Publishing a Book Using CreateSpace

This is yet another blog post based on a handout I used when giving self-publishing workshops. This one describes the process of self-publishing in paperback. The information here is based on something I did in December 2009, so keep that in mind. Things change, and your mileage may vary.
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To format the text of the book I used Microsoft Word, something I was familiar with and already had. Some people believe you get better results using software such as InDesign. That may be the case, but I wanted to do it as economically as possible.
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When I went to create a paperback version of my Kindle book, Celia and the Fairies, I decided to go with CreateSpace, an online publisher which uses P.O.D (print on demand) technology to fill orders for books.
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From their website: "You earn royalties every time we manufacture a product to fulfill a new customer order placed on Amazon.com, your eStore, or through distribution outlets within the Expanded Distribution Channel.
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Your royalty is the list price you've designated for your book, minus our share.
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How much will it cost to set up my book? There are no set-up fees for your book; before making it available for sale, we do require you to purchase and approve a proof copy of your book. We'll also provide you with a free CreateSpace ISBN (International Standard Book Number—an identifying number necessary to sell a book commercially) if you don't already own one."
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I opted for something CreateSpace calls their “Pro Plan,” which allowed me to earn higher royalties and reduced the cost of ordering my own copies. It also allows the book to be part of the expanded distribution plan, which means bookstores and libraries can order it.
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This was the breakdown of my costs in producing my children’s book, Celia and the Fairies:


Pro Plan $39.00 (yearly renewal fee of $5.00)
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Proof Copy $9.34 ($3.15 for the book plus $6.39 shipping)
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Second Proof Copy $9.34 (found an error and had to redo it)
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Cover Image $20.00
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Paid my daughter to do the cover design $20.00
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Total cost: $97.68


The process of creating a paperback using CreateSpace:
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Ultimately two files will need to be created and uploaded: the cover image and the interior of the book.
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Before you can do either one, you need to select the trim size for your book. There are 13 different choices for trim sizes for a black and white book (black and white referring to the interior pages only). I chose my size based on similar books in the market. Knowing the trim size is essential in formatting the interior and also in creating the cover art.
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To create the interior file, the actual pages of the book, I needed to resize my manuscript pages to match my chosen trim size. I did this while it was still a Microsoft Word document. After opening the document, I clicked on Page Layout=> then clicked on Size. The program didn’t have my exact size (5.25 x 8 inches), so I found the closest one (5 x 8 inches) and changed the number manually by clicking on it and just typing in the numbers.
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I found it easiest to view the manuscript using the “Print Layout” setting, although it’s a personal preference. What you see on the screen is exactly how it will look in the book, so if the print is tiny or the lines look crowded, you’ll want to make adjustments.
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Following the format of a traditionally published book, the very first page had the title of the book centered. The second page, which would be the other side of that first page, I left blank.
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The third page has the title with the author’s name below it. The fourth page is the back of that page and will be the copyright page, usually with ISBN, but you don’t have that yet, so don’t sweat it.
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The fifth page is the dedication page, and the next, the sixth, is again blank.
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The seventh page is the actual start of the book. This is where the page numbers will begin. Again, look at a traditionally published book in your genre for guidance in formatting your book. I decided to start about halfway down the page, and to NOT have a chapter heading (i.e. “Chapter One”) for the first chapter. Some books do have a chapter heading for the first chapter; it’s entirely up to you.
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I opted to start the first word of the first chapter with what’s known as a large dropped initial capital letter, something you often see in traditional publishing. To learn how to create that effect, click on the “?” in the upper right hand corner of your screen when in Microsoft Word and type in “dropped initial capital letter” in the search box, to receive instructions.
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I also chose, for the sake of ease, to center my page numbers on the bottom of the page. To make them look less bare I put a tilde (~) on either side. Again, do as you want.
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In a book, the inside margin, the one closest to the binding, is called the “gutter.” It will always be slightly wider to allow for space needed for the binding. For my book, I clicked on Page Layout in Microsoft Word and then Margins, then went all the way down and clicked on Custom Margins. A box titled Page Setup popped up and when I clicked on Margins I was able to set them up like this:
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Top: 0.8” Bottom: 0.6”
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Inside: 0.7” Outside: 0.6”
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Gutter: 0.1” Gutter position: Left
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The pages were set for “Mirror Margins.”
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Going back to the Page Setup box, there’s another tab titled Paper where you need to insert the width and height of your trim size.
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Going back again to the Page Setup box, there’s yet another tab titled Layout. Under Headers and Footers on that page I had the Header set at 0.5” and the Footer set at 0.1.”
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As far as general formatting goes, make sure each chapter starts on a new page.
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I changed my line spacing from double spaced to 1.5, but do what works best for you. I didn’t want it to look crowded, but at the same time, it was in my best interest to have as few pages as possible, since CreateSpace sets a minimum price based on page count.
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The last page of my book says “THE END” because it’s a children’s book. This is not the norm for other types of books. I decided against an additional page for acknowledgements or information about the author. Again, a personal choice.
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Once the document is formatted to your satisfaction, convert it to a PDF file and it’s ready to upload.
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Now, your version of Microsoft Word may be different than mine, but the tools are basically the same. To get more detailed instructions, read “How to Lay Out a Book Manuscript in Microsoft Word,” an excellent article by Kaz Silvestri on eHow.com.
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Now the cover:
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The site has templates to help in creating the cover art. In my case, I purchased an image from istockphoto.com, making sure that it was permissible to use as a book cover. My daughter then used Adobe Photoshop and the CreateSpace template to embed the text on the front cover, back cover and spine. The CreateSpace website says you can use any software that will allow you to open a JPEG file and save as a PDF file.
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You’ll also need a JPEG of just the front cover for your Amazon product page.
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Once you have the finished cover as a PDF file, you’re ready to upload on the CreateSpace site. You’ll be filling out information pertinent to the book on several screens—things such as the title, author name, book description, author bio etc. The site actually does a pretty good job of walking you through the process. If there is something you’re unsure of, the “Help” function will explain.
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Two things that were issues for me—I wanted to put the price of the book on the back (above the blank space where the bar code went), and I also wanted to include the ISBN on the copyright page. The problem was that CreateSpace sets a minimum price based on page count and I had calculated it incorrectly. Also, I didn’t find out my assigned ISBN until I uploaded the file, and of course, then it was too late to add it. As luck would have it, I found a major typo on the very first page and opted to make adjustments and reload both files. The second time around I was able to change the price listing, add the ISBN, and fix the typo.
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Once the proof is ordered and you’ve inspected and approved it, you can go ahead and publish. If I recall correctly, it took a week or so for the whole Amazon page to fill in and for the book to be available for purchase.
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That’s it! The manuscript is now a book.
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I hope this information is helpful.
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Later,
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Karen