A Cooperative Press for Indie Authors discussion

There are three ways to approach the formatting of paperbacks and hardcovers on websites like Createspace and Lulu. The first option, and probably the one most taken, is to keep it cheap. Smaller print, no page breaks between chapters, and as few blank pages as possible. I tried that on a couple of my books, and was never pleased with the result.

And what is the basic reason for offering paperbacks and hardcovers? Most of us just want to give the customer as many choices as possible, and hopefully sell a few more books. But how many paperbacks and hardcovers will a little-known or unknown author sell? For my four books combined I've sold fewer than a half-dozen, and I've never sold one to a face-to-face customer. My sales are overwhelmingly ebooks, and I'd bet that most of us experience the same thing.

So why not format it a little less cheaply so it looks a little better on our own bookshelves? That brings us to option two, and moderate a little from "cheap"; begin chapters on the next page instead of cramming them under the end of the previous one, and select a font size that matches the print you see on traditionally published books.

I recently chose a third option: Price Is No Object. If the only result of going with paperbacks and hardcovers is for that extra customer option, and to get a representative sample of your work on your own bookshelves, why not make it beautiful? The cost is really not that much more, considering how high it is to begin with. If a reader won't buy your paperback at $13 they still won't buy it at $11.

I've reformatted paperback versions of all of my books for a better look. You can see one of them right now on Lulu, at http://www.lulu.com/shop/ken-doggett/...
Just click on "preview" beneath the cover display.

The fonts I used for this book were the following: text, Cambria, 11 pt; title and chapter numbers, Felix Titling, 24pt. (title page) and 72 pt. (chapter numbers); French Script MT for the drop caps (space to text after the drop caps is usually .05, but altered in special cases). I started each chapter on a new page, making sure that each one started on a right-hand, odd-numbered page. I also gave extra space between the scene dividers within the chapters, and did a little kerning touchup on the title and elsewhere. I know that trad publishers don't always use these techniques, but I also think the combination of these things will give it a much more professional look.

The result? When I uploaded it to Createspace the page count for the book went from 318 page to 373, and the minimum list price allowed went from $11.65 to $13.33.

I know that doing all this work won't sell any more paperbacks or hardcovers than before, and with this book I've sold none at all, but it'll certainly look nice on my bookshelf. And at the moment that's the primary objective.

What are your thoughts?

Ken wrote: "There are three ways to approach the formatting of paperbacks and hardcovers on websites like Createspace and Lulu. The first option, and probably the one most taken, is to keep it cheap. Smaller p..."

Ken,

I think finding an alternative to investor driven entities like Createspace is the real answer. A publishing cooperative of independent authors contracting directly with a print-on-demand service provider would cut out the middle man. (I say that realizing that Creatspace/Amazon probably owns the print-on-demand servicers they use) Still, they are investor driven entities, while a true cooperative is member driven.

Please check out the blogs at: www.co-opress.org and let me know what you think.

A.

I agree with much of what you say, but it will take time. My comment was addressing a particular aspect of the here and now, the reality of today.

Ken, I applaud you approach. As eBooks continue to grow, I think the quality of the hard copy book will need to increase in order to draw readers to that medium. I know I appreciate a high quality book in my hand and on my eyes. I would and do consider giving someone a hard copy book as a present, but don't think of eBooks that way - at least not yet. It's also very hard to wrap up an eBook the way you can a hard copy. And of course, I have several signed books on my shelves, but no digitally signed eBooks in my Kindle.