a guest post by Andrea Scovel (@AndreaScovel1)
For the past week I have been exploring the Smashwords website and am really excited to share what I have learned with all of you authors and aspiring authors alike. If you haven’t heard of it yet, Smashwords is the world’s “largest distributor of indie ebooks.” FYI: Smashwords only offers publishing for ebooks. I suggest you visit the site and have a good look because they have a lot to offer. I was both impressed and intimidated by the wealth of information on Smashwords; there is everything that an indie author needs to know about publishing their own ebook. For this post, Sione and I had some questions that we wanted answered and we thought that you may be interested in their answers too.
Why distribute through Smashwords?
For the past week I have been exploring the Smashwords website and am really excited to share what I have learned with all of you authors and aspiring authors alike. If you haven’t heard of it yet, Smashwords is the world’s “largest distributor of indie ebooks.” FYI: Smashwords only offers publishing for ebooks. I suggest you visit the site and have a good look because they have a lot to offer. I was both impressed and intimidated by the wealth of information on Smashwords; there is everything that an indie author needs to know about publishing their own ebook. For this post, Sione and I had some questions that we wanted answered and we thought that you may be interested in their answers too.
Why distribute through Smashwords?
- It’s free!
- They provide tools to help you market your ebook.
- Smashwords has relationships with top ebook retailers.
- They have the know-how when it comes to publishing quality ebooks.
- Smashwords offers high royalty rates!
So how can you publish your book on Smashwords?
- Create a free account.
- Follow the free Smashwords Style Guide and upload your book.
- Obtain a quality cover; if you need help with that you can find vendors on Mark's list.
What exactly are the royalty rates that Smashwords offers?
- Authors earn 85% of their sales minus the fee for paypal transactions (.85) at their retail location, Smashwords.com.
- Authors earn 60% off the list price for sales from major retailers.
