feedaread, I also use them for the odd book in the UK as Createspace were not..."
Thanks David and everyone else for your advice and comments.
I know this isn't strictly an Kindle thread (so if it needs to be moved to somewhere else then I apologise), but I wonder what GR auther experience has been of this service?
Has formatting been problematic (both text and cover)?
How have you gone about deciding how many copies to print?
How have you found the comparison between ebook and printed book sales?
Anything else the rest of us should know?