Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing Review

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Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing ReviewI am astounded by the favorable reviews I see above. Honestly, this book is the worst I have ever come across, both in content and interior book design. Book design, in particular, should be exemplary in a book that promotes self-publishing.
My criticisms below will be extensive because (1) I feel ethically bound to counter the unaccountably positive reviews already posted here, maybe sparing you a disappointment,(2) Sivils' book gives self-publishing an undeserved bad name, and (3) it makes me angry to pay good money for a product and get junk.
I am familiar with books on POD self-publishing; I have three fine books by Aaron Shepard and five others. Most of the material in this book by Kevin Sivils could have been lifted from the competing books. This is not an indictment in itself, since they all take a similar approach to self-publishing, but I don't think I encountered one original thought in Sivils' book.
About copyediting: apparently, the book underwent none. Note the following:
On page 6 we see the phrase, "CreateSpace, the self-publishing company now owned by Amazon...." Eight lines below we are treated to "CreateSpace, being owned by Amazon,..."
"Like all human endeavors, look before you leap." This excruciating line is on pg. 7.
On page 12, the author recommends Steve Weber's book, ePublish. On page 20 he recommends it again using a different title: "Steve Weber's book, ePublishing, is a good resource...."
Some words are inexplicably broken into two words (e.g., "free lancers"). Hyphenated words frequently lose their hyphens (e.g., pop up box").
One of the appendices is titled, "Eight Items of Book Design Etiquette." The book itself follows seven.
The author has chosen to repeat the chapter name at the top of the page, which is fine. However, one title, which begins as "Why I Published With CreateSpace," mysteriously changes on the headers of subsequent pages to the ungrammatical "Why I Chose CreateSpace to Publish With."
Here is one example of the many content problems. Sivils refers more than once to "cover scribing." He seems to be talking about "cover copy." I cannot find the term "cover scribing" anywhere on the Internet. Anyone who knows much about publishing knows the term "cover copy."
Of all the books I've read on this subject, this is the only one that leaves readers in the dark about many important topics. Appropriate explanations are lacking in dozens of places. Here is an example: Sivils mentions "trim size" as a data item to be entered when adding a book to a CreateSpace account. He does not tell readers what the standard trim sizes are (as all the competing books do), nor does he explain why an author might want to choose one over another. The book doesn't offer even a hint as to what "trim size" means!
There are many instances of garbled text. Here are some of them:
"To unlock the files will remove the book from sale." (Page 80)
"You are limited to white or cream colored paper and indicates the choice in a drop menu." (Page 74. Also, the correct term is "drop-down menu.")
"What makes these books valuable to my customers is not the cover or the fancy, or lack of, interior book design, but the information about coaching basketball that is contained on the pages within." (Page 54).
Speaking of basketball, this book has some "information" that runs far afield of the interests of most readers. (A possible exception is the writer of one of the reviews above, who, like author Sivils, makes his living coaching and teaching. What a coincidence.) Here is some of that "information" on page 57:
"Since that time period rule changes have replaced the jump ball for tied possessions with the alternating possession rule and the three point shot has been introduced at every level of play except for the youngest players. Television has caused the introduction of the 30 second timeout on every level of play as well. These three rule changes alone have had a major impact on the strategy and tactics employed by successful basketball coaches."
It pains me to think that some of the money I paid for this book went to pay for this useless 74-word paragraph--which isn't relevant even when you read it in context.
The book is well-padded. For example, it includes an appendix of Suggested Websites that uses 12 pages to identify only 45 sites. The last six numbered pages contain only some information about the author and a blank Notes page.
Chapters are not numbered. There is no index. Fortunately, you won't need one, because there is nothing in the book worth looking up.
If you are not convinced by now that this book is trash, well, I don't know what else I can say. Good luck when you self-publish your own book! It will surely be much better than this one.
Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing OverviewThe decision to self-publish can be a confusing one. Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishingcan answer many questions for an author. For the questions it does not answer, it will point where the answer can be found. Use CreateSpace: * To self-publish your book for low cost.* Author Services to edit, design and lay-out your book for a professional appearance.* Marketing Services to promote and market your book.* Distribution to sell your book on Amazon and other channels normally not readily available for self-published authors.* Track your sales through your own CreateSpace sales dashboard.Self-Publishing with Amazon's CreateSpace: A Resource Guide for the Author Considering Self-Publishing also serves as a resource guide with information on:* the most helpful books on the self-publishing industry.* informative websites and blogs on the topics of self-publishing, book marketing, and a range of other topics related to self-publishing.* print-on-demand as a business model for a self-publisher.

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