tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post92754949327308506..comments2024-03-25T21:30:28.970-07:00Comments on <b>Smashwords</b>: Ebook Publishing Gets More Difficult from Here - Here's How to SucceedDovetail Public Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-81563731691671024102015-11-11T00:45:12.429-08:002015-11-11T00:45:12.429-08:00Amazon kindle store is setting the standards for e...Amazon kindle store is setting the standards for ebook publishing. They are providing every tool of the trade for authors to make publishing easy.Cartoon Thinkinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12181101543838641663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-71087336793415546832015-03-22T21:50:17.415-07:002015-03-22T21:50:17.415-07:00What I don't see is any discussion about the e...What I don't see is any discussion about the enhanced ePub, MOBI, and Apple standards for fixed format e-books which allow images and sound in the book.<br />Is Smashwords going to support and provide tools to produce such children's books, graphic novels, cook books, etc.?Patrick07604https://www.blogger.com/profile/13359920321782852291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-37227809260018468362015-03-06T21:23:44.184-08:002015-03-06T21:23:44.184-08:00I know this is an old post, but my hope is that yo...I know this is an old post, but my hope is that you will at least get an alert of my new comment.<br /><br />With regard to your observation that - <br /><br />"It’s good your book is immortal, because it means you can look forward to harvesting an annuity stream of income for many years to come, especially for great fiction because fiction is timeless. But it means that every year there will be more and more books for readers to choose from. Unless the number of readers and the number of books read by readers grows faster than the number of titles released and ever-present, there will be fewer eyeballs split across more books. This means the average number of book sales for each new release will decline over time unless readership dramatically increases, or unless we see an accelerating pace of transition from print reading to screen reading."<br /><br /> -- Raymond Chandler made a similar observation in his essay the Simple Art of Murder about mystery novels that, "all of this immortality makes just a little too much competition." Chandler expands on the point in interesting ways.CharlesRCLawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17810409297805197552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-69389359528406015442015-02-24T22:43:36.424-08:002015-02-24T22:43:36.424-08:00Thanks Mark. I'm glad that I have entered the...Thanks Mark. I'm glad that I have entered the indie market in this phase of the cycle. Using your tips and comments of some the other writers, this will definitely be a learning phase for me and intend to make the best of this opportunity. I thank you for creating the Smashwords platform, it's practical and user friendly. Thanks.Harnam Shunkumarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03641953689394535070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-44033437365452331962014-12-30T11:55:22.182-08:002014-12-30T11:55:22.182-08:00Mark, while I agree with you that there are an inc...Mark, while I agree with you that there are an increasing number of high-quality books being produced, the stigma against Indie authors is still being reinforced by the terrible drek that's being produced. At some point, Smashwords, Amazon, and other retailers/wholesalers are going to have to crack down on the quality of what is published. <br /><br />I'm not talking about filtering out stories that no one wants to read. I'm talking about books with hundreds of misspellings, word misuse, tortured grammar, etc. Books that are practically unreadable. Much of that can be checked automatically, and spit back at the author the same way you do format checks now.<br /><br />It's all fine and good to say the market will take care of it, but when the market decides to avoid Indie authors because the garbage causes too much stink around the entire enterprise, it's bad business for everyone.<br /><br />The second thing is that publishing free books is hurting everyone. Smashwords, B&N and Amazon provide a free service for the give-it-away crowd and the rest of us pay for it. You spend as much to publish my books, that you take a cut from when they sell, as you do to send the freebies out in premium distribution. But the freebie author pays you nothing. In addition, the freebie conditions readers that the time and money and effort you and I spend on publishing my book is worth nothing.<br /><br />The self-pub business model will change. If Amazon is successful in driving its competitors out of the ebook marketplace, that change will come harder and sooner than any of us wish, and probably not to our benefit.BRKingsolverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08794628443591270182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-82653509700685946252014-12-10T22:49:47.483-08:002014-12-10T22:49:47.483-08:00Thanks for sharing your perspective, Ruth. Your c...Thanks for sharing your perspective, Ruth. Your commitment to readers has always shined through. I'd encourage readers to check out your great <a href="http://blog.smashwords.com/2012/03/ruth-ann-nordin-shares-her-secrets-to.html" rel="nofollow">interview here at the Smashwords blog</a> from a couple years ago.Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-15493235926124738712014-12-10T18:30:23.690-08:002014-12-10T18:30:23.690-08:00My sales have gone down by half over at Amazon aft...My sales have gone down by half over at Amazon after KU hit. To be fair, my sales have taken a hit across other channels as well over this past year, which is probably due to the slowing down of the market. The sales are steadier on non-Amazon retailers, and the drop in sales isn't as sharp. However, since I do make more at Amazon, I feel the drop there the hardest. I'm not complaining. I'm just sharing what has happened to me this year because I've noticed other authors have noticed a similar situation, and it can help to know you're not alone.<br /><br />I've been told (by some) that I'm stupid for not putting at least one book in KU. I have more than forty romances, so what's the risk? I have enough books to experiment with.<br /><br />There's more to this business than making money, however. Yes, making money is nice. But it's only one part of the picture. <br /><br />There's also the joy of writing what we want. There's a chance to change someone's life for the better, often without realizing it. <br /><br />More than that, there's a human component to the whole thing. <br /><br />It amazes me when I think of the friendships I've developed with some of my readers who have stayed with me since my early days back in 2009 and 2010. They've read everything I've written over the years, and because of their encouragement, I didn't quit when I felt like it (and I typically want to quit about twice a year). Because of them, I find the strength to keep going when times get tough. Some buy from Amazon, but not all of them do. I want to be sure I have my books available to them at retailers they want to buy them from. Ruth Ann Nordinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15277679843442868070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-7580802547031474382014-12-08T14:16:22.516-08:002014-12-08T14:16:22.516-08:00Mark --- an excellent article. I appreciate the tr...Mark --- an excellent article. I appreciate the transparency from someone as innovative and successful as yourself. <br /><br />I am writing to provide a little different perspective on a couple of your points.<br /><br />#1 - regarding the "glut of high quality books" you said "Ten years ago, publishers artificially constrained book supply by publishing a limited number of new titles each year, and by agents and publishers rejecting nearly everything that came in through the slush pile. There was an artificial scarcity of books. The supply was further constrained by the inability of physical brick and mortar bookstores to stock every title. Even big box stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders could only stock a small fraction of the titles published by publishers each year, and as such they were forced to return slow-selling books to make room for new releases."<br /><br />In the past, the model was established to generate sufficient revenue and profit for each title so as to build sustainable publishing companies and retailers and authors. There was relative economic balance and stability in the system - albeit an exclusive one. Due to the Creative Destruction of eBooks and e-Publishing platforms, there is now a glut of options in the marketplace. This has led to downward pressure on prices and author incomes. This is not sustainable. The natural economic response to this is for many people to give up on this as an income stream, leaving it to those who are willing to tough it out and hopefully consolidate the remains. Dare I say the period we are about to enter is one of disillusionment (for many)that follows any "gold rush" or fad. <br /><br />#2 -- you said "Ebooks are immortal, so they never go out of print. Like cobwebs constructed of stainless steel, they will forever occupy the virtual shelves of ebook retailers, forever discoverable." <br /><br />On one hand, this is not much different than a library filling its shelves with thousands of books no one checks out anymore. The unwanted books are not searched for or discovered -- they are just ignored. For this reason, it is actually more likely online retailers will NOT keep a never-ending list of backlist titles. Rather, it will make more sense for retailers to cull their offerings and drop the stuff that is not collecting any interest. Additionally, let's assume ebook platforms change a few more times and the technology requires conversions, upgrades or even recoding of the ebook files. The legacy titles that had no activity would be of little economic value to invest in. So, while it may be easier in the short run to maintain millions of ebook files on a server, in the long run, the challenges are very different than just building more shelves or another wing to the building.