Support for Indie Authors discussion

J.L. wrote: "Hello,

Looking for people's experiences with print books. I've only ever done ebooks. My first fiction book is ebook only right now, but I've had a few people who don't read on tablets ask me if I..."

I'm very new at this, but due to the cost of ISBN's, I'm starting out using Createspace's ISBN. I've had about 1/3 of my sales come from the paperbacks, and so far haven't had any issues. But again, I don't have a lot of experience to base this off of.

One thing about ISBN's, you get a MUCH better deal by buying in bulk. So if you do choose to go that route, I suggest buying 10 or 100 if you can afford it. They go from 125/each to 25/each or 5.75/each.

I prefer ebooks as a reader and as an author, the bulk majority of my sales are ebooks, so I did not invest in an ISBN for my paperbacks. I have had no issue with the Createspace provided number and have even seen sales through several channels. I'd say my paperback sales are still only about 1% overall, but I don't push them. I don't do signing events, cons, or even request local stores to carry them, so I'm not typical in that respect. I don't particularly think print is on the way out, but I do think we're going to (finally) see more acceptance that ebooks are "real" books.

Only a fraction of my sales are printed books. I have two reasons to still make them:

1) It feels good to have at least one physical copy myself.
2) In my experience, many start to take a book seriously only when they hear that it's also available as a physical copy. As Christina said, we are in a transitional period when a lot of readers don't take e-book only books seriously. It's slowly changing, but it still makes a difference to have the paper option there.

I actually get quite a good percentage of paperback sales.

I'm working on my first book right now and bought my ISBNs. It's a much better deal to buy your ISBNs as a pack of 10 (or more if you know you'll need them). It'll cost only a little more than the cost of two ISBNs and then you'll have them for your next few books and don't have to go back and buy more for awhile. Cheaper in the long run, and you don't have to worry about reassigning an ISBN for another platform because you own it and not your distributor.

Echoing others, most of my sales are not through print. It's all going to be for what your goals are. Buying ISBNs is an investment to try and make money on a physical copy of your book, whether you buy the ISBN or whether CreateSpace does.

I initially did print because I had a goal for myself and I had to have print books to do it. My first book was through CreateSpace and I used their free ISBN to set up, however because my experiences have been less than stellar with them I bought my own ISBNs, switched platforms, and republished. When I run out of ISBNs, I'll buy more.

I will however dispel the notion that print is on its way out. I know many readers who still prefer a physical copy of a book in their hands over a tablet. I'm one of them. True, they're a little harder to reach, but they exist.

I have 2 of my books available in paperback, and I don't believe I've sold a physical copy of either in 4-5 years. All of my book sales are ebooks. And frankly, I've had a handful of people say they prefer paperbacks, but they didn't indicate that they'd buy mine, and I don't think they would if it were available. I'm thinking about publishing my scifi trilogy in paperback version next year when I get the final book done, but the jury's still out on that one.
On the I.S.B.N. you can get a free one assigned if you also publish through Smashwords.

For the Canadian authors out there, you can get all your ISBN's free through the Library of Canada. I am in the process of seeing if they will work through Amazon and will let people know more.

Yes, Canadian ISBN numbers work at Amazon.

The only reason one would need to purchase an ISBN is if one were planning to publishing wide. If you only have your e-book and paperback on Amazon, then you do not need that expense.

However, if you put your e-book on Amazon, Pronoun, D2D and Smashwords to get it out to the most distributors possible, if you use the free ISBN each site provides, then the trackers for bestseller lists won't see all of your sales in one lump, they will only see whichever one they poll, not all your sales added together.

Same for Paperback. If you only plan to publish through createspace, then using their ISBN is fine, however if you want to get your books into bookstores, (Like B & N) you will need to go through Ingram Spark and offer returnability. At that point, you need your own ISBN.

It really just depends on what your goals are and how much money you have available. Are ISBNs the end all be all? No, not at all. But are they one step more to demonstrate that you are aiming for the big leagues? Yeah. If you have the choice between putting money towards ISBN or toward a cover artist, I would go with the cover artist though.

Heidi wrote: "Same for Paperback. If you only plan to publish through createspace, then using their ISBN is fine, however if you want to get your books into bookstores, (Like B & N) you will need to go through Ingram Spark and offer returnability. At that point, you need your own ISBN."

Not necessarily. Yes, you'll need a specific package through Ingram if you want to have brick and mortar stores carry your titles (outside of those you approach yourself), but you can opt for wide distribution with a Createspace ISBN and your paperback book will be available through Ingram, on the B&N website, etc.

Christina wrote: "Heidi wrote: "Same for Paperback. If you only plan to publish through createspace, then using their ISBN is fine, however if you want to get your books into bookstores, (Like B & N) you will need t..."

Yes, with expanded distribution your book is available through IS with Amazon, however most retailers won't order it because it doesn't have returnability and if it doesn't sell, they are stuck with it. B & N, at least in my area, won't take books on consignment from the author. They have to order through IS with returnability. The only way an author can offer that without going through IS is to set up individual contracts with every store, many of which aren't willing to do that. You can't do that with Walmart, Costco, Target, or most other chain stores, which leaves you limited to hoping small indie stores will. Some do, some don't.

Personally, all the copies I've sold of my book have been paperback, except 1. I don't have experience with createspace, since I used the print beta version of Amazon. It's been really convenient to have both my ebook & paperback version in the same place. I didn't even need to worry about an ISBN, because they provided one for me. The only downside has been that​ I didn't receive any free copies as the author but had to pay full price.

