tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post357564621063252031..comments2024-03-18T02:11:40.154-07:00Comments on <b>Smashwords</b>: Reading the Reader Tea Leaves - Six Tips to Bring Your Book Back from the DoldrumsDovetail Public Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-57734283323158412512016-03-18T08:25:55.689-07:002016-03-18T08:25:55.689-07:00Hi Julia, that column tracks downloads of purchase...Hi Julia, that column tracks downloads of purchased books, full downloads of free books, and partial sample downloads. And note that if a purchased book is downloaded twice, like in a case where a customer downloads both the PDF and the EPUB format, it's counted twice. So although most readers won't download multiple times, it means that column will overestimate the true number of individuals. Long story made short, you can rely on that column only as a *rough* estimate. The column is probably most useful to compare the purchase/download ratios of two or more books. That will certainly give you a clue about which book is getting more traction.Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-59520285382325571762016-03-18T02:13:32.204-07:002016-03-18T02:13:32.204-07:00Hi Mark,
This might seem a silly question, but do...Hi Mark,<br /><br />This might seem a silly question, but do the figures in the full/sample download column include freebies? I have 65 in this section, but nothing in the 'sold' section. I just wondered where the freebie 'sales' go.<br /><br />Thanks<br />Julia Bell<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05219825291891073990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-27793123037226218302016-03-13T11:22:32.866-07:002016-03-13T11:22:32.866-07:00Hi Julia, welcome to Smashwords. Most of your sal...Hi Julia, welcome to Smashwords. Most of your sales will come through our distribution network to stores such as iBooks, B&N, Kobo and Scribd. It can take months or years to build readership. Good luck!Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-35866247103214515772016-03-13T00:25:01.562-08:002016-03-13T00:25:01.562-08:00Hi Mark,
Thank you so much for your excellent blo...Hi Mark,<br /><br />Thank you so much for your excellent blog. As an author who's just put her first novel on Smashwords, it was very helpful. I have ten books on Amazon and hope to get them all on Smashwords eventually. I did wince when you spoke of more sample downloads than sales. In the month I've been on Smashwords I've had 20 sample downloads but no sales. But early days yet. My novels on Amazon average 4/5 stars so I live in hope.<br /><br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05219825291891073990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-74917003642898672002016-01-07T13:37:58.790-08:002016-01-07T13:37:58.790-08:00Part 2
Does Smashwords want to store 100 million ...Part 2<br /><br />Does Smashwords want to store 100 million books but don’t give a crap if 99% of that is downloaded for free? I know as a store I could not work with that kind of business model, I would go in the hole in no time.<br />Amazon is trying different things and is not doing much better when it comes to rewarding the authors.<br />Maybe it should come down to a pay per download system. No matter what book you choose you pay 25 cents for your download. Part of this fee goes to the author, part of it goes to the distributor. No more free books. No more coupons. No more getting paid per page read or any other scheme like that.<br />Maybe a system that forces the reader to leave a review before being able to download another free book. I have seen that on some website for mods for games. You had to give a thumbs up or down before being able to get another free download.<br />Or maybe something completely different but the readers have to stop ripping off the authors. I’d rather have 10 cents per book than nothing at all. The authors have got to stop being penalized by an inadequate system.<br />I have been spending well close to 2 years now. Writing different things in different genres, watching marketing youtube videos, all of them promising a substantial revenue in no time on writing on almost anything with and without sales pitch to their own marketing systems.<br />It simply does not work. It’s who you know and whose boots you lick that will get you thru the door, Unless you wanna slave an horrendous amount of time writing and marketing.<br />The illusion of instant success is just that, an illusion fueled by scammy people and a distribution that rewards the well known and crushes the little guy like you and me.<br />Everyone is losing…Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-19416029826211674672016-01-07T13:37:37.692-08:002016-01-07T13:37:37.692-08:00The sad truth about ebook publishing. Unless you a...The sad truth about ebook publishing. Unless you are connected OR know someone that can plug your work, just forget it.<br />I am sorry folks but that is the sad truth. No one will want to buy your stuff if you are an unknown. I have tested different ways to try to generate at least something out of what i did.<br /><br />-Put my book up for sale with a decent cover. On first day, a little interest and a few sample downloads because the book is up front in the list of books because it is new.<br /><br />-As soon as it disappears from the front page which is usually the next day, your sales ( if any ) basically falls flat.<br /><br />-Tried a different cover a few days later. Still the same results. It shakes things a little but not much, all I get is maybe a few sample downloads.<br /><br />-Tried the free coupon trick. Nothing much.<br /><br />-Put the book up for free, sales start to go up and I mean go up in very decent numbers, but you are not getting anything back. People just go in and basically rip you off for your hard work. They just go, grab your book and that's it. You put it the effort and the readers don't even put in the effort to at least, and i mean at the very least go in and put in a review to tell other people if the book is really worth it or not.<br />-I have tried to figure it out, tried twitter promotions, FB promotions, Youtube vids, nothing happens as long as the reader as to pay you get nothing.<br />What does that tell you? Its not you! It’s the way the system is designed. It is too easy for readers to go in and take your work and simply run away. You loose, Smashword loose and the only winner is the cheapskate that walked away with your work for free. People don’t even wanna pay a lousy dollar for your work because they feel that they are entitled to get it for free, but will sometimes pay for content created by people that well known in the business.<br />So where does all of this leave you? You have to work and work and work for nothing to build your name and library for years on end and do marketing in hope that someone will actually buy your work and then the ball can get rolling.<br />I am 100% sure that not everyone is so poor at writing and that their work should be recognized.<br />The delivery system is the failure and I can understand why so many people get discouraged as they just want to generate some decent revenue for their hard work but are getting ripped off.<br />What’s the solution?<br />Write 500 books and hope that one becomes a smash hit and everything snowballs but spend 10 years of your life doing it and maybe not even getting anything out of it?<br />Promote on social media. Get twitter followers of FB fans which take an horrendous amount of time which takes away from your writing?<br />Cheat and buy your way in, with fakes reviews and tons of promotion on book blogs which is ruinous, takes your time and makes you feel like a player and you are not even sure that the cheating will pay off.<br /><br />There is a ton of content and no ebook distributor so far is making an effort to actually come up with a solution to make/force people to buy in a legitimate way.<br />Everyone loses, the authors and the distributor. They are storing a gazillion book but no one is actually buying the damn things plus when they download the distributor still has to pay in some way for the bandwidth use and the transfer plus the equipment to store this data.<br />Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-13677909217500363242015-04-20T09:36:13.763-07:002015-04-20T09:36:13.763-07:00It's great post,unfortunely i found it by goog...It's great post,unfortunely i found it by googling not with smashword web,as new author i need more struggle to make great sell,i change the price twice and also cover twice already, think do it again, my book has great sample download (47) than sell,thank's for advice at this article make me feel find new road to make great sell<br /><br />https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/adhillaauthority letter for youhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16099183614292526195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-64332117587573132132014-11-22T16:25:58.598-08:002014-11-22T16:25:58.598-08:00I think there are two sides to the coin with any b...I think there are two sides to the coin with any book, the writing on one side, the marketing on the other. I do OK with the writing, but the marketing has been a disaster. When I published my mystery "The Gangster's Son" on Smashwords, I had it listed for free for about a month, then 99c, then $2.99 about a month later. I had over 800 'free' downloads on B&N and then about $50 in sales all in the first quarter. Since then, bumpkus. But I didn't know enough to know that 1) keeping it free meant more exposure, more reviews, more interest. I had people saying they can't wait for the second book, and I still haven't published it yet. I spent that time wondering about a good price point, how to get it onto Kindle, how to get reviews on Amazon - in other words, everything except correctly interpreting the data Smashwords provided, what my readers were saying, and utilizing it. I admit I didn't know anything then, and I only know a bit now, but I'm learning. I plan on several more books in the series, (book two in about 30 days) and eventually another series as well. Any suggestions on how to kick this up a notch is welcome. Thanks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09311370954262252195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-24684484980997724412014-11-12T19:31:40.796-08:002014-11-12T19:31:40.796-08:00Hi Mark,
Thanks for reply.
