Publishing Books

Torn between Createspace’s free POD and Lightning Source or some other POD with great distribution? The answer is simple — use them both.
How to get a book published?  That’s a fairly easy question to answer these days.  You just take it to Createspace or one of the other print-on-demand book publishers.   But which one?  That is the hardest question of them all.

Createspace was the first with a truly free print-on-demand package for those looking to publish a book.   Those who publish a book with Createspace get easy and full access to the book-hungry throngs at Amazon.com.  This is certainly a seductive prospect for any self-publisher or small publisher.    Self-publishers and  book publishing companies are naturally drawn to Amazon’s huge marketplace.   Yet publishing through Createspace limits your distribution to Amazon-friendly markets.  

When your book is printed with Lulu you do get backdoor access to Amazon but you also get a global distribution network.  That means book wholesalers and lots and lots of brick-and-mortar bookstores.  “Marketing book” is just as important as “publish book.”

Yet Amazon will shortly have the lion’s share of the market.  Noticed lately what has happened to your local bookstore?

You can only publish a book with one book publisher.  But Createspace and Lulu (and similar companies) are not book publishers but book printers.  You can use as many book printers as you like.  Since we’re only talking about book printing and not book publishing, there’s a simple solution to the conundrum: use both companies.

This will entail a greater expense, but it will be a good investment.  Once you have a block of ten ISBNs, you are considered a publisher.   You can use one ISBN each for Createspace and Lulu.  ISBN stands for  International Standard Book Number  and your number uniquely identifies your title to the book publishers market.  To the publishing world, it will be two different books.  However, all the profit goes back to you.

These two little numbers will get you all the benefits of the two different PoD companies (or most others you wish to use).