Indie and Self-Pub Book Corner discussion

I am ready to publish my second novel. I used a vanity press for my first book, but was disappointed in their service. I'm going to try a different publisher this time. Have you used either Lulu or CreateSpace? If so, would you recommend? Did you do your own formatting?

Let's talk!

Marsha wrote: "I am ready to publish my second novel. I used a vanity press for my first book, but was disappointed in their service. I'm going to try a different publisher this time. Have you used either Lulu or..."

I have used Createspace as the POD vendor for books I have published for my authors. I love them. I provided the cover art, and do all of the layout work myself. The PODs I have gotten via Createspace have all looked very professional.

If you need help please let me know and I will be more then happy to work with you.

I think we may have discussed this before, but I wasn't ready to publish. Now I am. Thanks for your offer to help.
It is my understanding that since Createspace is part of Amazon, bookstores like Barnes and Noble CANNOT get books from them. I'm not sure if this is even an issue since I sell most of my books for e-readers. I do have family and friends who do not have readers.
So, you converted your book to a PDF file for Createspace? I am experimenting with their 'how-to' instructions now. I can't figure out how to set up headings so the title is on the right-hand sides and my name on the left. Any suggestions?

Barnes and Noble can and do get books from CreateSpace. My books which were published on CreateSpace are available on the Barnes and Noble website as well as a few others.

However, it is incredibly rare for a bookstore to STOCK books from CreateSpace. Other than maybe a local store willing to stock a few copies as a favor, the books will only be available for customers to special order.

This is the case with almost all indie-published books, but especially those from POD companies like CreateSpace or Lulu, because of the lack of retail discounts and the inability of stores to return unsold copies.

There is another option, which after a lot of research I've decided to change to, and that option is Lightning Source https://www1.lightningsource.com/

The only issue with Lightning Source is that they are much (much) less user-friendly for novices, and you have to prepare all of your files completely on your own. They do have much better distribution options, though.

Thanks, Breeana, for the info.

Oops! Wasn't finished.
I haven't had much luck with printed books anyway. I spent a lot of time visiting indie bookstores. Most of them agreed to stock one or two books, but they aren't selling like my e-book is.
I just want to have a few actual books for friends who don't have e-readers. And if anyone wants the book, they can get it from Amazon. (Which I think most people do these days anyway.)

Just wanted to add that I published my novel through CreateSpace and did all the formatting and cover myself. It took some time but wasn't all that difficult. You can download a Microsoft Word template from their site that will set the margins correctly for you, then upload your file and preview it on their site to make certain it came out correctly. Like Marsha, I mostly did this so I could order some copies to give to friends and family. Copies are cheap and look great.

Did you folks buy your own ISBN and bar code?

I just used one provided free by CreateSpace. CreateSpace then automatically adds a bar code to your book cover.

Thanks for the info, David.
When did Createspace give you the ISBN. I need it for the copyright info on the front inside. Or did they provide that page of information when they printed?
Do I just tell them who to credit with the cover art?

One more question. Did you set the price of your book? If so, do you tell Createspace so that price will appear on the bar code?

You do set the price of the book, but I don't think it's in the bar code, because you can change the price of the book anytime. Honestly, though, I don't know because I don't have a barcode scanner. CreateSpace tells you what your royalty will be for each outlet based on the price, and you can try different prices before finalizing. And, of course, you can go back and change the price any time.

David wrote: "You do set the price of the book, but I don't think it's in the bar code, because you can change the price of the book anytime. Honestly, though, I don't know because I don't have a barcode scanne..."

The bar code is not added until Createspace prints the book.

Marsha wrote: "I think we may have discussed this before, but I wasn't ready to publish. Now I am. Thanks for your offer to help.
It is my understanding that since Createspace is part of Amazon, bookstores like ..."

Do you mean name on one page and book title on another, or both those things on one page but on opposite side? I would avoid the latter, because that's a bit cluttered. But if you wanted to put your last name on all the even pages and your title on all the odd pages, that's pretty easy in Word. When you're formatting the header, check the box in the toolbar along the top that says "Different Odd and Even Pages." Voila. Just type in the stuff you want.

C.E. wrote: "Marsha wrote: "I think we may have discussed this before, but I wasn't ready to publish. Now I am. Thanks for your offer to help.
It is my understanding that since Createspace is part of Amazon, b..."

I would suggest you take a look at the 'Chicago Manuel of Style'. It will answer your questions about the half-title and full title page. It will also answer about running headers. The CMoS is the standard for book styles.

Tony

FYI, if you create an account on CreateSpace (free) you'll find group discussions there that include some formatting advice.

Tony wrote: "C.E. wrote: "Marsha wrote: "I think we may have discussed this before, but I wasn't ready to publish. Now I am. Thanks for your offer to help.
It is my understanding that since Createspace is part..."

She's mostly asking about how to physically format it in the create space word template, I believe, not so much how to follow the standard publishing format.