Authors’ Notes

Having been an entrepreneur since 1985 and an Internet marketer since 1996, I am always on the lookout for new online ventures that will stand the test of time. That was my mindset when CreateSpace caught my eye.

The concept of self-publishing books for sale in the Amazon catalog first came to my attention in early 2009, when I came across a thread in a webmaster forum, a concept for making money producing and selling books on Amazon. At first I ignored it, as forums are rife with get-rich-quick schemes.

Months later, for some reason I decided to read the thread. It focused on a new way to self-publish on Amazon, called CreateSpace. It was reputed to be a quick and inexpensive way to produce books. Maybe I should give it a try, I thought. I already knew Photoshop, had in fact been working with it every day since 1995. What did I have to lose except time?

In order to test the CreateSpace model, I developed a test book, Greener Living Today: Forty Ways to a Green Lifestyle. In writing and publishing that book, I tested every part of the procedure, ordering numerous proofs, learning about search optimization in the book title, making design changes, changing color formats, and editing content.

During all this, I had questions and doubts. Would CreateSpace include a Table of Contents and add page numbers, or would I have to do that? I’d provided my own photographs—how would they look? Would the physical book have the same high quality as those we see on bookstore shelves?

I’m happy to report that CreateSpace books achieve a high standard. In fact, our photos look better than they do in some conventionally published books. And I’ve consistently been impressed with how easy it is to work with the CreateSpace system and people.

As soon as I saw the first copy of Greener Living Today, I knew it was the start, not the end, of my publishing career.

—Blake Webster
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As a teacher of weekly memoir-writing classes at the local junior college, I never know who’s going to walk through the door-or what impact that person will have on my life.  About a year ago, Elaine Webster walked into my class in pursuit of the written word. She found it and stayed.

One day Elaine told me about her husband, Blake. “You two should meet,” she said with a wink.

Then we did, at a class Christmas party. Blake, a longtime Internet entrepreneur, told me he was publishing a book, entitled Greener Living Today: Forty Ways to a Green Lifestyle.  “I hear you’re an author,” he added.

I told him I’d published more than thirty books, few of which had ever earned me more than my original advance.

He probed further. “You did them all through conventional publishing, right?”

I conceded that point.

“Have you ever heard of CreateSpace . . .?”

And so it went. On that day the seeds of a perfect partnership were planted. I often joke to Blake that between the two of us, we make a complete human being. He, the master of the technical side of the operation; me, the writer of nonfiction books. It’s Blake’s job to Photoshop the pages, interface with Amazon and CreateSpace, and perform a myriad of other tasks that never brush my consciousness. It’s my job to make sure the words are in proper order.

Two years ago, I thought I’d never author another book. CreateSpace and the Webster-Boga partnership changed all that and refueled my ardor for book writing.

No, you never know who’s going to walk in the door. Make sure you keep it open.

—Steve Boga