Self-Publishing With CreateSpace

 

Editing Services

Basic Copyediting: $160 up to 10,000 words. $0.016/word for 10,000+

Eg. 80,000 word book would cost $1,280 ($160 + 70,000 x 0.016).
Where Love Once Lived: $1,453 (CreateSpace editor – freelance magazine editor)
The Vengeance Squad: $1,162 (CreateSpace – same editor)
Love Lives On: $550 (I used a Christian writer friend who did more than copyedit.)

CreateSpace provides other editing services such as comprehensive editing, editorial evaluation, and multi-round editing. Read about all editing services here:

https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=EDITING

Cover Design Services

CreateSpace provides a variety of services for cover design. For Where Love Once Lived, I chose the most expensive they had to offer, the Illustrated Cover, drawn specifically for my book. Cost: $1,199.

For my next book, The Vengeance Squad, I paid a friend $60 to do the layout and paid $25 for the photos. For Love Lives On and Job Seekers' Attitude Adjustment Guide, I did the layout myself and paid $10 for photos. Paid Bowker for ISBNs and UPCs.

You'll find links to all cover design services here:

https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=LAYOUT

Interior Options

CreateSpace charges for assistance in getting your text ready to print. For my first book I paid $379 for this and another $100 when I wanted to change it. For the following books I did this all myself using the Microsoft Word templates CreateSpace provides free. See:

https://www.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1323?sitesearch_query=templates&sitesearch_type=SITE

Marketing/Publicity Services

CreateSpace provides marketing and publicity services such as book trailers, posters, press releases, reviews, business cards, bookmarks, etc., all priced higher than you can get elsewhere. I did of this for first book only.

For more information see: https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=MARKETING

Royalties

Royalties are based on costs and selling price. There is a formula for computing the cost. This should be done before deciding on a selling price. See:

https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/ and click oh Royalties tab. Input includes trim size (mine are 5 ¼ x 8 inches) and number of pages. You enter a selling price and the calculator will show the royalty for books sold on Amazon, eStore, and through expanded distribution for U.S. dollars, UK pounds, and euros. Expanded distribution is an option for bookstores, libraries, etc. If you want to set the price of your book as low as possible, pick a price where the expanded distribution royalty is just slightly above zero.

You can buy books and have them mailed to you for book signings and such. The unit price remains the same regardless of how many books you buy. The only variable is shipping cost. I find it is best to order 36 books at a time. Love Lives On costs me $5.40 each including sales tax and shipping. The list price is $12.95 for Amazon, but I can sell for $10.00 and make about the same profit.

E-Books

You can set a different price for Kindle editions. There is no cost. CreateSpace pays a 70% royalty for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99. The royalty is 35% otherwise. CreateSpace will assist you with your ebook for a fee, but you can do it yourself here:

https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin
You'll probably want to also set up on Barnes and Noble, iTunes, etc.

Bookstores

Bookstores can order books from Amazon as long as you've paid the $25 fee for expanded distribution. They won't order unless they've made a sale first since there is a no return policy.

Other Services

CreateSpace also provides some package plans with discounts for buying more. Costly $5,000+.

Pros and Cons

CreateSpace is an excellent way to get published quickly with as little or as much help as you need. I don't recommend it until you have exhausted possible traditional publishers.

 

Are Manuscripts Obsolete?

Originally, a manuscript was a document written by hand. However, the meaning of the word has changed to mean the text sent to the publisher for publication in a newspaper, magazine, or book. The format of the manuscript has changed over the years, too. From handwritten to typed (i.e. on a typewriter) to computer generated. My first book was typed into an Alpha Micro computer and printed in the standard double-spaced format that we see today. My publisher retyped it all for publication. Then they printed it out and sent me a copy on 60-pound paper and I made corrections by hand. After several iterations, the book was published. That was in 1983. Today, I doubt if a publisher would take anything other than digital manuscripts.

As an author who publishes his own books, I tried a new approach with my latest novel. Instead of the standard manuscript format, I typed my book directly into a document formatted for paperback printing. There are several advantages to this approach. One is that you can see what the book will look like as you go. Another advantage is that when you're done the book is finished and there are no surprises related to layout.

