Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing [Paperback]

Kevin Sivils (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1448648912 | ISBN-13: 978-1448648917 | Publication Date: July 10, 2009

The decision to self-publish can be a confusing one. Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing can answer many questions for an author. For the questions it does not answer, it will point where the answer can be found. Use CreateSpace: * To self-publish your book for low cost. * Author Services to edit, design and lay-out your book for a professional appearance. * Marketing Services to promote and market your book. * Distribution to sell your book on Amazon and other channels normally not readily available for self-published authors. * Track your sales through your own CreateSpace sales dashboard. Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing also serves as a resource guide with information on: * the most helpful books on the self-publishing industry. * informative websites and blogs on the topics of self-publishing, book marketing, and a range of other topics related to self-publishing. * print-on-demand as a business model for a self-publisher.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing is based on the author's actual experiences in self-publishing with CreateSpace. The book is an excellent starting point for authors who are considering self-publishing and desire to learn more about the process in general and using CreateSpace in particular. In addition to the overview of self-publishing as an industry and the step-by-step process of using CreateSpace, the book includes a time saving reference section directing interested authors to other essential sources of information about self-publishing.

Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace includes information on on how to use CreateSpace to publish your book at a low initial cost and cost per copy, using CreateSpace's author services to edit, design and lay-out your book for a professional appearance.

About the Author

Kevin Sivils has self- published over a dozen books, most of them with CreateSpace. A veteran high school teacher and basketball coach, Sivils wanted to share his knowledge of coaching basketball with other coaches and to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a published author. Self- publishing allowed him to accomplish both goals. Sivils is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He attended Greenville College and earned his B.A. in 1984. In 1989 he completed his M.S. in sport psychology from Louisiana State University. He and his wife Lisa have three children, Danny, Katie and Emily. They are also the proud parents of three dogs Angel, an All American and Berkeley and Al, a pair of Italian Greyhounds. In a head coaching career that spanned over 20 seasons, Sivils won over 460 games and garnered eight Coach of the Year awards. He is currently a history instructor and Assistant Athletic Director for Special Athletic Events at Houston Christian High School.

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (July 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1448648912
• ISBN-13: 978-1448648917
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of Louisiana, Kevin Sivils has been a coach and teacher for 25 years. In the course of his coaching career, he has been a head coach for 22 seasons while winning 464 career wins and garnering 8 Coach of the Year awards. A current resident of the state of Texas, Coach Sivils has also worked extensively in athletic administration and athletic event promotion. Interestingly enough for a basketball coach from the Southern United States, he is an ice hockey fan, having been introduced to the sport by his wife Lisa, a native of Michigan and a Detroit Red Wings fan. His other passions include the history of North American Railroads and dogs, of which he currently has three. He and his wife Lisa work with an Italian Greyhound rescue serving as foster parents for abused and neglected Italian Greyhounds until they are ready to be adopted.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Who is writing these reviews? This is a terrible book!, March 7, 2011

By 

Gordon Johns "gordnJ" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing (Paperback)

I am astounded by the favorable reviews I see above. Honestly, this book is the worst I have ever come across, both in content and interior book design. Book design, in particular, should be exemplary in a book that promotes self-publishing.

My criticisms below will be extensive because (1) I feel ethically bound to counter the unaccountably positive reviews already posted here, maybe sparing you a disappointment,(2) Sivils' book gives self-publishing an undeserved bad name, and (3) it makes me angry to pay good money for a product and get junk.

I am familiar with books on POD self-publishing; I have three fine books by Aaron Shepard and five others. Most of the material in this book by Kevin Sivils could have been lifted from the competing books. This is not an indictment in itself, since they all take a similar approach to self-publishing, but I don't think I encountered one original thought in Sivils' book.

