Saturday, May 24, 2014

Createspace versus IngramSpark

There are many options for distribution when publishing a book these days. Writer Abroad studied as many as she could for her book, Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known.

Her goals:

Because her book speaks to an international audience, she wanted as many distribution options as possible, including bookstores, since Swiss bookstores were a promising place for sales (and are proving her theory correct, since the book sold 48 copies in less than a week at a bookshop in Zurich).

So here is what she did (the super short version):

First off, she consulted knowledgeable friends who had already published several books. Next, she bought her own ISBNs.  This is important if you want distribution in bookstores.  Your ISBN is your book’s identifying number. Bookstores will look it up. And it makes sense to own it, even if the price isn’t free. She bought her ISBNs from Bowker.

Then, she hired professionals to design the covers and interiors and format the book correctly for each platform.

Finally,

She uploaded her title to createspace.

She uploaded her title with IngramSpark.

She uploaded her title to kdp amazon (Kindle)

And she uploaded her title to Smashwords.

Here are the pros and cons of each channel, at least from her experience having published a book approximately 14 days ago and having sold over 100 in two weeks.

Createspace (for paperback books)

Pros:
User friendly and easy-to-use website
No upload, change, or title fees
Fast, round-the-clock customer service response
Very fast shipping (even overseas)
Makes title available directly on amazon.com with the best royalties for amazon.

Cons:
Printing is not as polished and professional as IngramSpark
If you only use createspace (and not IngramSpark too) your book will most likely never be ordered by bookstores since bookstores consider amazon their enemy
You are limited to certain trim sizes if you want expanded distribution (not to worry about if you use IngramSpark for your expanded distribution instead)
If you choose a customizable trim size, the print quality is hit or miss

IngramSpark

Pros:
Many trim sizes and printing options
Global distribution puts you on the same playing field as large publishers
Your title can be ordered by bookstores worldwide
Beautiful, professional printing

Cons:
Site is not as user friendly as createspace
There are title fees, catalog listing fees, and change fees ( in other words, typos get expensive!)
Customer service is only available from 8-5 p.m. Central U.S. Time (not so good if you are based internationally).
Book is processed much slower than createspace
Book is delivered much slower (even when not shipped overseas, books arrived much slower than books from createspace)

Kdp amazon (Kindle)

Pros:
Easy user interface
Quick and free upload and book is available within 12 hours
70% royalties depending on price

Cons:
None so far, unless you call being able to see your sales in real time addicting!

Smashwords

Pros:
Easy-to-use interface
Quick upload and approval times
Distribution to all major e-book retailers
Swiss Life is in bookstores
(well, at least one bookstore, anyway.)

Cons:
Royalties not as high as amazon
Most e-book sales are on amazon anyway
Requires different formatting than amazon

Finally, after enduring the crazy process that is called publishing, Writer Abroad sat down, relaxed, and had some cheese and chocolate. Her book is about Switzerland, after all. And look, there it is in the Swiss bookstore. Not bad product placement for a book with no marketing budget, oder?


Anyone else have similar experiences with these distribution channels? Or what is your book publishing experience?

38 comments:

  1. Great post! And congratulations on the book. Looking forward to reading it.

    CreateSpace does offer expanded distribution, placing your pbook with wholesalers like Ingram and B&T.
    https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/ExpandedDistribution.jsp

    Bookstores who get requests for your book will order from wholesale, even if it is printed by CreateSpace. They won't even know it's the case if the publisher name in your metadata is not CreateSpace.

    Very interested to know some specifics about the difference between CreateSpace and IngramSpark print quality. I believe both use digital presses (POD).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Kathy.

    Yes, CS does have expanded distribution, but it is limited to books with certain trim sizes so IngramSpark offers more flexibility there.

    Print quality is much better with IngramSpark. They both use POD, but there is a huge difference in the quality and consistency between the two.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Since each printer/publisher have their pros and cons I think it is smart to use all platforms in self-publishing your book or authors should weight which of these cons they can live with or which options that these printers offer they think would be more advantageous to them. As for the book formatting part, CreateSpace guidelines are easy to follow.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you Chantal! This post is super helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, great article. Can you tell me what printing option you used for IngramSpark for your books with photos and illustrations? I am debating whether I should use Standard 70 or the Premium color option. My book has many high resolution photos but I am concerned with Premium my book will be too expensive to readers to buy. Can you provide any information?

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. cheap calvin kleins, http://www.calvinklein.co.com/

    celine handbags, http://www.celinebags.org/

    chanel handbags, http://www.chanelhandbags.net.co/

    easton bats, http://www.cheapbaseballbats.net/

    christian louboutin shoes, http://www.christianlouboutinshoes.ar.com/

    nfl jerseys, http://www.cheapjerseys.in.net/

    cheap jordans, http://www.cheap-jordans.net/

    cheap michael kors, http://www.cheapmichaelkors.us.org/

    nike shoes, http://www.cheap-nikeshoes.com/

    cheap oakley sunglasses, http://www.cheapoakley.us.org/

    ReplyDelete
  7. good end up being in a position to delight in the movies. visit snaptubedownloadi youtube video clips since lengthy by heading on SnapTube Android Download nice.

    ReplyDelete
  8. good video lessons without buffering or positioning. official guide Capacity to enjoy all MP3 data files in a folder like a playlist iTube on iPad nice.

    ReplyDelete
  9. good Terrarium TV New Previews and Latest Pictures Terrarium TV Download Its additionally additional history in this program to view films that were last viewed nice.

    ReplyDelete
  10. good the most enjoyment app to see movies as well as TV Shows https://cinemaboxapkz.com offered instructions to obtain set up on it your method nice.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great any large or small size Applications within a 9apps download tell you regarding its features Fine.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great phone, most likely to the gadget management http://vivavideomaker.com Transform your photos right into film or Fine.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fairly awesome publish. It’s truly excellent as well as helpful publish. Many thanks with regard to discussing this particular around! Right now click the Check Cashing Thanks greatly. It’s my personal very first go to.

    ReplyDelete
  14. An outstanding blog page consistently comes-up with the help of latest not to mention fantastic advice of this nature a particular. Virtually anyone what individuals would like to read through a story with the help of heaped with advice. Nowadays follow this cash advance carson Thanks a lot completely put up.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wardrobes Sydney have a great importance in every home, because they are used to store clothes, shoes, accessories and such. They are one of the most used furniture pieces in the entire house and this is why it is so important to choose a style that fits your needs and the rest of the décor. There are many popular wardrobes available on the market and it helps to get to know something about each.

    http://sarah-blog.over-blog.com/2019/08/finding-the-right-wardrobes.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. In many cases, the best part of parties are the decorations and there is nothing more enjoyable than choosing among Luftballons and supplies and creating the amazing décor the event deserves. Whenever a special event is coming up, organizers need to find great ideas on how to decorate the venue and how to make sure everyone has a great time. Since there are many types of balloons and helium ones are among the most popular, shops offer the possibility to helium kaufen to have extra at all times.

    https://presshereandnow.livejournal.com/2347686.html

    ReplyDelete
  17. So good!It’s impressive that you are getting thoughts from this piece of writing as well as from our discussion made at this time 토토

    ReplyDelete
  18. It's really a cool and helpful piece of info. I'm happy that you
    just shared this useful info with us. 룰렛

    ReplyDelete
  19. Very nice article. I certainly love this website. 카지노


    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails