Hello all, excuse me for sneaking into this writers-only chit chat.

Over in "News and Commentary" Ficbot began an interesting thread, and zelda_pinwheel suggested I bring the conversation over here, so here I am.

Ficbot had noted that so many new authors seemed to publish exclusively for the Kindle, and that this frustrated him as a non-Kindle owner. My response was that the publishing learning curve might be pretty steep for newcomers to the industry.

We might want to consider adding a series of wiki articles that explain the steps in publishing. Everything from creating books in different formats, pro's and con's of different publishing web sites, and even opportunities to market your book without spamming. In the interest of starting this effort, zelda_pinwheel suggested this post. I welcome your inputs to a guide for writers. Please feel free to add your thoughts and comments to this thread, or even to add pages to the wiki that we can pull together into our writer's guide.

I am looking for both topics that writers need to understand as well as explanations and/or suggestions on those topics.

Here is my initial list of topics / wiki pages

First, an intro to ebook publishing that introduces the key concepts and links to separate pages that then explain:
1) Different formats for ebooks and the tradeoffs
2) How to convert between formats: Calibre, Sigil, and more
3) DRM and the problems of using it
4) Web sites that accept self-published books; the pro's and con's of each and where to go to submit books.
5) Options for setting up your own store using your own web site and paypal or ebay or google checkout????
6) Marketing your ebook including does and don'ts on Mobileread

Your thoughts?

P.s. If you'd prefer to simply contribute your thoughts as a new page in the wiki, then go here:
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Main_Page
In the search box to the left type in the name of your new page. When it comes up as a missing search term, you will be given the option of creating a page with that name. If you do take that approach, please report back to this thread to let us know what pages you have added.

thanks very much for this thread emellaich, it has the potential to be a really valuable ressource for all the independent writers around here (and there are more every day !).

so, now it's time for everybody to add their tips, knowledge, info, good addresses and best practices ! a good idea to start might be to follow the subjects from emellaich's list and add whatever info you have about the point(s) in your post.

this would also be an excellent page for the wiki, under "how to self-publish" or "tips for independent writers" or something.

i've stuck this thread so it will be easy to find.

Excellent idea! Anybody knows what sort of distribution LSI offers for eBooks (if any)?

- Ahi

Emellaich, great idea for your guide. I'd be happy to assist you. Email me (mark coker) at first initial last initial at smashwords dot com. I've written a couple guides for the authors at Smashwords that address some of these issues, including formats, DRM and marketing. I wrote these two free ebooks:

The Smashwords Style Guide (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52) - It's written for authors publishing on Smashwords, but the tips help you create a clean source document you can use elsewhere. Contains a summary of several ebook formats, and some of the pros and cons of each.

The Smashwords Book Marketing Guide (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/305) - This too is written for Smashwords authors, but the marketing ideas apply to any author, even print authors. We recommend Mobileread in the Guide (we recommend authors join and participate in this community, not just come here to flog books).

Let me know how I can help!




So, if we want them to change we will have to help educate them. Possibly a getting started guide for writers on the wiki? Or does one already exist?

I foresee the following arrangement:
First, an intro to ebook publishing that introduces the key concepts and links to separate pages that then explain:
1) Different formats for ebooks and the tradeoffs
2) How to convert between formats: Calibre, Sigil, and more
3) DRM and the problems of using it
4) Web sites that accept self-published books; the pro's and con's of each and where to go to submit books.
5) Options for setting up your own store using your own web site and paypal or ebay or google checkout????
6) Marketing your ebook including does and don'ts on Mobileread

When people post a Kindle only ebook they can be linked to the guide to publishing.

Alternatively, maybe its a business opportunity? You could offer a flat rate fee service or a percentage of sales to convert, submit, and market their book(s) in different places and different formats?

I'll weigh in with my experience regarding DRM -- it's not worth it. The technology is unreliable and will work against you far more than it will ever do in your favour.

The only reason big companies (book publishers, video game publishers, etc.) get away with DRM is because their customer base has no choice but to accept it to get the product they want. The challenge for a small author, however, is to get people to want your product in the first place.

The simple fact is, people don't like jumping through hoops, especially when they're paying good money for the privilege. The desire to protect your work is understandable, but it's not realistic. Producing content on the internet is like being one voice in a choir of millions all fighting to be heard. If anyone actually wants to steal your work, they can and they will -- but if you make it difficult for honest readers to get to your content, they have so many other options available that they're not going to want the hassle of dealing with a crippled file. Some people refuse to use anything with DRM on it as a matter of principle.

The big thing at the heart of the DRM fallacy is that DRM doesn't deter pirates, but it does put off honest people who deserve to be able to use the file they bought without added headaches. It's worth remembering.

Regards,
Ryan

6) Marketing your ebook including does and don'ts on Mobileread


Something I haven't mentioned here on MR is that I run a twitter account called @onlinefiction (http://twitter.com/onlinefiction), which promotes free, available-online fiction by posting quick blurbs + links. People can submit their links via DM on twitter. Not incredibly useful to anyone selling their work, of course.

Let me know how I can help!

I don't know about others, but I'd be interested to know about the relative popularity of various formats on Smashwords...?

This is a great idea of a thread, I'm watching it closely -- seems to me good and new answers to those questions can be valuable not only to authors!

Speaking as a customer (reader) here's my $0.02. Note that I don't use a dedicated reading device, but read on a variety of devices.

1) Different formats for ebooks and the tradeoffs
a) best for reading: MS .lit - unfortunately, MS Reader is moribund and unsupported.
b) best DRMed format: .prc/.mobi is simple, compact, and almost universally usable. Also very good non-DRM.
c) best non-DRM: .rtf - same virtues as .prc, a little larger, and much more flexible
d) other useable formats: eReader, PalmDoc, tagged PDF with very plain settings and no ligatures
...
3) DRM and the problems of using it
I don't - personal policy. It's too much trouble and potential data loss. If you DRM your books, I won't be a customer. Sorry.

