Amazon has expanded the Print-on-Demand distribution channel from its CreateSpace subsidiary. The new Expanded Distribution Channel, identified by its acronym EDC, allows distribution through additional outlets to the retail and wholesale market. I have read the full release of this announcement and you can as well by linking to the CreateSpace Website
All in all, it seems like a good move for many who have not taken the time (and shared the frustrations) of creating an account with and uploading their work to Lightning Source, Inc (LSI). My personal experience is that it is easier to format your covers and interior materials for CreateSpace than for LSI. Distributing your book via LSI seems to offer all of the advantages of the new EDC with respect to getting your book into retail stores.
There are, however, some issues that you might want to consider prior to using EDC as your conduit to the wholesale and retail space.
To begin with, you must upgrade your CreateSpace account to the Pro Plan FOR EACH TITLE. I believe this to be a plus for many authors. The additional royalties earned with the small initial subscription of $39 and an annual renewal of $5 nets greater money back to the author unless the author has a large number of titles where none of them sell in anything but very small numbers. Do the arithmetic and figure this one out. CreateSpace has a link for a ROYALTY CALCULATOR that will further help you make this determination. Email me with your particular situation (number of titles and historical or forecasted sales and I will help you out!). The remaining issues surrounding EDC are a little more disconcerting to me – only time will tell if my concerns are warranted.
My principal cause for some worry is the engagement of new third parties outside of the print shops currently being used. I am fairly certain that Amazon uses third party printers scattered around the country for Print-on-Demand today and I have no problem with that. The wording in the announcement is clear to me that they, probably for financial reasons, are reaching beyond this capable team. I smell China!! Maybe I’m reading too much in this, but Amazon warns us in the web announcement that, “There may be some minor differences in manufacturing (e.g. paper thickness, color shade, etc.) between the EDC and other Channels.” One of the great things about CreateSpace has been the consistency in quality of their manufacturing. Those of you who know me know that I’m a little fanatical here, but I think that a key to selling your hard work is the professional quality of the final product, content and appearance. With my clients, I’m crazy about this! Maybe we will see over time that these new third parties will do the same job, but I’m in a “show me” frame of mind!
My next concern is the additional fee for changes to your cover or interior of $25 per uploaded change (for EDC). One of the great features of Print-on-Demand has been the author’s ability to make changes to the work over time. My own view is that a new publishing model is evolving where a work is produced and improved with feedback from readers enhancing their work with each iteration. It’s a brave new world out there in cyberspace, we collaborate and some very traditional models are undergoing change supported by new technology. This fee, while small to some, will be an obstacle for many authors I speak with.
Finally, it seems that Amazon has a little more work to do making this new distributed manufacturing model work seamlessly. The reporting and royalty delay along with the new fees demonstrate that the interaction between Amazon and its new partners needs some optimizing.
In summary, I still plan to upload to LSI for wholesale and retail distribution until this new model fully shakes out at Amazon. I am very hopeful (but you know how I feel about being “hopeful”) that Amazon makes this work (and makes a couple of immediate policy changes) and that will allow me to reduce the amount of work for all of us by reducing the number of distribution partners that we must now use.
If you elect to use the EDC, these are the steps to take. Good luck and keep writing!!
How to Activate the Expanded Distribution Channel for your title :
Step 1: Login to your account.
Step 2: Click the title name of the book you’d like to update.
Step 3: Navigate to the Sales Channel Management page.
You will see the EDC distribution outlets for which your book is eligible.
Step 4: Upgrade to Pro Plan if needed – Already enrolled in Pro Plan? skip to Step 5. In order to access the Expanded Distribution Channel, your book must be opted into Pro Plan. Learn more about the benefits of Pro Plan, including higher royalties and reduced manufacturing fees.
Step 5: Enable the Distribution Outlets you want then click Save Changes at the bottom of the page to activate the EDC.
Opinions? I’d like to hear them.
