It took only eight years and two months.
400,000 indie ebooks available for discovery and download.
Most of these books are also distributed to major retailers such as iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo, and to library ebook providers OverDrive and Baker & Taylor.
These books are here because you put them here. You shared your wordy brilliance with the world.
Thank you for inviting Smashwords to join you on your indie authorship journey.
mark
P.S.
Congrats to Goddess Pleasure (@GoddessPleasure) for being the first to spot our milestone!
Go Smashwords!
ReplyDelete400,000 books means you've got a solid base on which to expand your technology. Good!
ReplyDeleteHow about becoming less Word for Windows-centric? How about offering more support for epub submissions and perhaps user-suppled PDFs. How about refining your software so it fixes epub distribution issues rather than rejects them with cryptic error messages.
I've had epubs accepted by Apple when submitted directly that Smashwords gets all huffy about. In one case, it was simply that an Apple-specific file inside the epub package needed to be deleted for a more general distribution. Is it too much to expect that Smashwords simply do that deletion for us. Is it too much to ask that Smashwords adequately handle epubs generated by InDesign? Why this obsession with Word for Windows? It's far from the best way to write books.
Smashwords is great in the services it provides authors. It is a marvelous breath of fresh air in an industry too dominated by Amazon. But it needs to go one step further and not expect authors to klutz with epub, css and html.
Good for you and good for the authors. Well done!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! And thanks for providing this opportunity to Indie Writers. I always have my copy-editing/proofreading/formatting clients join Smashwords. They've all been pleased.
ReplyDeleteNorm Hamilton
Unlike a certain other retailer where I've had my books for several years, who neither treat authors with the respect that they deserve, or care about books for that matter, but instead choose to focus on ever-increasing profits, power and ego, Smashwords are different: they are approachable and friendly, are humble, in my opinion they are far more powerful than a selfish certain retailer will ever be and Smashwords show the highest respect possible to authors and towards their work. One day in the future, I predict that they'll be the number one retailer to proudly upload your books to. I see other retailers, who don't respect authors and who put greed, power and ego first - will eventually crumble into the dust but Smashwords will always be standing strong. I have a feeling that a certain retailer will, - and at a moment's notice too - stop selling books altogether. That's my gut instinct. They haven't given authors much notice in the past and don't give a rat's whatsit about authors.
ReplyDeleteSince putting my work on Smashwords last year, I've not only reached more readers, I've actually sold more on there and on the many good retailers that they distribute to than I ever did on a certain other retailer, which was a shock and a lovely surprise too. I'm proud to be a Smashwords author and may they go on to achieve more and more success, because they deserve it. Thank you Mark Coker for providing many authors with the fantastic opportunity to reach many readers worldwide. It's all about the readers and books not being devalued but rather appreciated and Smashwords ensure that authors achieve both wonderful things. Thank you. I made the correct decision to go wide after reading one of your articles last year because it could have gone the other way, but thankfully didn't.
Congratulations Mark. I haven't had the same amount of sales with Smashwords as I have had with a certain other retailer. But I refuse to go exclusive, even if it means less exposure on their site.
ReplyDelete@Inkling I use Scrivener writing software. It can be used on an Apple Mac or Microfsoft PC or laptop.You can convert your manuscripts into all ebook formats; epub, mobi and export them as PDF and word documents. I have never had any problems uploading my book files by using Scrivener.
Congrats, and thanks, Mark. Though I am a small fraction of that 400,000, Smaswords gave me confidence and proof that my words have value.
ReplyDeleteCheers and a million books isn't far off!
Congrats! Proud to know that some of those are mine!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Mark and the whole Smashwords team. And congratulations to all my fellow Smashwords authors! Smashwords enabled me to publish my first ebook in 2009, and several more since then. I continue to appreciate the reader & writer-centric way Smashwords does business.
ReplyDeleteGrateful for all your hard work, Mark. Your style guides and marketing info are top notch.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for a prosperous 2016! Dave Cleinman
Your hard work, Mark, is what has given us "indies" hope!! Without your wonderful program I would have never been able to publish (then edit) my book. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!! - Kathy H
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathleen!!!
ReplyDelete