The other issues are author-specific, and as a courtesy to the Western canon, I've never published any of my fiction. :)

As an aside, I buy mostly from Fictionwise and Baen, but have no particular axe to grind against other commercial sites. Some work well, some work less well. I'd suggest authors have any free content available on their web site, to eliminate certain kinds of infrastructure hassles that can annoy customers. I'd also suggest you be careful with free content. If you give it to me for nothing, I'll gladly take it, but I may not buy anything else, even if I like your work. This is simply because the next guy is also offering free stuff that takes up my time. I have to really like your work to go back and buy the next novel you have for sale.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

Feedbooks FTW! :)

This is a great idea! I've been wanting to provide downloads on my website, but the format choices and the methods for doing so are baffling me. I'm not sure I want smashwords, and I'd love a comprehensive rundown of what's popular.

I posted this on another thread, but in answer to someone's question about popular formats, smashwords did a survey:

http://blog.smashwords.com/2009/03/why-multi-format-ebooks-matter.html

Edward Patterson published this helpful guide on publishing ebooks (his experiences and recommendations and he has a lot to say) It happens to be a free download, making it even more useful:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/316

Me, I'm still learning. I can say that the biggest problem is finding a place where enough readers go. Amazon works very well for that precise reason. Tons of readers go there. For any other format, it's a battle to find the readers because there are simply too many sites--it's impossible to go to all of them to get one or two or 10 readers.

It's also a changing scene with new devices coming out and new converts to e-books joining daily!

Maria
Sage: (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3625) (multiple formats; Amazon or Smashwords--$1.00)
Catch an Honest Thief (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KW448U) (Kindle only format: $1.99; a cozy mystery)

Me, I'm still learning. I can say that the biggest problem is finding a place where enough readers go. Amazon works very well for that precise reason. Tons of readers go there. For any other format, it's a battle to find the readers because there are simply too many sites--it's impossible to go to all of them to get one or two or 10 readers.


We get 500k+ unique visitors at Feedbooks every month and our most popular self-published books get several thousands downloads: http://www.feedbooks.com/userbooks/top

We get 500k+ unique visitors at Feedbooks every month and our most popular self-published books get several thousands downloads: http://www.feedbooks.com/userbooks/top

Hadrien, do you guys plan to offer books for sale in the near future? (Or, rather, offer the ability to offer books for sale via Feedbooks.com.)

- Ahi

Hadrien, do you guys plan to offer books for sale in the near future? (Or, rather, offer the ability to offer books for sale via Feedbooks.com.)

- Ahi

Sure, but we consider that mobile distribution is very important. That's why we're working hard on OPDS with various other companies.

Sorry, Hadrien, you lost me... in practical terms what's OPDS about?

- Ahi

Sorry, Hadrien, you lost me... in practical terms what's OPDS about?

- Ahi

It's a standard for e-book distribution. That's the core technology that we use for our integration with Stanza (iPhone) and Aldiko (Android).

I posted this on another thread, but in answer to someone's question about popular formats, smashwords did a survey:

http://blog.smashwords.com/2009/03/why-multi-format-ebooks-matter.html

Edward Patterson published this helpful guide on publishing ebooks (his experiences and recommendations and he has a lot to say) It happens to be a free download, making it even more useful:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/316

Me, I'm still learning. I can say that the biggest problem is finding a place where enough readers go. Amazon works very well for that precise reason. Tons of readers go there. For any other format, it's a battle to find the readers because there are simply too many sites--it's impossible to go to all of them to get one or two or 10 readers.

It's also a changing scene with new devices coming out and new converts to e-books joining daily!

Maria
Sage: (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3625) (multiple formats; Amazon or Smashwords--$1.00)
Catch an Honest Thief (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KW448U) (Kindle only format: $1.99; a cozy mystery)
The thing with Feedbooks is that their conversions are overall better than Smashwords. So (personally), I'd prefer books from Feedbooks overall.

JS Wolf--thanks for that feedback. I've heard others talk about feedbook as well. I'll have to check them (and their inventory!)

Maria

The thing with Feedbooks is that their conversions are overall better than Smashwords. So (personally), I'd prefer books from Feedbooks overall.

And we're working on making our books even better right as we speak. I'll finally release our support for dropcaps and footnotes (links to a non-linear flow).

And we're working on making our books even better right as we speak. I'll finally release our support for dropcaps and footnotes (links to a non-linear flow).

Is PDF generation via LaTeX not practical to achieve?

Your PDFs are pretty good, but the basic aesthetics could be improved another small step via LaTeX generation... the main trick you'd probably want, in order to avoid overfull lines (at the expense of many usually not nearly as egregious underfull ones), is to set \tolerance to 9999. That way, while less than perfect, the LaTeX output is all but sure to not be blatantly erroneous on account of text being cut-off.

- Ahi

Is PDF generation via LaTeX not practical to achieve?

Your PDFs are pretty good, but the basic aesthetics could be improved another small step via LaTeX generation... the main trick you'd probably want, in order to avoid overfull lines (at the expense of many usually not nearly as egregious underfull ones), is to set \tolerance to 9999. That way, while less than perfect, the LaTeX output is all but sure to not be blatantly erroneous on account of text being cut-off.

- Ahi

Our PDF output used to be based on LaTeX but we switched to Prince XML a year ago. The new 7.0 version for Prince will have better hyphenation support (Liang's algorithm, like TeX), kerning and various typographical improvements. We'll move to Prince 7.0 as soon as the final version is available.

Our PDF output used to be based on LaTeX but we switched to Prince XML a year ago. The new 7.0 version for Prince will have better hyphenation support (Liang's algorithm, like TeX), kerning and various typographical improvements. We'll move to Prince 7.0 as soon as the final version is available.

