Soon i will be hopefully publishing my first book via Createspace. I would like advice on when I should register myself and would it be best to do it as a sole trader or a limited company?
Do I also have to get any sort of insurance?
Thanks in advance
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer. I will heed your advice :)
Read the Ts and Cs carefully, Victoria - so tempting just to ignore them. I printed them off and have kept a copy.
You can register before you upload your novel, and there is no time limit on that process. That then gives you access to how-to guides which are rather better than the ones available online, which I found to be out of date.
The one thing I would say is do not sign off on your book until you are certain that it is as perfect as you can get it. You can re-upload it as often as you want before then, but get a physical proof copy and read it very carefully at least twice, cover to cover. In fact I had two, as the first one was too big and the font was no good. Seeing the physical book is the only way to know it it looks and feels right. You really can't judge it online. Paper colour, font, the size and therefore the number of pages, whether the gutter is big enough or the text gets swallowed up, the cover - there's a lot to consider. Even the paper colour affects the weight and finish of the book, as cream is thicker than white.
Once you accept the proof, you cannot change the book - it is registered against the ISBN number as a physical entity as it stands, with its cover. The only way to make any changes after that is to trash it and start again with another ISBN and so forth. With a kindle version you can change it after it's been published, but with a physical book, you can't.
You don't need insurance, to the best of my knowledge. It's CS who print and supply the copies as and when ordered, not you. Make sure you put the usual copyright notice in the front matter, along with 10- and 13-digit ISBNs. They'll turn these into a barcode for the cover.
I didn't register as either - just as the author and publisher, but you can sign up as a limited company if you wish. You have to give your tax reference number for IR purposes, (so if you'd need a business tax code you'd have to do that in advance,) and as the US and the UK have a dual tax agreement, you then shouldn't pay any taxes on sales in the US.
Good luck with your book!
Lorraine