A follower asked if I would compare the Diamond publishing package offered by Outskirts Press with Createspace’s option. He didn’t specify which package he was interested in at Createspace, so I decided to compare the package with a similar price point — the Standard.
I do not envy the author shopping the self-publishing market as it is impossible to do apples-to-apples comparisons since no two packages are going to offer exactly the same features and services. As a professional in the industry, it’s easier for me to cut through the fluff, charts and graphs and distill it down for an author. That’s just what I’ve done here, but remember, offerings change sometimes, so this comparison is current as of the date I did my researcher (November 20th, 2013), and it is limited to information I could obtain on the website of the two companies.
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Outskirts Press Diamond Publishing Package
$999 |
CreateSpace Standard Publishing Package
$948 |
P
R
O
D
U
C
T
I
O
N |
Paperback Format |
✓ |
✓ |
Customizable Cover (1 stock image) |
✓ |
✓ |
| Professional Interior Formatting |
✓ |
✓ |
| Interior images |
10 for $49 |
10 Free |
| Interior Charts, Tables, Graphs |
10 for $49 |
$25 each |
| Author Copies (Paperback) |
10 Copies |
0? Not listed on package page |
| Free Standard eBook Format |
✓ |
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M
A
R
K
E
T
I
N
G |
Standard Press Release |
✓ |
No mention of these items on the Standard package page or comparison chart |
| Author Webpage |
✓ |
| Streaming Audio |
✓ |
| Marketing COACH Emails (2 years) |
✓ |
In the above comparison of just the package basics, there are many similarities and really only two differences that stand out:
- The Diamond package includes a few marketing options and nothing similar is shown to come with the Standard package.
- The Standard package includes the insertion of 10 interior images, while this service costs extra with the Diamond package. If you don’t have any interior images, this won’t matter to you. But, if you have interior elements that are charts, graphs or tables, these are included in the “10 for $49” fee with the Diamond while you may pay $25 for each chart/graph/table with the Standard.
In addition to looking at the upfront cost and package inclusions, it’s important to look at royalties. It’s also imperative that you use the same parameters in determining this pricing information. For my research, I used a 6″ x 9″ paperback, black and white interior with 100 pages and a retail price of $9.95. Here are the results:
The CreateSpace site indicates they will deduct a sales channel %, a fixed charge and a per page charge. The result is the author’s royalty.
- If you want Amazon only distribution, then the sales channel % is 40 ($3.98).
- If you want expanded distribution, then the sales channel % is 60 ($5.97).
- For our parameters, the fixed charge is $2.15 per book.
- The per page charge for less than 108 pages is $0.
- Therefore, $9.95 retail less $3.98 sales channel, less $2.15 fixed charge nets a royalty of $3.82 if you want Amazon only distribution.
- Or, $9.95 retail less $5.97 sales channel, less $2.15 fixed charge nets a royalty of $1.83 if you want distribution beyond Amazon.
Outskirts Press has an easy to use and easy to find pricing calculator on their website. They will deduct the trade discount and a base price. The result is the author’s royalty.
- The trade discount is 25% ($2.49) for online distribution (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and more).
- For our parameters, the base price is $4.52.
- Therefore, $9.95 retail less $2.49 trade discount, less $4.52 base price nets a royalty of $2.94 – regardless of where the book is sold online.
After comparing the two self-publishing services side-by-side, the winner looks to be Outskirts Press. You’ll pay $51 more upfront, but if you want distribution beyond just Amazon, you’ll reap the long-term benefits with the higher royalties from Outskirts Press.
See all the benefits and features of the Diamond publishing package here.
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ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path. |