Very cool. I've read about Prince XML before. Can I ask what the reason for the move was?

- Ahi

Very cool. I've read about Prince XML before. Can I ask what the reason for the move was?

- Ahi

We have various tools to white-list, validate and transform XHTML in our workflow. It's much easier for us to use the same core technology for EPUB, Mobipocket and PDF.

We have various tools to white-list, validate and transform XHTML in our workflow. It's much easier for us to use the same core technology for EPUB, Mobipocket and PDF.

Makes sense. Thanks for the explanations!

- Ahi

Apparently (so I read on another forum and on several blogs) it's likely that Smashword books will also be integrated into Fictionwise as well as B&N. Details are pretty scant. And while I can find articles that mention the B&N partnership, not enough details to know exactly how this will work or how things will change.

Maria
Sage: (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3625) (multiple formats; Amazon or Smashwords--$1.00)
Catch an Honest Thief (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KW448U) (Kindle only format: $1.99; a cozy mystery)

For authors distributing their books for free: "How to disappear completely" just reached > 10.000 downloads on Feedbooks.

http://feedbooks.com/userbook/3115

I believe that this is a very good example that our distribution system works very well for self-published titles.

I did look at Feedbooks, but I didn't easily find a spot where it talked contract details, number of books uploaded there...some of those details. I'll have to go check back when I'm doing my next experiment!

I did look at Feedbooks, but I didn't easily find a spot where it talked contract details, number of books uploaded there...some of those details. I'll have to go check back when I'm doing my next experiment!

I think the details you are looking for aren't on Feedbooks because everything on the site is free, unlike Smashwords.

For what it's worth, I've used both Feedbooks and Smashwords and have been very happy with both - easy to use, intuitive, not requiring a lot of technical knowledge. I've had a little more traffic on Feedbooks.

I've also published on Amazon's Digital Text Platform, which is also very user-friendly but has the drawback of not offering the option to make your book free or increase the sample size like Smashwords. The minimum charge is $0.99 - you keep $0.35 of that.

For authors distributing their books for free: "How to disappear completely" just reached > 10.000 downloads on Feedbooks.

http://feedbooks.com/userbook/3115

I believe that this is a very good example that our distribution system works very well for self-published titles.

I can attest to that, I've just reached the 8,700 mark (overall) on my short stories in just over 6 months of publishing. A number I don't think I would have reached even if I'd gone the traditional print route.

I can attest to that, I've just reached the 8,700 mark (overall) on my short stories in just over 6 months of publishing. A number I don't think I would have reached even if I'd gone the traditional print route.

:happybounce:Congratulations, Moejoe!:happybounce:

:happybounce:Congratulations, Moejoe!:happybounce:

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I looked at the numbers the other day. I'm not writing novels, I've not even put out any novellas yet, and we're continually told by the big pubs that short-stories aren't read and don't have an audience. I would have been happy with 50 downloads, so this number is ridiculous and goes beyond all my wildest dreams :)

Hello all, excuse me for sneaking into this writers-only chit chat.

Over in "News and Commentary" Ficbot began an interesting thread, and zelda_pinwheel suggested I bring the conversation over here, so here I am.

Ficbot had noted that so many new authors seemed to publish exclusively for the Kindle, and that this frustrated him as a non-Kindle owner. My response was that the publishing learning curve might be pretty steep for newcomers to the industry.

We might want to consider adding a series of wiki articles that explain the steps in publishing. Everything from creating books in different formats, pro's and con's of different publishing web sites, and even opportunities to market your book without spamming. In the interest of starting this effort, zelda_pinwheel suggested this post. I welcome your inputs to a guide for writers. Please feel free to add your thoughts and comments to this thread, or even to add pages to the wiki that we can pull together into our writer's guide.

I am looking for both topics that writers need to understand as well as explanations and/or suggestions on those topics.

Here is my initial list of topics / wiki pages

First, an intro to ebook publishing that introduces the key concepts and links to separate pages that then explain:
1) Different formats for ebooks and the tradeoffs
2) How to convert between formats: Calibre, Sigil, and more
3) DRM and the problems of using it
4) Web sites that accept self-published books; the pro's and con's of each and where to go to submit books.
5) Options for setting up your own store using your own web site and paypal or ebay or google checkout????
6) Marketing your ebook including does and don'ts on Mobileread

Your thoughts?

P.s. If you'd prefer to simply contribute your thoughts as a new page in the wiki, then go here:
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Main_Page
In the search box to the left type in the name of your new page. When it comes up as a missing search term, you will be given the option of creating a page with that name. If you do take that approach, please report back to this thread to let us know what pages you have added.
Smashwords.com already does most of the things suggested. It also publishes (free, but you do the work yourself before submitting and they give full instructions) in a heap of formats, including the one for kindle and epub.

i want to make ebooks and have people pirate the free ebooks i put out to spread my name like bubonic plague throughout prague and beyond

i want to make ebooks and have people pirate the free ebooks i put out to spread my name like bubonic plague throughout prague and beyond
Now there's a beautiful metaphor for you... plague-ridden pirates... ;)

Now there's a beautiful metaphor for you... plague-ridden pirates... ;)

mmm deliciousness. i drool on my keyboard. brb, i'm going to my fridge for cheese and yogurt and dip and ranch dressing. slurpy time.

If anyone is using Scrivener and Smashwords, I posted an export filter to format the former for the latter: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=643143

If you use it, let me know how it works. Thanks!

What is the best way to get my manuscript onto the Kindle. I have the .pdf files from book publisher.

What is the best way to get my manuscript onto the Kindle. I have the .pdf files from book publisher.
I would suggest that you go to the Kindle Forum and ask there. The Writer's Corner is mostly about writing books. The folks who hag out at the Kindle forum are very helpful and will walk you thorugh the process. And welcome to Mobile Read!

