Self-Publishing with CreateSpace and Amazon in Twenty Not-So-Easy Steps

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Kate Christie

I’ve now self-published three novels with CreateSpace (print) and Amazon/Nook/my website (eBooks), and while I’m not an expert, I have developed a system that seems to work. At least, it works for me. When I went to launch Flight last month, though, I realized it had been more than a year since my last release. That primer I’d intended to write in late 2012 when I published Gay Pride & Prejudice? Yeah, turns out it would have been exceedingly helpful to have on hand this time around, particularly the Byzantine steps needed to create a print-ready cover PDF for CreateSpace.

So while I waited for CS to review the print files for Flight, I quickly typed up the steps to my process. I wasn’t trying for the nice round number of 20; just worked out that way. Of course, it’s more like 41 steps if you count the nested lists… Anyway, many of these notes are very specific and seemingly esoteric if you haven’t gone through the process, but I thought I would share them anyway for anyone interested in the steps I take to make a book. My hope is that they might actually be useful for someone else engaged in the self-publishing revolution, too.

Summary

Before I move on to the steps to my self-publishing process, I thought I would quickly summarize them:

(1)  Write the text in MS Word using a formatted template from CreateSpace
(2)  Download a custom cover template from CreateSpace
(3)  Buy inexpensive high-res cover art and use Photoshop/Illustrator to create the cover
(4)  Upload completed interior and cover files separately to CS (typically in PDF format) to be reviewed at their end for print-readiness
(5)  Order a print proof copy, revise the final draft, upload files, and proof again
(6)  Take the truly final, completed text and convert it to eBook format(s)
(7)  Upload eBook files to various vendors and to your website to sell

Voila! Sounds easy, right? Right.

So here are those steps with much more detail and advice gleaned usually the hard way by moi. Let me know if you have any questions by posting a comment—chances are, if you’re wondering about something, so is someone else.

The Steps as I See Them

  1. Choose paperback trim size (8.5 x 5.5 for me) and download the formatted Microsoft Word template from CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/InteriorPDF.jsp
  2. Write the novel. Revise the novel. Go away for a week minimum, a month preferably. Read the novel and revise again. Have others (a minimum of two, preferably someone with editorial skills and experience!) read the manuscript when you think it’s complete. Revise again.
  3. Set up the book at CreateSpace.com. (If you don’t already have a CS account, you will need to register, which involves sharing your Social Security number for tax purposes and a bank account for direct deposit of your future spoils.) Pick either a CreateSpace ISBN for your new project or your own. (I use my own so that the publisher of record is my imprint, Second Growth Books, not CreateSpace/Amazon, but that also means my book isn’t available for libraries to order from Amazon.) You can buy your own from Bowker (https://www.myidentifiers.com/).
  4. Once your book is in close to final shape, download a custom cover template for your chosen trim size and number of pages from CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/Help/Book/Artwork.do
  5. Edit the PNG file in Photoshop. For my self-published titles, I buy royalty-free stock photos (Flight, Family Jewels) or vectors (Gay Pride & Prejudice) from http://BigstockPhoto.com—seriously affordable and good high-res images. You’ll need the cover photos to be larger than 1200×1600, so I definitely recommend buying a high-res cover image from a professional website that offers royalty-free options.
  6. Once your cover is complete, print it to a PDF file in high print quality according to these specifications:
    • Fonts and images are embedded.
    • Specified page size matches the intended trim size plus bleed (if applicable). You may lose the bleed you included in your native document if not printed to the proper size.
    • Bookmarks, annotations, and comments are disabled.
    • Document security (any type) is not used.
    • PDF/X format is used. PDF/X is preferred, but if you are submitting non-PDF/X files (for example, PDF/A), any comments, forms, or other non-printing objects could be removed during our review process.
    • Transparent objects are flattened.
    • Spreads and printer’s marks are disabled.
    • Downsampling, or decreasing resolution, of images is disabled.
  7. Other important print-to-PDF settings:
    • Page size = custom; match the document size specified in Photoshop (in inches). Or choose an existing paper size and modify it to match the Photoshop document size—typically 19 x 13 inches.
    • Landscape
    • Minimum 300 dpi
  8. Upload your interior file to CreateSpace as either a .doc or, if you have a bunch of interior art work, printed to PDF file using the same settings as the cover file. I’ve done each for different books and had good results.
  9. Upload your cover file to CreateSpace.
  10. CS will review the files and let you know when they are ready to be proofed, usually in about 24 hours.
  11. Use CS’s online proof review option first. Once you’re satisfied with the cover and interior there, order a print proof copy.
  12. Use the time it takes for your proof to reach you to rest, work on your promo materials/website/Bowker record, or connect with neglected family and friends. Do not think about your book cover or content!
    hawaii

    Kauai, December 2007

    Whew, thought we should take a visual break, too. The text in this post breaks the rules for online text chunking! And yes, “chunking” is a word. Really.

