Monday, October 29, 2012

Steps to Publishing Your Art Catalog on CreateSpace

I hope you are finding the How to Self-Publish Your Own Quilt Catalog workbook useful to bringing your quilt art to others. So, now that you have your manuscript, how do you get it published? Here is an overview of the major steps for publishing your art catalog on CreateSpace.

1.  Visit www.CreateSpace.com. You'll want to Create a New Account. Complete the requested information. Once you've done this you'll get an email with a link to activate your account. Creating an account is free.




2. Add a New Title to start your quilt, guild, or gallery catalog. You'll need to complete the Start Your New Project page.  Selected the Guided set up process.


3.In the How to Self-Publish Your Own Quilt Catalog, Step 12 asked you to gather some information about your book. If you have completed this step, the upload of your book should go quickly!  On the Title Information page, you'll add the title of your book (no typos!), author name, catalog description, etc.  
 4.Choose your ISBN option. You can use a CreateSpace ISBN for free or use one of your own ISBNs that you have purchased from www.ISBN.org.  Even if you use a CreateSpace ISBN, you still keep all rights to you art catalog. Refer to the CreateSpace Service agreement if you have any questions.
 5. Describe your book's interior features.  Indicate if your full-color quilt, guild or gallery art catalog will have what trim size? When you select full-color interior, you'll notice that white paper is automatically selected.  Next, indicate if you're going to upload your book or manuscript file or if you want to pay for CreateSpace's professional design services to format your manuscript. Now, the How to Self-Publish Your Quilt Catalog shows you how to format your own Microsoft Word document so you don't have to pay for someone to design your catalog if you don't want to.

 6. Next, if you are uploading your own book or manuscript file, now is the time to upload!  Once the file is uploaded, the free CreateSpace Interior Reviewer will show you page-by-page how the book interior looks. The Interior Reviewer will highlight potential printing problems. At any point you can correct an error, and upload a revised manuscript.

7. Now, upload or create your own book cover. CreateSpace provide three choices for you: Build your own cover using their free templates, uploading a cover you have, or paying CreateSpace to design a cover for you.
8. CreateSpace has about a dozen or so template cover designs that you can customize - no programing or other technical skills needed!  I know - I used one of the free template to create the cover for How to Self-Publish Your Own Quilt Catalog!

For this example, I used the template - and even used one of CreateSpaces free images for this sample cover. 
 
9.  Now it's time to submit your interior and cover for CreateSpace to review and approve for printing.
CreateSpace will email you in a day or so that it has approved your files or may ask you to correct something that will hinder printing and resubmit the file(s).  You'll next have to provide Sales Information for your book as well as indicate where you want to sell your book (e.g., Amazon, expanded distribution to other online sites, Amazon sites in UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain) and the book's retail price. Be sure to order a physical proof.  I have rarely ordered a proof and not seen some mistake that I was able to correct (e.g., misspelled word, etc.). And, from personal experience, it a absolutely FABULOUS to see your proof when it arrives - to see your name in print and to actually hold in your hands your own catalog!


Do let me know when you're quilt catalog is published.  I'd love to read it and share your good news with others here on the blog. Enjoy!

"A Journey Through Plastic Space" by Marcella Hayes Muhammad

While I was on a social media site, I read about Marcella Hayes Muhammad's art catalog. This 60-page full color catalog features her abstract, cubism work. There are nearly 50 images in this catalog - all for only $10. CreateSpace is used to publish this art catalog, that includes an essay by Dr. William E. Colvin from Alabama State University as well as text by Mrs. Muhammad. She shares her inspiration and insights about creating her still life, musical, Maruvian mask, and figurative series. And, if you're in the UK, you can also purchase the catalog

Congratulations Mrs. Muhammad on "A Journey Through Plastic Space".  Enjoy!