This is a very helpful discussion. Most writers just want to write, but these days they have to know about marketing, different e-reader formats etc. Confusing for a lot of people who are tech-minded. Easy to understand guides and more info on different companies who distribute and sell your ebooks is very helpful to all writers.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I looked at the numbers the other day. I'm not writing novels, I've not even put out any novellas yet, and we're continually told by the big pubs that short-stories aren't read and don't have an audience. I would have been happy with 50 downloads, so this number is ridiculous and goes beyond all my wildest dreams :)

With e-readers now, I think there is going to be a big demand for short fiction, magazines etc as well.

With e-readers now, I think there is going to be a big demand for short fiction, magazines etc as well.

And just when I gave up writing short-fiction and marketing too :) Damnit, I always end up shooting myself in the foot.

Do any of the portals mentioned here force you to go exclusive with them? I gather Amazon requires charging for books epublished with them, could someone publish there but still publish elsewhere without charging?

Do any of the portals mentioned here force you to go exclusive with them? I gather Amazon requires charging for books epublished with them, could someone publish there but still publish elsewhere without charging?

I don't think any of them do. Smashwords, Feedbooks and Amazon definitely don't. You can sell for a price on Amazon and give away free elsewhere - I know a few authors doing exactly that.

Thanks nomesque. :)

There's a very useful resource I mentioned in another (non-sticky) thread, so I'm re-posting it here so I don't lose it again.

http://ebookarchitects.com/conversions/retailers.php

This list the various ebook retailers and wholesalers, and what their requirements are. It seems to be accurate and up-to-date.

Apparently (so I read on another forum and on several blogs) it's likely that Smashword books will also be integrated into Fictionwise as well as B&N. Details are pretty scant. And while I can find articles that mention the B&N partnership, not enough details to know exactly how this will work or how things will change.

Maria
Sage: (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3625) (multiple formats; Amazon or Smashwords--$1.00)
Catch an Honest Thief (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KW448U) (Kindle only format: $1.99; a cozy mystery)

If it helps, my free short stories are on B&N and Shortcovers/Kobo via Smashwords but not Amazon, although they should be distributed to Amazon, Sony and Apple eventually...

Cheers

MT
[Promotion deleted - MODERATOR]

My ebooks have been on sale through Lightning Source for a while now. (ePub, DRM-free, 25% discount). Here's a list of stores which seem to have picked them up from the Ingram Digital feed:

BooksOnBoard (http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=viewbook&BOOK=678039)
CoolerBooks (http://www.coolerbooks.com/inside.asp?id=1395494)
CyberRead (http://www.cyberread.com/Kai-Lung-Raises-His-Voice/Bramah-Ernest/id359424/)
Diesel eBooks (http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/item/9781905946129/)
DirecteBooks (http://www.directebooks.com/ebook_detail.asp?prodId=1905946120)
ereadable (http://www.ereadable.com/scripts/browse.asp?ref=1905946120)
Lybrary (http://www.lybrary.com/lung-raises-voice-p-68368.html)
OmniLit (http://www.omnilit.com/product-kailungraiseshisvoice-423718-242.html)
Powell's Books (http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?show=ELECTRONIC%3AADOBE%20DIGITAL%20EDITION S%3A9781905946129%3A7.99)

I'll weigh in with my experience regarding DRM -- it's not worth it. The technology is unreliable and will work against you far more than it will ever do in your favour.

The only reason big companies (book publishers, video game publishers, etc.) get away with DRM is because their customer base has no choice but to accept it to get the product they want. The challenge for a small author, however, is to get people to want your product in the first place.

The simple fact is, people don't like jumping through hoops, especially when they're paying good money for the privilege. The desire to protect your work is understandable, but it's not realistic. Producing content on the internet is like being one voice in a choir of millions all fighting to be heard. If anyone actually wants to steal your work, they can and they will -- but if you make it difficult for honest readers to get to your content, they have so many other options available that they're not going to want the hassle of dealing with a crippled file. Some people refuse to use anything with DRM on it as a matter of principle.

The big thing at the heart of the DRM fallacy is that DRM doesn't deter pirates, but it does put off honest people who deserve to be able to use the file they bought without added headaches. It's worth remembering.

Regards,
Ryan

With you all the way! DRM is pants and pointless and as a user, I hate it with a passion, I would feel thoroughly hypocritical foisting it on my own readers. The only reason I can see, for having that kind of meanness of spirit with your ideas is because they are drying up. There are plenty more where mine came from so... :thumbsup:

Hi Ernest, are those outlets that are selling Kai Lung Raises His Voice doing well? I am in Kindle, Mobipocket and Smashwords but always looking to expand audiences.

are those outlets that are selling Kai Lung Raises His Voice doing well? I am in Kindle, Mobipocket and Smashwords but always looking to expand audiences.

Well, Bearing in mind that it's not been available for the same time everywhere:

Kindle: 4 copies
Lightning Source: none
Lulu: 2 copies

Sigh...

On the plus side, the paper copies have been selling OK. They have been available for a bit longer:

Amazon US: 23 copies
Amazon UK: 9 copies

Hopefully some reviews will appear soon, which may encourage sales.

With you all the way! DRM is pants and pointless and as a user, I hate it with a passion, I would feel thoroughly hypocritical foisting it on my own readers. The only reason I can see, for having that kind of meanness of spirit with your ideas is because they are drying up. There are plenty more where mine came from so... :thumbsup:

Do you guys feel this is true for technical publications as well or does this apply mostly to fiction and literature? I'm about 60% of the way through a training manual for a highly specialized computer software.

Knowledgable people in this occupational area are in VERY high demand and due to the high cost of just buying the software, there is almost no 3rd party support for training. And few opportunities for self learning.

I'm thinking that modestly priced training materials would be useful for small to mid-sized companies who have spent all their budget on software acquisition and don't have enough money left in the budget to train all their employees.

