My Experience Self Publishing With Createspace

Way back in the olden days of earlier this decade, I wrote a book, just for fun. That's the best way to do it. If you know what I'm talking about, please pat yourself on the back before continuing. You know what's up. Writing should be fun!

But it's still a lot of work. And let's face it, whether or not you have dreams of publishing with the huge houses or you decide to self-publish, it would be nice to have someone read your book. At least, that's how I eventually felt.

I had a popular blog and considered releasing my book for free. I had learned that putting your work out there online can be rewarding, but I wanted to hold the book I wrote and turn the pages. It was the right choice for me. The first time I took the book out of the box, I was about as happy as I'd ever been, even though I knew very few people would ever even read it.

I published that book with Createspace. Here is why:

1. I was diligent enough to finish a book, but not thrilled about an exhaustive study of self-publishing options. Createspace was the first thing I saw when I began exploring. It looked good enough to try.

2. Friends recommended the service to me

3. Friends spoke less-glowingly about other services, but I can't vouch for that

4. The price was right

Step one: write your book.

After I had done that, I went to Createspace and registered for an account. Then, since I was interested in a book, I chose the author's option. Then I was taken right into the setup options.

It is worth the time to carefully revise your manuscript. You could always pay an editor to help you. I didn't, but I had also spent several years with the book. I was fairly certain that I had caught all of my grammatical errors and when I read through the book after receiving my copy, I was happy about my work.

This is self-publishing. The manuscript you submit is the one that will be published. Nobody is going to catch the errors. It would be a shame to get your book and discover that you had spent 800 pages writing "your" when it should have been "you are."

After logging into your new account, you'll be taken to the page where you enter information about your book: title, keywords associated with it, author bio, etc.

There are two types of files on Createspace: your interior files (the text inside the book) and the cover file.

Both of these have to be converted into PDF documents before they can be uploaded. Specifications are given with regards to the format of your text and to the cover. If you do not format them correctly your manuscript will be rejected when you try to upload it. This isn't the worst thing in the world, but is annoying (Yes, I screwed up several times).

If you are a graphic designer or know a Photoshop wiz, you can have your cover designed for you. I am not and did not, so I used Createspace's template designer. I wound up with a very ugly cover. I did not know this at the time because I am not aesthetically inclined, but readers clued me in. When I publish another book, I'll get a decent cover designed.

After the formatting is done, upload the files.

After uploading your files, you'll be taken to a screen where you decide how much your book is going to cost. CS will provide you with some details about their suggested price, based on page count, the type of book you are publishing, and the formatting specifications you chose.

You are allowed to set the list price. CS will give you a minimum price that covers their expenses for producing your book. You are allowed to set the price above the minimum so that you can profit from sales of your book.

This is not as complicated as it may sound. I was a little intimidated by the screens that were jumping up at me, but CS is well-designed and user friendly. My book wound up selling for just over $21.00

Once you have jumped through all of these hoops, it is time to submit your manuscript. This is as simple as pressing the "submit" button once you have uploaded your files and been through the sales screen.

Someone at CS will check your manuscript to make sure that it meets all of their formatting requirements. I repeat--they will not be editing your errors, they will only be making sure your files and margins and such meet the physical publishing requirements.

Less than 48 hours later, I received a message saying my manuscript was approved. This is where it gets fun. You are then required to purchase a review, or "proof" copy. This means that they send you a copy of your book so that you can look through it and confirm that it has turned out the way you wanted it to.

Once you get that book and check things out, you log back into your account and press the approve button. Congratulations! You now have a book for sale through an Amazon online store.

Not only would I do it again, I will be doing it again soon. CS is a wonderful service. In case you're wondering about my sales, they are terrible. Maybe even worse than terrible! But I've got my book. I did something that a lot of people talk about, but only a few accomplish. I wrote a book. Started and completed.

And I've got a copy! If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments. Let's talk.