# CreateSpace vs Amazon Print



## Ralph Rotten (Jun 4, 2018)

So now Amazon has a print service alongside their kindle service.  Has anyone had a chance to compare it to CreateSpace?  I mean, sure, I've read the written blurb from Amazon, but I was wondering if anyone had any first-hand experience with his new service?  Is it any better?  Are proof copies cheaper?  Any hassles using their system for print publishing?  Any reason to not use both Amazon & CreateSpace simultaneously?


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## Harper J. Cole (Jun 6, 2018)

I used Amazon for my print-on-demand novel, but haven't used CreateSpace, so I can't compare them. They looked about the same to me. I've no complaints, at any rate. The resulting book is of a perfectly decent quality.

HJC


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 9, 2018)

I'm gonna set up books on both platforms, then compare the cover prices and marketing options to see if there is any difference.  If they were exactly the same then there'd be no reason for Amazon to create a new print division (since they already own createspace).  Knowing how big business works, it's safe to say that the new print division BETTER suits Amazon's needs; revenue. My guess is that they make more money off of us in the new print program, and eventually they will roll everyone over into it from CreateSpace.

Looking at my calendar, I will prolly test *Amazon Print* this coming Monday.  Then I will have some comparison data.
I recently tested *Nook Print* services, and they were such a miserable service that I cancelled the process halfway thru. My books woulda sold for $25 each on Nook Print.


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## H.Brown (Jun 10, 2018)

HJC how did you find the overall expirience of using Amazon Print service? I'm interested in learning as much about the self publishing elements that are out there for when my own novel is ready for publishing, which will be soon hopefully.  

It is interesting to read about your expiriences using different companies Ralph, I would be interested in seeing what results you get from your expiriences with both createspace and Amozon Print, most conglomerate companies such as Amazon you'll find they like to control as much of their bussiness as they can, some having many sub-companies within a each field, I mena look at Dysney and all that it control in the film industry. This I think is the same for Amazon now, it is big enough that it would most likely have many different publishing options under it belt now and Amazon print is it's most recent branch in the publishing industry.


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## Harper J. Cole (Jun 10, 2018)

They give you options for page size, cover style, paper colour. There are templates to help you design your own cover, although I went to a pro for that. It's a good service, but entirely automated, with no human editor to make suggestions.


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## H.Brown (Jun 10, 2018)

What was the cost involved, by going down this route? Does amazon help towards marketing or is it just a host/platform to sell your books through. Sorry but I don't know much about either amazon print or createspace, bit I am interested on learning more.


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## Harper J. Cole (Jun 10, 2018)

It's free to use - Amazon take a 35% cut of the sales, so that's how they make their money.

There is a marketing service, though you do have to pay to use it. You give a series of keywords, and your book will be advertised to people searching for those keywords. If someone clicks on the advert then you are charged (regardless of whether they eventually buy the book or not.

You can also get sales by being a part of Kindle Unlimited / Kindle Online Lending Library (not sure what the difference between these two is). Customers who pay to be part of this can get the books of participating authors for free. The authors then get a cut of the overall customer payments, depending on how many pages of their books have been read.

HJC


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## H.Brown (Jun 10, 2018)

Thanks man, I was wondering how kindle unlimeted workd, subscribers pay around £7.99 a month in the uk, to get acess to free books on there. Hmmmm it is something that I need to do more research in but I've been concentrating on geting my novel fully wrote so it can be read through by someone. I use scriviner that allows you insert your own image files for the covers and compiiles the whole document into an ebook format, which is how I will be doing it, i will be making my own covers as well. It is how I proced to sell it as a book is what I need to look into I think as there are many different ways to do so.

I'd like to hear more about createspace when you have expirienced it Ralph.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 11, 2018)

Oh snap!
I ran into this while publishing on Amazon Print. 
Up till now everything said that I could have both accounts at once, but this says that there can be only one.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 11, 2018)

So if I can only have one, I have to look at the features of each.  I sell books in Canada and Australia, but I don't now if I would sell more in Japan (doubt it.)
I will prolly just wait until Amazon KDP has yes in every column, then switch over.







The part that concerns me is the EXPANDED DISTRIBUTION part. On Nook Print this is a fee you cannot opt out of so your book costs are stupid-high.  On CreateSpace you can opt out of EXPANDED DISTRIBUTION and keep your cover prices low enough to be competetive.  But how will KDP use it?


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 13, 2018)

I think what I will do is take a throwaway book I have already published on CP, and republish it on KDP, but not enter the ISBN number so the system does not tie the two together, then see if I can keep the book published on both...and I can advance farther in the process where I can see the financial details.  It irked me that Amazon expected you to irreparably convert your book over to KDP before they will even discuss the commission structure.  WTF?  

So I'll test it tonight.  Gotta go.


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