Post here if you've used Create Space, what you liked and disliked and any other advice or questions. Also, you can discuss how it compares to other self-publishing avenues.

A great piece of info on Create Space was given in our thread "To All Published Authors! Read this NOW! Please!" by Makilien. She compares Create Space with similar self-publishing avenues like Lulu and Holy Fire Publishing.

Createspace is definitely cheaper, but I like Lulu a lot better. Hardcover is just a part of it.

I haven't actually self-published anything, but I've gotten a lot of private copies of my books from both places. One of the biggest things with Createspace is it's a lot harder to use if you're just starting out. Your page count has to be exact; there's no margin for error, you can't upload multiple documents into one file, and you pretty much have to be prepared to publish.

So perhaps it's easier if you're planning on publishing anyway, but for proof copies, copies for friends, etc, Lulu is better that way. Lulu also has a lot more choices in the way of printing options and sizes. They offer templates to download and lots of tutorials. They're overall friendlier, and easier to work with. So technically/professionally I suppose they're about the same but friendly and easy to use go a long way with me.

I used Lulu to create review copies of Merlin's Blade, and it worked fine. The books weren't cheap, but the fact that I was able to get them at all and actually hold my book in my hands for the first time was amazing.

BUT ... if you are planning on actually self-publishing, I would never go with Lulu or Createspace. I would go direct with Lightning Source. I've studied lots of blogs of people trying to break down the numbers, and its pretty obvious you can sell your book for less and make the same kind of money by selling direct through Lightning Source. A lower price means you will definitely sell more copies.

I've even read a website trying to convince me to NOT go with Lightning Source, and when I look at the $$$'s they present using both methods, it convinced me the other way ... I really don't know what the person was thinking.

HOWEVER ... it is harder work to go with Lightning Source ... you basically have to set yourself up as your own little publisher, etc. So it is not for the faint of heart. Yet if you are serious about self-publishing and doing it right, then you really need to figure it out and bite the bullet.

My viewpoint! Anyone else have a different perspective who's actually used Lightning Source? I haven't yet, and I may not have to if one of the two publishers looking at Merlin's Blade sends me a contract.

-Robert

Oh ... one side benefit of setting yourself up as your own little publisher is that in Amazon and elsewhere your publisher won't be listed as "CreateSpace" or "Lulu" ... sure tip-offs that you are self-published, which alone could turn people away.

That's what I'm working on now, setting myself up as a publisher, both for the benefit of having my own publishing name listed and to use Lightning Source. I plan to continue using CS along with LS because CS is easier to use (once you have it all figured out), and I want to make sure I have the book right before uploading to LS. I think it costs something like $150 every time you have to upload (haven't read through the site in a while, so I'm not absolutely sure on that). A lot of the authors I know from CS do the same thing.

I've never used Lulu. I have heard they are easier to use. I think CS is slowly moving in that direction. They do have some templates now. I've never used any though. I guess this is where my experience with Pleasant Word was beneficial. Watching them put everything together kind of showed me how it was done so it wasn't as overwhelming when I went to do it on my own.

For anyone interested in CS, I would highly recommend taking a look through their forum. It has been immensely helpful to me, and the majority of the people there are very quick to help others. https://www.createspace.com/en/community/