Will I be giving my knowledge away if there is no DRM in this case? It would seem to me that without protection of some sort, I will be not only destroying any profits from book sales, but reducing the value of my own expertise in this field by creating people capable of doing my job.

Any thoughts on this sort of situation?

Any thoughts on this sort of situation?

Well, it seems like you'd be competing with O'Reilly and they sell their ebooks DRM-free.

Well, it seems like you'd be competing with O'Reilly and they sell their ebooks DRM-free.

No I wouldn't. If O'reilly sold a title for this software, I wouldn't have started writing it. But I didn't know that their ebooks were DRM free, clearly I need to understand ebook publishing better. I'm beginning to suspect writing the book is going to be the easy part.

No I wouldn't. If O'reilly sold a title for this software, I wouldn't have started writing it. But I didn't know that their ebooks were DRM free, clearly I need to understand ebook publishing better. I'm beginning to suspect writing the book is going to be the easy part.

You might want to take a look at http://openp2p.com/lpt/a/3015 for one publisher's view on the subject.

I'm beginning to suspect writing the book is going to be the easy part.

Writing a book is hard. But yes, selling the book after writing it is harder!

Making it available for people to buy, however, is getting easier and easier.

Anyone know where I could sell history e-books? I looked on smashwords but it seems they don't have a category for non-fiction history, just historical fiction.

Anyone know where I could sell history e-books? I looked on smashwords but it seems they don't have a category for non-fiction history, just historical fiction.

Click on the bit in the border at the top of each page on Smashwords that says "Comments/questions/customer support? Click here!" and ask them, if they don't add it, they'll take the time to explain why and suggest how you could get round it. I'm very impressed with them, they take ideas on board and are quick to reply to queries or requests for help.

Cheers

MTM

I've published on bdsmbooks.com The guy who runs it is an excellent editor. He doesn't do any marketing other than put it on his web page. Pays on time and answers emails promptly.

I've also published on Reneisanceebooks.com
http://shop.renebooks.com/

Jean who runs it does more of an effort in marketing it so it'll reach more eyes, but you really need a name first.... which I don't have. She's a mess when it comes to book keeping though. Also sucks at answering emails. You get a lot of standard answers that don't really fit. I didn't need any editing done, so I have no idea of her editing skills.

I can't say enough about how helpful Smashwords.com is about helping new authors to get their books published as ebooks and get onto all the various ereaders. If not for Smashwords I would still be writing my stories strictly for myself. They were the first I found out about and the best I still have found.

Until February of this year I was only writing for me - now my ebooks are reaching people all over the globe and I have gotten very good feedback/reviews from quite a few people who purchased my ebooks on Smashwords.

Thanks to Mark Coker for all he's done in helping out the newbie author.

On the DRM question, Cory Doctorow (a hero) summed it up in a borrowed quote from elsewhere in a talk recently: "The problem for an independent author isn't piracy; it's obscurity." Cheers. Neil

I can't say enough about how helpful Smashwords.com is about helping new authors to get their books published as ebooks and get onto all the various ereaders. If not for Smashwords I would still be writing my stories strictly for myself. They were the first I found out about and the best I still have found.

Until February of this year I was only writing for me - now my ebooks are reaching people all over the globe and I have gotten very good feedback/reviews from quite a few people who purchased my ebooks on Smashwords.

Thanks to Mark Coker for all he's done in helping out the newbie author.

With you on that one. I've recently put my ebook up on smashwords, and yesterday had the good news that it's been accepted for the premium catalogue - which will lead to distribution via Amazon, Apple, Sony etc.

Personally, I think Smashwords is going places. My advice to anyone who has written an ebook is to get it onto Smashwords pronto, before the place gets too popular, so that your book isn't swamped by (as yet) too many submissions.

Just to agree and underscore what Winter said. While considering how I wanted to go about selling my ebooks, I read a lot of commentary on whether to use DRM or not, and Winter has laid out the overall consensus very well. I'll just add the comment, look what has happened to music because of DRM. Everybody hates it, and software that removes DRM from videos and music is big business. The music industry shot itself in the foot.

I'm fairly annoyed that all these places force authors to use their (the ebook sites') conversion processes, which are normally pretty subpar. I have a professionally formatted ebook that I put quite alot of effort into with InDesign, then also tweaked the formatting on the ePub and MOBI in Oxygen, and I get onto these sites like Smashwords and Feedbooks and they want .doc files and copy paste text. I guess this is in part to cater to people who don't have the knowledge to design a book, and/nor the software, as well as needing to maintain a common formatting style for everything on their sites. But it is frustrating. Are there no sites that allow authors to publish their own formating that follows all the technical guidelines for PDF, ePub, and MOBI? gigapedia is the only site I know of. I'm going to crawl through the ebook Architects and try to find some there.

I think LuLu has a WYSIWYG editor, but they force to ePub or PDF. You may be able to squeeze it onto amazon with your formatting, but I'm not too sure about that...

AJ, I didn't know you were here. I just saw your book at SW yesterday

I was thinking more along the lines of a straight upload of pre-formatted files, but I'll look into that.

Nice avatar too.

In my experience Amazon has forced me to use their conversion. I put my book on their site simply to test their conversion process (set the price to .99 because that was the lowest they'd allow) and it was pretty...not good.

