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CreateSpace Reviewed in The Fine Print of Self-Publishing
FORMAT OF BOOKS: Paperback (authors interested in creating ebooks are forwarded to the Kindle section of Amazon.com)
GENRES ACCEPTED: CreateSpace, an Amazon.com company (now combined with BookSurge, another previously distinct Amazon.com brand), operates much the same as Lulu.com and is more of a content manager and printer than a publisher. Therefore, it does not discern genres or quality of writing; it only asks that you not use the site to print books that are disturbing (i.e., pornographic or hateful).
PUBLISHING FEES: CreateSpace offers a variety of services, available for review at https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do. There are do-it-yourself publishing packages where it is free to upload your book (https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/Index.jsp#content2), but you need to create your own cover and interior and submit them correctly to CreateSpace. CreateSpace only recommends its do-it-yourself packages for people with design experience. (See "Submission Requirements" at https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/#content5.)
For those who want more services, CreateSpace offers packages that resemble publishing packages offered by other self-publishing companies. A list of these packages can be found at https://www.createspace.com /Services/PublisherSolutionServiceTable.jsp. They range in price from $299 to $4,999. An example is the Total Design Freedom Essentials package ($1,798), found at www.createspace.com/ServicesTotalDesignFreedomEssentials.jsp. The following items are included in this package:
• One round of copyediting (based on a 60,000-word manuscript; additional fees may apply to longer works)
• ISBN
• LCCN
• Interior digital proof
• Unique book cover: Includes five hours of design time and two initial concepts, consisting of one central image, selected by the designer, as the focal point for the cover (more details at www.createspace.com/Services/UniqueBookCover.jsp).
• Custom interior, including up to ten images
• The ability to sell your book on CreateSpace.com and Amazon.com
All of the services included in the Total Design Freedom package are also offered individually. You can also pay an additional $39 for the Pro Plan, which makes your book available at places other than CreateSpace and Amazon and gives you lower printing costs (https://www.createspace. com/Products/Book/ProPlan.jsp). If you plan on using CreateSpace, this extra $39 (and $5 per year after that) is a must. The savings are huge.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES: At https://www.createspace.com/pub/services .home.do, click the "Marketing" tab and you can view the marketing and PR services. These consist of mostly basic services, like press release writing and distribution, collateral materials (i.e., bookmarks), and two types of video trailers (https://www.createspace.com/Services/VideoBookTrailers.jsp).
NOTE: To read the full review of CreateSpace an learn more about the publisher's printing fees, royalty structure, contract terms, etc., you need to buy the book.
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