Amazon’s CreateSpace and KDP Print are Merging: What It Means for Authors

We recently reported on the multiple printing options available to self-published authors through Amazon with their CreateSpace and newly-launched-as-of-2018 Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Print programs (find the blog post here). Lo and behold, it’s recently been announced that Amazon is merging CreateSpace with KDP Print, and that in the coming weeks all books that have been published through CreateSpace will be moved over to KDP. Any change that affects an author’s books and distribution can create anxiety, and there are a few key differences between KDP Print and CreateSpace that we wish to highlight—but overall, this merger should only streamline the self-publishing process through Amazon. Below are some of the biggest shifts to expect from this upcoming development:

1. Payments are going to switch from every 30 days to every 60 days.

CreateSpace has been paying its authors every 30 days for books purchased in the previous month, but now payments will reflect KDP’s payment schedule for e-books, which is every 60 days after a book’s been purchased. For example, you’ll be paid in December for books that were sold in October, and so on.

2. Shorter books are going to cost more to print in Europe.

For color books that are less than 30 pages and black-and-white books that are less than 110 pages, the price to print is going to increase slightly for books produced in Europe. Amazon calculates your printing costs as such: Fixed cost + (page count * per page cost) = printing cost (find their fixed store costs on this page). Amazon offers a downloadable Excel printing cost calculator for an easy way to determine the cost of your book (find the link to download here).

3. Distribution through Amazon is required for expanded distribution options.

CreateSpace did not require authors who used their printing services to sell their paperbacks through Amazon in order to access expanded distribution options like bookstores, libraries and other retailers; this will change with KDP Print. Now authors must sell their books through Amazon’s marketplace in order to access larger distribution channels. In order to get around this if you do not want to sell paperbacks through Amazon’s marketplace, you can try another printing source like Ingram Spark. @AmazonPub @CreateSpace and @AmazonKDP Print are Merging: What It Means for #Authors. Click To Tweet

What do authors have to do?

In actuality, nothing. Amazon has stated that it will begin to move all books published through CreateSpace on its own beginning September of 2018, and while there is no “date of completion” listed when authors can expect all of their books to be moved over, it appears that this process will happen quickly and seamlessly. Amazon has provided a number of resources for authors who have questions about the process, want to know what to expect, or for those who want to initiate the change themselves (perhaps for an upcoming book release or simply to have everything in one place). A step-by-step video is included on the webpage, as well as instructions on how to start the move to KDP Print on your own. While the process of switching everything over can be intimidating, being able to manage all of your book titles—e-book and print—in one place through Amazon’s KDP program will only make things easier in terms of sales numbers, royalty rates, and filing taxes.

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