As an ebook author, you probably have discovered by now that Create Space has stopped offering its services and merged with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program. In the past, Create Space was were creatives like you went to finalize the cover design and interior layout of their masterpiece. Self-publishing authors loved the features of Create Space, which allowed you do things like:
- Format you book with interior book templates that follow modern guidelines
- Use book cover templates to design an eye-catching image that conforms to spine widen and other measurements precisely
- Discover helpful tips and articles that gave you insight on design tips and tricks
- Offered professional assistance at an additional price.
The program was awesome, so when CreateSpace started pulling back from the limelight a few years ago and reducing the features, a lot of people knew that the doors would be closing soon. Then, KDP Print took over every one of the core services provided by CreateSpace. A lot of the features authors adored, like the professional assistance at an additional price, are now gone from the KDP platform.
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The Facts About The Shutdown
In case you don’t know how everything went down, let’s rehash some of the details for you.
In 2017, CreateSpace made the announcement that it was closing the e-store in 2017. On April 20, 2018, CreateSpace sent all authors who had used the service an email. The message was that they would no longer be offering paid professional support, including design, cover, and text.
The local newspaper, The Post and Courier, of North Carolina where CreateSpace was located reported the following on July 2018: “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.”
Fortunately, ebook and printed books that were developed with the CreateSpace platform were successfully transferred to the KDP platform.
Now, you might asking some questions, especially if you used CreateSpace in the past.
What Should I Do In The Future?
You can continue using KDP just as you had used CreateSpace in the past. Self-publishers will find that KDP is an easy to use option. Simply sign into your KDP account, which can be the same as your Amazon account, select “Create a New Title.”
You can also order printed proofs before publishing for a discounted price.
But you might be thinking, “What about the cover design and interior layout design services?”
Yes, KDP doesn’t have any professionals to help you. But that doesn’t mean you are alone. There are professionals out there, like us, who are willing to help make your written work a work of art, both inside and out.
While no one is going to be upset if you decide to do everything on your own, there are designers who offer budget-friendly book cover designs, formatting, and layout packages to suit your needs. Hiring a professional comes with a number of benefits that make the paid assistance well worth the investment.
Save Time
You did your share of the work with writing the story. Now, you should sit back and let a visual artist aid you with the cover and layout. Graphic designers, for instance, will be able to select the right fonts, pixel weight, and design elements to make even the title and table of contents look like a million bucks. This saves you from hours, if not weeks, of agonizing over the choices, worrying if it looks professional or not, and trying to figure out designer software.
Save Money
The problem with doing everything on your own, especially when words, not design, are your forte, is that you will make expensive mistakes. When a design doesn’t look as clean cut or as attention-grabbing as it should, you lose out on potential buyers.
Worse is when you make an unknown formatting mistake and it messes up the entire look and feel of the book. If you don’t know design, you won’t know what to look for—and that could set you back in profits if you decide to order a bunch of prints for review.
Stand Out From The Crowd
While the difference might not be as glaringly obvious in the present as it used to be, you can still see dissimilarities between self-published, self-made books and professionally published ones. The quality of the cover, the intricate artwork, the layouts of the pages, the scale of the fonts—when these things are managed by a professional, the experience of reading the book changes.
No one wants to pick up a book with a mismatched font and poor layout. A designer will know how to make your book look special and distinct in a crowd of self-made, template-using covers.
Get The Results You Want
You most likely have an image in your head of how you want the print book and ebook to look in your mind. If you never worked with designing software or are not well-versed in the techniques, the end result of your efforts will most likely fail to live up to your expectations—and if it does, do you really want that being the face of your literary piece?
No.
By talking with a designer, you get exactly what you want the first time around.
You most likely have an image in your head of how you want the print book and ebook to look in your mind then book cover templates are the best choice for you.
While it is upsetting that CreateSpace is gone, self-publishers like The Post and Courier now have the KDP platform to learn and grow from. . You can promote your work and get seen faster than ever before. But when you use a professional ebook design service, you won’t only get seen, you might become the next bestseller!
