The Cypress Branches Trilogy: A few questions about CreateSpace

As I posted over the weekend, we’ve set the ball rolling to make Pegasus Falling available using CreateSpace, and therefore always “in stock” on Amazon in the US, UK and Europe.

Before the off, I had a few questions, so I emailed the CreateSpace team with them. To their credit, the customer service team replied within 24 hours with a fairly comprehensive answer. As I’m sure the replies will be useful for other self-pubbers who are considering using CreateSpace, I thought I’d share them here.

Question 1: I understand that I can upload my own files to CreateSpace, therefore being able to create a virtually identical book to the ones I have printed elsewhere. As the books/content would be identical, would I be able to use the existing ISBN number?

To be honest, this question wasn’t answered directly. What was included in their reply was this nugget: “If you use a new ISBN for the title, a new Amazon detail page will be built in stages over five to seven business days, which will be separate from the detail page created for your Amazon Advantage account.”

My main concern was that because there would be a few minor changes to the look of the book (it will still look pretty much the same, but I’m making some improvements to the cover artwork and minor layout changes to conform with CreateSpace’s requirements), would I need a new ISBN or be able to use the existing one already used and registered in the UK?

Bowker, the US ISBN agency has this to say about ISBNs and the difference between reprints and new editions: “A reprint means more copies are being printed with no substantial changes. Perhaps a few typos are being fixed. A new edition means that there has been substantial change: content has been altered in a way that might make a customer complain that this was not the product that was expected. Or, text has been changed to add a new feature, such as a preface or appendix or additional content. Or, content has been revised. Or, the book has been redesigned.” Source: http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/about/faqs6.html

They key word here is “substantial”, so, it seems that because there would only be minor changes to the book’s artwork, we will not need to use a different ISBN. All that’s changing is that we’re using a different distribution method. I doubt customers would be too disgruntled by the fact that the barcode on the back cover has moved from the lower left- to the lower right-hand side!

One point I should note here for anyone else considering using their own ISBN for a CreateSpace book is that if you do so, it does restrict the distribution opportunities you can access via the premium Expanded Distribution option, namely US libraries and academic institutions. The expanded distribution option also allows distribution to other retailers and via CreateSpace’s wholesale website.

Obviously, using a new ISBN provided by CreateSpace would negate this issue and allow access to all distribution opportunities, but this would cause problems elsewhere - the CreateSpace book would be considered a different product and therefore listed separately on Amazon’s sites. The existing book with the existing ISBN would still be listed as “Out of Print - Limited Availability” which would be a disaster. Although it would be nice to make Pegasus Falling available to libraries in the US, it’s not a priority, so I’m willing to forego that opportunity to avoid potentially more serious problems.

Question 2. By changing from using Advantage to CreateSpace, will this affect the book’s listing on the Amazon Europe channels? As I plan to use the existing ISBN number, will the system recognise the new distribution channel, or do I need to take any further action to ensure this?

According to the reply, there would be a problem as long as our Advantage account remained active because Amazon’s system would always order inventory there rather than use CreateSpace.

1. Set up your title in your CreateSpace Member Account. Complete all steps for your title's information and upload your files.
2. We will then review your files to determine if they meet our submission requirements. If your files meet our requirements, you will be able to order a proof copy through your Member Account.
3. Once you receive your proof and are satisfied with the results, approve your proof through your Member Account. Immediately after your proof is approved, customers can start ordering your title from your CreateSpace eStore.
4.When your new title page is live on Amazon.com, discontinue your Advantage Membership or close out individual titles by contacting the Advantage Vendor Services Team through your Advantage Account: http://www.amazon.com/advantage

In short, set up the title in CreateSpace first, then make sure the title is closed out in your Advantage account soon after. When any inventory left in stock is sold out, Amazon will then start ordering books through CreateSpace.

It all sounds relatively straight forward but my concern with their answer is that they refer to amazon.com. We’re signed up with amazon.co.uk, so I’m not entirely sure whether the process will be as smooth as they make out. I’ll report back if there are any problems.

This is fantastic news because, although you can order bulk copies from CreateSpace to distribute yourself (either to friends or other retailers), and at fairly reasonable prices, I’m very keen to carry on supporting the UK printers we’ve been using so far. We still intend to print more copies for distribution away from Amazon (we’re hoping to be stocked in more shops as time goes on) and we can continue to support the British printing industry. What’s more, when you order copies of your own books, these orders are printed in the US, despite the fact that customer orders which originate in the UK and EU are now being printed this side of the pond.

I hope these pointers have been helpful for anyone considering a similar move. Whether all this means that the transfer from Advantage to CreateSpace will be successful or fraught with problems remains to be seen. I do wonder just how much Amazon’s US, UK and European arms communicate with each other. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly, but if we do encounter problems, I’ll be sure to blog about them and try and help others to avoid any unforeseen pitfalls.

we're currently waiting for the proof to arrive from the US. When it does arrive (hopefully within the next week), I'll be comparing the CreateSpace book with one printed in the UK. It'll be interesting to see how they differ and I'm really hoping the quality will be similar. Watch this space!