Wow...I'm 26 and just finished my first book and now on to the typing stage and neede some info on self-publish and look what I've stumbled upon, THANK YOU, Kristen, for explaining so well its much appreciated.
I am a new discoverer of yours Kristen, and after immersing myself into your writing craft instruction, entrepreneurial discussions, and authentic presentations, I must say that you seem like an amazingly delightful person. Learning from you is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I look forward to joining all of your coaching programs. I want to sincerely thank you for what you do.
Being an author has been one of my greatest accomplishments, my goal is to also share my journey on how I became a self published author. Good luck to everyone telling their story!
Thank you, Kristen! This was very helpful in clarifying some of the questions on going with both IngramSpark and CreateSpace (and it answered some questions I didn't know I should be asking!). As a newbie self-publishing author, I am overwhelmed by all of the complexities involved, particularly the critical "what comes first, chicken or the egg" questions as to what steps MUST precede other steps. I would love to see more videos on that for us newbies. Thank you again...your video presence is spectacular!
SWEET!! I did not know you could go to more than one source to self-publish! I'd LOVE to see my (love your phrase) book baby in a brick-and-mortar! Your post here is very comprehensive! Thank you for taking the time to explain this stuff!
Im a teacher, have you thought about going to schools and doing a read aloud and discussing characters with kids? I would donate a few books to schools and ask the principals to order your books. I haven't read them but considering my own strategy for selling my book. I know that people rarely go to book stores anymore so I don't think I'll go that route as a independent publisher.
you have gained a new subscriber!!! im a book blogger, novelist and a copywriter, i am currently in the process of earning my BA in creative writing and also plan on getting my teaching license.
I love all of your videos, but this one in particular is super helpful. I've never even heard of ingramspark before so thank you so much for sharing this.
+Casey Fry Thank you so much, Casey! I know a lot of writers have heard of CreateSpace, but it seems like there isn't as much knowledge out there about IngramSpark. I'm always happy to share my findings :) Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for all the info ...definitely subscribed to your site ....you do an awesome job in explaining everything ...to be honest it is so frustrating going through the whole process of researching so many different sites to find answers to questions when we are as greens grass, encountering so many different opinions ...can't thank you enough ...we can not wait to take a look at your other posts....appreciate the in the trenches approach .....very easy to become overwhelmed .....we have some questions but will check out your other post first ...thanks again and God Bless!!
I am so happy to hear that my videos are helping you! It can definitely be overwhelming and I was in the same boat as you! Researching and researching, and all of the information was disjointed and in different places! So I ended up taking notes and creating guides and references for myself and wanted to share them with everyone 😊
I know you are very busy but I just have to say thank you for sharing with us, you are a natural teacher, you do it very well.... you are the " go to site" for info....a total blessing !!! Thank you again.
Thanks darling Kirsten. I published with Createspace but was adviced to try ISparks esp. because of high shipping costs to Germany. For an Author order of 100 books I pay 150 Euros shipping. I think I will do both. Thanks for video.
Awesome video. To the point, and informative. I too am in the houston area. I found the end of the video particularly interesting, and origional. I think you could probably make a video alone on the topic/process of getting books in the hands of local book shops.
I'm so glad you said you use both Ingram and createspace, it came to my mind just before you said it. This video was absolutely brilliant very helpful and informative as well as positive. I am a new (slightly nervous) writer and have been confused by all the websites and methods available to self publish. Thank you soooooooo much. Take care. 😊
It would be wonderful if you could make a video about designing the book? Like choosing the pages' colour and dimension and stuff? Thank you so much, I loved this video, it was so helpful!
I really love this video and it has thinking about distributing my stand alone novel on Ingram Spark and Createspace. I think you've helped push me in that direction. I've published several books on Amazon and through CS, but the stand alone is going to be something a bit different. So thank you very much!
It really did! Glad you loved hearing it! In April I think I'm going to buy some ISBNs and get to work on it...I might not distribute my other books through both channels, but moving forward, for sure. I feel like print versions should be out even though ebooks are so large in the market.
This is by far the best video on this topic on RU-vid! #Superb! I was also thinking about going with both because I am one of those people that likes to have their cake and eat it too. Lol btw I am also a writer in the Houston area!