  13. When you receive your proof copy, set aside a day or two (if you can; I know, right?) and read through your book as quickly as you can in order to catch consistency issues and other errors. Mark any changes directly on the page. Have a second reader do the same, if possible. The more eyes, the better.
  14. Edit your interior file in Word. Try not to make any other changes than what you’ve marked in your proof copy—the more changes you make, the more chances for new errors. (Trust me on this one.)
  15. When your file is complete, upload to CreateSpace. They will review the files one more time (24 hours or less) and let you know when your book is ready to go on sale.
  16. Now that your text is absolutely final, work on your eBook. One option: Pay CS $69 to convert your book to Kindle. Or find someone else to convert your book —the CreateSpace Community Forums have lots of folks who do the service well and on the cheap side.
  17. If you want to do it yourself, here’s what I do:
    1. Obtain the ePub template/coding directions from somewhere reliable—I got mine from wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPUB), believe it or not, but plenty of other options are available.
    2. Code the book in Notepad (admin files) and DreamWeaver or another WYSIWYG HTML/XML editor (content files). Note: For the content files (chapters), cut and paste your text into Notepad first and then into your HTML editor. This strips all Word formatting out, which is what you want but also a pain because then you have to go through the text in your HTML editor and manually add back in any text formatting, like italics. Fortunately, Word allows you to search for character formatting (i.e., italics), so it’s not as impossible as it sounds. Just very time consuming.
    3. Use WinZip to compress the parts of the eBook. Be sure to add the mimetype file to the archive first, or the resulting .zip file won’t work.
    4. Once the file has been created, manually change the extension from .zip to .epub. (Ignore any warnings that might pop up.)
    5. Validate your ePub file (check it for errors) at http://validator.idpf.org/.
    6. Fix any code/compiling errors and re-validate as many times as it takes. For me, usually about three to five times of receiving errors, Googling them to find out how to fix them, fixing them, and revalidating.
    7. Convert your ePub to .mobi and any other format you want (I use Calibre); .mobi works on the Kindle and .epub works on Sony, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, iBooks, and other ePub-based readers.
    8. Create the Kindle record at http://kdp.amazon.com. (You’ll have to register as a Kindle Author/Publisher and link a bank account/SSN if you haven’t already done so.)
    9. Create the Nook record at https://www.nookpress.com/. Again, you’ll have to register if you’re not already a B&N Author/Publisher.
    10. Create the record at http://smashwords.com for even more distribution options. However, this involves reformatting a second Word file, which is also very, very time-consuming, which is why I have yet to do so. But I’m told it’s the way to go, so someday I probably will try it.
  18. If you want to sell paperback copies directly from your website, create a link to Amazon as an affiliate or a link to your CS store—you earn higher royalties on your CS store, FYI.
  19. If you want to sell eBooks directly from your website, connect with an online shopping cart system if you don’t already have that capability. I use eJunkie hooked up to a PayPal account, which came highly recommended from other self-publishers on the CS community forum. A bit non-intuitive at first, but if you’re a little bit techie, it’ll come.
  20. Ta da! You’re done! Well, sort of. You should have already started promoting (a trailer is good—I create mine with Animoto, borrowing their stock photos when possible but also pulling from Morguefile, WikiCommons, and my own image collection, and then edit in Adobe Premiere Elements), but marketing and promotion is a never-ending side job for most authors.

This probably sounds like a lot of work, and, as my wife can attest, it is. But once you’ve launched your first self-publishing title, the system is in place. For the next title, you just use your templates and your existing online accounts, and half of the steps (okay, maybe, like, a quarter) are already set.

In conclusion, self-publishing a title takes a fraction of the time writing a book takes, but it is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it for the technically-averse.

Software programs I own and use:

  • Microsoft Word
  • Notepad
  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • Acrobat Pro
  • Adobe Premiere Elements
  • DreamWeaver

Websites I use and/or own (heh heh):

Last and not least, good luck, and may the self-publishing force be with you!

Posted in Self-Publishing, Writing | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

First Reviews and a Book Giveaway

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Kate Christie

I know, you’re not supposed to read your own reviews. But for me it’s hard to resist, which is why I know that Flight is doing surprisingly well so far–it’s currently #11 on the Amazon Kindle bestseller list for lesbian fiction, and out of four reviews to date on Amazon and Goodreads, Flight has garnered an average of 4.75 stars out of 5. A loyal reader (you know who you are, C.) wrote to tell me, “Flight is an incredibly positive journey, not in the shallow sense of the absence of sorrow or pain, but in finding in love and life the courage to search and discover.” Another reader commented, “What a thought-provoking book! Slow food for the mind.”

