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Michelle wrote: "Is there anyone in the group who have added their book through IS to get into libraries? Is it an easy process? I've read about validating epubs and I haven't got a clue what they are talking about..."I see it's been a while since you posted so I don't know how helpful this will be, but I use IS for print copies, not eBooks (I use KDP and Draft2Digital for those). While their distribution is wide and I think it's a good service, IS is not nearly as straightforward to use as KDP is. The site alone is not always easy to navigate, and it does cost $$ to upload your files, and if you make edits after uploading and approving it will cost you to make changes. I always do trials and proofs on Createspace, KDP, and Draft2Digital before I upload and pay$$ to IS.
In order to work properly, an ePub file needs to be validated. I have never been able to make one of these work on my own through any conversion software! (I'm also not terribly techy, but I try). Instead, I use Draft2Digital, which distributes to the large booksellers, and easily converts Word docs to Mobi and validated ePubs, which you can then download and use for your own purposes.D2D has excellent customer service and if your ePub comes out looking terrible they're pretty helpful with explaining how to fix it. You could use that ePub, if you wanted, to upload to IS.
Hope that helps!
Danielle wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Is there anyone in the group who have added their book through IS to get into libraries? Is it an easy process? I've read about validating epubs and I haven't got a clue what they ..."Thank you, Danielle. I haven't gotten to IS yet, and had a feeling that it was going to be more difficult than I thought. Right now, I'm tackling MailChimp!!
My book is already on Kindle/CS though, so I will have to tackle IS soon. Thanks for taking the time to explain.
You're welcome! And yeah, MailChimp is another fun one to wade through (can you hear the irony here?) ;)
I'm in the process of working with IngramSpark. The paperback was straightforward but the eBook had a ridiculous stream of errors. I checked, they didn't even make sense, I fiddled around with them, yet even on resubmitting an updated file the errors remained. I've since passed it to a friend to double check who is fantasic with HTML.Paperwork is the way to go to get into mainstream shops but I'm not sure I'm going to go ahead with eBook. I don't see me achieving many paperback sales let alone eBook which I struggle to shift on Amazon even with lots of promotion.
I've recreated my paperback on Createspace with my new UK ISBN which should replace the Createspace one soon :) Just waiting for my paperback proof from Ingram to arrive before I click approve.
Matthew wrote: "I'm in the process of working with IngramSpark. The paperback was straightforward but the eBook had a ridiculous stream of errors. I checked, they didn't even make sense, I fiddled around with them..."What helped me with creating the epub file was using openoffice writer, saving file as an odt file and using their write2epub plugin. ensure you include at least one header and the final file meets specification for IS. Well it did for me anyway
Hi Michelle,I used Ingram to publish a hardcover and ebook of Seven Deadly Sinners. I found the process fairly straight-forward, although it isn't free like CS and KDP. The quality of the hardcover is excellent. There are a number of free conversion software products for converting MS Word files to AZW (Kindle format). Those packages claim they can convert to Epub as well, but the quality is not acceptable to IS. You can, however, download Calibre for free and convert AZW files to acceptable Epub files.
If you use IS, you will have to provide your own ISBN as well, although you can buy one through IS.
I do have Calibre downloaded, but can't figure out how to use it:) Also, shouldn't the ISBN be the same, since the book is the same?So, about how long should the whole process take? I do have the title/price, etc put in so far. Got stuck at the ISBN stage, but haven't had time to sit down and call them about it yet.
Thanks for the input! I am really not into this techy stuff!
I personally found that calibre epub files fail validation but maybe I just didn't know how to use it. the open office extension worked easily for me. It was simply a matter of pressing save
Validation means that the epub document is guaranteed, with 99 percent accuracy, to work on all ebook readers. You can use this website to check for any validation issues: http://validator.idpf.org/. Any error messages will have to be addressed before it will give you a pass--and before IS will accept it for distribution. Depending on how you built the epub, you may have to unpackage the file and fix errors before it will validate. In those cases, however, it's best to work with someone who has experience working with style sheets and native files and who can repackage it for you. It can be rather tricky.
Segilola wrote: "I personally found that calibre epub files fail validation but maybe I just didn't know how to use it. the open office extension worked easily for me. It was simply a matter of pressing save"I had the same problem with calibre.
Michelle - you ought to have two ISBNS: one for the eBook and one for print.
If your ISBN is through CS, my understanding is that you can only use that ISBN with them, and will have to get another one to use elsewhere.
Are you in Canada or the US? ISBNs are free to get in Canada, and easy as pie, you just set up an account with Library and Archives Canada and can manage dozens (hundreds? more probably?) of ISBNs there http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/services... I use these ISBNs instead of CS's and KDP's when I publish to either site, and any others.