Thank you for confirming what I had heard elsewhere, that Ingram Spark is better for distribution outside Amazon. I am doing both. Also, a 10 pack of ISBN's is about $375, so it's better to buy a pack of 10 than just one at $125. I will be using 3 for one book, for the e-book, paperback, and hardcover versions. So it's easy to go through a ten pack fast.
I'm considering Ingram Spark for my future books, but I'm a bit sad because I didn't purchase ISBNs in the past (I used the free Createspace ISBNs) and I can't upload my current (Createspace-published) books to Ingram Spark. NEVERTHELESS, this video cleared some things for me, so thank you. LOL
I use both CS and IS and have two questions...1. With respect to ARCs, how do you send these to readers without publishing first? Are you sending proof copies versus author copies? How many do you usually send out? I just published my second book and forgot that I couldn't order author copies until I actually published. I guess that's what happens when it's two years between books!
you are something... good stuff, thank you for the info... yes I subscribed.. im just about done with my first draft on my first book so your video was very interesting, thank you
That's great. Thank you for this useful info. I have a question: could you do another Vlog on, "What are the pro and cons of Amazon Create Space and Amazon KDP?"
Thank you for the comparisons. I now subscribed and really excited to see more videos. I am in process of writing a book and just trying to do more research on e-publishing. Are you from Texas, or did you take trips? How many copies do you usually give book shops? Thanks again. J
This was EXTREMELY Helpful Thank you so much for the information! If you have any information about how to go about it in ebook form that would be great as well. Look forward to more of your videos
first time listen your video and it gave me alot to think about most likely i will keep create space. it is something i can aford . still working on getting my first book edited a revised version.
I love the cover of your book. Do you have a video on how you go about designing your book covers or the artist who creates your book cover you may recommend?
I just came across your channel. I absolutely loved this video! Thank you so much for the information and helping me to have the courage to present myself at book stores. Just watching you actually do it, gave me the motivation to do the same. So thanks for that! subscribed, liked and hit the bell!!! xo, Good luck to you and all your success!!
I am absolutely loving your videos Kristen! You are so thorough and informative and your videos always leave me feeling inspired and motivated! Do you have any advice on how to come up with a story idea? I keep a journal and write down every idea that comes to me, but none of them seem good enough to turn into a novel. I desperately want to write a novel, I just need the idea, any tips on how to get going? Again, awesome job with your videos! :)
+Anne &Baby39 Thank you so much! What a nice thing to say. I try my hardest to be thorough - I figure why not help others out there after the hours and hours of research I've done! It'll save everyone else a lot of time (and headache) :) To answer your question about coming up with story ideas is a tough one! I know we've all been there. First, I think it's important to figure out which genre(s) you like to read (scifi, fantasy, crime, contemporary, etc.) and what audience those books are normally targeted toward (young adult, new adult, or adult). More likely than not, if you like reading that genre, you'll probably like writing it too. I do the same thing where I have a journal and write down all of my ideas, but often times, the ideas don't exactly connect. This is when I'll turn to books like The Writer's Idea Thesaurus for inspiration. This doesn't always work though, so sometimes I will think of books I've read that I've liked, but maybe didn't like a certain part of it - maybe a scene or how it ended - and I'll write down how I would have written it to make it better. Coming up with story ideas is difficult and it does take practice. Just make sure your idea is original and hasn't been done before. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but perhaps I will think on it more and make a video on this topic :) Best of luck to you!
+Kristen Martin All of the hard work and effort you put into your videos definitely shows! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! Your advice was so helpful, so much so that I have my idea! Now it's onto planning and outlining! Your video on outlining is also so helpful to me, it somehow helps me organize my thoughts and makes the whole process seem more manageable. If you see the views on that video suddenly fly through the roof, that's me :D Thank you for helping me make my dream of writing a novel reality!
