Tips for Self Promotion, Sales, and Advertising discussion
Create Space stories
Create Space is different from Booksurge, but I like them both. It is just a matter of getting used to different people, and different methods. I just ordered another 100 of my books and it was a breeze. The price is right and the process quick and easy. I have enjoyed most of my contacts with the Amazon affiliates. I seldom leave a comment without mentioning my favorite Booksurge person, Team Leader, Allison Brown.Thanks for the question
Dr Robert E McGinnis author since 1979 with In Search of Paradise.
I really like how Create Space lets you choose your own price with the Pro Upgrade. Unfortunately for me, my YA novel is 500 pages and YA doesn't sell above $9.99 to the YA audience so I've priced myself out of Create Space! Ha!
I have really enjoyed my experience with Create Space. I chose to upload my own book cover and have my own ISBN so I can print with them under my own publishing label. This gives me the freedom to take it all to another printer, should I find a better deal. There are no upfront fees (apart from if you choose the pro upgrade, which is worth every penny) unlike most of the other self-pub printers who charge 100's of dollars in upfront fees.
The price per book is alot more reasonable than most other self-pub printers who seem to charge alot more per book, making it hard to compete against mainstream pricing. I love the quality of their books.
Doing all the uploading myself was fairly simple too. I would recommend them to anyone who was just starting out on the self-pub journey.
Mod
"How Can You Call A "Free" Book a "Bestseller" (which showed that Amazon's amazing sales numbers for ebooks over Christmas was a bit misleading.
Karey, Alison, and Dr.- Thank you for the advice.I might use Create Space for my second novel.
Regards,
Urenna
Alison wrote: "I have really enjoyed my experience with Create Space. I chose to upload my own book cover and have my own ISBN so I can print with them under my own publishing label. This gives me the freedom to..."Alison how do you design or create your own book cover. I publish through createspace as well and would like to try my own cover design.
Shalonda wrote: "Alison wrote: "I have really enjoyed my experience with Create Space. I chose to upload my own book cover and have my own ISBN so I can print with them under my own publishing label. This gives me..."Shalonda, There is a template that Create Space has. You can upload that onto your pc preferably using a program like photo shop or Microsoft Picture it.
My friend has Microsoft Picture It and she did most of the work. I found a picture I liked and then just added the text for the title and back cover. If you have your own ISBN, you can buy the barcode and they will e-mail you the print which you then copy and past into the reserved space on the template.
It did take several tries to get the cover just right, so that everything was level and centered but I think it was worth all the fiddling with because with the Create Space Cover creater, the cover belongs to Create Space. I don't believe that you can take it with you, if you decide to publish elsewhere.
Also I'm not sure if you would be able to copy and paste the thumbnail of it onto sites like Smashwords or Barnes & Noble if you are selling e-books too.
Hope this helps.
Thank you so much Alison for this feedback. I guess my nest question is, where do you or how do you find pictures that are large enough to fit your cover without it looking all crazy and blurred out? This is an anyone question.
Hi, Shalonda-I obtained my free photos from stockphotos.com for my book, "True Season of Love." Also jupiterimages.com is another free site. Confirm with Create Space if you can use pictures from these two sites.
Regards,
Urenna
P.S. Congratulations on your recent review.
Urenna wrote: "Hi, Shalonda-I obtained my free photos from stockphotos.com for my book, "True Season of Love." Also jupiterimages.com is another free site. Confirm with Create Space if you can use pictures fr..."
Thank you so much for the sites.
Lori wrote: "Shalonda,I took my own photos for my books. When I put them into the cover they re-sized and fit very nicely. Neither is blurred or fuzzy.
I did upload into smashwords and was able to upload the ..."
Thanks Lori. When I get ready to do the next one I will try these suggestions. And I'm excited about the book coming!!
