Self-publishing: Createspace publishing, step by step
Sell your book in the world’s biggest bookshop by publishing it through Createspace. Susie Kearley shows you how
Modern self-publishing services have opened up fantastic opportunities for authors, enabling them to reach new readers, and build their profile, with little or no financial outlay. This reduces the risk associated with self-publishing dramatically, and has attracted millions of people to platforms like Createspace and Kindle Direct Publishing since their launch by Amazon in 2007.
Since those early days, the user interfaces on these platforms have become more userfriendly, e-reader demand has peaked and fallen, and other platforms such as Nook and Kobo, have tried to get in on the act, with limited success. So where are we today? Well, paperbacks are making a comeback. And that’s why it’s a good idea to get your head around paperback publishing if you’re serious about your sales figures.
Amazon’s Createspace enables you to publish a paperback book on Amazon for free, and to make it available through other sales channels if you wish. There is no catch. They simply take a commission on any sales you make, and pay out any royalties you’re due, once a month. It’s easy to upload your manuscript, and the step-by-step instructions enable anyone to become a published author, without any financial outlay.
How to publish on Createspace
Go to: www.createspace.com. Press the blue ‘Sign Up’ button on the left of the screen. A form will appear. Type in your details, and when it asks, ‘What type of media are you considering publishing?’ choose ‘Book’. Make a record of your password, and when you’ve filled everything in, press ‘Create My Account’. You will then be taken to the terms and conditions. Read, agree, and continue. You have to verify your email address, so Createspace will send you an email. A link in the email will take you to a page where you can start creating your book.