<br /><br />Lawrence Knorr<br />Publisher<br />Sunbury Press, Inc.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812652592078370784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-38898995433906927232014-12-08T14:16:21.982-08:002014-12-08T14:16:21.982-08:00Mark --- an excellent article. I appreciate the tr...Mark --- an excellent article. I appreciate the transparency from someone as innovative and successful as yourself. <br /><br />I am writing to provide a little different perspective on a couple of your points.<br /><br />#1 - regarding the "glut of high quality books" you said "Ten years ago, publishers artificially constrained book supply by publishing a limited number of new titles each year, and by agents and publishers rejecting nearly everything that came in through the slush pile. There was an artificial scarcity of books. The supply was further constrained by the inability of physical brick and mortar bookstores to stock every title. Even big box stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders could only stock a small fraction of the titles published by publishers each year, and as such they were forced to return slow-selling books to make room for new releases."<br /><br />In the past, the model was established to generate sufficient revenue and profit for each title so as to build sustainable publishing companies and retailers and authors. There was relative economic balance and stability in the system - albeit an exclusive one. Due to the Creative Destruction of eBooks and e-Publishing platforms, there is now a glut of options in the marketplace. This has led to downward pressure on prices and author incomes. This is not sustainable. The natural economic response to this is for many people to give up on this as an income stream, leaving it to those who are willing to tough it out and hopefully consolidate the remains. Dare I say the period we are about to enter is one of disillusionment (for many)that follows any "gold rush" or fad. <br /><br />#2 -- you said "Ebooks are immortal, so they never go out of print. Like cobwebs constructed of stainless steel, they will forever occupy the virtual shelves of ebook retailers, forever discoverable." <br /><br />On one hand, this is not much different than a library filling its shelves with thousands of books no one checks out anymore. The unwanted books are not searched for or discovered -- they are just ignored. For this reason, it is actually more likely online retailers will NOT keep a never-ending list of backlist titles. Rather, it will make more sense for retailers to cull their offerings and drop the stuff that is not collecting any interest. Additionally, let's assume ebook platforms change a few more times and the technology requires conversions, upgrades or even recoding of the ebook files. The legacy titles that had no activity would be of little economic value to invest in. So, while it may be easier in the short run to maintain millions of ebook files on a server, in the long run, the challenges are very different than just building more shelves or another wing to the building.<br /><br />Lawrence Knorr<br />Publisher<br />Sunbury Press, Inc.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812652592078370784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-50165603489132077242014-12-05T09:53:55.350-08:002014-12-05T09:53:55.350-08:00Thanks for sharing this article, really interestin...Thanks for sharing this article, really interesting to gain insight into the ebook industry. I had presumed it would only be on the up, with more and more e-reader/ tablet purchases, but good to see this perspective too. Cheers. <br /><br />Jamie from www.vouchergrid.co.ukRefugee Welcome Homeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09132080480407776073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-38458096295447985512014-12-04T15:34:59.711-08:002014-12-04T15:34:59.711-08:00Thanks you for sharing your thoughts and insight w...Thanks you for sharing your thoughts and insight with us.<br /><br />Rene NatanRene Natanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07626131983480373333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-10667825306078298402014-12-02T07:06:39.742-08:002014-12-02T07:06:39.742-08:00thanks for these updates, Mark Coker
please keep t...thanks for these updates, Mark Coker<br />please keep them coming<br />they inspire<br />I have added license notes and end matter to my upcoming book, Abominable Snowman<br />my negligent, imaginary business manager has been on a huge bender, I guess--<br /><br />I also like the comments, such as<br />Anna Erishkigal--boxed set platforms<br />Inkling--security guard--nice<br />Chistina Tarabochia--small publisher--publish my books--get smaller<br />ebookbargainsuk--think global--act local--go crazy everywhere<br />C Scott---multi-global platforms--nice<br />merry seasons' greetings<br /> Anna B. Goodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17508121978987186236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-83876798930249361742014-11-28T14:44:34.610-08:002014-11-28T14:44:34.610-08:00It's in your approach in being a ebook author ...It's in your approach in being a ebook author that will allow you to last... Being inspired is knowing yourself and aligning all that energy, incentive and passion and aim it at a full-crux and fulcrum. Human knowledge has a way of both suiting the author and the reader, and that potential empowerment shall forever grant appreciated and due devotion.Allendan5.blogspot.