Anne &Baby39 This makes my heart so incredibly happy! I love that I am able to help and actually, your question about story ideas will be the topic of my next video. So thank you for asking it! I have all the faith in the world that you will write a great story! Nothing to it but to do it. Best of luck to you and thanks so much for watching! :)
+Kristen Martin Thank you for all of your encouragement! Ooh yay! I can't wait to watch it, thank you for making a video on that topic! So, I thought I had an idea... I started outlining and I ran into some major road blocks and I couldn't figure out what should happen next, nothing I could come up with made any sense, so I tried just writing and seeing where it took me and my writing is such a mess without any sort of outline... I feel so confused and the passion I initially felt for my idea is kind of fizzling because of all the struggling, do good ideas just come together? Or is it this difficult even with good ideas? *your advice was still extremely helpful, I'm just a newbie writer* :)
Hello Kristen! So happy to stumble upon your channel. You explain things so clearly. I do have three questions about self-publishing (I am helping a friend who is currently working on his debut novel): 1.) If one wants to publish his book entirely on e-book format, which platform should he choose? Which one will give him a broader distribution channel (say, he also wants to reach Asian or Latin American markets)? 2.) Will there be no problem in publishing a book on both platforms at the same time? 3.) My friend is from India and is only here in the US to earn his master's degree in creative writing (he's on student visa). He writes very well in English and wants to write mainly for American readers (but also Indians and Asians). Are there legal stuff that he needs to address before he can self-publish his work on CreateSpace or IngramSpark? I hope to get a reply. Thank you!
Hi there, I'm happy you find my channel helpful. Let's see if I can help answer some of your questions: 1) I'm a big proponent of Amazon. Since I am in the KDP Select program though, I am unable to publish my e-book on other platforms. Through Amazon's KDP Select program, I can reach almost all markets, including Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, the US, UK, Spain, France, Netherlands, and Italy. I can't speak for Kobo and some of the other platforms though because I haven't used them. But I can tell you with Amazon's KDP Select, I have sold in all of the markets listed above. 2) Correct, there is no problem publishing a book on both platforms at the same time. I published the same book on CreateSpace (print), IngramSpark (print), and KDP Select (ebook) at the same time. No problems. 3) This is something you may have to research more. Since I am a U.S. Citizen, I was able to publish on all of these platforms with no problem. I will say though that to publish on IngramSpark, you must have/create a publishing company. You cannot publish as an "individual" on the IngramSpark platform. However, for CreateSpace, you can publish as an "individual", so that may be the better route for your friend. Hope that helps!
I do have a question about copyright though. Do the sites provide it or do you need to go else where? At what point should you have it by? when the last edit is done or from the start? and does copyright cover the book no matter what form it takes? (hard back/ paper back/ ebook) if you have a video on this I'll check it out. Thank you.
Once you put your ideas down on paper, they are technically already copyrighted. So yes, when you self-publish, your work is already copyrighted and it is a more "permanent" way of ensuring this since your work will be available to the public. You can also copyright your work through the U.S. government by going to: www.copyright.gov/ There is a fee for this, but some people feel more secure knowing that their work is documented as copyrighted. It's really up to you though.
Wonderful insight, balanced views, would love to check out your book. kindle version though because getting it shipped would be time-consuming. I'm a budding author and subscribing you in order to see the growth with time :) good luck.
This is truly one of the best videos I have ever watched on RU-vid, especially in the self-publishing field. You're a truly amazing person and the video was IMMENSELY helpful for me!. I just hope from all my heart you'd get your books in every B&M store out there and break the book selling records, you seem like a really hard worker and you do deserve that!. I have a kinda off topic question, since you mentioned you're an introvert (I'm too), I always had the idea of starting a RU-vid channel to promote my writing and share my travel vlogs but I am yet too anxious to start a one. Any advice to get brave enough to take the leap? and any recommendation on the audio/video level to produce quality RU-vid videos?? MANY MANY THANKS :) If you're in anyway interested in Drama/Romance fiction, I'd love to tell you more about my novel :) P.S : you looked absolutely adorable in that bun in the car section of the video.. Cheers, Ismail All the waaaaay from EGYPT!
Hi Ismail! Thanks so much for the sweet comment!! It really means a lot to me :) When it comes to RU-vid, I say go for it! I was REALLY nervous to start a RU-vid channel, but it's honestly the best decision I've ever made. I've met so many new writers that I can now call friends, which is really incredible! Even as introverts, we need a support system and community, and who better to surround yourself with than other writers? :) I'm actually thinking about recording a video on how to start a quality RU-vid channel. I highly recommend getting a decent camera (like a Canon) as well as a MacBook for the iMovie editing software. It's a little expensive to start out, but it's well worth the investment. Hope that helps!
