Quality Comparison ~ Lightning Source, Createspace

Lighting source vs. Createspace seems to be one of those debates that needs to be renewed every so often. I never found a clear answer on which books were of better quality (although the majority of recent posts sided with LSI). Since I have collected dozens of CS proofs and one LSI proof, I am at least somewhat qualified to throw one more penny in the mall fountain of internet research material.

Cost: The costs are common knowledge. Between setup fees and LSI's proof fee ($30 for a proof), I've spent over $100 setting up a title with LSI. At Createspace, I could've spent just $6 (proof + shipping). I emphasize could, because I ordered several proofs from them. Sometimes you just don't spot errors until you open the real book and there's a typo staring you in the face . I ended up ordering something like 10 proofs total (not that I made that many mistakes - I'd order them 3 or so at a time). On the plus side, I had extra copies to give away at work, but now I just realized I forgot to mention they were rejected proofs... with typos. So, oh well. I dorked that one up

Cover Quality: I thought the CS cover was pretty good until I got the LSI proof and could see the subtle differences. The most obvious is that the CS cover is very shiny and reflective. I'm not a big fan of that, since it distorts the cover art a bit. As it turns out, there's another good reason to avoid shiny covers: It may be a telltale sign that your book is self-published.

LSI did a slightly better job with the cover art design. Here is the original:

CS printed it with a bit too much contrast. I wouldn't have minded, since it's an abstract design - but I could see that being a problem if I had depicted a scene from the story, or something more traditional.

Paper Quality: This may not be a totally fair comparison, since I used creme paper for the LSI print. It was an option I didn't have with CS. I'm happy with the LSI creme paper. I think it just makes a better impression. It looks a little less like standard office printer paper. The biggest difference is one I don't think many people would think about: the smell.

I did a little comparison before my wife got home from work, so she wouldn't wonder why her husband was parading around the house smelling books. But I do think it's worth mentioning, because there are things a book buyer wouldn't really think about, but still take in. Smell, like other qualities, could give a subconscious impression. Neither book smells particularly better or worse. But the LSI paper smells more traditional, like the other books in the house. The CS paper smells more like a fresh ream of printer paper. Neither smelled like the books closest to the cat's litter box, which is a good thing.

Print Quality: I couldn't tell a difference in the print quality. One or two of my CS proofs had a couple of little blotches, but certainly nothing I wouldn't expect. Two blemishes total out of ten books isn't bad. I didn't spot any blemishes on the LSI proof, but keep in mind I only have one of those. 1/1 isn't statistically significant.

Both books feel and look sturdy. The pages don't feel like they're going to fall out. If I wanted to do a real study on this, I'd leave a copy of each in the car on a hot summer's day and see which holds up best - but I don't see the need to.

Overall: I'd say when it comes to the readability, both books are more or less the same. Both books look and feel like they'd hold up to the usual wear and tear. Both are clearly readable. That aside, I think the LSI book makes a slightly better initial impression. It just looks and feels more like a traditionally published book. Once the book is in the hands of the readers, the difference doesn't matter. Getting the book into those hands, however, is a different issue - and one I think LSI books have a slight advantage in.