createspace.com Amazon.com Fraud Internet

I work for a competitor of Createspace, and I was looking through Ripoff Report to make certain that we hadn't accidentally disenfranchised any of our customers when I found this report. Normally I would be pretty happy hearing that they had let down a customer --we get a lot of business that way, but this is simply ridiculous.

 

Createspace is a "self publishing" company, not a publisher. This is also the case with all the serious competitors in this area. Like with all of the economically effective offerings in this business, the author provides documents to be printed and takes on all duties as publisher. How this author could be upset with a company that printed exactly what was provided is pretty mystifying.

 

I have little doubt that the final product was "unprofessional and at first glance unworthy of purchase," but I'd think that this has much more to do with the author in question than the printer. 

Createspace REQUIRES that you purchase and review a proof copy and sign off on it before they make your book available for sale.  If the book is not to your satisfaction, you only have yourself to blame.  You are also allowed to fill in your own publisher information and there is nothing preventing you from having a page with copyright information, autobiography, web site links to where your book can be purchased...it's all up to you.  

 

I'm currently using Createspace for my self-published humor book, and could not be more pleased.  They do take a substantial chunk of the profits to make your book available for sale on Amazon, but the quality of the book manufacture is indistinguishable from what you will find on the store shelves at B&N or Borders.   

This reviewer is misinformed on many counts.  CreateSpace does not hold itself out to be a "publisher" of books, music and DVDs.  If you read their terms of service, you will note that they make it very clear that they are not the publisher-the author or creator of the music or DVD is.

Since CreateSpace merged within the last year or two with another Amazon company, Booksurge, they do offer some paid publishing services in which they will assist the author in preparing their content for publication. However, they have always had a free option in which the author does all the work in preparing the content for publication.

The CreateSpace website walks the author step by step through the process of obtaining an ISBN for their book, creating and formatting the cover and interior files for publication, reviewing the proof before publication, and when the author is satisifed with the final product, the book, DVD, or CD is published in the author's name.

If the author desires, CreateSpace provides a free ISBN number for books. The only caveat if you chose the free ISBN is that when the book if published on Amazon, CreateSpace will be listed as the publisher because the ISBN issued by Bowker is owned by CreateSpace. However, the terms of service require the author to name themselves as the publisher on the copyright page of the book, and prohibit the author from displaying the CreateSpace name or logo in the book, CD, or DVD.

The author has the option of purchasing his or her own ISBN number for a nominal charge. If you elect to do this, then the author can list their own name or imprint as the publisher on Amazon. Many authors prefer to purchase their own ISBN number for this reason.

When all the steps to prepare the content for publication are complete, CreateSpace requires the author to purchase a proof copy for review. You can make changes to your content as many times as you want, but each time you do, you have to purchase another proof. CreateSpace will not finalize the project and submit it to Amazon for publication until the author signs off on it. Even after the book, DVD, or CD is published, you can make changes or corrections but must purchase another proof copy if you do.

CreateSpace makes no representations that they will promote the book, CD, or DVD. That is up to the author. They do provide you with the opportunity to self-publish your content on Amazon.com and other markets at a very nominal total cost. For most authors, that is worth a great deal. You still must promote your own work, but you can link your Amazon.com, CreateSpace e-store, or Barnes and Noble page to your own website or Facebook page. If you are willing to work to promote your own work, it is an excellent way to sell your book, CD, or DVD.

If this reviewer is dissatisfied with the quality of his published work, he has no one to blame but himself. Likewise, if he can't sell copies of his work, he has no one to blame but himself. To blame CreateSpace for his own failure to read the terms of service and failure to create a quality self-published work is misguided.

Duh.