I still printed it out a few times during the writing process, and made handwritten edits. The fact that it wasn't double-spaced didn't hinder the effort since the margins were extra-large. The book size I use is 5.25 in. by 8 in.

One problem I had was when I sent the near-complete book to an editor. For some reason the first thing she did was change the format to the standard layout for a manuscript. I'm not sure if she did that for printing or not. It wasn't a major problem since I easily got it back into the publishing format when she was finished. Just seemed like an unnecessary step to me.

The only real problem I had was when I got ready to print a proof copy. I uploaded the text to CreateSpace and was told it was the wrong size. I was given a couple of options to continue, neither were what I wanted, but I went ahead since the initial five books were for beta readers only.

I scoffed when CreateSpace said I wouldn't have had the problem if I had used the Microsoft Word templates they provide—because I had used their templates. But, after checking closer, it turns out I had used the wrong one. After changing to the correct template, the book was longer (in pages) and looked more like what I had in mind.

See https://www.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1323 to get a template.

Let me know what you think of this approach.

BOOK REVIEW: Self-Publishing Simplified: How to Publish a Book on Kindle by Deborah H. Bateman

This is a great introductory book for anyone wanting to publish a book. It is short, 46 pages, so it doesn't have all the details, but it can be easily read in one sitting to help you get started. I wish I'd had this book before I started my publishing venture. And, there's more to it than the subtitle implies. You'll read about building a platform, marketing, using the KDP free days, and publishing paperback books.

TMI! TMI! TMI!

Have you ever thought what the Internet is doing to us by providing too much information too frequently?

My iPhone beeped yesterday and I started to read it, "Fox News Breaking News…"

"I don't want to hear it," Celeste said before I could get to the good part.

I was taken aback, as you might imagine. How could anyone resist hearing what follows the words "breaking news?" When I asked, she said she'd hear it sooner or later. Right now she wanted to enjoy what she was doing.

Actually, she was sitting with Scotch, the cat, on the swing on the screened-in porch reading a book so I could understand why she didn't want to hear some news that turned out to be so unimportant I can't remember what it was now.

Her reaction made me think about how the instant availability of information is negatively affecting us daily. One example is the way I used my iPhone to look up information during discussions at social gatherings. Rather than help, it tends to be a downer to always be right. Instead of an interesting discussion about who was or wasn't in a particular movie, I can access the cast list with a few clicks. But, as I said, it wasn't as helpful as you might think. So, at the last two parties I went to, I left my phone in the car and had some better conversations because of it.

Another example. I've found myself going to the computer more than once a day to check book sales. I check CreateSpace for print edition sales, Amazon for Kindle sales, and lulu.com for other eBook sales. I have to admit it is fun to see the numbers rise, but it is equally discouraging when they don't.

When my first book came out in 1983, I had to wait three months for a royalty report before learning how sales were going. Now, I'm lucky to wait three hours.

So, one of my resolutions for next year is to relax, enjoy free time, and check the news less.

How about you? Have you had problems adjusting to ease of access to information?

