Publishing Your Book: With CreateSpace

In the three previous posts, we discussed how to format your manuscript to prepare it for print, prepare it for ebook versions, and design a cover. Now it is time to set up the parameters of the book with the provider. This is a straightforward process, though it differs between the services. We willl look at the four services that we use at Sulis: CreateSpace, Kindle, iBooks, and Smashwords. This post covers CreateSpace.
If you have been working through the process outline in the three previous posts, you now have a print-ready file (print and ebook versions, if you are publishing in both formats) and a cover. Here are the steps as outlined in previous posts and future posts (we are at number 5):

Beginning a Project

If you do not already have a CreateSpace account, then click here and create one.

Once you have an account, go to the Member Dashboard. Here is a list of all your “projects” (in our case, books). This will list both published books as well as ones that are in the process of being developed. To begin a new book, click the “Add New Title” button at the top of the list. In the first screen, enter the title of the book (you can change this later before publishing). Click “paperback,” and then click “Get Started.” Once you know the process well, you can choose “Expert.” (We almost always use “Get Started” so that we do not miss anything—it forces us to slow down.

The next screen have the title you entered. Add a subtitle (if there is one) and your name to “primary author.” If there are other authors or contributors, you can add as many as you like under “Add Contributor.” You can choose from a large number of types: “editors,” “preface by,” “maps by”—it is a long list! If your book is part of a series, click the checkbox and type the title of the series and the volume number. “Edition Number” refers to changed or different versions of the book. For the first publication, you can type “1.” If you later update or revise the book and republish it, you would enter “2,” and so on. Enter the language of the book. You can leave the publication date blank (unless you are republishing a book that was published elsewhere); CreateSpace will add the actual publication date when you publish it. Once finished, click “Save & Continue.” You may change any of this information up until you submit it for review by the CreateSpace team.

ISBN Options

The next screen allows you to assign an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) to your book. Once you click “Continue” from this screen you cannot change the ISBN. An ISBN is a unique number assigned to this edition of this book, and is used by booksellers identify the book, using a bar code on the lower back right corner. CreateSpace will print the bar code for you if you use their cover design options; if you create the cover yourself you must include the bar code. See the post on cover creation to learn how to do this.) An ISBN is required by CreateSpace to publish and distribute your book. Bowker is the only agency in the US who provides ISBNs, search here for agencies in other countries. Click here for a PDF explaining the bar codes, ISBNs, CreateSpace options, and more. ISBNs are expensive to buy ($125 per ISBN at this writing), but they can be less than a $1 when bought in high quantities. Since Createspace and other publishing platforms buy so many, they can offer free or cheaper options. The drawback is that you can only sell the book with their ISBN through CreateSpace and Amazon, though this includes their extensive distribution channels. Many authors will be happy with this option. If you choose the free option, the “imprint” listed in book databases, such as Books in Print, will be “CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.” You can still still publish through other platforms, but you will have to obtain a different ISBN for the same book (or use the other platform’s options if they offer one). Some authors insist on buying their own ISBNs from Bowker, buying in bulk as much a they can afford (10 will cost you $250 as of this writing). Whether you need buy you own is a matter of debate. Search the Createspace forums for pros and cons, as well as other author discussion forums.

CreateSpace assigned. Free. “CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform” is the imprint; you retain all rights as author. Can only be used with CreateSpace, but Amazon has an expanded distribution channels for many other retailers, bookstores, and libraries. You can only sell the book through CreateSpace and its channels (but you could get another ISBN and use others).
Custom ISBN. $10. You get to enter an imprint name (yourself or your publishing company), everything else is the same as above, though not all distribution channels are available.
Custom Universal ISBN. $99. Same as the above, except you are not limited to selling the book only through CreateSpace with this ISBN. It is basically the same as if you bought the ISBN through Bowker.
Provide Your Own ISBN. You supply your own purchased elsewhere; you are not limited to publishing with Createspace using this ISBN, but some of CreateSpace’s distribution channels are not available.

Interior Trim and Page options

Here you choose your paper type, color or black and white (for the interior), size of the book (called “trim size”), and upload your interior file (not your cover). You can upload it as a PDF, DOC, DOCS, or even an RTF. (Remember that your Word or PDF file should match the trim size you select here; see our previous post on formatting for print.) We recommend Word format. Sometimes, we find that uploading as Word changes the layout subtly, usually resulting in chapter beginnings being on the wrong page, which affects out table of contents). If we have too much trouble with this, we upload a PDF, which gives us total control of the layout with no surprises. The drawback is that you cannot use CreateSpace’s option to transfer the same file to Kindle version without having to re-upload. We usually reformat for ebooks anyway (see the post on formatting for ebooks), so this is not a problem.
Printing with interior color ink or color graphic and pictures will increase the publishing costs, as will size. Note the option at the bottom that provides an option to use CreateSpace’s professional designers to format your interior, starting at $199. (Self-promotion: Sulis provides professional layout and formatting services as well, often cheaper and more personal. Click here for more information.)
You can come back and change these options at any time before you submit the book for review. Any changes to the size will require you to resize your Word file or PDF, of course.

