Tip Tuesday has gone a bit high and right, since I wrote just one and then promptly started releasing new titles instead of writing helpful content. But I’d like to make this humble offering as the second installment in the nascent Tip Tuesday series: print book covers.
I’m certainly no expert in the business of print mechanics, but I thought I’d leave you with some hints from my own experience, a little bit of feedback I’ve received, and point you to a couple of guys who are experts. [Read more…]
This is Part III of a three-part series on my attempt to print my short story collection, one bad twelve, using Amazon’s CreateSpace method. Part I covered many of the basics; Part II covered the “short list” of tips and tricks that helped me get my title to CreateSpace.
In many ways, this is the easiest part of the CreateSpace process and is more about reporting than tips or tricks. Once I’d been through the formatting and artwork (cover) stages of my book, much of the “creative” process was over. There are still a few issues that might be of interest to writers new to the print format, however.
I’m excited to announce that my crime fiction short story collection one bad twelve is now available in print at both my CreateSpace store and Amazon.com for $11.99. (If you’re interested in buying it, I’d appreciate it if you did so at my CreateSpace store…Amazon takes 50% more royalties when selling from their site!)
The volume is 226 pages and consists of 13 original stories as well as a Story Notes section where I talk about the inspiration and background for the stories. There’s also an excerpt from my forth-coming debut detective novel, A Reason to Live.
The process to go from ebook to print was much easier than I’d anticipated. CreateSpace–a division of Amazon–has the process down pat and guides the would-be print author through every step of the way. If you’re interested, I talk about my experiences and provide some tips and expected pitfalls here (Part I) and here (Part II). I’ll be posting a Part III of the experience soon.
Quick FAQ
Why did you go with CreateSpace?
CS is owned by Amazon and the seamless connection between creating an ebook and a print book–and linking the two in their sales channels–was too good to pass up. Also, like their system for uploading ebooks, the interface for creating a print book is exceedingly easy to use and the help they provide through the process is thorough.
Is it safe to order from CreateSpace?
Yep. CreateSpace is a wholly owned division of Amazon, although your credit card statement will show CREATESPACE as the merchant.
What’s the difference in ordering from CreateSpace vs. Amazon?
For the buyer, very little. The price is exactly the same. However, because CS is the printer rather than the distributor, they take less in royalties…50% less. So, the author (that’s me) makes much more from orders through CS than Amazon without any increase in price to the buyer.
The one consideration for a buyer is that CS does not offer free shipping for Prime members. Amazon does.
Why $11.99? The ebook is only $2.99!
There are overhead costs–salaries, printing, warehousing, and paying for the electronic costs of the store–that drive the cost of a print version up. Also, I elected to go through an “expanded distribution” network that allows me to place one bad twelve in libraries and independent bookstores, who take much deeper cuts of the overall price.
Because of that deeper cut, I make just $1 per copy sold in those channels; $11.99 is the lowest price I could set and still make any money on my book. 🙂 I make correspondingly more through Amazon.com and even more if you buy through my CreateSpace store.
This is Part II of a two-part series on my experiences printing my short story collection one bad twelve. Part II covers the “short list” of tips and tricks that helped me get my title to CreateSpace.
This is Part I of a two-part series on my experiences printing my short story collection one bad twelve. This initial post covers the reason for printing my title, why I went with CreateSpace, and some beginning knowledge you might need if you want to do so yourself.
Why Print?
In a recent blog post, writer and publisher Dean Wesley Smith talked about the importance of making sure your writing is available in print as well as digitally. E-readers, he points out, are the wave of the future, but,
“…electronic publishing is hovering around 20% of all books sold. Higher in some genres, lower in others, higher in some months, lower in others. That means in general that 80% of all books sold are paper, through either online bookstores like Amazon or indie bookstores or box stores.”
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Tip Tuesday has gone a bit high and right, since I wrote just one and then promptly started releasing new titles instead of writing helpful content. But I’d like to make this humble offering as the second installment in the nascent Tip Tuesday series: print book covers.