How to Write and Publish a Novel

1. Read the type of novel you want to write. Lots of them.
2. Study genres and subgenres. Which one best suits the story you have in mind?
3. In the selected genre, what are the publisher's length constraints?
4. Make a list of possible publishers. What are they looking for? Do they accept queries from authors, or only agents?
5. Learn the craft. Take classes. Read books on writing. I found some great online classes.
6. Write a synopsis. Include story question, main characters and settings. See sample synopses.
7. Write an outline of scenes. Identify point of view character, scene goal, conflict, and, if it is important, date, time, weather. Estimate 2,000 words per scene.
8. Prepare bios of the main characters. Add other characters as needed.
9. Write the first three chapters. Don't ask me what a chapter is. You'll know it when you see it.
10. Revise the synopsis when needed.
11. Revise the outline when needed.
12. Edit the first three chapters until you are ready to share your writing with others.
13. Join a writers' support group where others will critique your work in return for your comments about their work. There are a lot of ways to do this. Some publishers will get new authors together to help each other. Organizations such as the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) have local chapters or online groups that do this. Romance Writers of America have subchapters. You Write On.com where you are assigned readings randomly. For each story you critique, you get a credit for a critique of your work.
14. Send copies of your work to your friends and ask for honest feedback, but believe in yourself.
15. Find manuscript contests you can enter. This is an excellent way to get useful feedback. The first level of the contests are usually handled by authors. But, if you come in first, second or third, you have an excellent chance of getting your work read by an agent or a publisher's editor.
16. Keep writing. If you are unpublished, agents and publishers don't care too much about how great those first three chapters are. They want to know you can finish the book.
17. Polish, polish, polish. Hire a professional copyeditor if you need to. It cost about $1,200 for each of my books. Unless you are an English major, this could be your largest expense.
18. Write a query letter. These are described in novel writing books and writing classes.
19. Update the list of possible publishers you made when you studied genres.
20. Make a list of possible agents.
21. Don't bother trying for an agent or publisher until the book is complete and has been professionally copyedited.
22. Editors and publishers want exclusive review time and they are sometimes slow, requiring three or more months to respond. Some authors send their queries out simultaneously anyway.
23. If you get an agent, great. Having an agent opens the door to more markets. There are many publishers that will not accept proposals from anyone except agents.
24. If no agent, send queries to publishers. Publisher's websites tell you how. They are slower than agents. Usually, you will need to send a query letter, a synopsis, and the first three chapters. If they like what you've sent, they will ask to see the entire manuscript.
25. Traditional publishing should be your first choice, because the publisher has the ability to market your book in many more places than you can otherwise.
26. If traditional publishing not possible, select a self-publishing company. I used CreateSpace.com for the print edition and the Kindle edition. I used lulu.com for the other eBook editions, including Apple's iPad. Research this.
27. You are the publisher and will need to make decisions about book size, font, cover, ISBN, barcodes, setting a price, etc. It can be learned, but it is not all intuitive. In my town, many of the members of writers league have done this and will be glad to help. It's much easier the second time.
28. CreateSpace and Lulu both use Print on Demand (POD) methods. The cost of the printed version is the same no matter how many copies you buy. Also, they will sell and ship books for you so that you don't have to do that yourself.
29. Bookstores will not stock books unless you allow for refunds. This can be costly, so most self-published books don't appear in bookstores. My book is available on consignment in two local bookstores on consignment.
30. If you self-publish you also have to do all the marketing. However, you would need to get involved in this with a traditional publisher as well. I've found that book signings with or without talks is the best ways to sell books.
31. Maintain a presence on the Internet and the social networks. I write a blog and maintain a website. Also, I work with other authors throughout the country to help advertise each others books.
32. Encourage people to review your book and provide free copies for reviewers. You need to have a strong Amazon.com page since they are the largest online bookstore. My book was a best seller on Amazon.com one day due to my concentrating sales on a particular day.
33. Write another book. 

 
   

TMI! TMI! TMI!

Have you ever thought what the Internet is doing to us by providing too much information too frequently?

My iPhone beeped yesterday and I started to read it, "Fox News Breaking News…"

"I don't want to hear it," Celeste said before I could get to the good part.

I was taken aback, as you might imagine. How could anyone resist hearing what follows the words "breaking news?" When I asked, she said she'd hear it sooner or later. Right now she wanted to enjoy what she was doing.

Actually, she was sitting with Storming Norman, the cat, on the swing on the screened-in porch reading a book as sounds from the water feature filled the air so I could understand why she didn't want to hear some news that turned out to be so unimportant I can't remember what it was now.

Her reaction made me think about how the instant availability of information is negatively affecting us daily. One example is the way I used my iPhone to look up information during discussions at social gatherings. Rather than help, it tends to be a downer to always be right. Instead of an interesting discussion about who was or wasn't in a particular movie, I can access the cast list with a few clicks. But, as I said, it wasn't as helpful as you might think. So, at the last two parties I went to, I left my phone in the car and had some better conversations because of it.

Another example. I've found myself going to the computer more than once a day to check book sales. I check CreateSpace for print edition sales, Amazon for Kindle sales, and lulu.com for other eBook sales. I have to admit it is fun to see the numbers rise, but it is equally discouraging when they don't.

When my first book came out in 1983, I had to wait three months for a royalty report before learning how sales were going. Now, I'm lucky to wait three hours.

So, one of my resolutions for next year is to relax, enjoy free time, and check the news less.

