alfreda89: 3 foot concrete Medieval style gargoyle with author's hand resting on its head. (Mascot)
alfreda89 ([personal profile] alfreda89) wrote2013-03-20 10:14 am
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POD Covers and POD....

Everyone, I am about to plunge into the world of custom artwork for my Alfreda novels. (Yes, I have pretty much decided not to submit them to NYC. The agent will get other things from me, but I do not expect a house to offer me a contract I could sign.)

This is not going to be cheap, and apparently I need to decide up front which group I'm going to work with for the POD version. The templates vary. The artist can make a print cover and then create the ebook cover from it, but the reverse doesn't happen easily, if at all. So -- this is your chance to express yourself.

Have you tried any of the POD suppliers? Create Space? Lightning Source? Lulu? I'm going to search for quality vs.cost vs. distribution options. I want acid-free paper. We're talking three books that I hope convention vendors will be interested in trying out, that I hope might make their way into bookstores. But I also realize that sales online, even of print, may be all that will happen, since trade paperback books are so much higher in price (last I checked) than mass market books.

I'm interested in your experiences and opinions, if you would like to share them. You can contact me by message, if you want to comment privately.

I want to hear your war stories. I can only afford to do this once -- screwing up will set me back years and money I don't have to spare. So, anyone who has time to share their story? This is the moment.

And yes, I will share conclusions. An Excel spreadsheet will be born!

Thank you.

[identity profile] msagara.livejournal.com 2013-03-20 06:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I paid for the Global distribution, but as for the amazon.com availability, my book has never appeared there (it was up in, I think, July 2012).

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2013-03-20 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Hummm... I'm finding a lot of people like a mix of Createspace and Lightning Source? I'm wondering about Createspace for basics, and LS for hardback, in case anyone wants a collector copy?

Have you asked about what's going on with global, Michelle? I'd think Amazon could sell paper for you, if they offered it. But of course no one is looking out for the little guy, if Amazon isn't printing it.