Self-Publishing Tips: Manuscript to CreateSpace Paperback

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As soon as I released my Kindle eBook last November, I began formatting a paperback. Here’s a lengthy post with a few tips on self-publishing a paperback based on my experience with CreateSpace – a print-on-demand (POD) service operated by Amazon. The whole process was less fraught than I expected. In fact, I really enjoyed it.

Making a paperback is a fundamentally different process to creating an eBook. In the case of my Kindle eBook, I uploaded a Microsoft Word document – I explained the process in an earlier blogpost. In essence, this Word document was a long, single scroll of text. When readers download eBooks from the Amazon Kindle store, they can control the font and font size; those decisions are out of the author’s control.

pod dHowever, for the paperback, I had total control and at the end of the formatting process I uploaded a PDF to CreateSpace – so I knew exactly how the paperback would look. So here are my self-publishing tips for making a paperback with CreateSpace.

Before I plough on, I should point out that some authors prefer to publish their paperback before their eBook. This allows them to send advance reading copies to reviewers, and sometimes these ARCs are sent out with a draft cover design. However, I wanted to reach as many potential readers as possible in the shortest possible time so I started with an eBook. I might change my strategy for a second novel.

If you’re planning to publish a paperback, look at your own bookshelves and examine the differences between books. This will help you to make the following choices: Read more

Paperback Paperback! Released

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I can’t express this any better than Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell: Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.

I’ve really enjoyed fine-tuning the paperback version of A Calculated Life and it’s now available on Amazon. Read more

Buy Your Own ISBNs To Unlock Pre-Ordering

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Isbn_postI have discovered, unexpectedly, a major advantage in buying your own ISBNs for the print versions of your books. Self-published paperbacks (and hardbacks, I assume) with ISBNs can be pre-ordered on certain Amazon sites before the publication date.

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Democracy Rules on Front Cover: Paperback Proof

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My paperback proofs were left at a neighbour’s house while I was at the dentist. I sprinted down the street and in the past 10 minutes I’ve ripped open the package and taken this photo! Read more

Brave New World of Indie-Publishing: Curtis Brown takes plunge

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How interesting is this? Very, I should say! Well known UK authors including Tony Parsons are allowing their literary agent Curtis Brown to ‘self-publish’ on their behalf in the US market. In effect, Curtis Brown is reinventing itself as a publisher – CB Creative Books – for these specific authors to help them break into the US market.

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Have a Say: Paperback Cover Design

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One Final Decision is now needed before A Calculated Life goes to print. Yes, real ink on real paper. Almost quaint yet so thrilling! And I’m wondering which of these three designs to go for.

If you’d like a say in how my paperback looks then leave a comment, or tweet or send a message via facebook.

Front cover artwork by Mack Manning.

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Decisions for Indie-Authors going Kindle

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Along with most authors I’ve opted to go, initially, with Kindle Direct Publishing because, quite simply, this reaches the highest number of potential readers. Indeed, many indie-authors don’t bother with any other eBook or any Print-on-Demand (POD) provider. I can see the logic: readers can access Kindle books without even owning a Kindle device. There are free Kindle Reading Apps for smartphones including the iPhone, computers and tablets, including the iPad and Android devices. So, it’s a pretty rational decision to stick with publishing Kindle eBooks.

However, Read more

My Indie-Author Strategy

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After weeks of tortuous research, I’ve now finalized my indie-author strategy for publishing my first novel. I’m mightily relieved that I’m releasing A Calculated Life this month rather than six months ago because at least one major problem facing non-US authors has been addressed. But before I get into any detail, here’s the broad-brush plan. I’m not saying this will suit all indie-authors but I reckon it’s the best for my circumstances:

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