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News, advice and conversation about the Self-Publishing book industry.



Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Developments at Createspace

I received the following eMail from Createspace yesterday:-

In our continual effort to improve CreateSpace's title setup process, we want you to try a new option in your account. As of today, you can now choose to order a physical proof or, if you prefer, skip the proofing process for any product type (book, CD, or DVD) that you have purchased at least one physical proof for. It's up to you.

As part of this limited trial we'll ask you to complete a survey about your experience immediately after you order a proof or skip the proof step. If you don't have a title to work on right now, we would still like to hear from you; please contact Member Support directly to give us your input on this new option. Your feedback is important, and it will help us decide if we should keep this option going forward.

We look forward to hearing what you think!

Now, as I live in Spain I must tell you that to receive a proof copy of my book, at a reasonable price (for postage) takes about 4 to 5 weeks. Very frustrating when all you may have done is corrected one full stop.

However looking at a proof copy is so important, you can finally see how the work you slaved over for months (years in the case of my first novel) looks like.

If after going through the first proof copy you are confident that your work looks and is the best it can be, after any alterations, then a second proof should not be necessary and is just a waste of your time and money in my opinion.

So fair play to Createspace for giving this a go and a very very big thank you to Createspace/Amazon for making all this possible in the first place.

One last thing, isn't it a thrill when you receive the very first printed and bound copy of your first ever book. To hold it in your hand is a special moment, it makes all the effort worthwhile!!!!!

6 comments:

Flirty & Feisty Romance said...

Terry, I couldn't agree with you more. I've given feedback to CreateSpace previously that indeed, after the first proof, the need to bypass the printed proof should be standard procedure for the exact reasons you stated: waste of time and money. You can follow my blog: http://flirtyandfeistyromance.blogspot.com/

Terry said...

Hello Stella

Quite right too. My wife Sandra is just going through the process of having a book printed by Createspace and is now waiting for the second proof to arrive, months after she started the whole procedure.

Thank you for supporting this blog, it all helps.

I will start to follow your blog, shortly.

Regards - Terry

Sandra Stiles said...

I remember when I received my first proof I cried. Holding that book in my hands was the fulfillment of a long dream. Even if I did find many mistakes I'd made and had to correct it.

Terry said...

Hello Sandra

Thank you for supporting this blog. I will try to keep it interesting.

It's funny when you see your story in the bound volume, all the mistakes and errors jump out at you, even though you've probably gone through it a dozen times. Editing on a computer doesn't seem to work, print is best.

Have a great day - Terry

Joan Reeves said...

I'm no CreateSpace expert since I used them only once, but I would think, in the interest of economy, a second proof, if required for comfort, should be made available as an ereader viewable file or something. That should be easy to generate even if as a pdf proof viewable through Adobe Editions or something similar.

I like the new blog very much, Terry.

Best wishes,
Joan Reeves

Terry said...

Hiya Joan

Good idea. After all, the original file is sent in electronically, so why not return it the same way. It would be a darn site quicker as well.

Terry