- As a continued part of
the self-published book unboxing series,
we're gonna compare two very similar platforms,
in CreateSpace and KDP Print,
and yes, you heard me right.
Even though CreateSpace has merged with KDP Print,
we're still going to compare one with the other.
You're gonna be pretty surprised with the news,
so stay tuned.
(music)
Welcome to Self Publishing with Dale,
where you'll learn to publish books that sell,
and build an unstoppable brand.
Today, we're going to unbox three different books
on two different platforms,
and they include KDP Print and CreateSpace.
I know that there's been the merge
of CreateSpace over to KDP Print;
however, there are some people that have
stuck around over at the CreateSpace platform,
so I'm very fortunate that these indie authors
actually helped out in the production of this series.
Before we do jump into the unboxing,
I wanna let you know, this is no reflection
of the manuscript or content within the pages of the book,
and more so on the distribution platform services.
The three key metrics we're gonna focus on are,
delivery time, shipping and handling, and quality.
Even though we've heard from Amazon
that CreateSpace merged with KDP Print,
and they've held on to the same print services,
I'm coming into it with a sense of reservation,
because you're gonna be surprised
with what I have with the unboxing.
First and foremost, Lorenzo sent his book out to me,
and it took a total of 16 days
for Amazon to fulfill the print run.
Believe it or not, he ordered it directly from Amazon,
so you would have thought it would've come a lot sooner.
Much like I've reflected before
in a previous video about KDP Print,
they still ship their books out in a bubble wrap envelope.
Fortunately, this book came in pristine shape,
there's no real issues.
I'm really happy with how it arrived on my doorstep,
but I would have been fairly disappointed
if they had been kicked around,
or the binding would have been broken up.
You'll find out in future videos that
there was one book that didn't fare
as well as this one did.
Lorenzo's book is measuring six by nine.
It's a glossy cover, as well as cream-colored paper.
The cut is great, everything looks in awesome shape,
I'm really happy with the print quality when it came out.
But what's that say about CreateSpace?
Hold on.
Because I found something fairly interesting.
I'm fortunate that a viewer of the channel,
Greg Austin, believe it or not,
has his book over on CreateSpace,
and he had it on KDP Print, as well.
They were the same publication, with the same cover,
and with only a slight degree of variation
in the type of paper that he utilized.
Greg ordered a copy of his book here
from KDP Print and had it shipped,
and it was to my doorstep within seven days.
Let's compare that over to the one
that I had with Lorenzo's book, which took nearly two weeks.
There's really no explanation of
why I was able to get this one faster than this one.
They both have the same type of shipping and packaging,
so what gives here, Amazon?
Again, the shipping and handling,
it was in a bubble wrap envelope, but thankfully,
I've discovered with smaller books,
they are less apt to get damaged
in a bubble wrapped envelope being shipped here,
because, obviously, there's no real weight to it.
Unless your post office is kicking your package around,
this tiny book isn't gonna get beat up.
The interior of the pages are cream-colored,
and the cut of the book looks great.
We're gonna put a pin in
this particular book for the moment.
Here we have the CreateSpace version of Greg's book.
Now, it should be noted that the only difference
between one book and the next is the coloring of paper.
He actually had cream-colored on KDP Print;
whereas, he has white paper over on CreateSpace.
Either one works.
I tried to look and compare between one or the other,
and it didn't change my experience as far as reading goes.
But what about the delivery time?
This is where it gets a little different.
CreateSpace, their track record, like I said before,
is if you order directly from them,
it's gonna take about a couple weeks,
and it did take 15 days.
Comparing the two side by side,
you're getting one week for delivery on Amazon,
and you're getting two weeks for delivery
through CreateSpace.
But, you also look over here,
and the fact that this one took two weeks
versus the other one that took one week.
Hm, confused yet?
Shipping and handling.
I am gonna say this ad nauseum,
print on demand distribution platforms,
take notice of how CreateSpace ships their books.
They do it through a corrugated cardboard envelope,
and it protects this book so that way when I get it,
it's not all manhandled or beat up.
That makes a world of a difference
to a person who is paying full retail value,
that they have something that is showroom worthy.
Just because we've ordered online
doesn't mean we want to sacrifice
the quality that we get the book in.
All print on demand distribution platforms, pay attention.
CreateSpace nailed it when it came to shipping and handling.
Now here is where it gets even more interesting,
and I'm sure someone from Amazon
will probably correct me at some point or another.
There is a slight difference
in the actual color of the cover.
Each one of them is glossy, but oddly enough,
and you're probably not gonna see this,
but up close, there is a brighter color
to the KDP Print cover
versus the darker color on CreateSpace.
It is a mild difference,
but it is a difference, nonetheless.
That's the only thing I could notice,
outside of a little bit of a difference
as far as the cover setting on the spine.
The spine, it's a little bit off on the CreateSpace version
versus the KDP Print, which it's directly on the spine.
So what do you think about CreateSpace versus KDP Print?
What were some of the things that you appreciated
of the CreateSpace platform that
you would love to see over on KDP Print?
Remember, Amazon is paying attention to this,
so there's a good chance they might see your comment.
In the meantime, this party is not over.
In fact, we are gonna go ahead,
and we're gonna do another comparison,
so you're gonna wanna go take a look at the next video.
That way you get a good comparison
of one print on demand distribution platform to the other.
'Til later, I'll see ya over there.