To publish or not to publish?

[redzinger]

Anyone unable to log in to their Amazon author account today?

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Hmmm....

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I can't get to my Dashboard, but I can get to my authors page and the links to my book still work. They did redesign the authors page, actually just moved the things around so it looks different, maybe they are doing that to the dashboard and someone broke some code.

 

[redzinger]

Hmmm....



I can't get to my Dashboard, but I can get to my authors page and the links to my book still work. They did redesign the authors page, actually just moved the things around so it looks different, maybe they are doing that to the dashboard and someone broke some code.

Thanks. Miss Paranoid here was thinking it was something personal.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Thanks. Miss Paranoid here was thinking it was something personal.

I can also get to my reports section, so it's just the bookshelf that is hosed.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

To all...

KDP Amazon announcement.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

KDP is back up.

 

[redzinger]

Anyone know off the top of their head what size font the blurb on the back of a cover should be please? I've searched the Amazon forum to no avail.

And any other useful tips? I'm currently designing my own cover with the best part of a bottle of wine down me.

 

[sr71plt]

Anyone know off the top of their head what size font the blurb on the back of a cover should be please? I've searched the Amazon forum to no avail.

And any other useful tips? I'm currently designing my own cover with the best part of a bottle of wine down me.

This from my publisher (and we're talking paperbacks, right? E-books don't have jacket copy). The standard my publisher uses for paperbacks is Garamond 12-point, but sometimes this needs to be larger depending on the color of the background.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Anyone know off the top of their head what size font the blurb on the back of a cover should be please? I've searched the Amazon forum to no avail.

And any other useful tips? I'm currently designing my own cover with the best part of a bottle of wine down me.

The image you use to advertise your ebook has no back. As for the blurb about your book, Amazon controls the font and size, you just type it in the textbox.

If you are talking about a simple blurb on the image, other than the title and author name, whatever looks good, but keep it short.

"A romantic action adventure." or "A Science Fiction Anthology."

ETA: By the way, both links in your sig go to the exact same ebook page. Thought you might want to fix that so at least one goes to the other ebook you have on Amazon.

 

[redzinger]

The image you use to advertise your ebook has no back. As for the blurb about your book, Amazon controls the font and size, you just type it in the textbox.

If you are talking about a simple blurb on the image, other than the title and author name, whatever looks good, but keep it short.

"A romantic action adventure." or "A Science Fiction Anthology."

It's the back cover of the paperback, where there's usually a paragraph of blurb. All my front cover has is the series name, title and author.

Mainly out of curiosity, I decided tonight to see if I could prepare a novel for a print run. I've been teaching myself how to use Gimp, I'm pretty chuffed with it, considering I have no design background. I took the pics myself too (the ones for all novels).

This from my publisher (and we're talking paperbacks, right? E-books don't have jacket copy). The standard my publisher uses for paperbacks is Garamond 12-point, but sometimes this needs to be larger depending on the color of the background.

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to know. The current attempt is Eras Light ITC at 15, it's white on black so hopefully will be OK.

ETA: By the way, both links in your sig go to the exact same ebook page. Thought you might want to fix that so at least one goes to the other ebook you have on Amazon.

Yeah, thanks for reminding me. One was the US link and the other the UK link. But I'll edit it to include one book each instead, all US, as the UK one's not really needed.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

It's the back cover of the paperback, where there's usually a paragraph of blurb. All my front cover has is the series name, title and author.

Mainly out of curiosity, I decided tonight to see if I could prepare a novel for a print run. I've been teaching myself how to use Gimp, I'm pretty chuffed with it, considering I have no design background. I took the pics myself too (the ones for all novels).

Are you using Createspace? Even I had a hard time with their cover requirements...I gave up after a while. I could probably do it now, but why bother...the price break is prohibitive for the buyer. I found I would have to charge over $15 to make any decent royalties.

The type face for the back cover image would be essentially whatever looks good. Whatever is readable when it's printed. You may have to print it yourself too see.

 

[redzinger]

Are you using Createspace? Even I had a hard time with their cover requirements...I gave up after a while. I could probably do it now, but why bother...the price break is prohibitive for the buyer. I found I would have to charge over $15 to make any decent royalties.

The type face for the back cover image would be essentially whatever looks good. Whatever is readable when it's printed. You may have to print it yourself too see.

I've used their template as a translucent layer, which seems to have worked out OK.

I haven't worked out the cost yet, I'm not even sure I'll have any printed, it was more of a challenge and something to do on a boring Saturday night than anything concrete.
(Yes, I definitely need to get out more.)

 

[xhellblazerx]

I've used their template as a translucent layer, which seems to have worked out OK.

I haven't worked out the cost yet, I'm not even sure I'll have any printed, it was more of a challenge and something to do on a boring Saturday night than anything concrete.
(Yes, I definitely need to get out more.)

Hi, new here, but reading through.

Createspace basic cost is $385 if you have done everything yourself

 

[redzinger]

Hi, new here, but reading through.

Createspace basic cost is $385 if you have done everything yourself

I've not seen that figure anywhere, I've submitted the book for review too.

