Createspace/PoD - worth it?

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Msdobing

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I currently have my books out in ebook form only (on Amazon). I was considering extending this, for my novel at least, to a PoD offering too. I was just wondering how much success people have had with these kind of services?

I don't mean to pry about specific sales numbers or anything, but rather what kind of % sales have you found came from your PoD format compared to your ebook format?

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Abderian

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I haven't sold any print copies (via Amazon - I've sold some that I've had printed here). One of the advantages of making Createspace copies available is that they make your ebook look like a bargain by comparison.
 

M. H. Lee

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For my non-fiction books about 30% of my sales are from paperback and that's probably 50% of my revenue or more because of the margin. For fiction...eh. Maybe 10% of sales are from paperback, but I have some fiction titles that have never sold a single paperback copy. I think it's worth it because it gives readers one more chance to find your work, but I also do all my own formatting/submitting so it only costs me my time to do them.
 

augusto

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73% of my sales are paperbacks (I can do the math because I've sold exactly 100 books). Having a paperback gave me something to show at readings and allowed me to walk into my local bookstore with something to sell. Just over half of my paperback sales are through Createspace/Amazon.
 

Interfaced

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I've just gone through the process of releasing on CreateSpace, and found it a fulfilling thing to do. Receiving that first (and second, silly errors...) proof copy was quite an emotional moment, and it's worth it for that alone I would say. I've only sold two actual copies since the paperback went live a week ago, but then I haven't actually pushed it out anywhere yet except for a brief mention on a podcast I was a guest on.

One thing to consider is that it requires another formatting journey, as the dimensions and layout will be quite different to your eBook version. It's worth doing, but it's quite a bit of work to get it right and the format is less forgiving of errors (although you can always update things at any point, which is very nice!). Other than that and the cover design, it was an incredibly simple process to get everything up and running.
 

WriterBN

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Less than 5% of my sales are from paperbacks, but having that option was worth it for me. I also donate copies to libraries and run an occasional Goodreads giveaway. I do have professional experience in formatting and typography, so that part was easy.

In the end, it's nice to have physical copies of your own books that can gather dust on your shelves :)
 

ebbrown

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Count me in for <5%. I do find it worthwhile. In addition to the reasons above, it is nice to have a paperback to sign when people request one.
 

thethinker42

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I haven't sold any print copies (via Amazon - I've sold some that I've had printed here). One of the advantages of making Createspace copies available is that they make your ebook look like a bargain by comparison.

Same here. The biggest advantage for me is having paperbacks for conferences, giveaways, etc. Expensive swag, basically.

I did my most of own cover art and formatting, so releasing paperbacks cost me next to nothing except an evening of tedium. Worth it for the "ebook looks cheaper" part and having paperbacks handy.

ETA: Also count me in the less than 5% group. Most of my paperback titles sell 2-5 copies a month.
 
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Msdobing

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Thanks everyone, I've just gone through the CreateSpace process now and the book is away with them for review. You weren't joking about the prices were you? To sell my book with me making no royalties would make it £7.20, which is a lot (I think) for a paperback. I'll need to sell it at about £8.99 or less to make a profit comparable to the KDP profits! Ouch!

In any case, I share peoples' thoughts on having something "I can hold" and generally be proud of. So I'll go through with it just so I've got my own copy and people have that option if they want it.

One thing, I noticed it had the option to publish to KDP? As I've already done this I'm assuming I can ignore this option when it becomes available? I don't want two versions of my book knocking about on Amazon!
 

M. H. Lee

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Keep in mind this isn't what I, at least, think of as a paperback, which is a mass market paperback that in the U.S. goes from somewhere in the 5.99 to 7.99 range and is hand-sized. What you're going to get from CS is the larger version of paperback, I think the term is trade paperback(?) that in the U.S. are more in the $12 to $15 range from trade publishers. (And sometimes more.)

And, yes. Ignore that option to publish to KDP if you've already pubbed your e-book with them. It WILL end up creating a duplicate.
 

Laer Carroll

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Interfaced

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Thanks everyone, I've just gone through the CreateSpace process now and the book is away with them for review. You weren't joking about the prices were you? To sell my book with me making no royalties would make it £7.20, which is a lot (I think) for a paperback. I'll need to sell it at about £8.99 or less to make a profit comparable to the KDP profits! Ouch!

In any case, I share peoples' thoughts on having something "I can hold" and generally be proud of. So I'll go through with it just so I've got my own copy and people have that option if they want it.

Great move, you've worked hard on it so at the very least deserve the satisfaction of a physical copy of your own (and for a few friends and family). Regarding the royalties...it really was disappointing to see the amount from the Amazon EU store. At least they are better from US sales, a small consolation. FWIW, I priced my novel at £8.99 also - as that is comparable to other sci-fi novels around the same size.
 

Msdobing

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Great move, you've worked hard on it so at the very least deserve the satisfaction of a physical copy of your own (and for a few friends and family). Regarding the royalties...it really was disappointing to see the amount from the Amazon EU store. At least they are better from US sales, a small consolation. FWIW, I priced my novel at £8.99 also - as that is comparable to other sci-fi novels around the same size.

Thanks, I think upon reflection it was definitely the right move. Like you and others have said it gets something out there that I and any interested f & f can view.

I've ordered the proof today too, so now have to wait until around 10th December to see it in the flesh! Oh well, time to get back to refreshing that KDP sales dashboard every 2 minutes :)

Thanks again everyone, I'll let you know how it gets on.
 
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