There are a lot of options out there and DIY on Create Space id popular, but the quality is usually not as good.
Determining what to compare is a major consideration for a blog post. If we go into detail on all the choices, it would require a book to do a proper justification. I picked what seems to be the biggest concerns for most indie authors.
| Features | CreateSpace | Ingram |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Per Copy B&W | 4.45 | 4.86 |
| Cost of Setup | $0 | $49** |
| Discount | 40/60%* | 40/55%* |
| Distribution | Amazon/Extended | Worldwide |
| ISBN | Yes | Yes |
| Quality | Very Good | Excellent |
| Shipping | Exc. US/Int’l okay | Very Good US/Int’l excellent |
Analysis
For the above chart I used a sample of a 300-page B&W book. Paperback, 6×9, perfect bound, gloss finish, and cream paper.
Cost Per Copy
This is straightforward. CS costs 41c less than Spark.
Discount
This is one of the big factors in making a decision, and it is the one that confuses most indie authors. I’ll try to break it down to simple terms.
- CreateSpace takes 40% when you sell on Amazon.
- CreateSpace takes 60% for expanded distribution (other online stores, libraries and bookstores).
- With Ingram you can choose whether to allow 40% or 55% for distribution. (LS allows lower discounts, and I have reason to believe Ingram will in the future.)
This is all very important.
Most of the authors I speak with know very little about discounts and how they work. They simply sign up with CS and go about business. But remember, you’re not just an author; you are now in business for yourself, and you should pay attention to the details, especially discounts.
There is a long-standing myth about bookstores not stocking books from CS because they are owned by Amazon. I’m sure a few of the bookstores take a firm stand, but the real reason that most bookstores won’t stock CS books is purely economics.
CS charges the author 60% for expanded distribution, but the bookstores only receive about 25%. The breakdown looks like this.
On a $15 sale, CS takes $9 and you get $6. From that $6, you need to deduct the cost of the book, which is $4.45, leaving you a profit of $1.55. From this example, you would think that the bookstores get $9, but they don’t. They don’t even get close to that, and here’s the reason why.
CS uses Ingram for distribution. Ingram is the world’s biggest distributor of books, so for all channels except Amazon, CS books are distributed through Ingram.
Ingram gets approximately 15% of the cut, and CS takes about 15–20%. That leaves 25% for the bookstores. That’s not enough to make them even consider stocking the book, but they will order it if a customer asks.
The bottom line is that with all Ingram books, you can earn $4.14 per book, no matter where it’s sold. If you are with LS and opt for the 30% discount, you’ll earn $5.64 per book. The math is simple. Even if you pay the full amount for setup ($49 + $12), you would only need to sell 23 books through Ingram to break even. If you opt for the 30% discount (LS for now) you only need to sell 14 books to break even.
Source http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/watchdog-ingram-spark-vs-createspace-for-self-publishing-print-books/