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02341722667992550652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-51112834757947431902014-11-25T05:29:55.510-08:002014-11-25T05:29:55.510-08:00Thanks for this indie manifesto! Packed with terri...Thanks for this indie manifesto! Packed with terrific advice. <br /><br />It's great to have a balance to match the megalithic Amazon whose success is driven by their own desires for domination. <br /><br />Undoubtedly its possible to work with Amazon, but partnering too, for the long term with Smashwords offers some real understanding about what it means to be an (indie) author. Perhaps it's time for me to try it too!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-66972827398914606872014-11-24T12:02:30.032-08:002014-11-24T12:02:30.032-08:00Undoubtedly,
Sales growth has slowed but sales fi...Undoubtedly,<br /><br />Sales growth has slowed but sales figures are still good. The dilemma is that the pace at which books are being written and distributed is far greater than the growth of the reader base driven by distribution channels.<br /><br />Without having actual numbers to back this up except on my own sales stats this is the only logical explanation. <br /><br />What has worked for me and other Speedy authors is revamping the entire book creation process.<br /><br />Example: First we look at Google Trends to track to see when a niche is most popular (say beer brewing or cop romance).<br /><br />If these topics are searched for online mainly during December - we time the release for June and make our book FREE for the off months to improve rankings in the Search results with online retailers and get those needed reviews.<br /><br />During that time we double down on distribution formats - we do this by producing<br />A.) eBook (EPUB, MOBI & Web PDF)<br />B.) Enhanced eBook, adding an audio or video<br />C.) Create the Print Version (Typically 6 x 9)<br />D.) Create the Large Print version of the book - very easy<br />E.) Create the Audio Version - we use ACX.Com<br />F.) Use Andromo.Com to create the Android Mobile App Version<br />* Sometimes we go for refreshable Braille - we are making a bet on that for the future.<br /><br />Once we have all the formats we blast them out to as many distribution channels as we can - ALL free during the off periods.<br /><br />1 - 2 Weeks before the on period we then set the prices at 99 cents to keep the momentum and then we tweak the price when we feel like.<br /><br />For Non-Fiction books you want to refresh your covers and copy - say something like "New for 2015"<br /><br />Or say things like What to Read After Mocking Jay.<br /><br />The days of not treating your book as a living breathing animal is long gone.<br /><br />Work Smarter & HARDER to be Twice as successful!<br /><br />Just my 2 cents.<br /><br />ColinC Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14363693395325879145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-50963183902639796872014-11-23T17:53:39.477-08:002014-11-23T17:53:39.477-08:00Thanks, Mark. I published my first book less than ...Thanks, Mark. I published my first book less than a year ago. I've read a lot of your advice and have always found it helpful. I'm six books into my career now, and in it for the long haul. I honestly think I would have given up by now if I hadn't started following your advice about eight months ago. Thank you again, and keep it up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-59545733422615722662014-11-22T14:42:08.445-08:002014-11-22T14:42:08.445-08:00I'm going to print out that list and read it e...I'm going to print out that list and read it every time I start a new project ... at the very least. Thanks Mark.<br />:)widdershinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04205462833259334647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-75221344228488768742014-11-22T09:46:21.462-08:002014-11-22T09:46:21.462-08:00@ebookbargains, yes, more channels coming in the m...@ebookbargains, yes, more channels coming in the months ahead, and yes, we will develop tools to give authors/publishers more multi-currency pricing control.<br /><br />@david based on actual sales data I'm seeing from every retailer we reach. Sample size ranges from ~200 titles at Amazon to 200,000+ at iBooks, B&N, Kobo, Oyster, Scribd and others. Difficult to read too much into Amazon. The drop we see at Amazon is probably reflective of what non-KDP Select authors are seeing post KU, since none of our books are in KDPS/KU.Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-40719634522146981672014-11-22T09:08:35.327-08:002014-11-22T09:08:35.327-08:00Mark, I absolutely love your Rules for Business.
