Should Self-Published Authors Forget Print On Demand?

A post arguing that authors who self-publish should forget print on Demand. According to the writer, the quality of Createspace books is poor (he goes so far as to say that this does, perhaps mean that if authors still wish to use POD they might consider the much maligned “vanity” publishing model. For the post please see, http://www.derekhaines.ch/justpublishing/where-self-publishers-will-continue-to-lose-out/.

I would be interested in hearing the views of anyone who has published with Createspace or anyone who has read a book produced by them regarding the contention of the article.

Kevin

10 thoughts on “Should Self-Published Authors Forget Print On Demand?”

Jack Eason April 4, 2015 at 10:08 am

I can help you there Kevin. I’ve used creatspace a few times. It can be a bit fiddly. Mind you, so are most others of its ilk like Smashwords. 🙂

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drewdog2060drewdog2060 Post authorApril 4, 2015 at 11:47 am

Thanks for the information Jack, much appreciated. Kevin

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lynettedavis April 4, 2015 at 11:52 am

Kevin, I’ve seen a couple of books printed by Createspace (from a friend and a relative), and I got the impression that Createspace books were of better quality than vanity press books. Having said that, I agree with Haynes who argues that self-published books are still of poorer quality and have not greatly improved in the last decade. I hope more self-published authors share their experience. I would love to know what they think.

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drewdog2060drewdog2060 Post authorApril 4, 2015 at 12:01 pm

Many thanks for commenting and sharing your experience of reading self-published print books. I also would be interested to hear from others regarding their experience. Regards. Kevin

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Veronica April 4, 2015 at 12:44 pm

I highly recommend Blurb for self publishing if you want POD quality. Costs a big higher but you are paying for quality. I recently published a children’s picture book via Blurb and I am very pleased! Do check them out. I posted a review on my blog as well.

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drewdog2060drewdog2060 Post authorApril 4, 2015 at 12:58 pm

Thank you for your comment and the recommendation of Blurb. Could you please provide a link to the review you mention? Kind regards. Kevin

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1. Veronica April 4, 2015 at 1:29 pm
  
  Sure thing! First link is a general review. http://owlwonder.com/2015/02/14/blurb-review-self-publishing-my-first-childrens-book/
  Second link has a few photos of the printed book. http://owlwonder.com/2015/02/26/blurb-review-my-self-published-book-arrived-yesterday/

drewdog2060drewdog2060 Post authorApril 4, 2015 at 1:43 pm

Thanks for the links Veronica. Kevin

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K.E. Wilkinson April 4, 2015 at 3:00 pm

What you put in, you get out… So with self-publishing, make sure you are formatting as well as you can.

I was satisfied with the overall quality of the paper, and the cover turned out nice. I noticed that the top margin came out a little high on the page, but that may have been my settings.

I think overall, they produced a nice quality book that provides an opportunity to share your story with others at minimal cost and with minimal effort. And considering the difficulty of breaking into mainstream publishing, it’s a great option for those who don’t want letters of inquiry to remain unread by some young intern who whimsically tosses 250 letters without really reading them.

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drewdog2060drewdog2060 Post authorApril 4, 2015 at 3:15 pm

Thank you for your useful feedback. I like your turn of phrase, “it’s a great option for those who don’t want letters of inquiry to remain unread
by some young intern who whimsically tosses 250 letters without really reading them”. Kevin

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