While having hardcover available would be awesome, I don't see the lack of it being the end of the world. I'm also not too bothered by the idea of my book not going to bookstores. If it turns out to not sell well, which considering it's my first book and I hear most author's first book isn't very good anyways so that's the most likely possibility, then it probably wouldn't be distributed to stores ANYWAYS. If it DOES turn out to be a hot new thing that gains traction (unlikely) then Amazon is probably just about the best site I could have my book being distributed from so it's not like the lack of getting it in stores will hold me back THAT MUCH. I'm sure there's books out there that are ONLY available from Amazon.com that did very respectably none the less. So yeah, I think Amazon/CreateSpace is my best bet. Not only that, but from what I've read, ISBN numbers are free in Canada. So if I get an ISBN number MYSELF rather than getting one through Amazon/CreateSpace, then wouldn't I be able to just start with them and if it ends up getting popular then I could simultaneously get set up with IngramSpark/Lightning Source as well? That seems like a logical approach... start with CreateSpace and if it does well then also get IngramSpark involved which is how it can get on store shelves as well as get hardcover versions. As I said though; it's my first book, so I think it'd be naive of me to expect it to go anywhere. It's not something written for the reader, but written for myself, which is a great way to make a product that the WRITER might find awesome however it's thoroughly possible that everyone else might think it's a big stinky turd. To put it simply. So is that a fairly sensible and logical approach to it, or have I missed something? Seems like the cheapest and safest way to go from what I can tell; taking the least expensive route with CreateSpace in having it ONLY available on Amazon sounds like it's free and with them only taking a 40% cut rather than 55% or 60% then that's more money for me on the FEW copies I'll probably sell. If I took a chance with IngramSpark then there's the $49 startup, a lower cut for me on each book that sells, so if few copies sell (which is what I'm anticipating) then I will have made that much less money per copy. Having more novels to your portfolio will make readers more likely to buy your work, both in terms of having more work OUT there and also in seeing all those novels under your name will make them think you're more professional/experienced/successful. So perhaps if some day I end up with half a dozen or a dozen novels under my belt then starting with BOTH might be a more suitable venture. For first-time writers making that transition to published author though, unless said writer thinks they REALLY got hold of something hot, starting with Amazon/CreateSpace is probably the safest choice in terms of not investing too much money into the product and also getting the most OUT of the product for every copy sold. Yeah?
Thanks for sharing all of this great information, Kristen! I think I'd like to use both publishers for my children's book. Is there any advantage starting the process with one or the other? For example, is it easier to put everything together on CreateSpace and then move it over the IngramSparks, or vice versa? Thanks!
Thanks for the great content Kristen - I would like to ask about ISBNs. We have published and allowed Amazon to provide the ISBN which was a mistake. Can you see a problem republishing the books and buying our own ISBNs. This would mean cancelling the old books and restarting the publication. We are thinking about becoming a publishing company and so want the ISBN linked to our company. Any comments would be appreciated.
Hey Kristen! Thank you for the highly informative and effective video. I have a small question, which may be a bit ignorant. But still, Can I publish the same book at Amazon and Ingramspark to gain all the advantages you’ve mentioned above, or once I choose one source for one book, it will be the ultimate? In other words, am I allowed to publish the same book in both of them. Thank you Rock on girl! 💁🏻♀️
Hi Kristen. Did I hear that right.? You can tell Ingramspark to sell everywhere except creat space and then have a separate deal selling on create space
Thanks Kristen!! You make the publishing industry a little less complicated. I appreciate that. I noticed that CreateSpace says, "A CreateSpace-assigned ISBN is required if you want to sell your book through the Libraries and Academic Institutions sales outlet through the Expanded Distribution." Is that something I should be concerned about? I have already used an assigned ISBN w/ KDP for my e-book & paperback, so can/should I still get a Bowker ISBN? Can I go back to KDP & change my ISBN to a purchased one from Bowker? Sorry for all the questions & thanks again!!
This is a good question. Since KDP and CreateSpace are both owned by Amazon, I would think your book could still be picked up by libraries and academic institutions with a KDP-ISBN. But, if you wanted to play it safe and make sure libraries and academic institutions do have the option to carry your book, you can always create a book through CreateSpace and get one of their ISBNs (it's free) and publish a "second edition" of your book. Your book would be exactly the same, it would just have 2 editions. I hope that helps!
Hi Glenn, it is also expensive to ship in the U.S. Just part of the book business, I suppose. When things are being printed on paper, then they're heavier to ship, so you're not the only one!
great information I have published on createspace and my book is already available with a CS ISBN, but I also want to publish on Ingrim spark so what do I do about the ISBN for that?
