Self Publishing with Smashwords
By Kathy Sexton Readers Services Supervisor Today’s Agenda
• What is Smashwords? • Why use Smashwords? • How do I use Smashwords? • How do I track my ebook sales? • How do I market my ebook? What is Smashwords?
Why Smashwords? • Rights - You retain ownership rights and are able to publish your book with any other source at any time in the future • Exposure - Smashwords partners with several ebook distributors • Free! – Smashwords only takes a percentage of ebooks sold, there is no cost to publish your ebook Compensation
• Books sold on Smashwords earn approximately 85% of the retail price • Books sold on affiliate sites, like a publisher, author or blogger, receive approximately 70% • Books sold through distributors, like iBooks, Barnes and Noble or Overdrive, receive approximately 60% So am I going to sell tons of books and make big money???
• Probably not • Think of it as a long term investment in your writing career and as a way to get exposure Getting Paid
• If you do not reach the threshold, your balance will carry over to the next quarter. Distributors
• Apple – iBook stores in 51 countries • Barnes & Noble • Scribd, Oyster, Kobo, Yuzu, Blio • Overdrive – World’s largest library ebook platform • Baker & Taylor Axis 360 How do I get started?
• Sign up for Smashwords – it’s free and easy • Use the Smashwords Style Guide – it is a must if you want Smashwords to widely distribute your ebook • Follow the simple steps on the “Publish” page to publish your Microsoft Word document Smashwords Style Guide Smashwords Style Guide Need Help? Source Formats • Microsoft Word – preferred format • EPUB – can be uploaded with Smashwords Direct • Adobe InDesign – not accepted but the Style Guide gives instructions on transferring to Word • PDF – not accepted but can be converted • HTML Source File – not accepted but can be converted Formats • EPUB – the most common format that works with a majority of ereaders and apps • PDF – readable by most devices, good for books with lots of charts, graphs or a complex layout; not reflowable • MOBI – Amazon Kindle format • HTML – allows reading in a browser • PDB – PalmDoc primarily used for Palm Pilot devices • LRF – only for older Sony Readers • Plain Text – most widely supported file format but does not work well with images for fancy formatting Don’t Forget the ISBN! • An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique identifier associated with your book • If your book is in print as well, you will still need a different ISBN • Your ebook cannot be accepted by certain sales channels if it does not have an ISBN • So how do you get an ISBN? • What is Bowker? – The world’s leading provider of bibliographic information • Once you have created a Smashwords account and formatted your document according to the Style Guide, it’s time to PUBLISH!
• https://www.smashwords.com/upload Managing Your ebook(s) Where’s My Money?!? Marketing Your ebook A Few Marketing Tips
• Have a great cover • Local Libraries • Social Media • Free Press Release Wire Services • Encourage your fans to write reviews on Smashwords and other outlets • Connect with other authors More Resources Even More Resources
• Use Smashwords FAQ page – it’s pretty great
• Smashwords Video Workshops on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/Smashwords
• Check out the Smashwords blog - http://blog.smashwords.com Thank You!
Questions you think of later? [email protected]