Self-publishing, Createspace, and Amazon.com

I joined Createspace.com in late August, 2007. Createspace is the self-publishing subsidiary of Amazon.com.

As of early February 2008, I've used Createspace to self-publish 2 computer help books and 12 instructional DVDs.

Here are my impressions of the company so far:

Createspace Advantages (Pros)

1) Anything you use Createspace to self-publish (books, DVDs, CDs) will be automatically listed on Amazon.

Check out my Computer Comfort DVD on Amazon. Please note that the availability of this print on demand DVD is "In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available."

2) Very low cost. Currently, to self-publish a CD or DVD and get it listed for sale on Amazon, You just have to pay for the cost to ship a copy of the Master DVD to Createspace (USPS Priority Mail is $4.60).

Currently, to self-publish a book using Createspace, you have to pay for the cost for Createspace to produce a "proof copy" of your book and ship it to you (around $15.00).

3) User-friendly Website. As you might expect from an Amazon.com company, the Createspace website is easy to use and navigate.

4) Customer email support has been relatively fast and has worked quickly to resolve any issues that I have had (which have been few and nothing to get into a twist about).

5) Overall, Createspace seems like an efficient and well-managed company. They have also provided me a fantastic opportunity to expose my computer help instructional DVDs and books to Amazon's vast marketplace at a very low cost.

6) You can sell your books, CDs, and DVDs through other outlets (i.e. your own web site, classified ads, craigslist, etc.) and use Createspace to fulfill the orders that you get through those venues.

This means that you don't have to "stock the store" (i.e. have boxes of your books piled up in your living room) which can require a considerable cash outlay.

7) Automatic SEO for your book description. This is huge my friend! Due to the large amount of web traffic that Amazon gets (few websites get more), the words that you type into your book description will rank very high on search engines for those keywords.

For example, if somebody types "Mac Computer Basics" into Google, the Amazon listings for my Mac Computer Basics book and instructional DVD will show up on the first page of Google search results for that keyword search.

8) Speed. After you finish your book, you can have it for sale on Amazon within 10 days! Compare that to "traditional" book publishing!

Createspace Disadvantages (Cons)

I hesitate to bite the hand that is helping to feed me and my two feline campadres but here are a few of Createspace shortcomings:

1) No telephone support. You can only communicate with Createspace tech support through Email. They usually respond within 1 business day but sometimes you may have to wait 2-3 calendar days for a response.

2) You have to keep an eye on your book listings on Amazon. I've had my computer help DVD descriptions abruptly disappear from Amazon - poof!

Createspace resolved the issue within a few days.

To be fair, Createspace is a very young company so a few bugs in the system are to be expected.

3) 100 MB limit for manuscript uploads. You'll need to convert your manuscript to a PDF and upload it to Createspace.

However, your PDF manuscript must be less than 100 MB. If your book has a lot of graphics (which should have a 300 DPI resolution to ensure optimal printing), this can be a problem.

Createspace will not let you ship your manuscript to them. It must be uploaded through their web site.

Therefore, if your book has a lot of pictures, your only option is to use a lower DPI for your graphics.

4) Amazon takes a big bite. Amazon takes roughly 2/3 of the list price for your book (which you set).

This sounds like a lot (and it is) but Amazon gives you the opportunity to make it up in volume.

Plus you don't have to do a gosh darn thing when somebody buys one of your books through Amazon.com. Amazon handles the payment processing and the shipping & handling. Your Createspace account is then credited a royalty (about 1/3 of the list price).

If somebody buys one of your books from the Createspace online shop, Createspace will retain a mere third of your list price. But alas I haven't had any sales from that venue (yet).