Just a few thought on my experience with Create Space so far. I used Word 2007 to create the interior file and PowerPoint to create the cover (I found PowerPoint to be very user friendly in cover design). I also used the free thirty day trial install of Adobe Acrobat to convert and render my files, which I then uploaded to CreateSpace. They passed, I ordered my proof copy, and the copy looks exactly like the files.
Since my thirty day trial version of Acrobat expired, I have been using the free "Save As PDF" add in, which I downloaded from Microsoft. I recently reworked both the interior and cover files of my book, coverted them to PDF, and created the "Print" files new I needed to upload to CreateSpace by using a computer at Kinco's FedEx (which took me about 15 minutes and cost me like $5.00).
As of today, i received notice that I uploaded my cover file to both fields (interior and cover) and that I need to upload my interior files. I had already done this, and was emailed by CreateSpace notifying me that my interior files had been successfully uploaded. The system was acting buggy the day I uploaded the files, so perhaps it's a glitch. I uploaded the interior files (again) today. My cover file was approved, but it was pointed out that some of the resolution in the photos may not be clear (the image was said to be set at 96 to 97 DPI. I don't know why, as far as I know I set everything to 305-320).
Over-all my experience with CreateSpace has been good thus far. For what I'm paying into this (i.e., nothing), it's being a pretty good set-up for me. I don't know about you guys, but I have been working on my book for the past three years; and it's nice to see a copy of it in print for only $6.00 plus shipping (the actual price of my proof copy was $6.66. I know, creepy right!).
To me, this sort of POD set-up is revolutionary in the history of printing. I know that I'm not the only person who has written a book and who is considering using CreateSpace to get it into print, and this means there will be many more books in the future than there ever has been in the past. I realize I will not be making money by doing this, but at least my ideas are getting out there.
If you would like to see the book, I have uploaded the pdf files of the book to a web site. You can see the files exactly as they will print out in the (next) proof copy, which makes the files something of a free online e-book).
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Print On Demand
Just some thoughts on print on demand book publishing. As I have only written my first book, and since I have virtually no academic credentials for writing the sort of book I have written, I am considering self publishing (via Amazon's CreateSpace) my book. There are, of course, many downsides to doing so, but there are upsides as well.
On the downside, the book will not be considered a real book. That is, a book requires that it be published by a reputable publisher who will print it and distribute it in bookstores. That is what being published is all about. Unfortuantely, this is a long, drawn-out process. Submitting printed, double-spaced manuscripts by mail, and waiting four months for a reply (probably a rejection) is rather discouraging. But success (i.e., being published) does come to those who wait, and to those who perservere. If accepted by a publisher, the book will be in the bookstores in as little as eighteen months!
The upside of print on demand is that my book can be available in a very short period of time (only as long as it takes me to get the files ready and submitted for publication). I've recently been pursuing the POD avenue and I have found it to be quite satisfying. I enjoy working with the files, getting them laid out in book format (including the footnotes, which I prefer, but which publisher no longer seem to approve of). After three years of writing, it was very nice to hold a copy of my book (the proof copy) and to see it just the way I wanted it to look.
The best, and most appealing, aspect of POD is that the financial cost to me has been zero. In the past, self publishing and finally seeing my book in print would have cost me about $5,000. This, to me, is revolutionary. The fact that I can write a book and have it available on Amazon cost-free is amazing. Of course the book isn't yet available on Amazon, but if I do decide to go the POD route, it can be very soon.
Another amazing phenomenon is that my book is available online in a very readable PDF format, which looks exactly as the printed book does. That, to me, is very cool. The only reason I ever wrote the book in the first place was so that the ideas within it could be made available to those who would be interested in them. Haveing the book available online for free, and having the book available in print on Amazon ($16.00) would accomplish that goal to a degree. I would rather have the book properly edited by a publisher and available in bookstores, but with self publishing the ideas are at least out there. And the book can always be published by a publisher at some future time, because, by self publishing, I still retain all of the rights to my work. I hate to think of a publisher publishing the book, only to bury it after a short run. Never to be seen in print again. With POD the book could stay in print virtually forever.
On the downside, the book will not be considered a real book. That is, a book requires that it be published by a reputable publisher who will print it and distribute it in bookstores. That is what being published is all about. Unfortuantely, this is a long, drawn-out process. Submitting printed, double-spaced manuscripts by mail, and waiting four months for a reply (probably a rejection) is rather discouraging. But success (i.e., being published) does come to those who wait, and to those who perservere. If accepted by a publisher, the book will be in the bookstores in as little as eighteen months!
The upside of print on demand is that my book can be available in a very short period of time (only as long as it takes me to get the files ready and submitted for publication). I've recently been pursuing the POD avenue and I have found it to be quite satisfying. I enjoy working with the files, getting them laid out in book format (including the footnotes, which I prefer, but which publisher no longer seem to approve of). After three years of writing, it was very nice to hold a copy of my book (the proof copy) and to see it just the way I wanted it to look.
The best, and most appealing, aspect of POD is that the financial cost to me has been zero. In the past, self publishing and finally seeing my book in print would have cost me about $5,000. This, to me, is revolutionary. The fact that I can write a book and have it available on Amazon cost-free is amazing. Of course the book isn't yet available on Amazon, but if I do decide to go the POD route, it can be very soon.
Another amazing phenomenon is that my book is available online in a very readable PDF format, which looks exactly as the printed book does. That, to me, is very cool. The only reason I ever wrote the book in the first place was so that the ideas within it could be made available to those who would be interested in them. Haveing the book available online for free, and having the book available in print on Amazon ($16.00) would accomplish that goal to a degree. I would rather have the book properly edited by a publisher and available in bookstores, but with self publishing the ideas are at least out there. And the book can always be published by a publisher at some future time, because, by self publishing, I still retain all of the rights to my work. I hate to think of a publisher publishing the book, only to bury it after a short run. Never to be seen in print again. With POD the book could stay in print virtually forever.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Adobe Share
I have uploaded my book to Adobe.com and you can view it as a virtual book in your web browser. It's really cool, you can turn the pages!
Check it out at:
https://share.acrobat.com/adc/adc.do?docid=a5c8f896-6b4f-4168-82fd-85f8d0e3be03
Check it out at:
https://share.acrobat.com/adc/adc.do?docid=a5c8f896-6b4f-4168-82fd-85f8d0e3be03
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