Danielle wrote: "Segilola wrote: "I personally found that calibre epub files fail validation but maybe I just didn't know how to use it. the open office extension worked easily for me. It was simply a matter of pre..."You don't NEED an ISBN for an ebook; they just like you to pay for one. You can have one - but Amazon, for example, will assign its own ASIN to your ebook if you put it up there.
May I please ask that if you publish only with Amazon and CreateSpace, are you able to get both ISBN's free from them? I will publish this year.Also, is Ingram Spark the most affordable publisher for hardcovers? Thank you.
Fred wrote: "Hi Michelle,I used Ingram to publish a hardcover and ebook of Seven Deadly Sinners. I found the process fairly straight-forward, although it isn't free like CS and KDP. The quality of the hardcov..."
With KDP, you don't need an ISBN for ebook. If you publish your ebook through IS, you will need an ISBN, but you will get ebook distribution through channels other than Amazon. The same is true for paperback. Createspace will provide an ISBN free, but IS will require you to provide one. You must have separate ISBN for each version of your book. IS charges $85 for each ISBN, so if you anticipate publishing a number of books, you may want to consider buying a block of ISBN's from Bowker. Keep in mind that even though the CreateSpace ISBN is free, you book will be listed as published by CreateSpace. If you want the listing to show yourself as publisher, you will need to provide an ISBN. Hope this is not too confusing.
Fred
Alicia wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Segilola wrote: "I personally found that calibre epub files fail validation but maybe I just didn't know how to use it. the open office extension worked easily for me. It was simpl..."Hi Sue,
As far as I know, Ingram Spark is the only one that will do hardcover as print on demand (POD). Others require you to print a minimum number of books.
Fred
yeah IS allows POD BUT there is a listing fee
Fred wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Segilola wrote: "I personally found that calibre epub files fail validation but maybe I just didn't know how to use it. the open office extension worked easily for m..."Yes. $49 I believe.
Yes, I've heard it's better to pay for your ISBN, as we 'own' it and use a different name as the publisher.My question though is, if I already have an ISBN for the paperback and ebooks on AMZ, shouldn't I use the same ISBN for the paperback through IS? Wouldn't it confuse stores if it had 2 different numbers?
I still haven't sat down with the process and haven't called IS to continue. I've been busy editing the next book.
Also, if I already have it on Kindle, isn't it already validated to work on phones, tablets, etc.?
If anyone knows of a specific video/website to figure out how to do the IS thing, that would be helpful. The ones I've seen aren't.
Thanks!
You must a different ISBN for each version of your book. The number assigned by Amazon or CreateSpace can only be used with those versions. Yes, your ebook on Amazon will work on phones and tablets with the Kindle app installed. It won't work on Nook until published on Barnes and Noble.
I watched a webinar where a woman was name dropping IS every 5 mins at least. She also suggested to use Amazon and KDP for your ebooks and IS for your print books as a way to get them into libraries. Also it wasn't until 30 mins in that she mentioned that there's a fee to upload which totally turned me off as I thought she should have lead off with that rather than make it sound great for 30 mins and then crush my hopes by telling me there's a fee. I heard the fee was $50 a book which is okay if you have one book but who want's to spend $50 a pop on uploading all their books?
Ingram Spark is the main book catalog/distributor in the world, so it makes sense why it would be in the webinar. Sometimes you can get coupon codes to waive the setup fees, which I did when I published my 3rd book through them. The reason you would want to use Ingram Spark for print/distribution is because your royalties will be higher than if you let Createspace/Amazon do expanded distribution. Because I published through Ingram Spark, my book is on Barnes and Noble and pretty much every other online book retailer in the world. It means I will receive $3-ish royalites on each book sold through B&N, as opposed to only $1 royalty if Amazon distributed it to B&N.
Fred and Marie and Anyone publishing through CS, IS, and KPD, I'm just a little confused about something. Can you sell your paperback through CS to sell on Amazon and IS to sell elsewhere? Also, can you sell your ebook through KDP to sell on Amazon and IS to sell elsewhere? Is this what you do?
All advice and opinions are appreciated.
Thank you, Sue
Hi Sue! It took me forever to figure out this circus of publishers and distributors :). Createspace = Amazon for paperback books. I publish through Createspace for print-on-demand books that sell on Amazon and the Createspace store, but I do not select "expanded distribution".
KDP = Amazon for ebooks. I publish my ebooks through KDP, but I have a contract with them (in order to enroll in Select) that means I cannot publish on any other digital platform like Nook or Smashwords for 90 days. So I do not use Ingram Spark for the ebook portion of distribution at this time, as that would violate the KDP Select contract.
I publish my paperback books through Ingram Spark/Lightning Source that is basically a print-on-demand for every other online retailer in the world that is not Amazon. This way, Amazon will not take royalties if my paperback book sells through B&N or Borders etc.
So, yes you can publish on both CS and IS. Yes you can publish on KDP and IS, as long as you are not enrolled in KDP Select which has the exclusivity contract. :)
Thank you very much, Marie. I was worried my question sounded even more confusing. Any thoughts you might opt out of KDP Select, or do you think it's best to stay with them?