I am sure that every...Hi Mark,<br /><br />Thanks for reply. <br /><br />I am sure that everyone thinks that their book is super awesome and five star material and they went --- out on their cover. I honestly think that you need to have some sort of machine behind you to get known and have people start buying your books.<br /><br />Case in point. Harry Potter, Fifty shades of grey. The context of these books is nothing new yet somehow people were lead to believe that it was the next best thing since sliced bread. Why? because they had a machine behind them to push the books to the public. Spin doctors who were out to make the concept viral. I am sure that a lot of people reading this have come up with concepts that are way better than these book series but yet will remain in obscurity due to the fact that they cannot promote their stories or get that viral spark that they so desperately need. That is why i am lamenting the fact that online ebooks distributors ( in my opinion ) offer very little tools to help the lonely author on his or her island. So what is there left to do but to try to spam the world in hopes that somehow your hard work will be acknowledge. I am available all over the planet from my computer seat up to Timbucto, yet i am just a drop in a bucket of water....Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-90786903914756299332014-11-10T12:03:52.601-08:002014-11-10T12:03:52.601-08:00Hi Ed, you're right, the social media spamming...Hi Ed, you're right, the social media spamming is counterproductive. The most effective marketing tool is the book itself. Focus on making the book so super-awesome that it takes the reader to an emotionally satisfying five-star extreme. When I look at all our bestsellers, this is what distinguishes them. Readers are raving about the books, and this drives word of mouth.<br /><br />Boiling down what I'm seeing works best: 1. Super awesome "wow" books (applies to both fiction and non-fiction). Your book must turn readers into evangelists. Good isn't good enough. 2. Super awesome cover where the image makes a promise to the reader, and that promise is micro-targeted and honestly conveys what the target reader is looking for. 3. Smart use of free. Free is still an extremely effective tool for building readership, for earning reader trust, and for funneling readers to paid purchases. 4. Preorders. Every new release should be done as a preorder, otherwise it's a squandered opportunity. more at www.smashwords.com/preorderDovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-89009163634300488132014-11-10T10:37:03.132-08:002014-11-10T10:37:03.132-08:00Continuing on my adventure in self publishing....
...Continuing on my adventure in self publishing....<br />I took to twitter to see what i can do to maximize my social media image.<br />Honestly it is a mess. Everyone is spamming everyone and you hit all kinds of twitter barriers. Plus to the followers you could promote to, you already have a 1000 more already established promoting their stuff. So not it’s not easy and it is quite maddening. I don’t think that taking to social media will make much of a difference on your sales in the short run. Perhaps in the long run but short term, you will be sorely disappointed. There is too much competition. Too many people selling their ideas. Same thing for facebook and don’t get me started on the like system that facebook has in place.<br />Unless you spam people to death you won’t get anywhere... and that is if people don’t get fed up by you. This takes a ton of time to do as you have to constantly play that game in hopes of becoming viral somehow which takes time away from your writing if you can’t afford to pay someone to do this kind of stuff with you.<br />It’s not easy.... Not being negative just facing the harsh truth....Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-54359786781117729422014-10-25T17:19:01.566-07:002014-10-25T17:19:01.566-07:00I am not complaining. At least there is some inter...I am not complaining. At least there is some interest in what i have put out so far. But like i said when i put it out free my numbers go up, when selling the numbers go down. It is as simple as that. I do put all that i can to socially plug my books and my social interaction at the end of the books but it still does not really generate anything. Also i have read that when the books are free people cannot leave feedback...<br />Is that the case? I am sure that if i could get some reviews and rating that i could perhaps get my books off the ground and running as sales.<br />Which brings me to the point where i am wondering if Smashwords should not go the subscription route also and work on the scribd model. I know that if this was the case i would have made a bit of money instead of 57 cents so far. <br />In my opinion, Smashwords suffers from 2 major problems...<br />The erotica. In my opinion it should be situated in a site on his own where it is properly managed and controlled. I have nothing against erotica or erotica writers. Heck i would do this to but i can’t for personal reasons but fighting against the genre is a lost cause. I am pretty sure that most sales/downloads on the site are generated by books that gravitate towards the different aspects of sex.<br />Free should be gone or restricted in some system where the author would benefit from people browsing their books. i.e the scribd model. Personally i think that while Smashwords is great , there is too much "free" on the site and it is literally stopping your chances to make your voice heard thru the multitude of erotic books and free books. People will gravitate towards the free things and the sex, leaving the quality stuff behind and the authors are left with nothing for their efforts. You book is published on Smashword but it’s like dropping a drop of water in the ocean. It will not matter because people will only see it briefly and then it is gone and it will only get worse because there will be more and more books and you will have no chance of standing out which brings another problem. Smashwords “as far as i know” does not offer you the chance to do any publicity to try to at least stand out and get your sales going. I know that in a physical library you can see ads for different books which helps drive sales. I am baffled that Smashwords does not do this. I am sure that a lot of people would pay for some sort of publicity to help their books and it would generate even more revenue for Smashwords.