One of the biggest gifts of the huge changes in the publishing world is the access writers now have to distribution channels. And chief amongst these channels for the indie writer is Amazon and its print partner, CreateSpace.
These are powerful distribution and marketing channels.
As I was talking with a writer yesterday, I realized that though the shift in publishing is common knowledge, the details of the everyday workings in the industry are not. And especially distribution. So, I was prompted to share this with you today:
CreateSpace’s print-on-demand book distribution system e-store.
Amazon makes this e-store creation simple to set up. And once set up, you can link directly to it from your website, blog, or wherever you happen to be dropping links around the Internet. What’s more, you’ll make more per book when buyers go directly to your CreateSpace e-store than when they go to Amazon. Why, you ask? Because while CreateSpace is a partner of sorts with Amazon, it’s also another layer in the creation and distribution channel. You set up your print on demand in CreateSpace; therefore, a sale out of there is your most direct sale (short of setting up your own Website system). Add the layer of Amazon, which displays and distributes all CreateSpace print titles, and you have just added a layer of e-tailer cost.
To set up your CreateSpace e-store, go to your CreateSpace account, click on your book title and then on the sales channels page. Then to the edit button for your CreateSpace e-store. Click on customize your e-store. You’ll be taken to a simple form page to fill out and play on. Notice the link at the top of the form, your “Title URL.” This is the link you’ll use on your website and everywhere you want it.
Here’s a sample from one of our Lucky Bat Books: https://www.createspace.com/3714237
Easy to do, took me five minutes, and – well, it’s pretty darn cute in addition to being a huge marketing tool.