There's a page where it gives approximate costs to do a print run for your own copies. 12 copies works out at $2.15 per copy (under 100 pages), then $9 ($20.99 intl) for standard delivery. Which doesn't seem so bad. What am I missing?

 

[lovecraft68]

I've not seen that figure anywhere, I've submitted the book for review too.

There's a page where it gives approximate costs to do a print run for your own copies. 12 copies works out at $2.15 per copy (under 100 pages), then $9 ($20.99 intl) for standard delivery. Which doesn't seem so bad. What am I missing?

Hmm that's new. I did one a couple of years ago and in my case told its a flat price no matter how many you want(the price was pretty good, I felt)

My issue was mine was 240k and as Zeb mentioned the price would have been ridiculous for a paperback(that and it would have been like 750 pages) so I went a size up which lowered page count and cost.

I did see the $385 for basic package if you have your own cover and editing. Their editing is insane 3 cents a word I think my book would have cost $2500k to edit. And they put it through a machine it is not a live editor.

 

[redzinger]

Hmmm, perhaps I am missing something then?

I've been playing with putting figures into the calculators on the Royalties and Buying Copies tabs here:

https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/

The formatting for the insides didn't seem unnecessarily arduous, and my unfamiliarity with Gimp and initially using the wrong size template was what slowed me down there.

The editing is probably where I've dropped the ball, although it's only a 15k novella. I'm prepared for criticism on that front.

 

[lovecraft68]

Hmmm, perhaps I am missing something then?

I've been playing with putting figures into the calculators on the Royalties and Buying Copies tabs here:

https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/

The formatting for the insides didn't seem unnecessarily arduous, and my unfamiliarity with Gimp and initially using the wrong size template was what slowed me down there.

The editing is probably where I've dropped the ball, although it's only a 15k novella. I'm prepared for criticism on that front.

Maybe because your project is so small. 15k is short for a print edition so maybe a different scale.

 

[redzinger]

Maybe because your project is so small. 15k is short for a print edition so maybe a different scale.

Yeah, titchy-tiny. I didn't think it was even worth doing, but they could make for good cheeky Christmas presents or promotion items for the novels.

Think yours would work out about 9 dollars each plus p&p.

 

[lovecraft68]

Yeah, titchy-tiny. I didn't think it was even worth doing, but they could make for good cheeky Christmas presents or promotion items for the novels.

Think yours would work out about 9 dollars each plus p&p.

Mine is $6.15 as its the size over a paperback which cuts down on page count as a paperback it would have been I think 9.85 so you were close

 

[sr71plt]

Are you using Createspace? Even I had a hard time with their cover requirements...I gave up after a while. I could probably do it now, but why bother...the price break is prohibitive for the buyer. I found I would have to charge over $15 to make any decent royalties.

The type face for the back cover image would be essentially whatever looks good. Whatever is readable when it's printed. You may have to print it yourself too see.

Even with a publisher taking a cut, my paperbacks through Createspace provide me more in per-unit royalties (about $1.25) than my mainstream publisher paperbacks provide me (about $.85)--and very few of them, even novel length, retail on Amazon for more than $12.00.

Createspace has been a godsend for self-publisher and small publishers (and even for back catalogue of academic presses and medium-sized publishers).

 

[sr71plt]

Createspace basic cost is $385 if you have done everything yourself

I think if my publisher had to spend that I'd surely would have heard the scream from Australia to the East Coast of the United States. My understanding is that it cost practically nothing, if anything, to put a book up on Createspace when you do the work yourself and bring your own cover. I could ask my publisher, but I'm sure I can safely say that it doesn't cost $385.

My understanding is that Createspace takes its cut from sales.

 

[sr71plt]

The editing is probably where I've dropped the ball, although it's only a 15k novella. I'm prepared for criticism on that front.

I don't think you're going to get a paperback out of 15K. The minimum I've put to paperback was 25K, and the publisher had to do some fudging to make the minimum required to paperback that.

 

[sr71plt]

Createspace basic cost is $385 if you have done everything yourself

In the wake of this, I asked my publisher how much it costs him to establish a book in Createspace. His answer: "I do it all, set up, cover, etc and all it costs is my time - so cheap it's free, smile, and the ISBN, which varies in cost from $4.50 to $8.50."

And, by going with a publisher, I don't pay anything for it myself or have to do anything but write it and proof the edit when it comes back--and cash my royalties.

 

[lovecraft68]

I think when I was looking at a book that was 90k they were estimating it to be 150 pages.

So 15k would be 30 or so pages?

But as a fun giveaway to friends or free gifts from a website its a good idea.

The $385 number I mentioned is off, that was a number from my wife's first book she went with Balboa press and got royally screwed in a number of ways.

She went with them because they are a division of Hayhouse who she wants to get in with as their mainstay authors are right in line with her "self help motivational"....stuff.

She went with create space for her second one and didn't pay a lot.

 

[sr71plt]

Line spacing can be varied, and novellas are usually run at one and a half rather than single space--because the print-on-demand process has a minimum number of pages it will allow.

Right this minute I'm doing the final proof on the PDF of a 28,000-word novella paperback from my publisher being printed through Createspace. With the title and copyright pages, table of contents, author's bio, and "other books by the author" pages, it comes to 133 pages.