And before you're about to throw yourself under a bus from the frustration of trying to figure out what they want, get a hold offormattingguru@gmail.com (tell him j guevara sent ya)
For about $50 sunny will put it all together, you submit one time and you're done. (Claywords charges $150 for the same thing. cover extra)
forget even trying to do smashwords. tell Sunny you need it formatted for Smash too while he's at it. eBook formatting is another animal altogether.
or give me a shout and I'll run it down to you real quick. it's really easy (AFTER you learn it).ROTF
Also, do Scribd, too. same format as Smash. I like scribd but cannot pub there cause i don't live in the States. There ought to be a law; that's discrimination. scribd has a better clientele of readers IMHO. but do both, each has its advantage.
j
http://www.jguevaranovels.com
I used Create Space for my first book, "Simply, Follow Me", unfortunately, the only person to purchase my book so far, is ME.So, I'm trying to figure out what I can do, to get people interested in purchasing it.
I used Instabooks for my first book and seriously they sucked. Getting my royalties out of them was worse than pulling teeth from a ferocious t-rex. They diddled me out of heaps. Next book was Booksurge and I found their service to be excellent. I republished the first with Createspace and have published two more with them and I have found them to be extremely helpful and efficient.
I've been looking at this issue for awhile. I published my book as an ebook with Smashwords in March, and now I'm going back and forth between Createspace and Lulu, unable to decide which (or both?) to use. My cover is a graphic of my own design. Not exactly my first choice, but as close as my limited graphic ability would get me.
I just got reviewed on The Pagan and the Pen and, although it's otherwise a glowing review, they thought the cover was weak. They're probably right.
Cindy wrote: "I used Instabooks for my first book and seriously they sucked. Getting my royalties out of them was worse than pulling teeth from a ferocious t-rex. They diddled me out of heaps. Next book was B..."You will find that I too use creatspace and I have a post above extolling the ease and comfort they afford authors who follow the rules and pay attention. I have never had a problem with them.
Dr McGinnis
Julie wrote: "I've been looking at this issue for awhile. I published my book as an ebook with Smashwords in March, and now I'm going back and forth between Createspace and Lulu, unable to decide which (or both?..."Go with CreateSpace not Lulu. CreateSpace is much cheaper than Lulu and they respond to emails within 48 hours. Lulu is a customer service nightmare and they have tons of bugs in a system.
Thanks. I've ordered proofs from both, and I'm already impressed with Createspace. I got a shipping notice within 3 hours of ordering.
Lulu has had a been given a bad rap lately. Read the article "Get it Together, Lulu," on POD People.
I've just published my ebook on Smashwords and Kindle but I've been confused as to what to do about the paperback version. I've been torn between Lulu and Createspace, but after reading this thread I think I'll publish through Createspace.
Stan wrote: "I used Create Space for my first book, "Simply, Follow Me", unfortunately, the only person to purchase my book so far, is ME.So, I'm trying to figure out what I can do, to get people interested i..."
Stan, I just published my first book, Carving The Light, through CreateSpace, as well, and while it seems to be selling fine enough, so far it's all been people I know. Family and friends, and such. Which is GREAT, but I am eager for it to get out there more.
One thing that is starting to work out is to order copies of your own book, through your account. You don't get royalties on them, but you can sell them for a flat fee which is reasonable compared to what people would pay for a single copy ordered online, and keep the extra cash for yourself. A lot of people don't want to order online, I'm finding. Especially if they don't live in the US, and know they have to wait extra long or pay more for shipping. Anyway, you can sell them out of your own briefcase, and also offer a decent deal to independent bookstores if they are willing to carry some copies of your book. You can sign them, even, or go in for a signing some time. Many places like to feature local authors, so you just have to find your niche.
Work the online aspect, too. Here, and start an author blog, join Twitter and Facebook and such...create your own buzz. Amazon.com does author pages so link your blog to that, and start discussions and such to get people talking and increase traffic to your sites. Ask other bloggers to maybe review it for you for their readers. See if any book clubs would be interested. Keep talking about it, because the more you do, the more attention you will draw.
