Friday, November 13, 2009

Booksurge becomes Createspace

I saw this coming a long time ago simply because having two brands to manage is just a pain in the fiscal ass, not to mention Booksurge had a history and Createspace, platform wise, is just so much better in my opinion. I have been extremely happy with my transition from Lulu to Createspace, so a drop in book cost is good for me. As a matter of fact, I am awaiting my proof copy of Antiquity as we speak.




From the Booksurge Website:

Company Announcement: BookSurge is Becoming CreateSpace

We have some exciting news to share - BookSurge is becoming CreateSpace. BookSurge and CreateSpace have historically operated as two distinct brands of one company – On Demand Publishing LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. - and are now uniting under the CreateSpace platform to offer you an expanded catalog of publishing tools and services. You will still be working with the same team and receive the same high level of service to which you’ve been accustomed with BookSurge. During the coming months, we will be transitioning all BookSurge accounts over to CreateSpace and retiring the BookSurge brand. In addition, BookSurge’s publishing services are now available on the CreateSpace platform, enabling BookSurge and CreateSpace members to benefit from the same knowledgeable staff that has supported BookSurge members for years.

How do BookSurge authors benefit from this transition?

In addition to the same personal customer care, professional publishing services, and top-notch print quality authors currently receive at BookSurge, they will also receive these new benefits and options through CreateSpace:

  • Get more flexibility in setting royalties and list prices
  • Publish new books without setup fees using the "do-it-yourself" option for print-ready PDF files or continue to take advantage of the professional fee-based publishing services you're accustomed to using with BookSurge
  • Receive better wholesale book prices on most book orders
  • Gather feedback on your work with the free Preview tool
  • Create eye-catching book covers online using the free Cover Creator
  • Network with thousands of other authors and industry professionals in the free online CreateSpace Community
  • Publish video and audio in multiple formats: DVDs, CDs, video downloads, and MP3s

How do BookSurge publishers benefit from this transition?

Through the CreateSpace platform, publishers are enjoying enhanced features, services and functionality:
  • Stay up to speed on your titles' performance with enhanced reporting functionality that allows you to schedule daily, weekly or monthly royalty reports
  • Order copies of your titles and easily track the progress of your orders
  • Manage your entire content portfolio through one easy-to-use web interface
  • Access the Preview Gallery where you can share content and gather feedback directly from other CreateSpace members
  • Receive real-time alerts and updates on your account and orders through your personal Message Center
  • Create eye-catching book covers online using the free Cover Creator
What Happens Next?

During the coming months, all BookSurge accounts will be transitioned to the CreateSpace platform. To make the transition as smooth as possible, we will automatically transfer all book files and account history to CreateSpace. At that time, BookSurge members will receive instructions for accessing their new CreateSpace accounts via e-mail, and our staff will be available by phone and email to answer questions during the transition period.

Our members are our highest priority, and we believe uniting BookSurge and CreateSpace on the CreateSpace platform will provide them the best possible publishing experience. We look forward to continuing our support of our authors’ and publishers’ book publishing endeavors.

To find out more about CreateSpace’s publishing and print on-demand solutions, please visit http://www.createspace.com/.

BookSurge authors – please visit the For Authors tab for more information on what this means for you.BookSurge publishers- please visit the For Publishers tab for more information on what this means for you.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think that people underestimate how important this news is.

I think that Amazon's intent is to eventually control every aspect of the publishing process, from start to finish. And I think they are going to put all the other vanity publishers out of business.

Cheryl Anne Gardner said...

Well, I don't know. Until they offer a better distribution option they won't be putting anyone out of business. It would be nice if they offered distro with all their Amazon affiliates overseas and in Canada. I would pay a nominal fee for that, but for right now, they can't compete with Lightning Source as far as distribution.

Kristine said...

That may well be Amazon's intent, but as long as there are enough of us still breathing who will buck any system and rage against the machines, it will remain only their intent.