I...Mark, I absolutely love your Rules for Business.<br />I published my first book 17 months ago and reached the level of a few hundreds bucks and a few hundreds of readers a month.<br />The Rules apply at the bottom of chain as well as at the top, where you sit ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08223415379447484296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-135606168321531162014-11-22T05:30:56.963-08:002014-11-22T05:30:56.963-08:00Hi Mark,
Can you give a little more detail on thi...Hi Mark,<br /><br />Can you give a little more detail on this claim: "With a couple exceptions – namely Scribd and Oyster – most major ebook retailers have suffered anemic or declining sales over the last 12-18 months."<br /><br />Is it based on Smashwords numbers, or external ones?David Gaughranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13236692339928690142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-6663158022454498942014-11-22T03:43:28.521-08:002014-11-22T03:43:28.521-08:00@ebookbargainsuk - Since vendors have been added e...@ebookbargainsuk - Since vendors have been added every year at Smashwords, I'm sure more are coming in 2015 as well. Rising Starhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12812633174502063870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-90004126099944651842014-11-22T01:51:37.685-08:002014-11-22T01:51:37.685-08:00Apple has an impressive 51 stores globally but if ...Apple has an impressive 51 stores globally but if we publish to Apple through Smashwords we can only set the Us price. All local prices are based on that. If we go direct we can set the price country by country. Can Smashwords address this?<br /><br />Google Play has 60 global stores, and plenty more on the way. When will Smashwords get indies into Google Play?<br /><br />It's great that Smashwords gets us into Flipkart in india, but India has many other ebook stores. Not least Newshunt and Rockstnd which are growing very fast. Does Smashwords have any plans to expand its reach in India?<br /><br />Globally other aggregators get our ebooks into the OverDrive retail catalogue, the emagazine distributor Magzter, the SE Asia group eSentral and global distributors like Epub Direct, Gardners, Copia and Ingram.<br /><br />There are huge opportunities for global expansion, especially in places like China and Indonesia, but Smashwords is still barely reaching out beyond the US/UK axis.<br /><br />What chance we will see this change in 2015?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-30532313164385423882014-11-21T16:54:06.094-08:002014-11-21T16:54:06.094-08:00Excellent post full of excellent advice. This one...Excellent post full of excellent advice. This one is my favorite -- 13. Dream big dreams -- I am.Jacquelinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14411571823092477877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-7504877494555763802014-11-21T11:11:56.190-08:002014-11-21T11:11:56.190-08:00Thanks so much for sharing this comprehensive and ...Thanks so much for sharing this comprehensive and awesome post. Too often I work with fellow Indie authors who think that they need to give up because they didn't sellout the second they came out the gate (I'll admit that I had thought publishers would come running the second I wrote THE END).<br /><br />Writing is about creative expression and should be a passion for those who are writers. But if you want to sell books, you've got to think like a small business, and too often I think authors forget that. I know I have.Adam Osterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13890892064225079261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-48523522096935356182014-11-21T11:03:29.979-08:002014-11-21T11:03:29.979-08:00Nice things, Mark, but I find that distribution to...Nice things, Mark, but I find that distribution to only 8 retailers does not cut it anymore. And, your style guide is somewhat out of date. In order to produce an ebook in the EPUB format it takes quite a bit more than just uploading a DOC file and hope the conversion goes through. I have moved over to another distributor and their EPUB format requires a clean, stripped out HTML file with no Office markers or Word markers. What I produce for my EPUBs is exactly like my printed books, and I am able to render images better, too. Then I convert myself and upload the EPUBS with my own ISBN.<br /><br />It would appear that, no matter how hard I tried to make the files readable on Smashwords there was always some glitch, and I realized I was not reaching enough of a market to make the effort of following your style guide tenable. Sales were slow to non-existent. As well as finding that your advice about publishing Smashwords links may have killed it for me. Retailers do not want such "extras" attached because it robs them of other sales.<br /><br />As for Amazon, I knew that there was no exclusivity; I read the instruction manual. However, authors not signing up with KDP Select (the lending program) are subject to disappearing down a black hole. Amazon wants authors to believe that giving it exclusivity through KDP Select will garner them some improvement in sales. But when I declined to participate, it was because I read authors complaining of sudden dropoffs way before their 90 days were up, and I did not like that idea of giving Amazon a distinct advantage in the marketplace. There was no guarantee that KDP Select would do anything to increase sales, it was just a ploy to keep customers happy with getting to read books for free. So your advice about continuing to work with Amazon just because it happens to be the biggest retailer (and I don't see any real proof of that)is not something I would take.<br /><br />As for improving the quality of the books, I am on board with that but telling people there is a better chance of selling them does not look possible as long as there are free books offered by people who don't understand what that does to the whole market. The decline in sales of ebooks has largely to do with the return of dissatisfied customers to the book stores, which will always be there. They are not happy with DRM requirements, shifting allegiances among retailers and mergers and acquisitions by (among others) Amazon, who is just trying to eliminate the competition; and there is the danger that the ebook they "bought" will just be removed at random and without a good reason. Even if there is a chance the book will sell well, word of mouth is not enough to really make the title catch on. So relying on any one retailer so heavily is a gamble at best and a waste of time and energy at worst. I would rather distribute as widely as possible. So I am still at Smashwords, but only to reach Smashwords customers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com