So far, that's all I've got...good luck! :)
I've used Create Space to self-pub my first novel, and have been very impressed from the get-go. The book looks great, the service from title set-up to printing was fast and efficient, they respond to questions promptly, and even when some friends placed a group order and some of the books arrived damaged, CreateSpace sent out replacement copies free of charge the very next day. I have nothing but praise for them so far, and will be publishing my next book through them, as well! :)
I was JUST about to ask this very same question. I'm glad I stumbled upon this post :)Lovelyn wrote: "I've just published my ebook on Smashwords and Kindle but I've been confused as to what to do about the paperback version. I've been torn between Lulu and Createspace, but after reading this thread..."
So far, so good. I just ordered my second proof from CreateSpace. The first one highlighted some problems that I had to fix. One oddity: The same book will cost you much less in a 6x9 format than in a 5.5 x 8.5 format. This is because, either way, it's 2 cents a page. And a lot more words fit on the larger page. For me it came out to about 50 cents a copy difference.
I just ordered my proof from CreateSpace. I can't wait for it to arrive. I'm sure there will be some problems. I've never formatted a book before and it can be hard to image what the finished will look like.
I am debating whether to use the free ISBN that CreateSpace provides or pay for my own ISBN and list myself as publisher - a hefty cost as you need to buy 10 numbers at once. For those of you who use the free ISBN, do you feel safe with that decision that you are retaining ownership of your work and could take it somewhere else down the line should a better opportunity come up? Does having CreateSpace listed as publisher hurt your sales at all?
I'm asking myself the same question. That's a lot of money that I don't have. I have a couple more projects in the pipeline, so the other nine would get used, but...ouch!
I know. I've talked to a few authors who used the free ISBNs and they feel comfortable with it. I was advised by one publisher to buy the ISBNs, though. I'm trying to get more perspective before deciding what to do. I think CreateSpace does say you can terminate the agreement at any time and that you can have your book published elsewhere.
First of all, you don't need to pay for an ISBN ever. I forget which library (but basically the head/largest in your country) and they will issue you 3 ISBN's at a time. Google it, but I've read that a few different places. Never ever pay for an ISBN, you don't have to. Secondly, Create Space don't own your work if you take their free ISBN. You are free to publish whereever else you want, BUT you'll have to publish it under a different ISBN as it will be classed as a new issue of the book.
I publish with create space, Smashwords (ebooks) and I even tried Lulu (but they're fees are hellishly expensive), so my book technically has 3 IBSN's, one for CS, one for the ebooks and one dormant one with Lulu.
I chose the free ones from the publishers every time because it means I don't have the hassle of getting my own (and an ebook needs it's own ISBN so people don't mistakenly get an ebook instead of a print version and vice versa).
I hope that clears things up for you all.
Hey everyone. I have made an group purely for helping authors on Amazon. I want it to be a "one stop shop" type of group. SO please feel free to leave your comments or drop some ideas! http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/3...
Hey everyone. I have made an group purely for helping authors on Amazon. It looks more like a group for a children's book. I cant see a single mention of Amazon on there.
C.S., apparently you're not in the US. What you said is apparently true for the rest of the world.The US Government has outsourced the issuing of ISBNs to a company called Bowker, who charges way too much money.
I registered my copyright directly with the Library of Congress, but if I want to own my own ISBN, I have to pay money to Bowker.
Then get a British or Canadian or Australian ISBN.The buying public aren't going to know what the ISBN codes are so it wont make a difference to them. It'll still appear in all the same places Create Space put books with a US ISNB.
C.S. wrote: "Then get a British or Canadian or Australian ISBN. "Um, it costs just as much to get a British ISBN and Bowker partially owns Australia's ISBN's too. Same for the Philippines.
Canada and New Zealand have no fee, but the address of the publisher must be in those countries.
If you have an address in Canada, you're golden. Otherwise, pay up.
It's not THAT expensive for an ISBN, though. I'm just irritated that we should have to pay for things like that when other countries don't always have that issue.
I used Createspace and so far, have had no problems. There's a definite learning curve with formatting but a lot of people will help you if you need it. My book looks great and my author copies are quite reasonable. Everyone that's seen it so far has been impressed. From the time I order a proof it takes about a week (sometimes less) to get to my house.
