Ask Rebecca Cantrell discussion

Hi Rebecca,
You say you're having fun with the self-publishing and I see you're using createspace. I am having a hard time choosing which one is for me. Authorhouse is in the mix as well as First Edition Design Publishing. What were the major concerns you had to make sure were ironed out so that you didn't get any surprises?

And if there is any info you don't want made public, I'd be happy to message you.

I used CreateSpace because it seemed like the easiest option. I did have to order a couple of page proofs to make sure that they got it right. Other than that, no problems.

They let you set your own price? Could you give it away on Amazon in a promotion if you so desired? I suppose this is all research I could do myself, but its good to hear about the trouble or ease you went through.

Createspace is primarily for paperbacks, though they do allow you to convert and upload to kindle (which you can do through kdp). You do set your own price, but if you want to do free giveaways of your ebook, you must be enrolled in kdp select. Otherwise the minimum price is 99 cents (you can only do 5 free days in a 90 day period too). Most people who want to do permafree choose to upload to smashwords and make it free, then email amazon with the price match option which may or may not work. There is tons of blogs out there about this stuff, but it all depends on what you want to do. KDP select means you can only sell through kdp (kindle). Createspace is owned by amazon so you are safe to use both...

Drew wrote: "Createspace is primarily for paperbacks, though they do allow you to convert and upload to kindle (which you can do through kdp). You do set your own price, but if you want to do free giveaways of ..."

Thanks Drew! Setting the price is my main issue and this helps.

you're welcome. it does suggest a price for you so that you can make a profit, otherwise you will have a negative balance if you price too low

Drew wrote: "you're welcome. it does suggest a price for you so that you can make a profit, otherwise you will have a negative balance if you price too low"

I just know that sales for my novel Unhinged wasn't going well until the publisher offered it for free download and it took off. Don't know how many sales that created but I want that option to get word of mouth going.

Yeah, free days can make a difference, but then it's a gamble. who is downloading to read it vs who is downloading it to make their kindle full just because it's free. good luck on whatever you decide

I feel like we're neglecting Rebecca. Ha ha. I'm working now, but I'll message you later if you don't mind chatting about this a little more.

Thanks, Drew! I think you are much more experienced at this than I am, so I appreciate you stepping in!

If you don't mind me asking YOU a question. Who does hardcovers, if anyone?

I haven't heard of doing indie hardcovers, but I do know that the Unfettered anthology done through Grim oak Press did a hardcover version. It was kind of expensive in my opinion, but was comparable to B&N I guess. Price jacking for books has gotten ridiculous, and the small percentage that the author gets makes me sad. Are you limited to working within Germany, or can you use services here in the states? I don't know if they determine your eligibility based on IP address or what...

So far as I know, I can use services in the States. I'm still a citizen, have a bank account, pay taxes, vote, etc.

I didn't think there was a hardcover option either. Just wanted to make sure.

My CreateSpace paperbacks look great though. I'm really happy with the quality.

That said, the vast majority of my sales for the self pub stuff are ebook.