I'm fairly annoyed that all these places force authors to use their (the ebook sites') conversion processes, which are normally pretty subpar. I have a professionally formatted ebook that I put quite alot of effort into with InDesign, then also tweaked the formatting on the ePub and MOBI in Oxygen, and I get onto these sites like Smashwords and Feedbooks and they want .doc files and copy paste text. I guess this is in part to cater to people who don't have the knowledge to design a book, and/nor the software, as well as needing to maintain a common formatting style for everything on their sites. But it is frustrating. Are there no sites that allow authors to publish their own formating that follows all the technical guidelines for PDF, ePub, and MOBI? gigapedia is the only site I know of. I'm going to crawl through the ebook Architects and try to find some there.

dtp.amazon.com will let you upload Mobipocket files for selling in their Kindle store.
lulu.com will let you upload PDF and ePub for selling on the lulu.com website
www.lightningsource.com will let you upload PDF and ePub for distribution to various ebook stores.
Apple will let you upload ePubs for their iBookStore

It's certainly possible to specify with the first three that the ebooks should not have DRM. I haven't gone through the process myself with Apple yet, but I beleive it's possible to specify no DRM with them too.

Thanks, durrant!

Very helpful. I looked into the iBookstore earlier today, but they want all kind of payment info. I already have an iTunes account, and I'm on a mac, but to just offer the novel for free, I'm not sure if it's worth going through all that personal finance information.

I have an account on LS, but I don't want to use my ISBN for an ebook in case I decide to publish it in paper back. I'm assuming they'll want a new ISBN for the ebook. I'll have to look into that, though.

Great info about Amazon.

I'm hesitant to go near Lulu. It seems to carry not-very-highly-thought-of connotations.

Thanks again. Just what I wanted to know.

With you on that one. I've recently put my ebook up on smashwords, and yesterday had the good news that it's been accepted for the premium catalogue - which will lead to distribution via Amazon, Apple, Sony etc.

Personally, I think Smashwords is going places. My advice to anyone who has written an ebook is to get it onto Smashwords pronto, before the place gets too popular, so that your book isn't swamped by (as yet) too many submissions.

Interesting thoughts. I find myself less enthused about having my book on Smashwords because it's becoming easier to get it elsewhere without the go-between. Once I can add a book to B&N or Apple on my own, I'm not sure Smashwords will be all that necessary, especially if they still want to take a cut out of the royalties. Are you finding you get a lot of sales via Smashwords? Is the situation a little different for people in the UK?

This sounds like it might be a very useful topic for someone like me. I'm very confused by all of the various formats and when they should be used.
Ann

I'm less interested in the formats (I'm only ever going to publish in epub and PDF, unless absolutely forced to do otherwise), and more interested in what places are best to publish your ebooks.

I've used Wattpad, Manybooks, Bookglutton, Scribd, Smashwords, and Feedbooks to distribute books over the years, and have decided I need both Feedbooks and Smashwords -- but for different reasons.

Feedbooks produces better documents and does a better job -- in my opinion and experience -- of distributing books via its own interfaces (web and mobile), and on platforms like Aldiko and Ibis Reader. Apples to apples, I've distributed 235 free copies of one book on Smashwords so far this year, versus 1007 of the same book on Feedbooks, although an uncontrolled variable is that all my own promotion drives to Feedbooks.

Smashwords, on the other hand, has made a lot of deals for free distribution via mainstream channels like B&N, Amazon, and Apple. Be warned, however, that it can take a long time for your books to appear in these channels. Right now, I'm in B&N and the iBookstore, but still waiting on Amazon, Sony, and Kobo -- and my book was accepted into the Premium Catalog on March 30. (My free e-book was also priced at $9.99 for five weeks in the iBookstore, but that's another story.)

There is no perfect solution, in short, but Smashwords and Feedbooks both have things going for them. Hope this is helpful.

I went with Amazon DTP, Lulu and Smashwords for full retail versions. Smashwords had me listed with iBooks within a week. They only just shipped to Kobo, Sony and B&N so I'll have to wait a while to see if they've listed me.

I also posted free excerpts on Wattpad, Issuu, and Scribd (about 50 pages) with links. I've gotten some good response from these guys.

On the DRM question, Cory Doctorow (a hero) summed it up in a borrowed quote from elsewhere in a talk recently: "The problem for an independent author isn't piracy; it's obscurity." Cheers. Neil
I'm not sure why I didn't catch this before, but your statement about piracy issues with independent authors is spot on. If anything, regardless of how obscure or popular you are, authors should actually encourage the sharing (no, don't call it "piracy", as that's the wrong word. Go look it up in the dictionary. It's the theft of a physical object by force.) of our books. Independent artists do it all the time and it actually helps them.

Also, if you want to increase your exposure, offer a free copy of one of your books, then encourage as many people as possible to share it. The more that share, the more free press and exposure you get, and the better you'll do. Now, if people refuse to share your book, I'd seriously take a second look at your writing, because if they're not sharing it, and not telling their friends, then something is seriously wrong with your book, and possibly all your writing.

I was thinking more along the lines of a straight upload of pre-formatted files, but I'll look into that.

Nice avatar too.

I'm contemplating creating a new eBook seller, one that allows authors to directly upload their formatted eBook files. It would also charge a low monthly fee rather than a commission. Would that be along the lines of what you are looking for?

For anyone who is interested, the new 2.0 version of Scrivener will compile directly to .epub and .mobi (Kindle) formats (as well as HTML and a whole slew of other ones).

Wasn't smashwords considering changing their input process? The conversion they used last time I checked was a bit awkward.

EDIT: Never mind, you can't upload formats to Smashwords directly. I must have been thinking of something else (or just wishful thinking). I am not the first to say that .doc format is not the best for simple creation of anything. It would be nice if they accepted simple text docs. I should update my Scrivener exporter for Smashwords.

I think you need to publish everywhere and anywhere as in reality few are sold at present and many many are published.

As an amateur writer, it took me three months to learn how to make .mobi and epub books by hand, from scratch. It gave me an insight into ebook construction not possible when using conversion programs. I wrote tutorials which are available on my website, www.katiebooks.ca, for anyone interested. You can copy the code, insert your information, and be published in minutes. Give it a try!

I would like to invite ebook writers to consider joining me on katiebooks.ca to publish their work. Please explore the site for information.

