Unlike Lulu, once you have uploaded your files to CreateSpace, you do NOT immediately have the capability to order a copy of your work. Once you have submitted your files, you receive an email confirmation that states the following: “Thank you for submitting your book. We will review your files and book information and notify you of the results via email shortly, typically within 24-48 hours.”
The first time I submitted my work, I did receive a reply within 24 hours which advised me to remove the title and my name from the spine. My project was only around 120 pages and they suggested the words on the spine might bleed over onto the front or back cover at printing. They also told me the cover art might appear blurry because of its pixel count. While I didn’t change the cover art, I did take their advice and removed the words from the spine.
After making these changes to my book and redoing Step 2 of the publication process, I was allowed to order a PROOF copy which is Step 3. Here you enter you billing and shipping information and your credit card number. The cost of my book was $4.02 and $6.00 shipping. Yes, the shipping was more than the book, but a price check at Lulu for a 6 x 9, 123 page paperback book was $6.96 for the book and $5.85 for media mail shipping. For the first copy of my book plus shipping, CreateSpace had already beat Lulu by almost $3.00.
After ordering my proof copy, I received an automated email that states the following: “Thank you for ordering a proof copy. This is to notify you your order has been received and is currently being processed. Your proof copy will ship to you within five days. If you are completely satisfied with your proof copy when you receive it and are ready to make your book available for sale, log in to your CreateSpace member account and click the edit icon corresponding to your book. Review your books information for accuracy and click Approve Proof to make your book available for sale. If you are not completely satisfied with your proof copy when you receive it, you may make any necessary changes to your files, upload them again and order another proof after those files have been reviewed.”
Notice the email says it will ship within 5 days. Online at CreateSpace it also gave a very broad estimate for delivery which was about three weeks away. I ordered the proof at about 7am in the morning. When I got home that afternoon from work, there was an email in my box saying my proof copy had already shipped. That’s right! My proof copy was printed, bound, packed and shipped the exact same day I ordered it. The book arrived at my house four days later.
I was immediately impressed with the overall quality of the book and the way it was packaged for shipping. I’d also like to point out that CreateSpace adds a blank page to the back of the book with the word PROOF printed across it. There’s also a tiny bar code and number on this page in the bottom left corner. I’ve learned from other authors that this bar code helps CreateSpace identify which system and printer your book came from in case you report problems with it later.
While “proofing my own proof,” I received a review copy of another CS book which was also around 123 pages but the size of the book was 5 x 8. I was so impressed with the smaller size, I decided to change my own CS project to this smaller size. This required a full revamp of both the cover and the body of the work, and a few minor changes to the format information online at CreateSpace.
I had a bit of trouble “unlocking” the ability to change the size of my book. I emailed CS for assistance and got a reply back from them about two days later. While waiting for the reply, I almost thought about deleting the project and just starting over, but I discovered in their community forums that this is not possible without their assistance. So, authors who enjoy the immediacy of Lulu’s systems will require a bit more patience when it comes to creating with CreateSpace.
After making the necessary adjustments and uploading new files, I received the email again saying they’d check my files and alert me within48 hours if everything was okay. I received the email the following day telling me my files were good and that I could now order a new proof of my work. At this time, I started reading information about something CS calls Pro Plan. I had noticed it when I ordered my first proof, but I did not look into it at that time.
Here’s how Pro Plan works. For a $39.00 fee per project (and $5 renewal fee each year after), CreateSpace will lower the cost of your author copies and also increase the royalty you earn per sale. So, basically this is kind of like buying a warranty. If you look at it in comparison to Lulu’s sales figures, it’s a pretty good deal for them. A few years ago, Lulu reported the average sale run of a book was 1.5. That meant that outside of one or two copies sold to the author, no more copies ever sold. If at least 2 out of every 10 of these Lulu authors signed up for Pro Plan if Lulu offered such a thing, Lulu stands to be quite profitable if those authors’ books don’t ever sell. But that’s Lulu. For CreateSpace authors who do take advantage of Pro Plan, it means big savings. Here’s how…
After signing up for Pro Plan, my second proof cost me just $2.41 and $3.58 shipping. That’s a total of $5.99, a savings of $6.82 over the cost at Lulu. The second proof copy was ordered on June 1st, and also shipped that same day. It arrived today, June 5th. I love the pocket book size and think it is definitely perfect for work under 200 pages. It arrived in a thick bubblewrap envelope with no damage. The glue used in the spine looked a little thick at the top and bottom, but it may have swelled due to the heat while in transit.
In Part 3, I’ll wrap up my discussion about creating with CreateSpace by exploring the final step 4 (Print Ready) step which is basically finalizing my project. I’ll also take a look at the CreateSpace Community Forums, the Showcase, and the Preview Gallery. We’ll also hear from some other Createspace authors and learn about their creations.
[...] This post was Twitted by thecreativepenn – Real-url.org [...]