Any of you following along will know I am trying to self-publish a Print-On-Demand (POD) genealogy reference book on my family in particular. I had decided to use Amazon’s CreateSpace because so many people suggested it and it has been around a while. What I found was that because of the length of my book, I could NOT use CreateSpace (more on that below), and so I went over to Lightning Source, another POD company people had suggested. Lightning Source’s POD arm for small or self-publishers is called IngramSpark.
The following comparison of the two resources is necessarily incomplete, as I could not complete the process with CreateSpace and have not yet completed the process with IngramSpark. But it’s what I have found so far.
CreateSpace is very easy to use. However, I found their Submission Guidelines to be missing or misleading in key areas. When reading how to format your book’s interior, it tells you the gutter margin for 3 different pages count ranges, all the way up to 1,000 pages. What they don’t tell you anywhere in the Submission Guidelines (it can be found elsewhere on the website) is that there are maximum page limitations based on trim size and color vs. black and white options. Based on their Page Count table, the maximum number of pages anywhere is 828 (not 1,000) and if you choose to do full color, 480 is your limit. My full-color book, unfortunately, is 508 pages. Due to the nature of the content, there is no way I can cut 30 pages out. Which is why I went to IngramSpark. (I did confirm with CreateSpace customer service that I was correct and I COULD NOT print this book with them.)
IngramSpark is also not difficult to use. However, it will require more money for you to get started. At this point in the process, I have run across several fees:
- $49 one-time set-up fee per book (waived if you have a 50 book drop order within a certain amount of time after setting up your book)
- $11 annual distribution fee (if you are simply printing for your family and do not want distribution, this fee is waived)
- ISBN fee. IngramSpark requires you provide your own ISBN number. You can purchase one for $125, or you can purchase batches of them for less per unit through Bowker. CreateSpace allows you to either use an Amazon ID number (not the same as an ISBN) or to purchase an ISBN through them (I think it was $10) or to provide your own.
So it is more expensive to use IngramSpark. The question you need to ask yourself is: Can I make my book fit CreateSpace’s limitations in a way that will not compromise the book’s quality? In my case, because I have a lot of photos and documents and charts, the answer was “no.”
The actual interior design process is the same–upload a PDF to their website. I will say that IngramSpark’s gutter margins are MUCH smaller than CreateSpace’s, probably due to manufacturing differences, which allows me to have larger photos and charts.
I have not used the cover designer for either system yet, so cannot know how they compare. I also don’t know about the quality of the final product or the tracking and royalty payment facets, since I haven’t finished the book yet.
Having to switch to IngramSpark has set me back, because with the much smaller gutter margins I need to re-size all my photos, graphs, etc. The text, of course, was easy to readjust. Still, I am pleased that I have an outlet to get this book out there in the way I envisioned it, instead of having to present it in a non-optimal way to force it into CreateSpace’s limitations.
I am slowly exploring this self-publishing world, both in ebook and now POD. It’s a fascinating journey! I will bring more info on IngramSpark after I have completed the process and have more to share.
Have you done POD? What has your experience been?
Even Kids Can Change the World
A while back, Roni Loren talked about author themes—recurring themes that happen in almost all of an author’s work, regardless of genre jumps, etc. And recently Jami Gold talked about finding an author tagline to help with branding—a tagline to let people know what you write about.
Now, I am not great with titles and pithy taglines. So I still don’t have an author tagline. But I did start thinking about what I write and what it’s really all about at the bottom line.
So here it is: I want kids to know that being who they truly are is powerful, and that their power can change the world.
Sounds kind of lofty, doesn’t it?
When people, especially kids, hear about changing the world, they think big. Becoming President or curing cancer or brokering world peace. And doing any of those things is intimidating, overwhelming, and must wait until they grow up.
But here’s the secret: little things change the world, too.
Making a difference in just one person’s life can change the world in ways you may never see. It will certainly change that person’s life. And that causes a ripple effect as his changed life impacts other lives.
Kids can do that. They can make a difference to one person. Every child has the ability to perform an act of kindness or generosity. They can reach out to the new kid in school. They can help tutor other kids. They can shovel the sidewalk of the elderly person next door. They can volunteer for causes they are passionate about. They can speak up for people being bullied. They can smile at someone who is sad. They can give their birthday money to a cause they want to support. By listening to their hearts and following their passions, they can make a difference today in their own world.
Make one difference; you change the world.
This may sound overly-idealistic to some. Sometimes it sounds that way to me, too. I’ve been around the block, I know how cynical and hard the world is. Except that I have seen the difference a single person can make. I have been touched by a child that never spoke a word, yet spawned an incredible tsunami of kindness.
So I don’t have an author tagline, but that’s why I write. To tell kids that they are powerful, even when they don’t feel like they are. To tell them that they can make a difference, even when they don’t think can. Because the world needs change and they are the ones to do it.
One person can change the world. And you are never too young to be that person.