How about you? Have you had problems adjusting to ease of access to information?

Selling POD Books in Big Boxes

When I first started my print of demand (POD) publishing project with CreateSpace, I chose the most expensive approach they had which included what they called Expanded Distribution Channel and Pro Plan. By doing so, I was promised my book would be available to major online and offline retailers as well as libraries and academic institutions throughout the United States.
As it turns out the wording may be slightly misleading. Yes, Where Love Once Lived is available to offline retailers as long as they are willing to accept certain guidelines. Which, by the way, are guidelines they are not going to accept.
I happen to know the Community Relations Manager for the Barnes & Noble store nearest to me because he has come to our writers club meeting to sell books from time to time. So, I know he did his best when I asked about a book signing opportunity.
Here’s what he wrote to me.
Barnes & Noble policy states that in order to bring merchandise in for an author event, the title must be available from a wholesale distributor on a returnable basis. While I can order your book for an individual customer on a pre-paid basis, I cannot place an order for a quantity of this title because in the event that there are unsold copies, I cannot return them to a vendor for credit.
Barnes & Noble does not buy from individuals as vendors nor do we take merchandise on a consignment basis.
Also, your book does not have a retail price point printed anywhere on it. Even if I could bring this book into our store, it’s highly unlikely that people will buy something that doesn’t have a price on it.
I suggest you check with your publisher and see how much it will cost you to make this book returnable and to print a retail price point on it.
I didn’t ask CreateSpace about making the book returnable because I know that would be too costly. However, I did ask about adding the price to the book. It took three attempts to find out. They didn’t seem to know what I was talking about. Finally, I talked to someone on the phone and they checked with someone else who said they could add the price for $75. However, they would have to make the book unavailable for two to three weeks while it was being changed. Since I have a book signing ahead I decided to wait.
The price of the book couldn’t be set until the costs were determined. The costs couldn't be determined until the book was complete. Therefore, I didn’t know what price to put on the book until after it was printed. I shouldn’t have let that happened. But, in my defense, this was the first time I had done this and relied heavily on the expertise of the publisher. Too heavily, as it turns out.
As it turns out, I am the publisher, not CreateSpace, and I’ll know more about many things next time. And, who knows, maybe you, dear reader, are thinking about the POD approach and something I say here might help you.

My Book Is In the Largest Bookstore in Texas

Where Love Once Lived is now on the shelves of BookPeople, the largest bookstore in Texas.

BookPeople opened in Austin in 1970, and was named Best Bookstore in the United States in 2005 by Publishers Weekly. Many famous authors include BookPeople in their book-signing tours. Laura Bush was there recently and Jimmy Carter will be signing his latest book at BookPeople on October 29, 2010. They’re selling tickets to the Carter event for crowd control.

Even with their national fame, BookPeople has a special place on its shelves for local authors. Just inside the front door, on the way to the coffee shop, there is a shelf on the left with a sign that says Texas Authors. There are some famous names there, including one of my favorites, Susan Wittig Albert. Five of my books are in the same shelf. Well, hopefully, there are fewer now. My friend Rollo Newsom has written a community comment card for this shelf.

You’ll find five more copies of Where Love Once Lived on the second floor in the inspiration section right along with Jan Karon’s books. I picked that shelf because of Karon, and added a community comment card with quotes from Sandy Althaus’ review.

So what, you’re thinking. Bookstores sell books. They stock books. That’s what they do.

Well, most don’t stock print-on-demand (POD) books like mine. The big chain bookstores won’t stock Where Love Once Lived. They’ll sell it to you and get one for you, but only if you pay in advance and wait a week.

BookPeople in Austin and Hill Country Bookstore in Georgetown both stock my book because on their consignment programs. I furnish the books and they sell them. I end up making a little less than books sold on Amazon.com, but not by much. Also, I’m responsible for costs due to theft or damage.

Is this a reason to avoid publishing POD books? I don’t know yet. With a new book almost ready to pitch, I wish I knew. I’ll be looking at the pros and cons of self publishing and traditional publishing and reporting my findings to you in a future post. If you have knowledge about it, please comment here.

