After self-publishing my novella complete with its cover art, I was desperate to get my hands on a physical copy of The Witching Hours. I’m a supporter of ebooks and e-readers, but there’s something to be said for holding a book in your hands; feeling its shape and taking in the tactility of it. I published my ebook though Amazon and CreateSpace, an Amazon company, offer a print-on-demand service for self-published authors. I’d already done the hard work – writing the book – and I couldn’t wait to have a printed copy of it too. This how to design a book cover, and its interior too.
I found CreateSpace a little less user-friendly than Kindle Direct Publishing. Nonetheless, it’s a fairly logical process and, like KDP, it begins with the trickiest bits – confirming your tax location and account details. Once this is complete, you can start the fun stuff.
Getting started: dashboard and setting up your title
The member dashboard is your default page, and it is here that you can add a new title. This is first step of getting your book to the printing press. Clicking ‘Add New Title’ first prompts you to enter the basic information about your book: title, author, series… The bits you know like the back of your hand. I found this really exciting. It really felt like I was placing my work out there into the world of printed books.
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