In addition to the return issue, is the wholesale discount that book stores require, which is 40%. Createspace cannot offer it as an option to the author because they are using Ingram Sparks to distribute the book and Ingram takes a cut. This is why the royalty drops.

J.L. wrote: "Heidi wrote: "The only reason one would need to purchase an ISBN is if one were planning to publishing wide. If you only have your e-book and paperback on Amazon, then you do not need that expense...."
Something you might have overlooked: an ISBN is usually needed to alert the Library Suppliers (to encourage buying) and it helps Google to list you as a published author of a title when that title is typed into Google. I found that out one day whilst Googling my book titles, as I have several. You can even update your author bio in Google if it is wrong.
Mind you, we pay $44 an ISBN and $88 + $55 in Australia to get a 10-pack and register, whereas you pay a lot more in America. Reminds me of that Dire Straits song... get your money for nothing...

This thread is really pertinent as I'm about to load my debut book into IS (for print) and also Amazon/CS (for both print and ebook). I opted to go with ISBNs for both print and the e-versions for many of the reasons noted above including that for the print version, it's a standard identifier for booksellers, libraries, and on-line sellers of print books. The ISBN sits right over the bar code. If you do only ebook business, you can not bother with an ISBN. Be aware that if you do choose to identify both your print and e-versions with ISBN, they need to be separate numbers, so buy a 10 pack to save per unit costs.

I've gone with Createspace for all my books and I usually have them give me an ISBN as I don't want to pay the money and am not big on creating my own.

I purchased an ISBN through Createspace for $99 and then imprinted the publishing information as my own company. I believe the free ISBN through Createspace lists Createspace as the publisher. Not sure if that matters to everyone or not, but I try to give the illusion that my books are through a small Indie publisher, not a print on demand company. Some readers are still hung up on the stigma of vanity and print on demand services.

I elected to get my own ISBNs for the reasons noted above - to minimize the perception that I'm a small indi publisher. Also, if I distribute my books via several platforms, I'd rather not have the CS brand attached to it. However, if these aren't concerns, get the ISBN through CS.

M.S. wrote: "Could I ask why my post was deleted? Independent, but have been doing this for 20 years. I explained where to buy ISBNs in bulk far less expensively if you're willing to fill out several pages of d..."

I didn't see your post, but if there was a link, legitimate or not, the post gets deleted. We've had too many malicious links in the past to check each one. You can name a service like Bowker, but don't directly link. They are easy enough to find.

M.S. wrote: "Oh! My apologies! There was."

IngramSpark uses Bowker. :-) Just found out in case anyone needs that info.

Canadian eBook ISBNs are free from Canadian Gov Services

Bowker is offering bar codes, do we need bar codes for our books? IngramSpark doesn't ask for them, I guess not. What do you think?

Oh and IngramSpark sells the ISBN's for $85 a piece -I think- at least that's what their training video says. I think, though it makes sense to buy the bulk from Bowker.

After buying the ISBNs on Bowker, has anyone gone through the full registration process with Bowker on myidentifiers? I'm getting lost as they are asking for specific details. Is it worth it to do this? Thanks!

Yes, if for no other reason than the price. I bought 10 numbers ($250) and have used six for two books. That is a huge savings.

If an author only has a single book and only one version that requires an ISBN, and no plans to publish another, then it makes sense to use one purchased from either Createspace or IngramSpark. They handle all the paperwork.

But, I feel your pain. Some of these sites are not user friendly and Bowker is one of them.

Anita wrote: "Yes, if for no other reason than the price. I bought 10 numbers ($250) and have used six for two books. That is a huge savings.

If an author only has a single book and only one version that requi..."
So you filled out all that information on my identifiers? I think I just have to call them. 😂

Yep.

Anita wrote: "Yep."
Ok, thanks!

Christine wrote: "Anita wrote: "Yep."
Ok, thanks!"

If I can help with anything, send me a pm. I'd be glad to help.

Anita wrote: "Christine wrote: "Anita wrote: "Yep."
Ok, thanks!"

If I can help with anything, send me a pm. I'd be glad to help."

Thanks! It's on my list to do tomorrow.

I purchase my own ISBNs in bulk. I publish through my own house, so it only makes sense.

I sell paperbacks two to one over E-books. I also have a larger profit margin. Two small airports that I fly to on a regular basis carry a few copies for me and pilots waiting for fuel or passengers tend to impulse buy my books as a way to kill time.

I also sell books out of the back seat of my truck. That way there is no excuse for someone who is interested not to have a copy immediately.

The only downside is that I have fewer reviews and my ratings on Amazon are not as high because the books are not sold through their site.

Don wrote: "I sell paperbacks two to one over E-books. I also have a larger profit margin. Two small airports that I fly to on a regular basis carry a few copies for me and pilots waiting for fuel or passenger..."

Airports are a great idea! I love that, I will bring my book to them when it's done. Thanks for that Don! 👍

I purchased my own. You could find another author (or more) and purchase them in bulk and spread out the cost. It depends if you want our book to be published by CreateSpace or by your own independent publishing entity. Hope that helps!

J.L. wrote: "Hello,

Looking for people's experiences with print books. I've only ever done ebooks. My first fiction book is ebook only right now, but I've had a few people who don't read on tablets ask me if I..."

If you use POD companies like Createspace, you can either have them create an ISBN (which is what I do) or you can purchase your own from bowker.com or myidentifiers.com.