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Createspace Getting Out of Publishing Services?

Createspace is best-known as Amazon’s POD service, but they also provide paid publishing services.

Or at least they used to. South Carolina’s The Post and Courier reports that Createspace will be laying off staff later this year as it exits the services market.

Amazon’s self-publishing service, Createspace, is laying off workers in its editing, marketing and design division in July because the company is getting out of the business of offering services to writers. The layoffs will mostly affect customer service positions. Createspace will continue to print books for authors with ambitions to sell their work without a publisher.

State records show that Createspace subsidiary is cutting 58 jobs in North Charleston. Layoffs will start in March, and the service division will close in July, according to a letter the company sent to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce on Thursday.

"After a thorough review of our service offerings, we’ve made the decision to discontinue Createspace’s paid professional editing, design and marketing services," Amazon said in a statement. "We will work closely with impacted employees through this transition to help them find new roles within the company or assist them with pursuing opportunities outside the company."

This is the second time in as many years that Amazon has cut positions in that area; last year they also moved one of their printing facilities from Charleston to elsewhere in the state, taking 150 jobs with it.

I have to say I was surprised to learn that Createspace was in the services market, much less that they were getting out of it. I’ve never met an author who had used these services, or even heard of them before.

Were they any good?

Thanks, Joe, for the tip!

image by MikeBlogs

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Comments


Joe Follansbee January 16, 2018 um 12:04 pm

Happy to help, Nate. FYI, I contacted CreateSpace and the person on the phone claimed no knowledge of any decision to get out of the "paid professional editing, design and marketing services," as the Amazon statement says. I’m a long-time CreateSpace customer, in the midst of publishing a series through the company. We need clarification on what’s happening at CreateSpace, so we can plan for a transition. I said as much to the CreateSpace person, but the response was non-committal.


S. J. Pajonas January 16, 2018 um 1:30 pm

When you go to publish a book with CS, they always give you the option of having them do your interior file or cover for a fee. It’s in the options on each of those steps. I’ve never used them, so I can’t say how great the services are. I always thought the fees were a little too high when I could easily do them myself, so I never bothered to try them.


Joe Follansbee January 16, 2018 um 3:37 pm

While Createspace is somewhat more expensive than competing services, they produce high-quality work and I appreciate their responsiveness when I have a question. I would be sad to see their editing and production services go away.


Mackay Bell January 16, 2018 um 9:58 pm

I used their services, including editing and interior formatting. They are a little expensive, but very professional. I was happy.


Don DeBon January 17, 2018 um 1:16 am

Never used their services, but they offered them at every step of the publishing process. They didn’t harass you like Author Solutions, but you knew of all the services available. I always thought they were a bit expensive, otherwise I might have tried their editing services.


Sharon Reamer January 17, 2018 um 5:51 am

I used them for four books for interior and cover design. Very professional. Phone consultations were free (even for Germany) and whenever I had a problem they were quick to resolve it.

I don’t need them any more, but when I started out it was the quick and easy (but somewhat expensive) way to achieve a professional result. And there is never any question whatsoever about who the publisher is – the author – so I wouldn’t even begin to equate them with vanity.

My (four) interiors were tied up with them, but when I wrote and asked them to release the contents so I could redo the interiors and make my own changes (to save money – they charge for revisions), they were quick to do so and without any charge.

All in all, if I was just starting out again, I’d not hesitate to use them.

Their editing was too expensive for me – I had that done elsewhere, but I don’t doubt it would be good as well.


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KFM January 30, 2018 um 10:12 am

I’ve used them on two books for the interior layout and they did a good job. For what I got I didn’t think the price was out of line although I think their editing services were expensive and never used them.

I’m not all that computer savvy and it was just easier to have them do a simple interior and it looked great when they were done. Working on a third book now so I guess I’m going to have to find an alternative or learn to do it myself!


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