How does CreateSpace compare to JewishSelfPublishing?

There is a lot of confusion in the world of self-publishing, and it’s easy for authors to struggle with getting a handle on exactly who does what. Before I begin to explain what CreateSpace does, I want to state that I am not going to make any judgments about them. My goal is merely to clarify for your benefit exactly what they do and don’t do, and how that compares with what JewishSelfPublishing offers.

CreateSpace is Amazon’s self-publishing arm, and that association automatically gives them a leg up on their competition. Another asset in their favor is that some of their services are free. Therefore, I recommend all self-publishers consider using CreateSpace in one way or another.

An International Complication

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of it, there is one technicality you need to be aware of. Potential royalty payments are considered taxable income, and as part of your CreateSpace membership process, you have to supply your social security number. Non-US citizens, since they lack these US government ID numbers, have to file a special form in order to set up their accounts, and that’s not always simple. Some of CreateSpace’s competitors do not require this, because their businesses are registered in different countries.

Learning on Your Own

CreateSpace offers a wide variety of services, which can be broken down into the following categories: information, editing and graphic design, publishing tools, printing, distribution, and marketing. Let’s take them one by one.

To start with, there is a large collection of articles written by CreateSpace staff to assist and guide authors through the publishing process. These articles cover advice on writing, formatting, marketing, and, of course, how to comply with their publishing specifications. There is also a forum where authors post questions for their more experienced peers to answer.

All of this is very useful for an author who is prepared to engage in an in-depth study of the publishing process. Those who lack the time or patience for learning a new discipline would probably be better off working with an established publisher.

One-Stop Shop

CreateSpace, like many of their competitors, offers their customers professional publishing services, making publishing with them seem like one-stop shopping. Each of their services contains a few different levels. For example, they offer copyediting (correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, and typos), line editing (same as copyediting plus recommendations for structure, plot flow, characterization, and tone), an editing package (same as line editing, but the two parts are divided between two different editors), and an editing package “plus” (same as the editing package, but the structural edit is done in two rounds by two different editors).

They also offer professional interior layout and cover design. For interior layout, they offer a simple service (with a choice of ten different designs) and a custom service (with unique elements and up to ten author-supplied images). There is only one cover-design service. For those who want to design their book’s cover themselves, CreateSpace offers a cover-creator tool that functions like a professional graphics program, allowing even the novice to create his or her own unique book cover. If you want to design the interior or cover yourself but want someone to help you when you get stuck, CreateSpace offers support for a fee.

If you want to pay someone to promote your book for you, CreateSpace has a service for you, too.

Printing—with Limits

Next comes CreateSpace’s printing service. This is my personal favorite printing service, because it is the least expensive one I am aware of. Once you upload your interior and cover files to their site, you can order very inexpensive copies to be printed and shipped.

However, their printing service has limitations. One is that they only print “perfect bound” books (paperbacks)—no hardcovers, spirals, or saddle-stitched books. Second, since they are a US-based business, it is only feasible to ship books within the continental US. If you live overseas, like in Israel, you will need to pay a lot for shipping and then wait a long time for the books to arrive.

But you don’t just want copies for yourself; you want to sell them. Here, too, CreateSpace leads the pack with their distribution services. They offer to sell your new title on Amazon.com, their own e-store, and dozens of other booksellers around the world like Barnes & Noble.

In summary, CreateSpace offers paid services for the author who seeks professional assistance, and if the author wants to be a DIY self-publisher, CreateSpace is a good place to go for printing and distribution.

What You Get from JewishSelfPublishing

We offer services similar to CreateSpace (editing, interior layout, cover design, and marketing), but in addition, our authors get valuable guidance and advice about how to successfully achieve their publishing goals. I walk you through the process and help make decisions so that we will both be happy and proud of your book in the end.

Once we have completed our work on a title, if I find that an author will benefit from printing and distributing through CreateSpace, I will upload the files to the site and place the first order myself. If a different printing service is better suited to a project, I will advise an author on what service to use and make the first order for them.

CreateSpace, like many other businesses, is a wonderful resource for the right person in the right place at the right time. However, JewishSelfPublishing is a more comprehensive self-publishing service, helping authors identify and fulfill their goals and guiding them through the publishing process.