Interior Review

Once you have uploaded your file, CreateSpace will work for a few moments, and then present you with a screen that will let you know if there are any problems at this stage. Click “Launch Interior Reviewer” which will allow you to see the interior of your book as a virtual book with margin and trim guides. You can click through the pages, check the layout, and examine any of the issues that CreateSpace indicates on the right-hand side beside the “book.” I recommend you click through the entire book two or three times, noting layout, spacing, page numbers, headings, and margins. Have the Word file open at the same time on your computer, so that you can fix each problem as you encounter them. Some of the issues that CreateSpace finds might not matter—we have had it flag an italic word at a margin as being “outside the margin,” but it wasn’t. It will also note any fonts problems, image resolution problems, and some others. Most of the time, CreateSpace will offer some guidelines on how to fix the problem. To make changes, click “Go back and make changes.” Make the changes to your original file and re-upload, then check again in the Interior Reviewer. Repeat the process until all errors are fixed and you are satisfied with the . Once you are finished, you can move on to the next stage.

Cover

If you have designed your own cover, you upload it as Print-Ready PDF Cover on the next screen.
You can also use the “Build Your Cover Online” to use templates prepared by CreateSpace. This is by far the easiest option, and with customization options, you can make sure your book is relatively different from other book covers.
The covers look nice, there are 30 different designs (see the screenshot below) including color pictures and textures for background, fonts stylings, and back cover text. Each template has its own sub-options (see the screen shot on the right). The finished product will look professional and uniform throughout. Still, you are limited in placement of text items overall layout within each style of cover, and your cover will not be truly personalized to your book. But for those who do not have the skills or do not wish to spend the time designing your own, this is an acceptable option.
You also have a third option: hire one of the CreateSpace team to design a cover for you, starting at $399.

Submit for Review

The last screen, “Complete Setup,” will present a list of all previous options and the basic selections you have made. From here, you can go back and edit the information in each step. If everything has been completed and passed the automated review, you can now go to the Review Stage. Here, you “Submit Files for Review.” Your project will be reviewed by a human at CreateSpace. You will received an email once it is completed (usually only a day or two), notifying you of any problems with options on how to remedy them. (While waiting, you can proceed to the Distribute section—see below.) Return to the relevant screens and make necessary changes, then upload new interior or cover files as necessary. Submit for review again. Repeat the process until it passes. At this point, you will have an option to order a proof copy at a low price. We recommend this so you can see what the actual book will look like, and to proof and edit in a hard copy version.

Distribute

Pricing screen
While your book is being reviewed, you can enter the Distribute section and set a number of other options. “Channels” sets the distribution to Amazon, Amazon Europe, and the Createspace eStore. Depending on the ISBN options you chose, you can also select up to three options in the Expanded Distribution section: Libraries and Academic Institutions, CreateSpace Direct, and other bookstores and retailers. For the latter, you will need to assign a BISAC Code—this is a standard code of subjects, which you choose in the “Description” section. Pricing is where you set the retail price of your book. The screen will show a “minimum list price” which covers printing costs (though there may still be a royalty even if you set it at that number). Consider the price tradeoff—the higher the list, the higher your royalty, but, of course, the more expensive the book. If you are interested in volume rather than return, set it as low as possible. You can change the pricing later, or offer discounts for periods of time, or coupons. Once you have entered your price, click Calculate. CreateSpace will determine your royalty payments from each of the five distribution channels, as well as list price calculated for the British Pound and the Euro (using the current exchange rates). You can override these by unchecking the box labelled “yes, suggest a GBP price based on the U.S. price.” Cover finish is where you choose whether you want your book cover to have a matte finish or a glossy finish. (Most popular paperbacks are glossy, some academic or reference works are matte, but there is no rule—look at some books with both and decide. Description includes the aforementioned BISAC code selection, but also where you enter the description of the book which will appear in online descriptions. (For Sulis publications, we usually use the back cover blurb for the description.) You can also enter an optional “author bio” here, which we recommend. Finally, Publish on Kindle allows you to have your cover file and interior file directly sent to Kindle Publishing for automatic publishing to Kindle. If you book is simple, and you used the CreateSpace Cover Creator, this may work fine, but it is usually better to reformat your book specifically for ebooks. See my previous post on formatting for ebooks.

Conclusion

Once you have completed all of the Distribution steps, and your book has passed the Review, you may want to order a copy to proof, as I mentioned above. We always suggest this to our authors—you will almost always catch some typos or formatting problems in the hard copy that you did not see in on the computer. Additionally, you will be able to see your cover: real-life colors are rarely the exact color that you see on a computer. You can order a proof for a lower price than the list price you set.
Once you click publish, your book will probably be available on Amazon within a few hours. It may take a day or so for it to appear in other international Amazon stores, and up to a week or so for other retailers. This is the time to do some marketing on social networks, your blogs, websites, and the many other options available to you (Sulis can do some of this for you as well, click here for more.) CreateSpace has some sales and marketing tips as well. From the Dashboard, you can track your sales, see royalty balances, and view past sales and payouts.
In the next post, we will look at the process for uploading Kindle books.
Sulis is available to help you with any of these stages—contact us from our home page or email us here.
As always, feel free to enter a comment or a question in the Comment field below this post.