Amazon’s CreateSpace no longer offers Author Services. Layoffs in July.
Author services including editing, cover design, and book formatting ended at CreateSpace in July 2018. They layed off 58 people. So what is happening here? We’ve long held that print on-demand services don’t make it possible for authors to earn as much profit.
The Post & Courier reports:
Amazon laying off 58 workers at North Charleston self-publishing business
Amazon’s self-publishing service, CreateSpace, is laying off workers in its editing, marketing and design division in July because the company is getting out of the business of offering services to writers.
Let’s draw a clear distinction between Star Print Brokers and CreateSpace.
Star Print Brokers
We print high-quality books on commercial printing presses for self-publishing authors and small publishers. SPB provides the highest quality books and custom options that are hard-to-find elsewhere. We often print overseas where costs are lower than in the USA. Authors love us.
However, we have a small handful of printers that are up to our standards. All printers are different.
Just because we print in XYZ country, doesn’t mean that all printers in that country are capable of producing the quality and material standards that we provide.
Professional book design using Adobe InDesign and Photoshop is another core service of ours, but optional for authors.
We don’t pay royalties because you keep all your profit — and guess what — only you are the publisher of your book; that is, with Star Print Brokers.
CreateSpace and other POD providers for Author Services
CreateSpace — and a long list on print-on-demand providers — provide author services including printing. The difference is not only in quality and options, but also royalties. Typically, authors pay a lot more for author services, and earn a lot less profit per book, with POD services.
Check out the royalty calculator on CreateSpace, or any other on-demand provider. Your royalty is low. And if you are given an ISBN versus buying it yourself, then you are not the publisher of your book. They are!
On-Demand
PODs sell you all the author services and then “print” your book. If printing a handful of copies — the book are not printed — but output from an output device, similar to a high-end photocopier.
Short runs
Short runs can be printed on press, but the quality of the printing and the press do not produce the kind of books that we do. Attention is paid to fine color reproduction and quality bindings, and authors appreciate the quality of Star Print Brokers books.
Facts for Author Services
We’ve long held that print on-demand services don’t make it possible for authors to earn as much profit.
Because we print on press, we have a minimum of 1,000 hardcover or 2,000 soft cover books. Our unit cost is usually quite a bit less than on-demand, for books with the same or similar specifications.
There are plenty of POD providers, if that is really what you want to do. They often have high costs associated with their author services, especially if you pay thousands of dollars and end up with only 5, 10, or 50 books to sell. Talk about a high unit cost!
There are tons of independent book designers, template and mock-up makers, editors, and book cover designers. Grab a free template here on our site.
Come on Over to Author Services at Star Print Brokers
Our author services consist of book printing on press and book design. Over the years, we’ve realized that most authors either edit their books themselves, or hire it independently. They also do much of the social and book marketing themselves.
We think these are wise choices. Perhaps CreateSpace came to the same conclusion? You decide!
Connect with Star Print Brokers, let us know if we can help you!
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