How To Self-Publish Your Book In Paper

Some of my books are self-pubbed. Vampire Bay is one of them. Just recently I went through Create Space to put it in paper. It took me awhile to wrap my head around the fact that they weren't going to charge me for this process.But, unless you choose a different package, it's free.

Here's a brief rundown, in case you've been thinking about turning your e into paper.

Create Space is offered by Amazon @ http://www.createspace.com/

Covers: You can purchase a cover, use your own or use Amazon's free cover creator. Amazon supplies several different cover formats and pictures to choose from.  I tried to use my original cover. The problem I encountered was that my name and the title leaked over the edge.  See how close it is in the picture? Since I hadn't built the cover myself, I had no way to correct it, so I looked through what was available and chose a cover.

Interior: Your manuscript is downloaded in doc.docx or rtf. Amazon provides the resources for formatting. I used the recommended, 6 x9 size, but next time around I'm going to try something a bit smaller. I blush to admit, I spent a day on formatting trying to get my margins lined up. Its really not as difficult as I made it.

Proof: Your interior and exterior are both proofed. I got snagged by--as previously mentioned--the bleeding of my name over the allowable edge, and on the left margin on the interior. Once these items were corrected, and the book reviewed, I could choose to do a PDF proof or have a paper proof sent to me.

 The cost of a paper proof is your cost of the book, plus postage. I went the paper route. After I proofed and made my corrections, I once again sent the book through for review. After it passed review, I proofed again, this time with a PDF copy. Shortly, thereafter my book was ready for release.

I've purchased my books through several different publishers and Create Space's cost to the author for book and postage is the cheapest Ive ever encountered. All in all an interesting experience. Will I do it again? Probably.