My Next Book is on My Mind Today

Yesterday, Celeste asked about my new novel after I told her I worked on it between classes. Then, today, when I talked to my sister, Barbara, she asked about the new book. So, I've been thinking about it a lot lately.

I told them both about the new publishing company looking for manuscripts ready to go for 2011. The neat thing about Harbourlight Books is that they are affiliated with White Rose Publishing, the company that almost published Where Love Once Lived, until they discovered it wasn't really a romance and all they publish are Christian romance.

Harbourlight Books, on the other hand, will publish only Christian fiction books that are NOT romance. So, my thinking is that both my novel will be a perfect match for Harbourlight.

All I need to do to finish Vengeance In Mine is write two more scenes, scenes I've already outlined, and then edit the whole book for the upteenth time and the manuscript will be ready. All the publisher wants initially is a synopsis and the first chapter, but they want to know that the book is complete. If they like the synopsis and first chapter and ask for the whole thing, I want to be prepared.

It's not that I'm unhappy with the approach I'm using for Where Love Once Lived, that is, using CreateSpace and the print on demand method, but it would certainly simplify everything to have a publisher take care of the details.

Besides, I love what White Rose is producing and I think Harbourlight will be under the same management. White Rose produces great covers and ebooks. They have an appealing website, dedicated writers, and supportive editors. It would be fun to be part of the group.

My thought is that if Harbourlight contracts my new book, and if the sales of the current book are satisfactory, they may want to publish it as well.

What do you think?

BOOK REVIEW: Sell Your Book on Amazon

I read Sell Your Book on Amazon, Second Edition, by Brent Sampson, published in 2010 by OutskirtsPress.com.

This book provides an insight into the many ways you can sell books on Amazon.com. These techniques could be useful to book publishers of all sizes, but I believe the independent publisher or self publisher will benefit most. Sampson describes ways to increase sales and profits in a simple, easy to follow format.

I bought this book because I have a self-published book due out soon and I know it will be up to me to create interest in the book. Amazon is the best known online bookstore in the world and it is profitable because it helps publishers sell books. Sampson's book tells how to take advantage of the many ways Amazon can help.

Sell Your Book on Amazon describes how to set up your author center and profile. It describes how to take advantage of reviews, lists, and guides. It tells you how to automatically add your blog to Amazon.

The book also tells the reader how Amazon works and how it changes. It also tells you how you might make more profit on each sale.

Although my book is not out yet and I haven't used what I learned, I feel confident now that I can get more out of the Amazon services. The only trouble I had with the book was that there tended to be some repetition. Sampson would describe a technique in detail in an introductory summary and then again in a detail chapter.

BOOK REVIEW: Finders Keepers by JoAnn Carter

I read an intriguing inspirational romance recently called Finders Keepers by JoAnn Carter. It was advertised as a book, but it was about 3,000 words long so I guess it would be considered a short story. However, it was formatted like a book and separated into chapters. I found the eBook free from White Rose Publishing. I don't remember how it came to my attention initially, but the word "free" did catch my eye.

The length, or shortness, of the book surprised me, so I looked up the publisher's website and found the following in the Submission Guidelines section:

We publish romance in a variety of lengths:

Short stories range between 10,000 and 20,000 words (ebook)
Novelettes are between 20,001 and 35,000 words (ebook)
Novellas are between 35,001 and 60,000 words (ebook)
Novels are between 60,001 and 80,000 words (ebook & print)

White Rose publishes romance only and the story must be either Christian or such that it is not anti-Christian. As you can see, only novels are published in print form. The rest are digital only. I checked Amazon and found many of their eBooks available in Kindle format.

The availability of eReaders and the popularity of eBooks has made it possible for authors to publish odd-sized stories. I believe that is a good thing. The story I read, Finders Keepers, was excellent and as long as it needed to be. In the past, a story of this size would only be found in magazines or compilations of short stories.

If you have a story idea that isn't long enough for the print market, check White Rose Publishing. Or, if you're interested in some excellent reading, some of it free, some a dollar or two, check there also.

I saw a warning somewhere on the website that the free books had not been edited, but I still couldn't resist sending JoAnn Carter a few corrections. She was very gracious about it. She has a number of other excellent books available. Check them out.

