CreateSpace Review: Better Than The Rest

I have written several reviews here at Work From Home Watchdog on various companies who claim they can get your manuscript into print, but unfortunately, most have not delivered as you might expect them to.

However, I now believe that I have come across a site that caters to all the requirements of anyone who wants to get their manuscript into print, and today we are going to take a look at that opportunity with my Createspace review.

CreateSpace Review: A Brief History

CreateSpace was originally founded as CustomFlix Labs Inc and Booksurge Inc.

CustomFlix was a DVD On-Demand Company launched in 2002 and Booksurge was created in 2000 by a group of writers who wanted to give authors the opportunities of having their own works put into print, yet also being able to retain their content rights and sales profits.

Amazon acquired both in 2005, with CustomFlix’s name being changed to CreateSpace in 2007, followed by CreateSpace and Booksurge merging in 2009.

What Exactly Does CreateSpace do?

They enable you, the author, to get your book into print or as an ebook in a digital format as a Kindle ebook.

There are several ways of doing this within CreateSpace…

• The completely free option
• Author’s Express
• Author’s Advantage
• Standard
• Essentials
• Advanced
• Marketing Pro

All the paid-for options from Author’s Express through to Marketing Pro can be tailor-made according to what your individual needs are, and the size of your budget.

Getting The Right ISBN For Your Book

I have spoken about these International Standard Book Numbers in previous reviews and it is quite a complicated process to explain.

But CreateSpace has a dedicated page that explains all the options that are open to you and what they offer. Here’s the link to that page: ISBN for your Book.

What Are The Benefits Of Using CreateSpace?

They offer a complete service where you have more control over what you want, and this is something that I think is very important.

The free interior reviewer makes finding those all-important faults so much easier and less time-consuming than waiting for manuscripts to go back and forth in the post or via email.

You can upload your book in either Word, .doc and PDF format and these are then converted into a print-ready format.

Spotting that one of your images is out of alignment is so much easier with the interior viewer and you will be able to go through all of the pages.

All trim sizes are supported because the interior reviewer has a built-in template and scaling tool to auto-correct your file to match your book’s trim size.

Next, you have a free Cover Creator which enables you to create an eye-catching cover for your book.

You can use your own images, photographs, logos, and text to create a fully customized cover.

You can also choose from several designs, themes, and colors from their professional templates plus have access to over 2,000 high-quality photographs.

If on the other hand you are a professional and have created your own book cover using graphic design software then there are instructions on how to create your cover PDF to upload.

Alternatively, this can be done for you and all options are priced to fit every budget.

Buying Copies Of Your Own Book

With Createspace, this is a simple process and not one that is going to leave you seriously out of pocket nor with a feeling of being robbed!

These copies are called “Member Orders” and you will pay a fixed and per-page charge plus shipping and handling.

You can use the free calculators to give you an idea of how much it is going to cost you, but remember these are an estimation only.

Important Points For Member Orders

• You pay for your books at the time of ordering.
• When you purchase your own titles you do not earn royalties.
• Sales tax may apply to your order.
• Member pricing only applies to orders placed through your account for your own title.
• The cost for a proof copy is the same as the cost for a single book, plus shipping and handling.
• You are asked to pay this amount when you place your order.
• Member orders are subject to a Return Policy.
• CreateSpace print the majority of book orders in their own facilities.
• Additional print facilities may be used to ensure they can deliver your order on time.
• Shipping times do not include the printing of your order. This will be calculated when you place your order.
• Orders are shipped from the continental U.S.
• For non-U.S. orders, allow additional time for customs processing and delivery to areas outside major cities.
• Import duties and taxes may be levied upon delivery.
• Priority and Expedited options are not available for U.S. P.O. Boxes.

Earning Royalties

These are earned every time Amazon prints a book to fulfill a customer’s order.

These orders can come from Amazon.com or any of the European Amazon websites, your own CreateSpace eStore, or from sales channels through Expanded Distribution.

You can set your royalty payment to any of these local currencies:

• USD – US Dollars
• GBP – GB Pounds
• EUR – Euro

There is a handy calculator to give you an estimation of how much you will make per book sold.

This is dependent on the number of pages, whether it’s either black & white or color and which type of distribution type you are using.

Publish Your Book To Kindle

This is one really neat CreateSpace bonus because once you have set up your CreateSpace Member Account. They will collect your book’s title information and provide you with a Kindle-ready cover file and the interior file that you uploaded and help you to get started on the Kindle Direct Publishing Site.

This is a separate site to CreateSpace but with the chance of expanding your readership, it is one that is well worth doing.

Is Createspace A Scam?

Taking into consideration the quality of products in this niche that I have already reviewed here on Work From Home Watchdog, this is a question that many will ask.

However, from looking around and reading about CreateSpace there is nothing at all to suggest to me that this is a scam.

Yes, there is a lot of information provided and you should most definitely read everything before making a decision on which route to take, but I have only covered the basics of what you can do with your book because there are so many options available to you.

Lastly, would I use Createspace?

Yes, I would because they have fully explained everything that I need to know about getting my book published, with total clarity, and no strings attached.

Have you used CreateSpace to publish your own work? If so, leave a comment below and let us know how you got on.

Neil – WFHW