Tony A

Hi Tony
I asked this question on another forum but do you know how to embed animation in an epub file? I want to create it for uploading it to an ipad.
Thanks

This is a great resource - there are so many places to publish eBooks, it can be overwhelming!! I still am not sure what is the best way to do this. My eBooks are geared more towards Internet marketing, blogging how-to books. Thanks!

I've been with Smashwords for over a year now, and I can honestly vouch for the honesty of creator Mark Coker and his staff. Smashwords not only sells ebooks but distributes them too--to most of the major retailers. Eliminates a whole lot of work for this writer with approx 80 ebooks to juggle, plus my traditionally published works. Janice Daugharty Visit me at www.janicedaugharty.com

I'm fairly annoyed that all these places force authors to use their (the ebook sites') conversion processes, which are normally pretty subpar. I have a professionally formatted ebook that I put quite alot of effort into with InDesign, then also tweaked the formatting on the ePub and MOBI in Oxygen, and I get onto these sites like Smashwords and Feedbooks and they want .doc files and copy paste text. I guess this is in part to cater to people who don't have the knowledge to design a book, and/nor the software, as well as needing to maintain a common formatting style for everything on their sites. But it is frustrating. Are there no sites that allow authors to publish their own formating that follows all the technical guidelines for PDF, ePub, and MOBI? gigapedia is the only site I know of. I'm going to crawl through the ebook Architects and try to find some there.

Goodreads.com. You can now sell your e-book there, they pay in $cheques or through paypal and you have to upload an epub file. I'm working on producing one of those right now!

Cheers


MTM

cool thanks for info!

Sorry, I'm a new user to the forums and don't understand how to use them properly, so this might not be the best place to put my comment. But here goes.

Smashwords is another publisher and distributor of ebooks. Through it you can sell or publish free ebooks (unlike Amazon). Smashwords has its own popular web site, and distributes to barnesandnoble.com, Apple ibookstore, and kobobooks.com. You can self-publish your own epub ebooks on those sites without using Smashwords or paying the 15% commission it charges on sales, but it provides full accounting and a one-stop shop. In addition, Smashwords is one of only two approved content aggregators for ebookstore.sony.com and also the smaller ebook site diesel-ebooks.com. Kobobooks.com feeds the epub from Smashwords to other ebook retailers including borders.com, and handles all the transactions and pays through smashwords.

Smashwords' own site posts your book in Kindle (mobi), epub, lrf, PDF, RTF. and plain text. It's machine converters don't produce the nicest books but it's all automatic, you just upload a .doc file (or rtf) and your ebook cover if you have one.

All of the above are options and you can select all of them or only specify which options you want. There is much more information available from smashwords.com.

Many self-publishers list their ebooks on Amazon and Smashwords.

There's a very useful resource I mentioned in another (non-sticky) thread, so I'm re-posting it here so I don't lose it again.

http://ebookarchitects.com/conversions/retailers.php

This list the various ebook retailers and wholesalers, and what their requirements are. It seems to be accurate and up-to-date.

Excellent. I know this post is about a year old, but I'm just getting up to speed on this stuff in preparation for publishing a few books.

So here's a question I didn't see addressed above -- ISBNs? How to get them and if they are needed and useful or required for self-publishing?

So here's a question I didn't see addressed above -- ISBNs? How to get them and if they are needed and useful or required for self-publishing?

You get an ISBN range from the ISBN authority for the country you live in.

You don't need an ISBN for publishing a Kindle ebook through Amazon. I think you do need an ISBN for publishing an ePub, mostly.

Almost everyone has a mobile device iPhone or Android that you can use Kindle on. I don't own a kindle but I still read kindle books on my android..

My frustration is with graphic novels, I have yet to see a reader that has the software that can render the graphics correctly for a graphic novel. I have published comics before, now I am moving into the novel realm but there are no eReader software, or no hardware software combos that can.

Am I missing something here? Kindle is too low on the totem pole for graphics, iPad has issues even with magazines that end up costing the end user five times the normal amount to read their favorite magazines because apple charges them like 30 percent to make content for iPad.... GTFO in my honest opinion. The only thing that gets close are the new Android tablets with open source software that allows devs to create new content.. lets hope a graphical eReader is in the works from someone.

This is a great resource - there are so many places to publish eBooks, it can be overwhelming!! I still am not sure what is the best way to do this. My eBooks are geared more towards Internet marketing, blogging how-to books. Thanks!

I know a few authors who publish via ePublishing, they use Amazon.com for kindle and smashwords.com for everything else. They do all formats including pdf.

I know a few authors who publish via ePublishing, they use Amazon.com for kindle and smashwords.com for everything else. They do all formats including pdf.

But sometimes Smashwords ePub can be a bit not all that wonderful since they use and automated meatgrinder to do the conversion. Find a place you can put nicely hand crafted ePub and then you'll be in business.

But sometimes Smashwords ePub can be a bit not all that wonderful since they use and automated meatgrinder to do the conversion. Find a place you can put nicely hand crafted ePub and then you'll be in business.

I found smashwords meatgrinder to be quite poor :(

I found smashwords meatgrinder to be quite poor :(

I bought a book the other day from B&N that came from Smashwords and it was a Word document converted to ePub via Calibre. The resulting document was nasty. This just makes me want to stay away from buying anything from Smashwords since they just don't know what to do properly.

The way to do it is to allow the author to upload a good ePub and any other formats the author wants and any missing formats get converted from the ePub.

