CreateSpace Vs. KDP Print – which is better?

Any author who has published a book on Amazon has probably used CreateSpace – their associated print-on-demand platform to create a physical version of their book. However, there is also the option of using KDP Print, a secondary print-on-demand platform that can be used to publish Kindle books.

Naturally, authors want to ensure that they choose the right platform to publish their books, and so here we hope to help break down the pros and cons of each. 

When you publish your ebook, you’ll almost instantly get a pop-up that invites you to add a print version of the book. Choosing between CreateSpace and KDP Print can be tricky as once you decide, you are locked in forever. 

According to Amazon KDP, Print was created to encourage more authors to release print versions of their books. It was supposed to make the process easier and more natural and allowed Amazon to directly reach out and encourage authors. But is it really worth switching if you are used to using Createspace? Let’s break it down:

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

While both options offer a variety of countries, they will distribute to. KDP print does seem to provide more territories such as Japan. However, it may be the case that they are printed in the US and then shipped to Japan if ordered to be sent there. 

If a worldwide distribution is important to you, alternative platforms such Ingram Spark or Lightning Source can be helpful. You can also purchase your own ISBN to use across all platforms. This will also ensure that your bestseller ranking doesn’t get diluted over several ISBNs.

ROYALTIES

Paying royalties on book sales is important to every author. So is there a disparity in how much you can make through each of these platforms? Well, they both offer a 60% royalty rate, and the production and printing cost calculation is also the same. However, it does alter slightly depending on the number of pages your book has. Less than 100 pages and CreateSpace will cost slightly less, but those between 101-108 pages will cost slightly more on CreateSpace. After that, they are the same.

Royalties are also worth investigating further as while the 60% royalty rate is the same, this is calculated on the list price, which is less specific. 

CreateSpace clearly defines “list price” as the price set by the author.

For KDP, the list price is the price the customer sees on the sales page. This can be confusing as Amazon often sells the book at a lower price than the author has set if the algorithm nudges it to do so. This means that if Amazon decides to offer a lower price on your book, and it sells at that price, your royalty will be based on this figure, rather than the price you set. 

ACCOUNTING

KDP Print has an unarguable awesome interface, which makes it really easy to track sales and royalties.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

One major difference between the two platforms is how often they will pay you. For CreateSpace, it’s 30 days. For KDP it’s 60 days – this makes a huge difference if you are trying to get your money in a hurry. 

PUBLISHING SERVICES

Both platforms offer a wealth of services such as ordering wholesale author copies at production print, printing out physical proofs, and expanded distribution.

SO WHICH ONE IS BEST FOR YOU?

In fairness, both platforms offer a similar package, so it is hard to call. However, the 30-day payout from CreateSpace and the clarity around list price still clinches the deal for us! What do you think? 

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