Smashwords

While Kindle Publishing is perhaps the most popular format for those who want to reach a wide market with their eBooks, Smashwords is one of the largest and most effective eBook distributors in the world.  Smashwords' biggest selling point (and one that is very valid) is that it does not make money by selling services to authors, but rather makes a profit on selling books to readers.  Remember that POD companies make money on formatting and cover design, not book sales.  Anytime an author approaches a print-on-demand or eBook publisher, he or she should also be aware of endless package deals that attempt to upsell the customer on extra services, usually promotional in nature, that are generally worthless.  Smashwords has a straightforward and successful business model that is a viable option to Kindle (although one can format for both).  The company is also utilized by literary agents and conventional publishers as a distribution tool.

The eBooks found on Smashwords are compatible with platforms such as Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes and Noble Nook, iPhones, iPod Touch, and more.  Smashword distributes titles to major retailers, including Apple, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, Diesel eBook Store, and others.

Authors receive 85% of net proceeds and 70% through affiliate sales.  This is a lucrative arrangement for authors and rivals Kindle Direct, which gives authors 30% to 70% royalties.  Smashwords' percentages allow authors to charge less for their titles, which ostensibly results in greater sales.  Authors also receive free marketing tools, such as author pages, bios, and headshots.  Smashwords makes serious attempts to market titles since, as stated above, its profits are generated from sales, although the company expects authors to take the lead in promoting their books, which is standard in today's world of self-publishing.

As with most self-publishing operations, Smashwords authors are free to sell their works to mainstream publishers.  With more and more literary agents reading self-published books and taking their authors on as clients, what have you got to lose?  It's a brave new world in publishing.  Write a great book, have it properly edited, and get it into the literary marketplace.  You can't catch a fish unless you throw your line into the water.

~ William Hammett

Contact wmhammett@aol.com

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