SlowFoodSo why after five other well-received and decently selling books do I find all of this surprising? Probably because like many other writers (and artists and musicians), I am way too close to my own work to be able judge the merits of anything I produce. I mean, of course I like what I write. Why else would I spend so much time and energy on my novels? It’s not like I’m turning out runaway bestsellers; clearly I haven’t sold my fiction-writing soul at this point.

But it is still gratifying to have people I’ve never met announce publicly that they loved my book. And, of course, a relief, because I’m not sure I’ll ever completely quiet the little voice in the back of my mind whispering that I’ll never write anything good. Four years, six books, and only a few bad reviews in, that voice is much smaller than it used to be. Perhaps a decade from now it will have faded into nothingness. One can hope.

The funny thing is, the worst review I ever received was for an unpublished book, a historical mystery/romance that I entered many years ago in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. I made it to the semi-finalist round, which meant I got to have a (supposedly) real Publisher’s Weekly reviewer take a gander. Lucky me. Suffice it to say, the reviewer detested the novel, and very ably and snarkily detailed exactly why, pulling zero punches in what seemed to my bruised ego like an attempt to convince me to give up writing fiction altogether.

abna-badgeLooking back, I now feel fortunate that I got that egregiously awful review out of the way in a venue that few people other than my friends and family members saw. I’m also glad I didn’t let that jerk–who has probably penned nothing more than snarky reviews himself–convince me to quit. If my literary-fiction-leaning grad school classmates and professors didn’t succeed on that front, I guess a random stranger didn’t have much of a shot, either.

But the thing I’ve come to realize about books that everyone else probably already knew is that taste is subjective. Some readers like one of my books and not the others, some like them all, and some don’t like any. And that’s okay. An estimated 95% of the books published in the US sell fewer than 1,000 copies. Given that reality, life is good.

Okay, so enough on reviews and sales and fragile author egos. The other part of this post relates to a giveaway: For those who don’t already know, I’m giving away a paperback copy of Flight on Goodreads. Sign up at  http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/75931-flight before December 31 for a shot at winning a signed copy, or pick up an eBook copy–still only $3.99…

Happy Holidays to everyone, and happy reading!

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New novel, Flight, is out–finally…

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Kate Christie

I say finally because with our current family situation, writing time has been hard to find. Not to mention time to edit a final draft, design the book cover, proof the print copy, and code the ebook version… But it’s done! Woo hoo!

My website is updated with all the necessary details, including information on a sale I’m running now through the end of the year: all 3 of my latest ebooks for $10. Flight is only $3.99, while Family Jewels and Gay Pride & Prejudice are each only $2.99, for a limited time. Buying direct from me gets me the largest royalty, of course, but all of the ebooks are marked down on Amazon, too, except Gay P&P which is still “processing” for some reason.

The TwinsWhen I told my sister that I was disappointed I’ve only managed to put out one book in the last fourteen months, she responded, “But you have eight-month-old twins!” Fresh from a psychological counseling conference, she added, “Why don’t you frame it as, ‘I have infant twins, and I still managed to publish a book!'”

I’m not sure that’s how we writers do things, though. At least, not this writer. I guard my writing time jealously, mostly because I have a day job, and I begrudge the loss of an evening of writing, let alone many months of lost evenings. That doesn’t mean I don’t love being a parent, of course, just that it’s difficult sometimes to find balance in the form of family, work, and writing. But rather too full a life than too empty–in fact, that’s the  struggle in reverse that my protagonist, Ash, faces in Flight.

And look at that. I managed to bring the conversation back to writing. Because that’s what we writers do.

Happy Holidays, and happy reading…

Posted in Fiction, Parenting, Self-Publishing, Twins | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Quiet Weekend–Er, Few Hours

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Kate Christie

Last night, Kris and I went to a holiday party hosted by another two-mom family, and rife with young children with same-sex and a few opposite-sex parents. We actually left the house only fifteen minutes later than planned–a record?–and even managed to stop at the bookmobile along the way to pick up some items on reserve. (I Heart the Bookmobile!)

At the party, we commandeered a corner of our friends’ sectional couch and proceeded to entertain all three children while managing to hold adult (though somewhat child-centered) conversations with six different people. Okay, so two were a couple, but still. Not bad for our first party with all three bubbas.

One of the women we talked to, let’s call her Sarah, was at our friends’ daughter’s two-year-old birthday party back in March, when Kris was 33 weeks pregnant. Upon learning that we were having twins, Sarah infamously commented: “Your life is over!” Last night, she apologized for her prior indelicacy. I assured her, “It’s okay. Turns out you were right.” And everyone chuckled.

I wasn’t really kidding, though. Fellow parents of three under three are nodding sagely right about now, while others are probably sucking their teeth in disapproval. For all of those who might question this characterization, I have a clip for you to watch:

Enough said.