Where Love Once Lived Cover

I received two cover proofs from CreateSpace today. The next step is for me to choose one. I can request a third concept, but there will be an additional fee for that service. The exciting part of this is that I like both covers. That's also a problem because I can only pick one. Will you help?

Here are the descriptions of the differences provided by CreateSpace:

Cover 1 -- Both covers use the illustration provided. This one uses a blue background and a simple type treatment. The word Love is in red to represent the blood of Christ.

Cover 2 -- This concept uses a green background that matches the style of the illustration. The back cover also contains a few flower petals faintly visible. The type treatment is more prominent in this example.

The words are the same. Only the colors and the fonts vary. Which one do you like best?

Here are the words that are on the back of the cover:

She'd once loved a bookmobile driver. Memories of that time with him poured in so rapidly she caught her breath. It'd been long ago, but her heart remembered. At first she remembered the love she'd felt back then, but the good memories didn't last long. She'd gone to the bookmobile as usual that last day, but nothing was to be the same again. She went to Brian with love and exciting news. She left alone. Not just without him, but alone in the world and apart from God.


Is it ever too late to find happiness? No, says Sidney W. Frost in his inspirational Christian novel, Where Love Once Lived. Brian Donelson returns to his hometown after a thirty-year absence to win back his beloved Karen. But Karen, who has grown closer to God than he has, harbors a secret that keeps her away from Brian at all costs. While driving the local bookmobile, Brian struggles to earn her trust, even as he grapples with secrets of his own. With God’s help, can these two find happiness? Beautifully written and told with wit and grace, Where Love Once Lived is a moving love story filled with the glory of God.

Sidney W. Frost is an elder in the Presbyterian Church and a Stephen Minister. While a student at the University of Texas, he worked as a bookmobile driver for the Austin Public Library.

Is Where Love Once Lived Finished?

I've reported on two occasions here that I have completed Where Love Once Lived and turned it over to the publisher. Well, I lied. They sent me the final proof and I couldn't help reading it from cover to cover. To be honest it is the first time I'd done that since it was rejected by White Rose Publishing about a year. Guess what? It's good! The changes I made for White Rose tightened it up just right.

However, I found a few problems that had to be corrected. Since we were so far along in the production process, I had to pay CreateSpace an extra $100 to get the changes in, but there was no choice. You'll understand when you see the following.

First of all, I found a reference to Brian's sister. This is a sister I cut out of the book many revisions back.

A major problem I have in editing is not rereading the whole sentence after making a change. For example, I must have changed "...will help sell them" to "...will help sell the idea." But what I ended up with was "...will help sell THEM idea." That had to be fixed.

There were some missing words. I'm not sure how they got past the publisher's copyeditor, but they did. Example, "How is that the children..." should be "How is IT that the children..." Also, "What wrong?" instead of "What's wrong?"

I found several errors caused by changes in other areas of the book. In one place, Karen says, "I did tell Julie not long ago and felt better after doing so." Sixty some odd pages later Karen actually tells Julie for the first time. You can't catch errors like this without reading the whole book in a short period of time. I'm a slow reader, and I was searching for problems, so it took me about eight hours to read it.

One of the things I learned in writing classes is not to repeat the same word or phrase too much, especially on the same page. I've been careful about that in my writings. However, they creep in during edits unless you reread the whole scene. I found more than a few places where I needed to make changes because of this.

I found two punctuation errors. A missing closing quote in one place and a combination comma period in another place. Not bad. Those missing quotes are hard to spot.

In one place, Brian refers to the Manor school bookmobile stop as his favorite when clearly everyone would know his favorite stop would be Holden Elementary School where Karen taught. I fixed that.

As the author, I have a lot of back story in my head about the characters and I know what's happening next. Sometimes I wish I could read the story the way a new reader would. However, because I hadn't read the book in so long, I did spot a possible problem for a new reader. This had to do with one of the Austin characters suddenly being in Redondo Beach, California. I know how she got there, but it wouldn't be clear to anyone else. I found an easy way to fix it.

As long as I was making changes and it wouldn't cost any more to make a few others, I fixed this sentence: Karen felt God had led her to the perfect time. I deleted "Karen felt" because that is implied by it being Karen's point of view. Other non-grammatical changes included moving the order of sentences in a paragraph to help the flow and leaving out the word "then" which is implied in a narrative.

