Self-publishing your novel can prove scary, intimidating, and expensive, depending on which company you sign up with. But 7 years and 2 books later, I only have fond words for Create Space.

The price is so cheap — 0 — to be exact. Yes, you need to secure a copy editor, developmental editor, and book cover designer/editor, all at your own expense. We’re talking $600 to $1,200 total here. (We will discuss how to research these professionals in another post.)  But once you’ve got your book completed, your editor will upload it to Create Space for free!

Why Create Space? Besides uploading your trade paperback for zero cost, Create Space 

also puts you on Amazon, because they are a satellite company of the “Big A”!  You can then, for no additional cost except what your editor may charge, upload your book into

Kindle format through KDP.  You set your own retail price for both your paperback and your ebook. Hoiw much do you pay Create Space per print-on-demand book you order from them? Well, for my 262-page Window of Guilt, I pay them approximately $4.99 per book and charge my retail customers $15.00 plus tax. (Yes, the IRS requires you fill out an annual sales tax form.) Your cost-to-print per book depends on number of pages, and whether or not you have color pics inside the book — which I don’t.  The cost-per-book + tax + shipping is all you pay; I buy in quantity, re: the shipping discount.

I usually order ten to fifteen copies of Deadly Choices, Window of Guilt, and Fatal Reaction at a time so I can sell my books at temples and churches, book fairs, book signings, and arts & craft fairs.

But the real reason I luv Create Space is because when you have no clue about how this whole self-publishing thing works, there’s an actual phone number to call — you can find this number on their website. YOU LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR THEM AND THEY PHONE YOU BACK WITH FIVE SECONDS! Yes, I’m not kidding. And knowledgeable customer service and tech support people help you all along the publishing path FOR FREE!! If anything looks wrong on your e-proof, they fix it for free!

I hope you will experience the same peace of mind I have had in publishing with Create Space.