Many of us avoid the Publish On Demand option because of two main reasons – cost and effort involved. I can now speak to both of those, from my own experience.
First, I had believed that there were setup costs and others to distribute your book through CreateSpace. It turns out that I was wrong about that. I reformatted an Ebook using their Word template and submitted it to their “Interior Reviewer.” The review process produced a single issue – the graphics that I had formatted for Ebook distribution were lower than the quality required. So far, no cost other than my time.
My next worry was the cover design. They require a front and rear cover connected to the spine. I am adventurous enough to investigate the size needed and design this on my own, writing it to a PDF. Fortunately, they also have a cover designer that let’s you fill in, and upload, the book cover information. Book cover has been created and still no financial investment.
Do you want a color or black/white book? If you have screen shots or illustrations, you should definitely choose the color option. The cost will basically triple (in this one case from around $2 to around $6), but if the contents of the book can justify the cost for the purchaser, it is well worth it. In the end, a programming Ebook that sells for $7.49 will be over $13 in print. Unless I choose to order copies to sell on my own, or give away as gifts, there is still no money invested, and all that I need to do is wait for the commissions to be deposited from this additional revenue stream!
I must admit that my first thought went to the cost. They will provide professional editing, formatting and cover creation, for a fee. As you see here, if you are resourceful enough, you can use their tools and the only real cost is time. The CreateSpace site has an excellent video that lays out all of the commission options, and their publishing guide even suggests the book price for you. It could not be easier to add an additional outlet. Extra exposure and revenue at no extra cost, that is an offer that you can’t refuse.