One feature Createspace has is a 'Call Me' option. When I was in a crunch over an ISBN issue, I entered my phone number and they called me right then. This is unheard of in almost every industry. The associate helped me through the issue, was very polite, and we resolved it to my satisfaction.
Very pleased overall!
Good luck!
Danielle
I use that call back system three or four times with each book and as you said, they answer immediately and more than that, the answer you get us 99% accurate and will solve your question the first time. Creatspace has the best program going and work very hard to keep satisfied authors. As an author of many books, this company does more for me than any other.I still call my first source from time to time and she is Allison Brown who handled my problems when I first started with Booksurge several years back.
To see the author
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002CB3V24
Stan wrote: "I used Create Space for my first book, "Simply, Follow Me", unfortunately, the only person to purchase my book so far, is ME.
So, I'm trying to figure out what I can do, to get people interested i..."
Hi Stan, I like your title,"Simply, Follow Me'. I am hanging in there also. Did you know that what you write on line is Googled? Try to choose your words so the search engine picks it up in several places.
For example: I put my book 'The Secrets of the Unwritten Book' up for a goodreads.com book giveaway. This is Googled! This is generating something. (Now, I am trying to keep up with writing personalizied thank you notes to everyone who has signed up. I like the personal touch. That is who I am; very personable. I take opportunity to direct them to my blogs and preview of the book online.) I not only hope that this creates a buzz, but, I want to be in contact on a pesonal level with people who might enjoy reading what my co-author, Grace Rose and I wrote.
If there are no Book Festivals in your area like the big one I attended at the U of I Library, July 17, I go the local Farmer's Market as a non-seasonal vendor.For only $11 I fill in someones's spot when I have free time. I post my events on goodreads.com, twitter.com, facebook.com. I found local event on zvents.com . I have as many sites linked to others as I can. Since my book is on amazonbooks.com, it is picked up on booktours.com as an event.I market by offering a special price. I especially point out that there is no shipping charge.
I hopes these little ideas gets your wheels turning. Other goodreads.com author have been so helpful to me, I just had to pass on where I have sold some books where nobody saw the book coming.
Malika Bourne co-author of The Secrets of the Unwritten Book
So, I'm trying to figure out what I can do, to get people interested i..."
Hi Stan, I like your title,"Simply, Follow Me'. I am hanging in there also. Did you know that what you write on line is Googled? Try to choose your words so the search engine picks it up in several places.
For example: I put my book 'The Secrets of the Unwritten Book' up for a goodreads.com book giveaway. This is Googled! This is generating something. (Now, I am trying to keep up with writing personalizied thank you notes to everyone who has signed up. I like the personal touch. That is who I am; very personable. I take opportunity to direct them to my blogs and preview of the book online.) I not only hope that this creates a buzz, but, I want to be in contact on a pesonal level with people who might enjoy reading what my co-author, Grace Rose and I wrote.
If there are no Book Festivals in your area like the big one I attended at the U of I Library, July 17, I go the local Farmer's Market as a non-seasonal vendor.For only $11 I fill in someones's spot when I have free time. I post my events on goodreads.com, twitter.com, facebook.com. I found local event on zvents.com . I have as many sites linked to others as I can. Since my book is on amazonbooks.com, it is picked up on booktours.com as an event.I market by offering a special price. I especially point out that there is no shipping charge.
I hopes these little ideas gets your wheels turning. Other goodreads.com author have been so helpful to me, I just had to pass on where I have sold some books where nobody saw the book coming.
Malika Bourne co-author of The Secrets of the Unwritten Book
Sue wrote: "Stan wrote: "I used Create Space for my first book, "Simply, Follow Me", unfortunately, the only person to purchase my book so far, is ME.
So, I'm trying to figure out what I can do, to get peop..."
Stan! "Selling out of your brief case" is great idea!I was told to carry my book everywhere. So my co-author, Grace Rose and I do that. We might go have a soda. We lay the book out on the edge of the table. While people are eaves dropping, maybe, we discuss the book. We sold a few copies this way. ( Okay, 2 copies in 5 weeks. I think that is a start.)
Good luck with your new acomplishment, "Simply Follow Me".
