PUBLISHING IS FREE!
Don't Pay Until You Read this!
There are tons of "publishing services" cropping up everywhere who claim to be the way for self published authors to go. They neglect to tell you that they will charge you $1,500 for something you can do yourself for FREE. They often produce low quality books and then charge you to market the books--- for another $2,000. If that wasn't bad enough, they then put your 100 page paperback for sale online at $22--that is right--$22 and $9 for an ebook. No one is going to buy that. So now you are out of money, have no way to make any from the book, and worst of all-- the quality is terrible.
Do Your Research - Ask Other Authors
I have a Facebook group of authors of all stages--- some have dozens of books published, others are still in the first draft of their first book stage. We answer questions, post helpful links, and even promote each other in various ways. We have established a supportive community. You are more than welcome to join us.
Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook & Ebook Publishing
Createspace - An Amazon Company
Publishing a paperback does not cost anything upfront. Those who tell you it does are lying. I'm not talking about editing & proofing. I'm talking about the actual printing. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself. Createspace is an Amazon owned company. You open a FREE account, choose what size you want to print. Then choose whether you want black and white r color pages. You can choose a FREE ISBN assigned by Createspace. Upload your file (I recommend a PDF which you can easily created by hitting FILE>Export as PDF). You can use a cover design feature in Createspace that again, costs NOTHING. It is basically point and click. OR you can create your own cover.
Once the system reviews your file to make sure the text is within the margins, you can hit submit. It usually takes 24 hours for Createspace to "process" your work. You can then receive a digital proof of your book-- which again... is FREE. And approve it for publishing. However you can order a proof so you have a physical copy of your book in your hand. This is highly recommended for new authors who are learning how to format books and make covers. Also, I find it easier to proof read from a physical copy rather than a computer screen.
What about an ISBN?
You have the option of purchasing your own ISBN, or using a FREE one that Createspace assigns. If you have an ebook, a paperback, a hardcover and an audiobook-- each of those will need a different ISBN because the title is in a different format.
The cost you ask?
My 360 page books cost approximately $5 each plus $3 shipping. So for $8 I can upload my work, design a cover, and receive a proof. All within about a week.
But what about the customer's books, how much do they cost?
The customer's books cost you nothing to print. When a customer orders the book online, Createspace prints that person's individual book (aka Print On Demand or POD). The customer pays for the printing and shipping. Sixty days later, you receive a royalty payment which is determined before you even publish. You set your own prices (they give you a minimum amount to cover the production costs).
So how much money do I get for a book?
That depends on the length of your book and the price you set. My one book is a 6 x 9 in, 360 page novel. I set the sale price at $15.99. If a customer buys it from the Createspace store, I receive $7 for the book. If it is bought on Amazon, I receive $4.80. If someone buys it from another distributor, such as Barnes & Noble, I only get $1.90. The price is low for the "Expanded Distribution" because Amazon wants to make money, so they want you to traffic your customers to their site-- not their competitors.
What about Ebooks, Audiobooks and Hardcovers?
Createspace is a paperback only printer/distributor. Createspace will prompt you an offer to upload your PDF to distribute as a Kindle (Amazon's ereader) on www.kdp.com
DO NOT take this option. The paperback might look beautiful, but the ebook formatting is completely different. Because of this, your ebook may have blank pages inserted, the alignment might me off.
There are places, such as IngramLighting and IngramSpark that will do it ebook, paperback and hardcover print & distribution. They will give you a package deal that includes ISBN's, Barcodes, and formatting for both digital and print. I added it up the other night, and to publish ONE title, it would cost me approximately $700. The benefit of Ingram? They accept returned books from brick and mortar book stores. They are still a Print on Demand company, but if the books a store buys does not sell, they can be returned. Because of this, it is WAY more likely to get your self published book into a Borders, Barnes & Noble or other physical book store.
But... before you spend that money.. consider this... How long will bookstores be around in this digital age?
Once the system reviews your file to make sure the text is within the margins, you can hit submit. It usually takes 24 hours for Createspace to "process" your work. You can then receive a digital proof of your book-- which again... is FREE. And approve it for publishing. However you can order a proof so you have a physical copy of your book in your hand. This is highly recommended for new authors who are learning how to format books and make covers. Also, I find it easier to proof read from a physical copy rather than a computer screen.
What about an ISBN?
You have the option of purchasing your own ISBN, or using a FREE one that Createspace assigns. If you have an ebook, a paperback, a hardcover and an audiobook-- each of those will need a different ISBN because the title is in a different format.
The cost you ask?
My 360 page books cost approximately $5 each plus $3 shipping. So for $8 I can upload my work, design a cover, and receive a proof. All within about a week.
But what about the customer's books, how much do they cost?
The customer's books cost you nothing to print. When a customer orders the book online, Createspace prints that person's individual book (aka Print On Demand or POD). The customer pays for the printing and shipping. Sixty days later, you receive a royalty payment which is determined before you even publish. You set your own prices (they give you a minimum amount to cover the production costs).
So how much money do I get for a book?
That depends on the length of your book and the price you set. My one book is a 6 x 9 in, 360 page novel. I set the sale price at $15.99. If a customer buys it from the Createspace store, I receive $7 for the book. If it is bought on Amazon, I receive $4.80. If someone buys it from another distributor, such as Barnes & Noble, I only get $1.90. The price is low for the "Expanded Distribution" because Amazon wants to make money, so they want you to traffic your customers to their site-- not their competitors.
What about Ebooks, Audiobooks and Hardcovers?
Createspace is a paperback only printer/distributor. Createspace will prompt you an offer to upload your PDF to distribute as a Kindle (Amazon's ereader) on www.kdp.com
DO NOT take this option. The paperback might look beautiful, but the ebook formatting is completely different. Because of this, your ebook may have blank pages inserted, the alignment might me off.
- Ebooks - Again, upload your files for FREE and get paid royalties at various distributors. Each has their pros & cons. Each has it's preferred upload format. So you have to research a bit to find the one you like the most. What works for one book/author, might not be best for another.
- Audiobooks - Can be FREE upfront costs! Even to hire a narrator. In order to avoid upfront costs, you have to split the royalties with the narrator throughout the contract. Also, you must remain exclusive to Amazon, Audible (an Amazon Company), and iTunes. But you don't have to worry about any of that... why? because an Amazon company call ACX will handle all the distribution.
- Hardcovers - Can be produced but not distributed for free. The best place I have found for hardcovers is a Barnes & Noble company called Nook Press. My 360 page novel cost me $14 to print and $5 to ship. Another company called Lulu wanted me to pay $55 + $8 shipping for the same exact book.
There are places, such as IngramLighting and IngramSpark that will do it ebook, paperback and hardcover print & distribution. They will give you a package deal that includes ISBN's, Barcodes, and formatting for both digital and print. I added it up the other night, and to publish ONE title, it would cost me approximately $700. The benefit of Ingram? They accept returned books from brick and mortar book stores. They are still a Print on Demand company, but if the books a store buys does not sell, they can be returned. Because of this, it is WAY more likely to get your self published book into a Borders, Barnes & Noble or other physical book store.
But... before you spend that money.. consider this... How long will bookstores be around in this digital age?
What About Editing, Proofreading, &
Cover Design Services?
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