CreateSpace, which is owned by Amazon, offers authors a very simple way to self-publish their manuscripts. Authors can choose how their book will look, including the trim size, binding and colors. While CreateSpace's basic service is free, authors do pay for their proof copies and any other upgrades to their printing package. CreateSpace offers authors the chance to enroll in their Pro Plan, which costs $39 dollars and includes distribution to Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other online retailers. CreateSpace also automatically creates an e-store on their site for each published book. They take care of shipping and purchasing on the e-store. Authors choose their own prices (which determines their royalties) and can elect to use any of CreateSpace's additional editing or publicity packages.
Lulu also offers a very inexpensive, user-friendly self-publishing service. The Lulu author chooses from five different kinds of book binding options, colored or standard black and white pages, trim sizes and paper type. The authors also design their own covers using the cover creator. Lulu offers discounts for the authors who want to utilize Fotolia.com's stock photos for their books. Lulu also offers authors the chance to publish poetry books or children's books using specific packages in those areas. Authors can also choose from simple "a la carte" extra services, like formatting, editing and marketing.
Self-publishing is simplified using Cafe Press' self-publishing services. While there are limited options with Cafe Press, this is a great service for authors who want a no muss, no fuss experience. The author can choose between five book sizes and three binding options. All books are black and white with colored covers. Pricing includes book production, order management, fulfillment and customer service. You choose the retail price and earn the difference between the retail price and Cafe Press' base price. Cafe Press' prices are cheap, and pricing, according to the website for Cafe Press, is based on the number of pages in the book along with the type of binding. A standard 100 page book would be $10. Authors set their own book retail prices and earn royalties based on that.
iUniverse's publishing options are priced a bit higher, but include several additional options. Unlike Cafe Press, CreateSpace and Lulu (whose authors can buy their books at a discounted price), iUniverse prints an author's book and provides with a certain number of free copies. The basic package is around $600 and offers custom covers, five free copies, electronic distribution, and a volume discount on book purchases for authors, among other features. The other five packages increase with price from there, including editorial input and social networking set-up.