Malika Bourne author of The Secrets of the Unwritten Book
So, I'm trying to figure out what I can do, to get peop..."
Stan! "Selling out of your brief case" is great idea!I was told to carry my book everywhere. So my co-author, Grace Rose and I do that. We might go have a soda. We lay the book out on the edge of the table. While people are eaves dropping, maybe, we discuss the book. We sold a few copies this way. ( Okay, 2 copies in 5 weeks. I think that is a start.)
Good luck with your new acomplishment, "Simply Follow Me".
Malika Bourne author of The Secrets of the Unwritten Book
Julie wrote: "So far, so good. I just ordered my second proof from CreateSpace. The first one highlighted some problems that I had to fix. One oddity: The same book will cost you much less in a 6x9 format than i..."
Wow! 50 cents per book price reduction is really significant. A half a dallar here and 50 cents there.
Wow! 50 cents per book price reduction is really significant. A half a dallar here and 50 cents there.
I've published my first two novels through Createspace and my husband has published two novels and a book of poetry too (we bought a block of ISBN's from Bowker and created our own imprint, Field Stone Press.) We're both quite pleased by the quality of the books printed, and when there is a problem, they respond and resolve it quick, like the time my first proof of one of my latest book arrived looking a bit wonky so I emailed them that night asking them to check into it, they were very accommodating and professional, they corrected the problem, printed a new one free (free second day shipping too!) So far, so good...I have nothing but good things to say about Createspace.
I decided to try CreateSpace a couple weeks ago with my 3rd novel, The Usurper. For the cover, I took a photo of some fire while camping, merged it with an American flag, and added some eyes, and I only did it using a combo of paint.net and Gimp. My biggest problem was getting Word formatted correctly for page numbering, so that the numbers wouldn't begin until the 5th page. Otherwise, everything else went smoothly.Anyway, I got the proof and was pleased with how it all turned out. I had used Iuniverse and Virtualbookworm.com before that and it cost way too much money and I haven't sold near enough to recoup my cost. With CreateSpace, spending $39, I can get that back within 3 or 4 novels. I have this novel on Smashwords and Lulu too, but Lulu charges a lot for buying a novel. I did Lulu also because I wanted to see which one got my novel more coverage, but, since its only been a week and a half, so far they're about even. Ha ha.
Did you say your book only cost $39 to publish with Create Space, Cliff. I thought their books began at $500- $1000.laurel
Yeah, I don't buy my own books all that often, but for CreateSpace to distribute the book you have to Amazon, B&N, and others, it's called Expanded Distribution, which is $39. They have other services that cost a lot of money, but I didn't use any of them. I did and do everything else myself, but the printing of and distribution of my novels, which I leave to them.
Laurel wrote: "Did you say your book only cost $39 to publish with Create Space, Cliff. I thought their books began at $500- $1000.laurel"
Laurel, that is also all my O'Bannon Castle book cost me to publish. That is both Ebook and paperback. Nice.
Dr M
Thanks for this Dr Robert and Cliff. I'll have to look into this further. I'll see what happens to You Write On first. Laurel
Lulu compared to createspace. I've been reading everyones post and it seems like createspace is the way to go. I went and checked it out and notice that there isn't an option to create a book without getting an ISBN. On Lulu I created a book without getting an ISBN and it only cost me around 9 bucks. I didn't see anything like that on creatspace. Have I just overlooked this or is it not available? I want to do a test book first without publishing so I can see how everything looks and iron out any quirks I may see before finalizing it with an ISBN.
Createspace - the 39 dollars is for the expanded distribution listing (not really needed)as the book is listed on Amazon. If your handy with word, you upload your book, an ISBN is allocated, You order a proof. (if satisfied)then it goes to market.
Downside: If you are a Non-US author there are costs associated with clearing your cheques at the bank, and you pay 30% tax if you do not supply a w-8ben form. Some countries have tax treaties with the states. (very handy)
Tips for Self Promotion, Sales, and Advertising
Books mentioned in this topic
The Usurper (other topics)The Serpent and the Stag (other topics)
Thoughts and stories about Create Space?