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#1 |
Thespian Extraordinaire
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Karma: 10
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Brighton, East Sussex
Device: Kindle
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Smashwords - yay or nay?
Hi everyone
I'm already on Kindle and am contemplating Nook, but have heard mixed reviews about Smashwords. Some say it's a waste of time, others say it's the bees knees! Is it a good way to sell e-books? Obviously, it's not as popular as say, Amazon but is it worthwhile doing? Sorry if this sounds a bit vague. Have a headache from a looooong day's writing. ![]() |
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#2 |
Feral Underclass
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Karma: 26821535
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Yorkshire, tha noz
Device: 2nd hand paperback
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There's no harm in it since it's free, but don't expect many sales. Only really useful for access to iBooks and Barnes & Noble really, but watch out for discounts they might apply because that will also affect your price at Amazon. There's also Lulu.
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#3 |
Guru
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Karma: 1341819
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Minnesota USA
Device: Sony 350, Sony T1, Kindle Touch, Kindle PW1
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I use it but not often. I tend to find the books I want elsewhere & then go to Smashwords to see if they have it. If they do I buy it there.
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#4 |
Resident Curmudgeon
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Karma: 134319572
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
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Smashwords is a wast of time. The code that comes from DOC to ePub is awful and I won't buy there. I don't like the meatgrinder they use. I prefer clean code if at all possible.
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#5 |
Enthusiast
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Karma: 10308
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sierra foothills of California
Device: Kindle
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Smashwords can get your books into Sony, Kobo and other outlets that won't let authors upload directly. I make almost nothing off smashword sales, but a lot from the places where they place my books.
Formatting weirdness can happen anywhere. At least you can talk to a human and get help at smashwords :-). |
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#6 |
Literacy = Understanding
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Karma: 59674358
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The World of Books
Device: Nook, Nook Tablet
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I have bought several hundred books at Smashwords. Rarely have I found a problem with the formatting. Smashwords is my preferred place of purchase.
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#7 |
Guru
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Karma: 1818344
Join Date: Apr 2011
Device: iPhone 5s
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If the book is sold at Amazon and Smashwords, I prefer to buy at Smashwords. DRM free and different formats ftw.
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#8 |
Cozy Bumpkin Stories
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Karma: 351904
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sprague River, Oregon
Device: none
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I'm on Amazon through KDP and Createspace, and both were miserable experiences compared to dealing with Smashwords. I know that runs counter to a lot of Smashwords disgruntlement, but to me, their "Style Guide," good or bad, is at least a responsible attempt at guidance, whereas the others pass you off to a forum to fish for clues about who you should listen to about clues. Also, for prices under $2.99 they return a better percentage to the author than Amazon. I try to direct folks to Smashwords whenever I can.
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#9 |
Wizard
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Karma: 4132096
Join Date: Sep 2008
Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App
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#10 |
Groupie
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Karma: 1010345
Join Date: Jun 2009
Device: PRS 350
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I buy from Smashwords and haven't come across any hinky formatting.
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#11 |
Grand Sorcerer
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Karma: 25133758
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)
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I buy from Smashwords; it's the only self-publishing ebook store I buy from. (I don't deal with DRM at all, and I'm not willing to install special programs just to shop somewhere. If I can't buy-and-download as normal files, I don't bother.)
I've run across bad formatting that I believe was from sheer carelessness--uploading files without checking the instructions at all. I've run across many more ebooks that have run-on chapters (no page break for chapters) and no table of contents. I consider those tolerable errors. I don't browse much at Smashwords, because the search capabilities are exceedingly limited. It's like digging through boxes at a rummage sale; it's fine when I've got no idea what I want and just want something to throw ideas at me, but when I want a specific subgenre or topic, I search elsewhere, then go to Smashwords to see if they've got that specific book or author. |
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#12 |
Wizard
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Karma: 9269999
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: UK
Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5
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Never had any problems with Smashwords, no complaints from me.
Glad to see authors like them too. |
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#13 |
Booklegger
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Karma: 7999816
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Device: BeBook(1 & 2010), PEZ, PRS-505, Kobo BT, PRS-T1, Playbook, Kobo Touch
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Remember, Amazon only sells to Kindles, and Barnes&Noble only sells to Americans (US of). If you want world-wide sales, Smashwords can get your books into Kobo, Sony, and Apple, as well as Amazon and B&N. Somebody should figure out what percentage of the English-reading world those 300 million Americans amount to - 30% or less?
Just follow their style guide and your book will come out at least OK, if not excellent. I prefer to buy direct from authors, if possible, then from Smashwords, and lastly from the big distributors. I don't like booting up Windows just to have to deal with Adobe DRM. |
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#14 | |
Guru
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Karma: 1341819
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Minnesota USA
Device: Sony 350, Sony T1, Kindle Touch, Kindle PW1
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#15 |
Novelist
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Karma: 387979
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Device: Kindle
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You can also get your books into Kobo, Sony, and Apple through a distribution service like INgrooves. It takes five percent of sales, but at least you can control the quality of the product, as well as price and DRM.
I'm considering uploading to Smashwords just for the ability to offer coupon codes, but I'm not sure yet. L.J. |
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