In 2017 Kindle Direct Publishing introduced the facility for authors to self publish in paperback as well as on Kindle. This meant it was no longer necessary to use Createspace to produce paperbacks for sale on Amazon. However, there was a downside to moving away from Createspace towards KDP paperback publishing – unlike Createspace, KDP paperback publishing didn’t allow authors to order proof copies or author copies (i.e. books for the author to sell direct to the public). I blogged about this previously.
However, that has now changed!
It is now possible to order proof and author copies of paperback books via the KDP Author Bookshelf. According to Amazon, authors will pay just the printing costs plus delivery and any taxes. And the really good news? Copies for the UK and Europe will be printed and shipped from within Europe – an improvement on CreateSpace, which ships from America.
Chris McMullen has written a detailed blog post comparing Createspace and KDP paperback publishing, which is well worth a read if you’re wondering which path to take or whether to switch from Createspace to KDP. He concludes that for most authors KDP is now the better option.
On a personal note, I’m now glad I tried KDP paperback publishing for A Coffee Break Story Collection and will consider switching from Createspace when I need more author copies of Bedsit Three.
Sally Jenkins 
#1 by peter worthington on February 5, 2018 - 9:19 am
I may consider KDP for my sequel, when I get round to it! Thanks for the heads up.
#2 by Sally Jenkins on February 5, 2018 - 8:12 pm
Glad to be of use, Peter.
#3 by Liz Young on February 6, 2018 - 8:51 am
Me too, Peter!
#4 by Julia Thorley on February 6, 2018 - 6:15 pm
I don’t know why, but I’m wary of ordering paperback copies of my book long distance, as it were, from Amazon. I had ‘Nine Lives’ printed locally, which means I’m having to try hard to sell it, but I found it reassuring that it was all being done by a chap down the road and that I had total control of the process. I guess I’m just a bit old-fashioned!
#5 by Sally Jenkins on February 7, 2018 - 6:05 pm
Not old-fashioned, Julia – it’s good to support local businesses instead of massive organisations. It’s nice to have your booked treated as an individual.
#6 by eidswick on February 6, 2018 - 9:02 pm
This is good news, thanks. If only I didn’t live in Japan, where the cost of shipping will still diminish the benefits of this improvement!
#7 by Sally Jenkins on February 7, 2018 - 6:03 pm
Oh dear – I don’t know anything about how KDP operates in Japan!
#8 by Carl D'Agostino on February 6, 2018 - 9:53 pm
book marked this post, seen a lot about KDP