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Joined: 5/21/2011
Posts: 8
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I'm considering putting out my work through Smashwords, and I'm looking for some advice from veterans. How would you sum up the process? Are there any mistakes I should avoid? Do you have any other inside tips for a newbie?
Thanks in advance! :>
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Joined: 5/23/2011
Posts: 5
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I just did it a few days ago. It's alright. It takes a lot of work to format your book to their standards, and you really need their style guide to get the hang of it.
It also seems to take a really long time for them to approve your book for sale via their retail partners. Mine's been "pending review" for four days.
Amazon's direct publishing model seems a lot more refined, IMO.
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Joined: 5/21/2011
Posts: 8
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Thanks for the info, Jonathan! I've been considering just going through Amazon as well, but Smashwords seems like such an easy way to get a book out there to all the venues at once...but if they're slow, it's almost not worth it. Part of the obvious appeal of digital is the speed of publication. It seems a shame that they're cutting that out somewhat.
Keep me posted. I'd love to hear more on your experience as it progresses!
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Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 4
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Smashwords still does not have an agreement with Amazon, though it will tell you that your book will be distributed for Kindle. I'm sure it will be if they ever get an agreement. I've published some short items with Smashwords and once I realized that they weren't going to get on Amazon through Smashwords, I unshipped them for Kindle and published them on Kindle myself. For the rest, I haven't sold much on Smashwords itself, but the affiliates have been pretty good, particularly Barnes and Noble.
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Joined: 5/21/2011
Posts: 8
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Thanks for the clarification! I had no idea they didn't have an actual agreement with Amazon. I guess going through both may be the best way to go....
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Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 4
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This is very helpful for me, too. I took a work as a way to get familiar and it was pretty easy to follow their formatting guidelines. As of this writing it is in review for the premier listing. The Amazon thing is troubling and if I don't see my work on Amazon, I don't think I'll use smashword for the novel I'm getting a professional designer do a cover for. The 10,000 story Lovecraftian tale is The Strange Case of James Kirkland Pilley. I priced it at 99 cents. If it's inappropriate for me to hawk my wares on this site or in this forum, just let me know.
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Joined: 4/29/2011
Posts: 8
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I don't see the time it takes as being an issue. Tonight I was working on the seventh draft of a short story I started over a year ago with over 7 hours of total editing time. For thirteen pages! Well, I am a horrible editor, but you get the point. We spent a lot of time writing t his stuff and a week or two, or a month or two, seems to me to be a relatively short amount of time.
My question is if anybody is making any money off of it though. Also, I do like to hear specifically what other people have written, and will take a look at your stuff. As far as I am concerned plug away.
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Joined: 5/12/2011
Posts: 240
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I have no experience with it at all, but a friend of mine just put his book up there a couple of weeks ago and has had a lot of trouble with the website itself. Apparently, while supposedly offering 20% of his book as a "free sample" the site was actually offering the whole thing for download (for free). He mentioned it in a public forum and a couple of other Smashwords users went "aha!" and discovered the same thing had been happening to them. So they had downloads without sales. He said the fix was to turn off the free sample option, but I have to say that personally, I would never buy a self-pubbed book without getting a chance to "thumb through" it (online or in paper) so that would cut me out as a potential buyer from the get-go.
My friend also vaguely complained that Smashwords was a pain to work with, but he didn't go into details. Perhaps it was the formatting issue ya'll are talking about.
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Joined: 4/3/2011
Posts: 66
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All I can say is it's a PITA and I have never sold anything there. The ocean is large I know but sales are non-existent.
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Joined: 3/13/2011
Posts: 412
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They make you give a doc to turn into an epub, they wouldn't let you just upload an epub.
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Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 26
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I just published Frayed: A Madison Lark Novella this past December with Smashwords and Createspace.
You really have to read all of the fine print with Smashwords. NOT because there are hidden terms or anything. There isn't. But because there is a WIDE learning curve the first time you publish with them. One of the smartest things I did, though, was higher a formatter (who happens to be my cover artist, as well). For the same price as a few Starbucks trips, she did the stuff that would have taken me forever to figure out.
I did upload my book right to Amazon, like a lot of other people have done. Amazon and Smashwords still do not have an agreement. Amazon owns Createspace, which is a competitor with Smashwords, so that may or may not have something to do with it. But otherwise, Smashwords is great if you want to reach a number of distributers without having to upload directly to each one, especially Barnes & Noble, Sony, Apple, and Kobo (which is becoming more popular).
However, Amazon is offering a program for authors right now that has a few perks, but the e-copy of your book must remain exclusive with them for 3 months. It's worth looking into. I may do it for my next book.
Overall, I get the most purchases for Frayed through Amazon. I've had a few through Barnes & Noble, but have not seen much become of the others. Yet! I'm hopeful.  But I am still happy with my decision to use Smashwords.
And if you need a cover artist, formatter, or website designer, I used Dafeenah at IndieDesignz.com. Her work is absolutely amazing, and her prices are a godsend. You can check out my cover at http://www.blakelychorpenning.com/books.html. I'm in love with that cover! And she was very knowledgeable with both Smashwords and Createspace formats and needs.
I hope this helps.
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 353
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Sorry it took so long to get that spam post off this thread. We were having some back end problems and for some reason I couldn't delete individual comments. Fixed now, and thanks for alerting us to the problem!
Colleen
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Joined: 9/21/2012
Posts: 2
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I have found that while Smashwords doesn't generate a lot of sales it is a good tool for forcing me to improve my formatting skills and in learning how to better follow directions.
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.• Smashwords seems like such an easy way to get a book out there to all the venues at once.
I've done it. It's hardly worth the effort.
Is it better to place your book on ten sites where no one is searching for your name on a cover than one site? Are you browsing the book venues looking for self-published work? I'm not and I don't personally know anyone who is.
In total, how many self-published books by someone you don’t know did you find, buy and like in the past year? How about your friends? You can assume that you have more of an interest in looking because it’s something you’re thinking of doing. And if you didn’t buy many…
You might sell one or two, but you and several hundred others post their work in the same week. So in a month there are a thousand others, higher on the new offerings list, shouting, “Read me, I’m better.”
Other than for a very few notable exceptions, the average self-published novel—after you subtract friends and family—sells only a few copies.
My point? You want to please your readers. Publishers have that same goal. Perhaps it’s better to work on becoming a professional level writer? Do that and you’ll have publishers paying you for the right to prepare and sell your work. Seems more chance of success that way than being just another unique snowflake in a snowstorm of unique snowflakes.
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Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 26
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My experience was ok (I published a Kids Book) but my pictures came out formatted wrong. But this was more my fault than Smashwords's.
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/joeteevee
How did you go? Did you publish with Smashwords?
I also published a novel on Kindle, that was slightly easier.
AM SO AS
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0074RW1O0
Cheers
JoeTV
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 353
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Hi guys -
I'm moving this into the self-publishing section on the board. Just a heads up!
Colleen
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