There were 26 such changes, but I probably didn't find them all. When you spot a problem while reading the book, please let me know. It won't hurt my feelings at all and I'll correct it for future editions.

Cover Sketch Approved

I received the second sketch for the cover of Where Love Once Lived and approved it. It has all the elements I asked for and I think it will be eye catching when done. It has the bookmobile and school children from the first design, but now it doesn't look like a children's book. The designer said she thought it best not to add the church she had in the first sketch because it might interfere with the title. I like the cross in the clouds. Nice effect.

The next step is for the CreateSpace cover designer to prepare a black and white illustration. When approved by me, a full color illustration will be prepared. Finally, two cover concepts will be made for me to choose from. At each point along the way, I get one free redo. If more are needed, there is a charge of $100 per hour.

It is a slow process, but it is rewarding to be involved in all the parts of the book production.

Let me know what you think.

CreateSpace Publicity Services

I purchased CreateSpace's Publicity Kit for Where Love Once Lived. The kit includes 500 postcards, 500 bookmarks, and 500 business cards, all full-color, for $499. The book cover is a prominent part of the design, so I won't expect to see any of these items until the cover design is finalized.

You can see an example here: https://www.createspace.com/Special/Img/services/examples/publicitykit_sample_04.jpg

CreateSpace also provides Sell Sheets for $199. You get 100 full-color, single-sided 11" x 8.5" sheets featuring book description, author information, cover art, and buying information.

Here is an example: https://www.createspace.com/Special/Img/services/examples/sellsheet_sample_04.jpg

I decided not to buy this one since I have all the required information and can easily create my own. Unlike postcards, bookmarks, and business cards, the sell sheet is a standard size.

I'll show you samples when I get them.

Book Cover Sketch No. 1

I received the sketch for the book cover for Where Love Once Lived yesterday. In an earlier posting, I told you how I had answered the questionnaire about the cover:

Q: Describe your own ideas that you would like to see captured on your cover. Are there any particular color(s) or types of imagery that you would like to see on your cover?

A: A potential reader should know by looking at the book that it is Christian in nature. That can be as subtle as a cross or a partial view of a church. Not too flashy. Solid looking. Peaceful. There could be an interior or exterior view of a bookmobile since it plays a big part in the story. The main characters are in their mid-fifties, but they first fell in love thirty years earlier while in college. The male lead character has a neatly trimmed beard and light brown hair. The title is Where Love Once Lived. Brian thinks he will find love by returning to the city and the job where he last felt love, but instead, he finds happiness when God's love returns to his heart, where it once resided.

Then, last Wednesday, I talked to the CreateSpace account manager about the cover and I reported this in a recent blog:

I told her I see a man and woman looking at each other with a bookmobile in the background with children near it. I said I would like a symbol to show it is a Christian novel, but I wasn't sure what. She said the artist would read everything they have about the book and then come up with a sketch.

Now, take a look at the sketch I received yesterday.

Here is my response:

I love the bookmobile, the children running, and the trees and church in the background. However, without more, the book could be mistaken for a book about children or a book for children. The main characters are in their mid fifties and the book is about them getting back together again after thirty years. The man has a well-trimmed beard.

Perhaps the sketch could be reduced in size by at least 50 percent and moved to the background. In the foreground could be a man and woman looking at each other, maybe touching, but not a full hug or kiss.

I'm also concerned about the size. I know the sketch doesn't have to be to scale, but the perspective is off as is. The book size is 5 1/4 x 8.

Bookmobile is one word.

Let me know what you think. I started to ask for comments before responding, but the cover sketch needed to be changed so much I thought it best to get started on it.

Some of my friends with books published by standard publishers are amazed at how much input I have in designing the cover, so I can at least be happy about that.

Book Publishing Status Report

CreateSpace Projects:

LCCN Assignment--Completed. LCCN stands for Library of Congress Control Number. I also have an ISBN, International Standard Book Number.

Total Design Freedom Custom Book Interior--I approved the interior design (again) Friday, May 14, 2010. CreateSpace is now preparing the interior proof. I will have the opportunity to make text changes prior to the creation of the final files. I've been making notes of changes I want to make and hope I can get it all done soon. To see the latest interior design, see Where Love Once Lived.