Unbelievably, all three children slept well last night, after a good week or ten days of boycotting sleep. Of course, we paid for our smugness today by having to deal with three crabby, grouchy children. Typical…

So why is this post called “A Quiet Weekend–Er, Few Hours” you ask? Because Kris just packed the tribe up and took them to visit friends, clearing out for a few hours so that I could–roll the drums–proof the print copy of Flight, my new novel! The proof copy arrived on Friday, and I’ve been trying to find time to get it read ever since. My wife graciously offered me a quiet few hours to get some work done. Sweet, hmm?

Proof copy--on sale Dec 10-ish!

Proof copy–on sale Dec 10-ish!

I’m pleased with how the cover turned out, but definitely finding changes to be made to the interior files. CreateSpace makes it easy to update, though, and I won’t have to proof a print copy again, which means the book will be on sale in a week and a half or so (12/10ish–in time for the holidays!), assuming I find time to code the ebook versions. Someday I’ll write a post about how I make my books with CreateSpace, Photoshop, an ePub template, and Calibre. So satisfying to design the cover, interior, and everything else–the perfect blend for my geek/creative sides.

In the meantime, I’ve updated my author website. To find out more about the book, visit www.katejchristie.com. The trailer is below, and for those interested in checking out the official excerpt, read on…

Posted in Family, Fiction, Twins, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Alexisms

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Kate Christie

Obviously, I don’t have much time to blog these days. Not with a full-time job, a wife, six-month-old twins, a toddler, and the novel I’m desperately trying to complete. As hundreds (okay, dozens) of strangers and friends have commented, I’m a bit busy right now. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have the makings of some good blog posts. Someday I might even get to them.

In the meantime, I thought I’d post a compilation of some of the best Alexisms that I’ve collected over the last six months or so, along with some cute photos. Enjoy…

Alex-summer

“Gotcha!”

From the early days when she still called herself “you”:
“Mimi, kiss your butt.”
“You lay on my boob?”
“Mimi, pick you up.”
“There’s a fruit snack under your butt.”
And to Grammy: “You pee on the couch.”

A: “Give Mimi’s glasses a kiss?”
Me: “Sure.”
A: “Not eat Mimi’s glasses?”
Me: “No, thank you. Really.”

Me: “Alex, what are you doing?”
A: “Giving Maggie [the dog] the finger.”

A: “Snakes not like Mama?”
Me: “Probably not.”
A: “Not like Mimi, too?”
Me: “You know, I get along with snakes.”

A, as we’re walking out to the car: “Alex drive?”
Me: “Um, no.”
A: “My baby sisters not drive?”
Me: “Thankfully, no.”

“Dabba dabba do what you do to me monkey.” –A toddler mashup of the Flintsones (which she has never seen) and a ’60s tune, with a monkey thrown in because who doesn’t like monkeys?

Another song rewrite:
“Baa baa black sheep
Have you any more
Yessir, yessir, three mugs more
One for my hamster, one for my dame
One for the little boy who lives in the lane…”

Alex-trike

Trike girl

A:  “Alex gets 1 vitamin?”
Me: “Correct.”
A: “But Mimi gets 2 vitamins?”
Me: “Yes, and do you know why?”
A: “Because Mimi is old and sick.”
Kris: “Not that old.”
Me: “And not, like, bedridden.”

Alex-pteradactyl

“It’s a bird, it’s a plane…”

Me: “Wow, Ellie’s outfit is frighteningly ugly.”
Kris, giving me a look: “Shh. Alex picked it out.”
A, from across the room: “That’s not true that I picked her outfit.”
Kris: “Yes, you did!”
A, laughing: “No I didn’t!”

A: “There’s a red bunny on your shirt?”
Me: “Well, I think it’s orange.”
A: “Who ever heard of an orange bunny? It should be white.”

Book girl

Bookstore girl

Me: “Hey Kris, can you pick up Ellie?”
A: “That’s not Ellie, that’s Sydney.”
Doh. She’s right.

Me: “Bye, Alex, I love you.”
A: “Don’t kiss my hair. There’s stuff in it.”
Seriously? Is she two or twelve?

A: “This is not The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.”
Me: “No, it’s the first one, The Cat in the Hat.”
A: “Hmph.”
Me: “Do you want to go find The Cat in the Hat Comes Back?”
A: “No, I’m too busy reading.”

Me: “Did you poop in your diaper?”
A: “No, I didn’t.”
Me: “I think maybe you did. Your diaper stinks.”
A: “That’s your breath.”

And I thought we could end with one from Kris: “Sometimes I think Ellie looks like Bruce Willis. Not the Moonlighting Bruce Willis but the Die Hard one.”
Me: “Totally.”

Bruce & Ellie

Bruce & Ellie

Posted in Family, Non-Biological Motherhood, Parenting | Tagged | 2 Comments