About copyediting: apparently, the book underwent none. Note the following:
On page 6 we see the phrase, "CreateSpace, the self-publishing company now owned by Amazon...." Eight lines below we are treated to "CreateSpace, being owned by Amazon,..."
"Like all human endeavors, look before you leap." This excruciating line is on pg. 7.
On page 12, the author recommends Steve Weber's book, ePublish. On page 20 he recommends it again using a different title: "Steve Weber's book, ePublishing, is a good resource...."
Some words are inexplicably broken into two words (e.g., "free lancers"). Hyphenated words frequently lose their hyphens (e.g., pop up box").
One of the appendices is titled, "Eight Items of Book Design Etiquette." The book itself follows seven.

The author has chosen to repeat the chapter name at the top of the page, which is fine. However, one title, which begins as "Why I Published With CreateSpace," mysteriously changes on the headers of subsequent pages to the ungrammatical "Why I Chose CreateSpace to Publish With."

Here is one example of the many content problems. Sivils refers more than once to "cover scribing." He seems to be talking about "cover copy." I cannot find the term "cover scribing" anywhere on the Internet. Anyone who knows much about publishing knows the term "cover copy."

Of all the books I've read on this subject, this is the only one that leaves readers in the dark about many important topics. Appropriate explanations are lacking in dozens of places. Here is an example: Sivils mentions "trim size" as a data item to be entered when adding a book to a CreateSpace account. He does not tell readers what the standard trim sizes are (as all the competing books do), nor does he explain why an author might want to choose one over another. The book doesn't offer even a hint as to what "trim size" means!

There are many instances of garbled text. Here are some of them:
"To unlock the files will remove the book from sale." (Page 80)
"You are limited to white or cream colored paper and indicates the choice in a drop menu." (Page 74. Also, the correct term is "drop-down menu.")
"What makes these books valuable to my customers is not the cover or the fancy, or lack of, interior book design, but the information about coaching basketball that is contained on the pages within." (Page 54).

Speaking of basketball, this book has some "information" that runs far afield of the interests of most readers. (A possible exception is the writer of one of the reviews above, who, like author Sivils, makes his living coaching and teaching. What a coincidence.) Here is some of that "information" on page 57:

"Since that time period rule changes have replaced the jump ball for tied possessions with the alternating possession rule and the three point shot has been introduced at every level of play except for the youngest players. Television has caused the introduction of the 30 second timeout on every level of play as well. These three rule changes alone have had a major impact on the strategy and tactics employed by successful basketball coaches."

It pains me to think that some of the money I paid for this book went to pay for this useless 74-word paragraph--which isn't relevant even when you read it in context.

The book is well-padded. For example, it includes an appendix of Suggested Websites that uses 12 pages to identify only 45 sites. The last six numbered pages contain only some information about the author and a blank Notes page.

Chapters are not numbered. There is no index. Fortunately, you won't need one, because there is nothing in the book worth looking up.

If you are not convinced by now that this book is trash, well, I don't know what else I can say. Good luck when you self-publish your own book! It will surely be much better than this one.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Helpful Guide To Using CreateSpace!, July 26, 2009

By 

beautifuletdown07 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing (Paperback)

This book is written in clear, concise language. I was able to follow the steps in using CreateSpace's procedures with ease. The book is more than just a step-by-step guide for using CreateSpace. It has information that any author interested in self-publishing will find helpful. The author has sections of the book that are resource guides that will steer the reader in the right direction to find information about self-publishing. It also includes an overview of the new, I think they are new, services offered by CreateSpace. The best feature of this book is that it is a time saver.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful Book!, February 2, 2010

By 

vwatts "sportsfan" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing (Paperback)

I teach and coach for a living and computers are not my always my best friend. Given that using CreateSpace requires being able to use the computer - no human to help you through the process - this book was very helpful. The author has used CreateSpace many times and guides you through the process with clear directions.

I bought the book just for the directions and was surprised to find a great deal of information about self-publishing and different sources for information about self-publishing, marketing books, etc, as well as other information that authors who are going to self-publish will find helpful. This part of the book saved me a lot of time researching answers to other questions I had about self-publishing.