Comprehensive Copyediting--Completed

Promotional Text Creation--Completed

Press Release Creation--Being prepared. Next is reviewing, approval, and final verification

Press Release Distribution--Currently scheduling. Next is distributing.

Publicity Kit--Currently working on proof. Printing is next. However, since the cover is used in the publicity items, I don't believe much will be done until the cover is complete. I'll tell you more about this later.

Illustrated Book Cover--The account manager called last Wednesday, May 12, 2010 to talk about the cover design. I told her I see a man and woman looking at each other with a bookmobile in the background with children near it. I said I would like a symbol to show it is a Christian novel, but I wasn't sure what. She said the artist would read everything they have about the book and then come up with a sketch. If I like the sketch, the artist will prepare two cover designs for me to chose from. She said it will be about ten days before I get the sketch.

This is a slow process. I can see now why it takes so long to publish a book. In addition to what CreateSpace is doing, I am writing a daily (M-F) blog called the Christian Bookmobile to help publicize the book and build title and author name recognition. By mentioning the book each day since March 31, 2010, the search engines have already picked up the title and the blog.

In addition to the blog, I've made contact with other Christian Fiction blog writers and am planning a virtual book tour using blogs. As soon as I have a definite publication date, I'll finalize the tour schedule. I'm also working on a Facebook fan page which I'll activate shortly before the publication date.

I've identified book reviewers who I will send sample copies of the book to in hopes they will review it. I will ask for honest opinions only and will not pay anyone for a fake review. If any of you would like to review the book when it comes out, please let me know. I can also send pdf versions sooner, but not until I quit changing it. Soon, I hope.

Also, I have identified book stores in both Georgetown and the Austin area, and will be talking to them about book signings. I'll prepare press releases for area newspapers as well and I plan to write articles for the newsletters of two of the writers' organizations I belong to.

Meanwhile, I should be working on my second book, Vengeance Is Mine. I've been so busy with Where Love Once Lived, I haven't touched the new book in several months.

Piffle, Hogwash and Other Four-Letter Words

Where Love Once Lived was written to conform to the definition of Christian Fiction and be eligible for sale by members of the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA). CBA novels contain no explicit sex, no premarital sex, no swearing, a Christian worldview of some sort, and normally a strong evangelical message. What was most difficult for me was the swearing rule. My characters sometimes felt like screaming a few four-letter words, especially when they were alone or in the presence of an understanding friend.

That's why you'll find my fictional character Karen saying piffle from time to time. I learned that word from Jinx. Before she died, Jinx was a school counselor and had to be careful about what she said in front of the students. However, I think everyone, including the students, knew what she meant by piffle. It was the way she said it, not the word itself. She had so-called clean words for just about any situation. My favorite was fluff, because it was a word you didn't often hear in mixed company.

I thought about CBA's guideline about swearing last week when CreateSpace sent back the book mockup with a blank page before chapter two and told me it was the industry standard to begin each chapter on the right facing page. I checked at least twenty novels in my library and they all started chapters on the left or right page so that blank pages between chapters wasn't necessary. I did find several non-fiction books with a blank page before a chapter beginning. So, I wrote back that I didn't agree. I had to rewrite my response when I thought about how I was writing a Christian novel and my comments didn't sound very Christian.

I got the mockup back the second time Saturday, May 8, 2010, and they had removed all blank pages. I'm almost positive I said there should be no forced blank pages after chapter one. By the way, this is a problem with communicating with CreateSpace. There is no record of my messages. I can see their messages, but my responses are not saved and available to me.

Most books I have in my shelves start the dedication, the acknowledgement, and chapter one on the right facing page. The mockup I received had no blank pages in the front section at all and chapter one started on a left facing page. So, this time I was very nice and very specific about what I would like. We'll see how that works.

Before I got into the business of making a book, I would have thought a company like CreateSpace would know the standards for page layout. It shouldn't be left up to the writer. But, in a way, I'm the publisher here.

I'm not sure what's right or wrong. All I know is what looks best to me. What is the industry standard for beginning a page on the left or right? Is it different for fiction and non-fiction? Does anyone know? If so, please comment.