CreateSpace Self Publishing
CreateSpace Book Photos

Here is a photo of a CreateSpace book - on the left - compared with a Lulu book on the right. The BIG problem here is that CreateSpace doesn't offer a standard "small paperback" size!! This is the smallest size CreateSpace offers. It is simply too big. Few people will want to carry this around with them in their pocketbook, to read on a train or whatever. They don't offer the traditional smaller size that romance novels, mystery stories and other books tend to come in.

The CreateSpace spine is on the left. I have to make the letters a bit smaller, they are quite crowded as it is now.

Here's the back. CreateSpace is on the left. They do get points for putting the UPC code onto the book for you.

Here's the inside, with CreateSpace on the top. The paper is too white - it would be better with a creamier color of paper. Then again, Lulu has the exact same problem. But with the book being so big, it means there are tons of words on each page. It's not easy on the eyes.

Even more bizarre - CreateSpace actually PRINTS THE WORDS PROOF on the back of your book!! No other self publisher does this. This means if this book had come out great, I couldn't sell it because they decided to print PROOF in it. It's not like this was a free copy. I had to pay for it. If I'm paying for a book, why would they add something I didn't want to it?

Finally, here's a comparison of the three self publishers. The bottom most one is the CreateSpace book, with 182 pages / 51,349 words. The Badge of Honor books are both from Lulu, just two different versions of them. Those are 346 pages / 75,915 words. Believing Your Eyes is from CafePress and is 464 pages / 100,517 words. These are different stories, so they are naturally different lengths - but the CreateSpace book would definitely be thicker if it didn't have such huge pages.

November 2007 update - they offer both a white and cream interior now. I've gotten proofs in both colors and both have their own appeal. Note that the ISBN box that they add is larger in reality than on the template, so you need to leave a little extra room around that box so your text or image doesn't "run into it".

CreateSpace Self Publishing
Loading Up the CreateSpace Book
Trying to Make a CreateSpace Cover
CreateSpace Book Photos
Timing of CreateSpace Process
Problems and Issues with CreateSpace

Getting Your Book Published
Writing Tips and Online Books

Online Literary Magazines

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