I learned something interesting this week when I went to the Alabama Media Professionals monthly meeting.
The speaker this month was Denise George who is a published author, but she decided to self publish her work that was no longer in print.
Since I'd already self published a book, I didn't think she'd say much that I hadn't already heard or done. But I listened to be polite.
She had a graphic artist help her design the covers, and she used Amazon's CreativeSpace self publishing.
I really couldn't believe what I heard next. Once she had her front cover designed, she uploaded the cover and formatted PDF's to CreativeSpace. Amazon will then format the book for eBooks, and also print books to sell. Here's the kicker -- it's free.
As an author, if I format my cover, and PDF's myself and then upload the manuscript to CreativeSpace, it won't cost me squat.
I plan to order 50 books to start with, so they will print the books for less that $3 each and ship them to me within about a week. (I used 50 as an example. They will print fewer though prices vary depending on the number you order.)
That means if I'm having several book signings, I can print a box of books and not print any more until I need them.
My first book was the size of a regular paperback 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inces, black and white and about 160 pages and I had to order a truckload of books to get them at $3 each.
They also list the book in their bookshelf and charge whatever price you want to charge. When someone orders a book, they print and ship it.
They will do full color books in practically any size, though the price for full color is understandably higher (my book would be about $9 a copy if it were in full color).
A lot of new authors don't understand that when you're starting out, books don't sell themselves. You have to hustle, speak, sign, shake hands and kiss babies. It's almost like you're running for office.
It's not until much later when you've become hugely successful that you don't have to hustle so much.
But if you've dreamed of writing a book and you can't find a publisher chomping at the bits to publish it, I'd consider CreativeSpace.
I'm fairly certain it's the way I'll go with book two -- Life Happens. So I'll be able to give you the real scoop in a few months.
The speaker this month was Denise George who is a published author, but she decided to self publish her work that was no longer in print.
Since I'd already self published a book, I didn't think she'd say much that I hadn't already heard or done. But I listened to be polite.
She had a graphic artist help her design the covers, and she used Amazon's CreativeSpace self publishing.
I really couldn't believe what I heard next. Once she had her front cover designed, she uploaded the cover and formatted PDF's to CreativeSpace. Amazon will then format the book for eBooks, and also print books to sell. Here's the kicker -- it's free.
As an author, if I format my cover, and PDF's myself and then upload the manuscript to CreativeSpace, it won't cost me squat.
I plan to order 50 books to start with, so they will print the books for less that $3 each and ship them to me within about a week. (I used 50 as an example. They will print fewer though prices vary depending on the number you order.)
That means if I'm having several book signings, I can print a box of books and not print any more until I need them.
My first book was the size of a regular paperback 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inces, black and white and about 160 pages and I had to order a truckload of books to get them at $3 each.
They also list the book in their bookshelf and charge whatever price you want to charge. When someone orders a book, they print and ship it.
They will do full color books in practically any size, though the price for full color is understandably higher (my book would be about $9 a copy if it were in full color).
A lot of new authors don't understand that when you're starting out, books don't sell themselves. You have to hustle, speak, sign, shake hands and kiss babies. It's almost like you're running for office.
It's not until much later when you've become hugely successful that you don't have to hustle so much.
But if you've dreamed of writing a book and you can't find a publisher chomping at the bits to publish it, I'd consider CreativeSpace.
I'm fairly certain it's the way I'll go with book two -- Life Happens. So I'll be able to give you the real scoop in a few months.
I appreciate your honesty here! I feel like the more I engage myself with a topic like publishing or journalism, the more I realize I know very little about the subject.
ReplyDeleteTraditional publishing gives you a lot of resources and opportunity to gain an audience, but self-publishing provides you with a lot of freedom - and you can be your own boss! No wonder it's become more popular now. :)
Wendy Lu
The Red Angel Blog
The only thing that puts me off the idea of self-publishing is all the 'other' stuff you have to know, so the more I read posts like this, the happier I am :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this information! sandie
ReplyDeleteexciting...how easy it is to self-publish these days! look forward to hearing more about your new self-published book!
ReplyDelete