Marie wrote: "Hi Sue! It took me forever to figure out this circus of publishers and distributors :). Createspace = Amazon for paperback books. I publish through Createspace for print-on-demand books that sell..."
KDP is so tricky! It's great to use when you want to do free or discount days but then when you want to broaden your books to sell in other places you can't because their enrolled in KDP...
I have three books enrolled in KDP so I couldn't use IS, correct?
If your ebooks are already enrolled in KDP Select, and you want to distribute them to other digital platforms, you would have to wait until your contract expires, but first be sure to uncheck the little box that says auto-renew. Then you could publish the ebook with IS or Smashwords or Kobo. Your ebooks would stay in KDP, but not the Select program which is what allows the Kindle Unlimited and Promotions.The contract does not apply to your paperbacks. Those you can publish through IS.
Sue (Dog Mom) wrote: "Thank you very much, Marie. I was worried my question sounded even more confusing. Any thoughts you might opt out of KDP Select, or do you think it's best to stay with them?"I will definitely stay :). Through Kindle Unlimited, about 15-20 of my books are read daily. The royalties are not as high as a direct ebook sale, but it is still something and improves my Amazon Best Sellers Rank. The promotions have also been very helpful for my books (which are a series).
Marie,How long does it take to get a book (a novel) on IS, if it is already on CS, KDP? I started the process, but got stuck when they said I was using a used ISBN.
Thanks for your help!
Thank you again, Marie!Speaking of ISBN's... I re-read Fred's message #14 and want to make sure I understand this correctly. I want the publisher to be "Sue's Books" or something like that. I'm publishing my ebook through KDP and IS and my paperback through CS and IS. I'm thinking I need to buy 3 ISBN's (1 for CS, 1 for IS ebook, and 1 for IS paperback). Am I allowed to use the ASIN that KDP provides, or do I need to buy another ISBN? Thank you.
Michelle wrote: "Marie,How long does it take to get a book (a novel) on IS, if it is already on CS, KDP? I started the process, but got stuck when they said I was using a used ISBN.
Thanks for your help!"
It usually takes a few days for processing and approval. Ingram Spark emails you when the proof is ready to be viewed, and then you can review and approve it. If you are using a Createspace ISBN for your paperback on Amazon, then you will need to buy a new ISBN to publish your book on IS.
Sue (Dog Mom) wrote: "Thank you again, Marie!Speaking of ISBN's, if I want the publisher to be "Sue's Books" or something, and I'm publishing my ebook through KDP and IS and my paperback through CS and IS, does that me..."
You only need one ISBN for your paperback (if you buy your own ISBN), as this will be the same pdf file format that can be used on both CS and IS.
The ebooks used for KDP/Amazon are in mobi file format. These need a different ISBN from epub files, which are the ones you would upload to publish on other digital platforms.
So you would need 3 ISBNs with the "Sue's Books" imprint.
1. pdf file format (paperback)
2. mobi file format (KDP)
3. epub file format (Nook, iBooks, Google, Kobo)
Marie,I can't thank you enough for your gracious assistance on this issue. You should write a book on all this. Your detailed explanations and presentation layout are perfect!
Thank you, Sue :) I am happy to help!
I bought my own ISBNs, so I need to clarify with IS that it's supposed to be the same ISBN, for the paperback, right? You would think they would know that already, and I haven't had time to deal with it, so my account is only half done. I will try and get it resolved soon.Thanks for everybody's help here, I'm glad I asked my questions!
Michelle, Best of luck and success on publishing your book. : )
This has been one of the most helpful posts I have read when it comes to Createspace and IS. I was so confused I didn't even know how to ask the question of how this and the ISBN's worked. Thank you to everyone who asked the questions and gave answers. I have bumbled my way through publishing 5 books and still never understood how it all worked until now.
I am in Canada and registered for my ISBN's. Very easy to do. I can move forward now and have the whole process much more organized and planned out.
Thanks again to everyone here. You made my day!!!
Shame on me for forgetting my manners!I am also very grateful to everyone for all the detailed information graciously provided in this thread. I hope to self-publish this year and have made many notes from threads such as this one. From this one I've been able to decide what I want to do and learned how. Thank you all!
Sue, your question and the answers provided by everyone helped me so much. I really could not figure out how to put it into words so it was just perfect. :)
Thank you, Vicky. Without you, I would have forgotten to express my appreciation. : )
I've done that as well. lol I get so excited that I finally know what to do I just get into work. haha All the best with your books.
Vicky, I wish you success and happiness.
Can you publish through both CS and IS?
Justin wrote: "Can you publish through both CS and IS?"You sure can. There are certain decisions you have to make and things you have to do beforehand, but you will find all the info you need in this thread.
Thank you!