CreateSpace vs KDP Paperback | Self Published Book Unboxing

About this video

Note: summarized from the Arabic caption track. As part of a self-published book unboxing series, Dale compares CreateSpace and KDP Print — noting CreateSpace had been merged into KDP Print — using three books and focusing not on manuscript content but on the distribution service: delivery time, shipping and handling, and quality. One author’s 6x9 glossy book with cream paper, ordered directly from Amazon, took a total of 16 days for printing and delivery in his account, arrived in a bubble-padded envelope, and arrived in excellent condition with good trim, though he worries such envelopes offer little protection. For another author, Greg Austin, who had the same book on both platforms, the KDP Print copy arrived in 7 days, also in a bubble envelope, with cream pages and good trim; the smaller book seemed less prone to damage. The CreateSpace copy took 15 days — about two weeks versus about one week via Amazon/KDP — but shipped in a stiff cardboard envelope that protected it better, which Dale praises and says all print-on-demand platforms should note. On quality, both covers are glossy, but he notices the KDP Print cover color is slightly brighter versus the darker CreateSpace cover, and the spine alignment is centered on KDP Print while slightly off-center on CreateSpace. Paper color was the other deliberate difference in Greg’s copies (cream on KDP, white on CreateSpace), which Dale says did not change his reading experience. He invites viewers to comment on what CreateSpace features they want KDP Print to keep.

Key takeaways

• The comparison judges the platforms on delivery time, shipping/handling, and print quality, not on the books’ content.
• In the examples given, KDP Print delivery was about 7 days versus about 15-16 days for the CreateSpace/other copy discussed.
• KDP copies arrived in bubble-padded envelopes, while CreateSpace used a stiff cardboard envelope that Dale says protected the book better.
• Print quality was close: KDP Print’s cover was slightly brighter and its spine centered, while CreateSpace’s spine was slightly off-center.
• Cream versus white paper in the compared copies did not change the creator’s reading experience, in his assessment.

Episode details: published November 30, 2018 · 7:10 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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