How to Self Publish on Amazon Createspace.com

Gone are the days when you struggled for years to become published. Amazon's Createspace website allows you to become an independent or indie published author in a period that is considerably shorter than in the old way. The only noteworthy disadvantage is that self published books are unlikely to get onto traditional best seller lists. However, depending on your book's category, you may still have the opportunity to reach Amazon's best seller's list. Furthermore, if you want to publish eBooks through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), they have recently begun to outsell hardcopies. Ultimately, self-publishing is a great way of quickly generating a passive income.

Here are the steps.

1. Create a createspace.com account. You may use a pre-existing Amazon account by typing in your usual login information in the signup section.
2. Appropriately complete the 'Edit Account Settings' option in the left column menu on the 'Member Dashboard'. This will allow you to enter payment options.
3. Download a free MS Word template from Createspace. Templates are standard. Their pre-formatting has already taken into consideration matters like the size of the spine and so on. It allows you to literally copy and paste your content into a pre-formatted MS Word file. For instance, the table of contents, margin spaces, page numbering and so on are already done. You can use this format for hardcopies as well as eBook copies.
4. Edit your work for a more professional presentation.-- --
5. Decide on the suitable format (whether eBook, hardcopy or audiobook).
1. Before proceeding, hire a publishing coaches as an option. Examples include the dynamic Bart Baggett aka Youtuber my123vaj and creator of the idea below named 'Testimonials through competition'.
2. ISBN numbers and barcodes. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. An ISBN is required when selling books anywhere other than your website. You need a unique ISBN for each format (ebook, hardcopy or audiobook) and edition of a single book. You can get an ISBN from different sources: a free Createspace ISBN (that allows Amazon sales), a paid ISBN number from Createspace for roughly USD 10 or a custom ISBN from other companies like Bowler for prices ranging from roughly USD 99 to 125. Buying an ISBN gives greater distribution freedom, acceptability, freedom to change printers and respect. These benefits increase with the prices of the options above. For instance, you can publish your book through more or any distribution channels and can be eligible for awards with tougher publication restrictions. Otherwise, the free option essentially means that Amazon will essentially be your publisher. Either way, barcodes are free and automatic through Createspace. I understand that Canadian publishers get them freely at collectionscanada.gc.ca. BTW, free ISBNs do not give copyrights to providers of such ISBNs. To make the right choice, consider which distribution channel you prefer.
6. Upload your work to Createspace. Be sure to have organized your book with elements like a tables of contents, dedication page, copyright information before uploading the book. Fully pre-formatted Createspace templates will suffice.
1. Cover design. Coverspace offers templates that can be customized. However, if uncertain, use a professional option since the appearance often makes a difference in sales. Coverspace charges roughly USD 300. Alternatively, Coverspace recommends Crowdspring.com as a potentially less costly option since different artists can bid on your project.-- --
2. Pricing. You must set your price. Note that you will be allowed to change this later if need be. See how Createspace automatically calculated royalties based on the price and several of your other choices (book size, number of pages and so on).
3. Increase your royalties. Use the Createspace store page. It allows you to enter your bio, book details and so on. Create links that lead potential buyers directly from your websites to this page. Linking in this way allows you to make more money than selling directly through Amazon.com.
7. Await approval from Createspace Review Board. A real person will review your book before final publication. This process usually occurs within 24 hours.
1. Proofs. Proofs are trial prints of your book. You will receive your first proof roughly 10 days after the review board approves the book. Be patient with this process because it is unusual for your book to be considered ready after the first proof. 
8. Choose between the types of distribution channels. Options include 'standard' and 'extended channels'. The standard channels is cost-free. This option allows you to sell your book on the various regional Amazon sites and Createspace eStore. The extended channels cost roughly USD 25. They include sellers other than Amazon like online and offline book retailers, libraries, academic institutions, certified Createspace wholesalers.
9. Market the book. Here are some ideas. By using as many, if not all of these marketing strategies, your book may continuously shown up on the bestseller lists in multiple categories. Authors often use all of these marketing strategies for a single publication.
1. Depending on your genre, you will need literary marketing tools for promoting interest in your work  from the book cover, website and so on. These tools may include an attractive theme, book cover declarative statement (like "a definitive guide"), author information (like "x expert"), book cover descriptive text (like "everything you need to know about x"), blurb, short synopsis, long synopsis, tag lines and so on.
2. Twitter
3. Facebook author page
4. blog announcements
5. Send out an email to all the followers and fans from the past years. Tell them the book is now available and ask them to sign up for your newsletter.
6. Contact professional review bloggers. Affer to send them copies. This may result in solid, professional reviews and many more positive customer reviews on Amazon.com, which will continue to sell the book.
7. If you are publishing a sequel, make the first book of the series free for a few days from the launch date. You can also discount the sequel (currently being published) for a slightly longer period like a week. By combining these promotions, you can point out that readers could get the whole series of x eBooks for $x, knowing that this would attract readers who had not yet heard of the series. 
8. Within the first two or so weeks of publication, hold a contest on your Facebook author page where you could give away $x Amazon gift certificates (it could be the same promotional value of the series) to a few people who could answer trivia questions about the new book. Participate in a virtual book tour that takes you to several book blogger sites. 
9. Testimonials through competition. Get readers to compete for a #1 desired holiday Amazon product as a prize in exchange for testimonials. For instance, see what product Amazon forecasts is a favorite seller (like a Kindle). Send an email to all fans to get a chance to win that product if they read your book and then leave a testimonial. Once they have written a testimonial, place their names in the hat. Consider doing this when the book is still being offered very cheaply or freely during the promotional stage. You are even more likely to get higher ratings in their testimonials. These testimonials will increase your book's ratings. For this, state the rules as follows: Buy the book on a specific date; Must have an Amazon account. buyers only (in reality, you will not know whether they really bought but this statement creates credibility); Must leave a testimonial; No geographical location. BTW, when you buy the prize, do so with your Amazon points. This way, you can redeem your points. Do not complicate this more than what is set out here. The precise wording for the email is available for free by the author. You will have to personally mail the gift to anywhere in the world.
10. Put the print copy of the book as a giveaway (example on Goodreads).
10. If you achieve an Amazon best selling status, take a screen shot of it immediately. The status of books could change within hours. The snapshot may be your only proof of this great claim.