Today's author has so many more choices than writers of the past. Gone are the days where a big house publisher or vanity press is required to get your manuscript turned into a beautiful book.
Technology has brought about a landscape where anyone with the desire can self-publish a book.
Print-on-demand publishing is different from vanity publishing, because with print-on-demand services there is no upfront out-of-pocket cost. Writers simply determine with platform they prefer, get a free membership and upload their completed works.
Publishers, print-on-demand and e-book, alike receive a portion of each books sale, and the author makes royalties. There is no need for a storage place for a large quantity of books. They are living in a virtual warehouse. Typically, if authors need copies of their books for book signings, fairs, or other engagements they can order them for a drastically reduced price.
As of now I work exclusively with Createspace (an Amazon company) and Amazon Kindle. Createspace has agreements with a massive amount of vendors so book distribution is huge. Books published through Createspace can be purchases at Barnes & Noble, other books stores, and are even available at countless other online distributors.
Cover creation through Createspace is also a breeze. I almost always use their cover creator for all of my books. Createspace has scores of stock photos, but there is also an option to upload your own photos.
Createspace has an option to upload books to Amazon Kindle, but I prefer to upload my books through Amazon. I feel like the e-books look nicer if I create a separate e-book file. Kindle now has a e-book creator for children's books, graphic novels and comic books!
I am so grateful for the new print-on-demand publishing services. To date, I have created 12 books through Createspace and Kindle, and I don't plan on stopping!
A Few Indie Publishing Platforms:
Createspace: Print books
Kindle: E-books
Nook Press: E-book Print books
Smashwords: Print books and E-books
Have you used a self-publishing platform?
I really enjoy the self-publishing platform available on Createspace, and one thing I like best about it is the opportunity I've had to teach others how to use it!
ReplyDeleteWith www.peecho.com, you can sell your books, magazines and wall decoration printed on demand by placing a print button on your own website or by sending people a print link. It doesn't cost you anything and they will take care of the checkout, production, shipping, and customer service. And you can decide how much profit you want to make!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jolien! I will check it out. Aside from writing, I also paint. I look forward to learning more about Peecho.
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