So one of my goals this summer is to release POD (print-on-demand) editions for the three novels I currently have up as ebooks (Genesis Earth, Bringing Stella Home, and Desert Stars). I started with Genesis Earth a couple of days ago, and wow! I had no idea that getting a book ready for print could be so much fun!
I just finished formatting and typesetting the interior today, and it looks pretty awesome! Drop caps, chapter headings, page numbers, a pleasingly arranged text–there’s something immensely satisfying about paper, an experience that ebooks (as awesome as they are) just don’t quite capture. If I weren’t a writer, I’d be a typesetter–but because I’m an indie, I can be both!
As with ebooks, the learning curve for print formatting is pretty steep, but I think I’ve got the hang of it. The guys over at Kindle Boards gave me a lot of helpful advice, and sent me a really awesome POD guide that’s been a lifesaver. My editor (who’s also trained in typesetting) gave it a once over too, so I think we’re in good shape.
Barring any unforeseen complications, the print version of Genesis Earth should be up in a couple of weeks. The cover art is more or less done–I just need to revise the blurb, send the PDFs out to CreateSpace, and wait for the proof to come in the mail.
One thing I’m wondering is whether to go with the free ISBN (which will list CreateSpace as the publisher) or to spend $10 and go with my own imprint. My gut tells me to go with the free option–not because it’s cheap so much as because it’s less complicated–but I wonder if there might be some advantages down the road to taking the other.
ISBNs, imprints, and distribution channels, oh my…I’ll have to save that for another post a little later. 🙂
Get your own ISBN. Later, when you’ve got a lot of work out, you’ll wish you had. 🙂 In fact, go to Bowker and get a block of them. You’ll need them, and they’re cheaper in bulk.
I don’t know…I’m just learning at this point, and I really don’t have the money to spend on ISBNs right now. I probably won’t get around to releasing a Lightning Source edition for another year or two, so I think it’s probably better just to go the cheap route with CreateSpace. Worst case scenario, I end up having two different editions of my books out there with two different ISBNs, right?