<br /><br />If Smashword does not want to get rid of free and the adult content stuff then it should give the authors a chance to at least stand out with some publicity model to help generate sales.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-83378817169553412302014-10-24T09:28:35.098-07:002014-10-24T09:28:35.098-07:00Ed, 690 is a good number. Free is a double-edged ...Ed, 690 is a good number. Free is a double-edged sword. It makes it easy for readers to take a chance on your book, but it doesn't guarantee readership. A few years ago, free books were rare. Now there's a glut of high quality free books, so this means the competition is tougher than ever before. Free will work best for the highest quality books with great covers, especially for series starters. Also, to take full advantage of free, make sure your free titles include enhanced backmatter (About the Author, Other Books by Author, Connect with Author) so you can drive social media platform-building and sales of other titles. See my other blog post on enhanced backmatter titled, <a href="How%20to%20Add%20Navigation%20to%20Smashwords%20Ebooks" rel="nofollow">http://blog.smashwords.com/2013/11/how-to-add-navigation-to-smashwords.html</a>. Good luck!Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-76223192977933118352014-10-24T08:59:44.702-07:002014-10-24T08:59:44.702-07:00I wonder if 690 downloads of my book is a good sig...I wonder if 690 downloads of my book is a good sign or a bad sign... When my books are completely free people download and when they are not the downloading stops... so is its just about the quality of your books or the fact that people dont want to purchase your items?<br /><br />i am very on the fence on the comments about your book not getting out there because it might be poor. I now tend to believe that it has to do more with people wanting to actually buy your book, versus reading it for free...<br /><br />free is not always a good thing if you ask me...Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-41124199084535867002014-09-09T10:14:34.999-07:002014-09-09T10:14:34.999-07:00Ed - when you offer your book for free, and then y...Ed - when you offer your book for free, and then you switch it to a price, the people who downloaded the free book are unable to post a review without 'buying' it. I have often downloaded free books, books that i wouldn't normally buy, and then i was unable to write a review. I have mentioned this a couple of times to Smashwords, to no avail.georgihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02470876203927271058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-7558913327856405662014-09-09T08:45:29.147-07:002014-09-09T08:45:29.147-07:00I am sorry folks but self publishing is just tryin...I am sorry folks but self publishing is just trying to fight fire with fire. I have been putting out books for the last few months. I did reasonable promotion. Nothing balls out and nothing with too much money involved. the only thing i get is the following scenario:<br /><br />If people see that one of my book is free they will download it. But as soon as i switch it to a paying book the downloading stops. So being kind hearted and willing to take a shot in my wallet to please the fans I switch the free to another book and the downloading picks up. Nothing fantastic like maybe 10 downloads a day in all my book but still. <br /><br />While maybe getting known by giving out your books for free is a good thing you sure are not getting rewarded for your efforts. Nobody leaves any reviews that would at least generate a little buzz about your book and maybe help actual sales to pick up.<br /><br />This is actually very disheartening considering. In all honesty the only way that i see that i will get something out of this is by a massive output of books which would eventually bring someone to notice you. <br /><br />I could ramble on and on and on about how it is almost impossible to have a break thru in this industry but for now i am gonna pause.<br /><br />so in reality.. free is not that good at least for new people..most of the time...Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-51827966353101024852014-09-07T22:18:42.698-07:002014-09-07T22:18:42.698-07:00Self publishing is a bit of an up-hill battle. My ...Self publishing is a bit of an up-hill battle. My romance novella isn't selling great but I'm working to get the next one in the series out quickly. Maybe after three or four books it will pick up. That's what I'm telling myself at least!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-90833177250379080392014-08-11T15:21:36.918-07:002014-08-11T15:21:36.918-07:00I'm so confused. I've done everything you ...I'm so confused. I've done everything you mentioned. And more. I always do. I made the NYT Bestseller list as an indie author. But since then, my sales have plummeted. Every month, they are fewer and farther between. The covers are gorgeous, the sales synopses are catchy, readers claim to be anxious for the books' releases. I have one up for free, I advertise, I use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, a blog, a newsletter, giveaways, and contests. I feel as though... I'm exhausted from an endless struggle. I'm so tired. When you said "throw in the towel," you could not have been more apt in your description of what some authors are at the point of doing. Towel is in my hand... I'm turning toward the ring.<br />- HeatherAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08126026239956896057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-71287730719778121942014-07-21T19:02:49.507-07:002014-07-21T19:02:49.507-07:00Its hard to sell books.
