CreateSpace POD services

CreateSpace Now Replaced by KDP Print

Mini-Library

Last fall we published – for the first time print books in the German language via the printing arm of KDP.  We were very lucky as the books were in German, and intended for readers in Europe.  The language and the country for which the books were mostly intended for are supported by KDP.  That’s not the case in some other countries:

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Languages
Authors and publishers can upload and sell books with content and metadata written in the languages listed here: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200673300
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Distribution – Orders
Amazon’s KDP Print doesn’t currently support several paperback distributions, for example to Amazon.com.au, Amazon.com.br, or Amazon.nl. Australian users can place orders from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. Portuguese language users can place orders from Amazon.com. Dutch language users can place orders from Amazon.de.
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Other Requirements:
Let your lay-outer, e-book formatter, and cover designer know about the Amazon specifics, such as trim sizes.  They are varying slightly from those of CreateSpace for example.
The most common trim size for paperbacks in the U.S. is 6″ x 9″ (15.24 x 22.86 cm), this will be displayed as the default option when you access the “Print Options” from the Paperback Content section of your book.  If you want a different trim size, click “Select a different size” from the “Print Options” section and choose from Standard and Non-standard Trim sizes.  Here’s a list of industry-standard options:
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See also the cover sizes
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201953020

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Metadata
Books are linked automatically if the author name and book title of both editions match exactly. During the publishing process, KDP tries to match book details like title and author name to other editions available in the Amazon catalog. Linking these formats provides the ideal browsing experience for customers, so you’ll want to make sure the title and author name you entered for your eBook and paperback match exactly.
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Amazon’s Recent Updates to Paperback Features

– Publishers and authors can now order printed proofs from KDP.
Author copies from KDP are a greatly appreciated step too.  Books can be stocked in local bookstores and libraries or used as advance review copies, press release packages, paperback giveaways, and for book signings or to sell at readings and workshops.
KDP introduced their author copies and proofs – printed and shipped from Europe which will please British and European authors.
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Author Chris Mullen wrote: “It looks increasingly as if KDP will eventually become CreateSpace’s equal sister company.  Perhaps the two companies will be soon consolidated, or perhaps all the CreateSpace titles will migrate to KDP.”  He wrote a quite detailed comparison between the POD offers of CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing.
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How to “Move” from CreateSpace to KDP Print
Nicholas Rossis explains in a recent article:
“Set up a new paperback title on your KDP Bookshelf.  On the Paperback Details page, enter the same metadata used for your CreateSpace book.

  • Select “Yes” when asked whether this book was previously published on CreateSpace.
  • Click “Save and Continue” to move on to the Paperback Content page.
  • Under the ISBN header, enter the same 13-digit ISBN used to publish your book on CreateSpace.  Do you have a 10-digit ISBN issued by CreateSpace?  If so, use the ISBN converter to find your 13-digit ISBN equivalent.
  • Click “Continue” to sign in to your CreateSpace account and validate your ownership of the title.
  • Once you’re redirected back to KDP, your book’s files and details should update automatically. Scroll through to see that your files and information have properly transferred over. You can launch the Previewer to review your book before publishing.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the Paperback Content page and click “Save and Continue.”
    In the Paperback Rights & Pricing tab, you can enter the same price you used on CreateSpace.
  • Now scroll to the bottom to submit your book for publishing.”

“After you publish your CreateSpace book on KDP, Amazon will automatically remove your CreateSpace paperback from the sale.  Your KDP sales will be tracked in your KDP sales and royalty reports.”

Read more details in this Amazon article – for example, what to do if your book cover or interior book layout has previously been created by CreateSpace.  If you plan on using multiple POD platforms at the same time, then using KDP Print and Ingram Spark at the same time will work just fine.

Amazon finally sent Createspace users last week an email – informing them that Createspace is merging into KDP Print. 

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How to Publish With Your Own Imprint

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by Nicole Eva Fraser

I love my traditional publisher, Second Wind Publishing LLC in North Carolina. Second Wind released my first novel (The Hardest Thing in This World) in October 2013.  So why did I decide to self-publish my second novel and a nonfiction e-Book in 2014?  Simply because I wanted to learn the DIY side of the business, and take charge of getting my books to market at a faster pace.
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imprint

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To publish with my own imprint (= publishing business), I followed the basic steps below, which you can adapt for the state / province where you live and the self-publishing service company you work with.

First, the definition of “imprint”
An imprint is a publisher name. Your own imprint is simply the publisher name you choose, clear, and register according to your state business laws to use in self-publishing your own books. 

File your imprint name in your state
I live in Ohio, so once I settled on my imprint name—Bench Press—I had to check its availability in Ohio and register it as a trade name. The steps should be similar in your state.

  • I went to the Ohio Secretary of State website.
  • Went to Business Services page.
  • Reviewed their Guide to Business Name Availability.
  • Did a Business Search by Name and by Exact Name.
  • Bench Press didn’t come up in the searches, so I filed the Ohio “Trade Name (Name Registration)” form and paid the $50 fee to register the name.
  • I was granted the Trade Name Registration for Bench Press.
  • The registration must be renewed every five years.
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How does your self-publishing company handle author imprints?
Considering to use the POD services and retail arms of Amazon and Smashwords, I researched all their policies. You will need to research the policies of the company you will working with well before you are preparing to publish.  Here’s what I found in my research in February 2014:

Amazon CreateSpace (paperback): 

  • Yes, you may publish with your own imprint, but must buy your own ISBN to do so (more on ISBNs in a minute).

Amazon KDP (Kindle): 

  • Yes, you may publish with your own imprint and are not required to buy your own ISBN.

Smashwords: 

  • Yes, you may publish with your own imprint and are not required to buy your own ISBN. However, if you elect to get the free ISBN from Smashwords, be aware that: 

1.     Smashwords will be listed as the publisher in the Bowker Books in Print database; and

2.     Your imprint will be listed as the publisher in your e-Book.

 

ISBNs: to buy or not to buy?

I did decide to buy an ISBN for the paperback of my novel I Don’t Think It’s That Simple because I want Bench Press (not CreateSpace) to appear as the imprint in the paperback.

I decided not to buy ISBNs for GPS for New Novelists because I’m releasing it only as an e-Book, and I’m satisfied with the Smashwords arrangements regarding their free ISBNs.

To learn more about purchasing ISBNs, visit Bowker Identifier Services.

 

More opportunities to consider

  • You could choose and buy the domain name of your imprint and create an additional website for your book(s), with all the corresponding exposure and marketing opportunities.
  • You could incorporate under your imprint name. Incorporation is a complex legal process and you will need a lawyer.
  • You could invite other authors to publish under your imprint and build a collective. Consult a lawyer before you do.
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Conclusion
Publishing with your own imprint requires you to do your due diligence upfront.  Be sure to allow enough time in your pre-production schedule for the research and the decision-making that are involved.

About the Author
Nicole Eva Fraser is the author of I Don’t Think It’s That Simple, forthcoming in Summer 2014, The Hardest Thing in This World (2013), and GPS for New Novelists: Navigating the 5 routes to publication (2014).

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Tagged: block of ISBN, buy the domain name, CreateSpace POD services, Guide to Business Name Availability, Nicole Eva Fraser, Publishing with your own imprint, Trade Name Registration