Book publishing with Ingramspark and Createspace

The first book Frogs Are Green published was Frogs, Amphibians and Their Threatened Environment, and we used Createspace. Recently, we published our second book, Rainforest Frogs, and we used Ingramspark, and then realized it needed to be on Createspace also.

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Both websites take you through the steps and so long as you understand what they are asking you, it should go smoothly. There are many differences and you will need to upload your files to both places.

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Below I will explain many of the issues I have run into and the solutions.

 

The price and buying copies of your own book

The price per copy when buying your own book is going to vary based on certain variables, such as: what your selling price is, how many pages your book is, whether your book interior is color or black and white, and the trim size.

We can order copies from Ingramspark at a lower price per book than from Createspace, so naturally that’s where we’ll get them. We offer the books on our website at the regular retail price and include free shipping.

 

Making sure the price is right

Rainforest Frogs was uploaded and published through Ingramspark and the price was set at $13.95. Within a few days it appeared on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites but after a few months on Amazon the price changed and went up to $15.95 and more. The reason Amazon wasn’t selling the book at the listed price was because they weren’t able to produce the book themselves. I quickly uploaded the book files through Createspace and within a few days the book was showing the correct price.

Once the files are accepted by Createspace, you want to be sure to order a proof book copy just to confirm that it looks exactly the way you expected. (The books are almost identical from both places, except that since our book is only 52 pages, the one from Createspace had no text on the spine and the others do.)

 

Getting royalties

Createspace sends royalties sooner than Ingramspark, however the percentage of what you earn per copy is higher with Ingramspark.

 

Getting  your book in the right categories

You wouldn’t think it would be hard to get your book listed in the right categories, but it can be based on the way they have them organized.

Rainforest Frogs is a nonfiction book that profiles ten endangered frogs. It is fully illustrated in color and has haiku poetry and facts about each frog. The size is 8.5” x 8.5” and the interior is roomy.

At first we put it in “amphibians and reptiles” and “endangered  species.” However, when we visited a local bookstore to see if they would take the book (and they did) they suggested it go in the children’s book nonfiction animal/wildlife section, as well as local authors.

So we went back on Ingramspark and tried to find the right section given the juvenile categories and it was difficult.

Then after getting that set, we added our files to Createspace and now it’s back in adult nonfiction.

TIP: How to know which categories are right for your book?

If you search through Amazon for a few books that are similar to yours, you can scroll down and see the listed categories they used. Then when you publish, you’ll know what to select.

 

As you can see, there is quite a bit of preparation as well as being sure your files are created properly by a book designer. Please post your comments, issues or questions below.

 

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