My Nomi Nivag books are s...Its hard to sell books.<br /><br />My Nomi Nivag books are struggling but i will persevere.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-54818543342359595722014-07-21T18:10:37.023-07:002014-07-21T18:10:37.023-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03939979823691233554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-14214912980678946452014-07-08T01:07:51.892-07:002014-07-08T01:07:51.892-07:00Wonderful :)
Although I am myself no different ca...Wonderful :)<br /><br />Although I am myself no different case than the fellow author in the facebook chat, but I am laughing; probably on myself too. <br /><br />Indeed 'Don't give up' is the word, but I am sure that it alone won't be enough. I just started half a year before with Smashwords and have published 10 ebooks (including free ones). Sales are pathetic (near negligible). All I am doing nowadays is sacrificing my authoring zeal for the marketing zeal, though unsuccessfully yet. But I am sure one day I will make it.<br /><br />God bless you all :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-52388479666742544332014-07-08T01:07:31.627-07:002014-07-08T01:07:31.627-07:00Wonderful :)
Although I am myself no different ca...Wonderful :)<br /><br />Although I am myself no different case than the fellow author in the facebook chat, but I am laughing; probably on myself too. <br /><br />Indeed 'Don't give up' is the word, but I am sure that it alone won't be enough. I just started half a year before with Smashwords and have published 10 ebooks (including free ones). Sales are pathetic (near negligible). All I am doing nowadays is sacrificing my authoring zeal for the marketing zeal, though unsuccessfully yet. But I am sure one day I will make it.<br /><br />God bless you all :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-19637431066766286682013-11-06T23:53:21.685-08:002013-11-06T23:53:21.685-08:00Have I found a great book cover designer, or what?...Have I found a great book cover designer, or what? Thanks, Mark. You picked well!<br /><br />http://coryrichardson.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/my-favorite-book-cover-designer/boiled down money goo guruhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09498585567097343022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-54721993138522408252013-05-05T15:43:35.607-07:002013-05-05T15:43:35.607-07:00Hey there,
I just recently posted my book on Smash...Hey there,<br />I just recently posted my book on Smashwords and after reading your advice I chose to set it as free. It makes perfect sense to let people see what they are getting before they purchase, but the reason I left you this comment is because you said something I have told myself for years. If you never quit trying, you cannot fail. It was refreshing to see you repeating what I have said many times over. Writing is hard and I have had many downfalls with publishing companies and literary agents who were out for themselves, so it is refreshing to find Smashwords and be able to publish my own books to become, as you say, immortal. I do not have to worry about them being ripped off the shelves after a couple of weeks because it is as you say, they have time to gain trust and we have time to make our brand known. Keep up the good work and thank you for creating Smashwords because for some, it is a writer's salvation.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027241504959640963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-38073900561615602042013-04-12T09:49:45.358-07:002013-04-12T09:49:45.358-07:00HI Mark,
Well, I've just been through a re-e...HI Mark,<br /> Well, I've just been through a re-edit my work thing, and re-do covers and re-do period. One cover I redid I can say is selling much better now. When they realize that I've done a re-edit, I think that will matter greatly. My reviews are usually 4-5 and average out, although I do get some nasty ones, I think we all do because we are self published. And some don't want us to succeed. I can prove this statement but I won't. There's no need. I just keep trying to do better, put more stuff out there and enrich what I have. It pays off eventually. If a book has been out there a while, I usually change the cover if it isn't selling like I think it should. Also series do better with a brand that people can identify with, letting them know this isn't the only book about this one thing.<br />We are never so good that we can't improve and can't learn. Thanks Mark. Love and blessingsRedameterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16610276663492366325noreply@blogger.com