Self Publishing

[Hannah Marshman]

I've just finished writing my first novel and am thinking about self publishing it, i've looked at things such as Lulu and Createspace, but really don't know where to start, can anyone suggest anything or has anyone been through this process themselves?

[Deborah Andreasen]

I chose self-publishing for my work. I went through CreateSpace because they are an Amazon company, so I knew they could be trusted. I looked into LuLu and found they had more options (like hardback copies), but I didn't like their pricing.

 

CreateSpace has been great. All the basic services are free: formatting, cover design, etc. There are other services that you can pay for, like marketing and editing. It's nice to have those services available if you needwant them. You also have the ability to epublish directly through Kindle Direct, and nowadays, having an ebook version is vital.

 

I have not had a problem (so far) with CreateSpace's quality of printing. In fact, I have an embellishment in my book and they made me upload a higher quality picture because it turned out too pixelated in print.

 

The biggest problem I've seen with self-published books is editing, which others have already mentioned. It's like the author typed, "The End" and sent it off to press. Don't do that. Read through it again, run a spelling check, look for plot holes or things that don't make sense. Read the book out loud if you can, and that will help keep your brain from inserting missing words that you know should be there, but you forgot to type them in. And then, share your manuscript. No doubt you know a few trusted friends who love to read. Give them a copy of your manuscript and ask them to help you out. The reader knows what works and what doesn't. But make sure your friends are willing and able to give you good, honest feed back. "It was great," is not good feedback.

 

If you are looking for people to help you edit, I'm sure there are people here who would be willing to help, myself included.

 

Good luck!

 

http://deborahandreasenbooks.blogspot.com

www.deborahandreasen.com

 

[Kelli Wheelwright]

To reiterate everyone else... make sure it is well edited! I have been reviewing several self published novels and it truly makes a difference. Bad editing can be distracting.

 

Another note, whether it sells or not will also depend on how much marketing and publicity you do. Send it out to bloggers who will review it, get feed back, link their reviews back to your site, do interviews, and get your name out there! Even some of the best books go unnoticed if not publicized.

 

Best of luck!

KW

http://www.ekfamilybooks.blogspot.com

 

[Beverly A. Moglich]

HI, I agree to what KW wrote above. I have a friend who went with CreateSpace (used to be Book Surge) and she is very pleased with the book, which I have and it is well done. Also, the prices are very good. I went with a different company , and though I'm extremely pleased with my book, I paid a few thousand dollars more than she did, plus pay more for each book I buy to sell on my own. I'm doing well with personal sales and speaking engagements. No matter who does the printing, we have to do our own marketing. 

Good luck. 

Bev

[Sara-Jayne Slack]

The large problem with Self-Publishing is that the company simply doesn't care. At the end of the day, they get a cut of the money regardless.

 

Ideally, you want to be accepted by an online-publisher that will actually help you through the process, especially if you're a first-time author.

 

~Sara, from Inspired-Quill

[Shannon Yarbrough]

I have published with both LuLu and CreateSpace, and personally I think you will find CreateSpace to be more user friendly. You will also invest less time and less money with CreateSpace because they offer free ISBNs.  Since they are linked to Amazon.com, your book is also made available at Amazon much quicker. CreateSpace also reviews your files after your upload and will contact you in 24 hours (sometimes less) to let you know exactly what is wrong and what you might need to fix. With Lulu, you are pretty much on your own and support takes much longer to get back to your requests.

 

The only money I have invested in CreateSpace (besides for copies of my books) is a $30 something fee for their ProPlan.  This plan allows you to earn a larger royalty on books sold and also gives you a bigger discount on copies you buy.  So, it's sort of a membership fee.  With Lulu, I have invested upwards of $100 to purchase ISBNs from them or other services.

 

I hope this helps.  If you'd like more information about my own journey with CreateSpace go to www.llbookreview.com and read my POD Diary.

 

-Shannon

[Bri Meets Books]

I would avoid any self-publisher that makes you pay a large amount of money, such as AuthorHouse or Xlibris. I've had friends and family burned by them. 

 

CreateSpace and Lulu are good.  

[Courtney Conant]

I used Createspace for my novel and it was a great experience. They walk you through every step and made everything quite simple. I would definitely recommend using them! If you have any questions, fire away...

[Beverly A. Moglich]

Hi, I'm back to add to what a number of you have discussed. Since you mentioned the cost for your publishing I will do so now. I spent $2800.00 for all the services I chose with Outskirts Pressl I found I could have done it for $1000, but how does one know as a beginner. Plus I paid a heffty fee to have the book edited by a professional editor I know. I also pay $6.87 plus shipping for each book I buy. I make $9 profit from each book I sell on my own.  About 99.9% of sales.

I'm more than happy with the quality and help from the company, but we all have to learn from our mistakes. Createspace is the way to go if I write another book.

"Memoirs of a Navy Brat: A Girls Adventures During the Depression and World War II"

Bev

[D. L. Cocchio]

Hi, I used Createspace for my publishing needs and am very pleased with their services. They are very professional. As a matter of fact, after publishing Magic By Moonlight with them, I bought back the rights to my first book from PublishAmerica to have it re-published with Createspace. (P.S. Don't use Publishamerica)  The turn around was great and I even used their free cover-design program to design the cover myself. It turned out great!

 

The first time I used them I bought a package ala cart for interior design. They threw in a cover designer to try. I was completely happy with everything and learned alot about publishing. So when I republished Be Careful What You Wish For, I decided to do it all myself. Much of it was trial and error and it took a lot of hard work getting the interior just right, but it only wound up costing me $39. for the pro-plan to make it available globally and the cost of two proof copies, since I didn't get the first one right.

 

I am totally happy with their services and would definitely recommend Createspace! Here's my website to check out the professional look of my books - http://www.dlcocchio.webs.com.

Debbie

[MaryPat Hyland]

First of all, congratulations on finishing your first novel! It's a wonderful accomplishment.

I've published all three of my novels on CreateSpace and have been very happy with the product, service and receipt of royalties. You might want to try an eBook version first to see how readers respond to the novel. Just published my first eBook for Kindle and the sales have been much better than the paperback version.

 

best wishes for much success :)

[David Prosser]

I published my first book with Createspace and found the process easy. What made my life difficult was that I live in the UK and the book appeared only on Amazon.com leaving my readers with heavy postage costs. I wrote to both createspace and amazon about this. Createspace passed the buck (book) to Amazon and the Amazon rep said all I could do was list it as for sale myself on amazon.co.uk partner scheme which would cost £100 pa but would still mean things were printed in the US and I would have to download the book to them as well.

After 8 weeks though the book did appear on co.uk though without any of the review it had gained , and it appeared on the Barnes and Noble US site as well.

My second book has gone on Lulu.com which is harder to understand and as has been pointed out pays less, but their promise of going straight onto Amazon.co.uk appealed as well as going onto English sites worldwide. I thought this a better option.  Their set up is just short of £50.00 compared to Createspaces £30.00 and you have to have your own cover design or pay for help whereas createspace has a design help built in.

Hope this doesn't make the waters even mor muddy for you.

David

[Sheila Hendrix]

Hi, I actually used Lulu and I'm about to have my book published with Authorhouse. I think that self publishing is a good way to get your book in print. People told me not to do this but I don't really have any complaints. I had a traditional publisher except my work but I didn't like the idea of signing a contract and them owning the rights to my book so I decided to self publish. I do agree with everyone else, however, you must have your book professionally copy-edited. Anyone can self publish so you need to make sure your manuscipt is the best that it can be. I'm not sure I would ever go with a traditional publisher. Even though you have their name, you still have to market the book yourself. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.