Registrant:
Smashwords, Inc.
15951 Los Gatos Blvd.
Ste 16
Los Gatos, California 95032
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: SMASHWORDS.COM
Created on: 05-Aug-05
Expires on: 05-Aug-11
Last Updated on: 06-Jun-10

Administrative Contact:
Administrator, DNS dns2010@smashwords.com
Smashwords, Inc.
15951 Los Gatos Blvd.
Ste 16
Los Gatos, California 95032
United States
+1.4083953600 Fax --

Technical Contact:
Administrator, DNS dns2010@smashwords.com
Smashwords, Inc.
15951 Los Gatos Blvd.
Ste 16
Los Gatos, California 95032
United States
+1.4083953600 Fax --

Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.SLICEHOST.NET
NS2.SLICEHOST.NET
NS3.SLICEHOST.NET

I suggest everyone who reads this gives Smashwords a call and tell them they need to allow authors to upload premade eBooks. The way they do it now is not working well at all.

I bought a book the other day from B&N that came from Smashwords and it was a Word document converted to ePub via Calibre. The resulting document was nasty. This just makes me want to stay away from buying anything from Smashwords since they just don't know what to do properly.

The way to do it is to allow the author to upload a good ePub and any other formats the author wants and any missing formats get converted from the ePub.

It isn't just Smashwords that makes bad ebooks from badly formatted Word files, Amazon do it too. The problem is with the source Word file, and anyone who can't format one of those properly is unlikely to be able to format an epub properly either.

It isn't just Smashwords that makes bad ebooks from badly formatted Word files, Amazon do it too. The problem is with the source Word file, and anyone who can't format one of those properly is unlikely to be able to format an epub properly either.

Sometimes It is just easier to deal with ePub then it is to deal with Word. My idea is to do the editing in a Word, apply the markdown syntax, save as text and run it through Calibre. That would eliminate all the garbage Word puts in.

The way to do it is to allow the author to upload a good ePub and any other formats the author wants and any missing formats get converted from the ePub.

I agree with this; I made the .mobi for the kindle and uploaded it to Amazon and it looked nice.

The mobi made by Smashwords was terrible and I had to delete it, I only allow the epub, .pdf, and .rtf; although the .rtf seems to be corrupt :(

I pay good money no matter how much or how little and I don't like to get an eBook that I could have made better from the same Word document.

Smashwords is causing authors to lose money. There are eBooks I would have bought, but not from SW given how bad they can be under the hood when I want to fix them to how I like.

I agree with this; I made the .mobi for the kindle and uploaded it to Amazon and it looked nice.

The mobi made by Smashwords was terrible and I had to delete it, I only allow the epub, .pdf, and .rtf; although the .rtf seems to be corrupt :(

I had a look at your ePub sample from Smashwords and the code is awful. The CSS is rather bad too. I hate to say, but it needs to be cleaned up and put someplace else.

I had a look at your ePub sample from Smashwords and the code is awful. The CSS is rather bad too. I hate to say, but it needs to be cleaned up and put someplace else.


That may explain why I'm not selling any :rofl: All of this is really just an experiment for me at the moment. Apart from Amazon and smashwords not sure where else you can place ebook files.

I have my book on Kindle, Smashwords, and Nook. It looks good on Kindle and Nook so far, but I don't have the readers to look on Smashwords. The PDF looked good though.

I expect most of my sales to come from Kindle so that's where I focus most of my marketing. I'm just worried the thing won't sell! But it's only been two days haha

I have my book on Kindle, Smashwords, and Nook. It looks good on Kindle and Nook so far, but I don't have the readers to look on Smashwords. The PDF looked good though.

I expect most of my sales to come from Kindle so that's where I focus most of my marketing. I'm just worried the thing won't sell! But it's only been two days haha

When you say nook, do you mean you published it direct to B&N? Doesn't B&N get eBooks from Smashwords?

They do, I just decided to publish mine straight to B&N and use smashwords for whatever other platforms.

I just recently found how you can publish via B&N direct. So you can make an ePub eBook how you want and then publish it via B&N as is. That's good. Smashwords is just not good.

Yeah I'm very underwhelmed by it but I'll keep my book their anyway. I think Kindle is the best and biggest so far. It's the one I mainly market.

Yeah I'm very underwhelmed by it but I'll keep my book their anyway. I think Kindle is the best and biggest so far. It's the one I mainly market.

How about making an ePub you are happy with a publishing at B&N? Then you can push that version as well.

That's what I did. The one I published at B&N looked pretty good as far as I could see with their previewer. Heck I've even sold a copy there which is more than I've done at smashwords! (The books only been up 2 or 3 days give or take so this is all in its infancy)

That's what I did. The one I published at B&N looked pretty good as far as I could see with their previewer. Heck I've even sold a copy there which is more than I've done at smashwords! (The books only been up 2 or 3 days give or take so this is all in its infancy)

Well done! I like having options that are going to be worth my time. With a lot of Smashwords eBooks, I have to open it up and really go over it to fix the mess. It's not fun and I prefer not to have to do that.

oh yeah definitely. Like I said I think Kindle is the best one. Better distribution and stuff. I'm just finding it difficult to market the thing...but then I'm probably just stressing myself out too much. Then again it's tough to make your voice heard out there!

I just recently found how you can publish via B&N direct. So you can make an ePub eBook how you want and then publish it via B&N as is. That's good. Smashwords is just not good.

I'm kinda leery because I think my epub on Smashwords doesn't look as good as it could. But when I checked out B&N to publish directly through them... they want an EFT number and a credit card. Amazon lets you accept check payments.

Spoke with an author giving a presentation on his books at Chapters in Canada. He told me that he is not and will not sell his ebooks through Chapters because they offer only half the royalty of his paper books. He sells his ebooks himself.

Spoke with an author giving a presentation on his books at Chapters in Canada. He told me that he is not and will not sell his ebooks through Chapters because they offer only half the royalty of his paper books. He sells his ebooks himself.

Makes me wonder what their royalty rates are. Amazon gives either 35% or 75% depending on which you choose. He must have a good deal through his print publishers, that or Chapters screws people over.

I could have sent my stuff through a publishing company, but there were so many listings and they try to make things as hard as possible--not accepting new authors, you need an agent, it will be 4 months before we even tell you we got your manuscript and you can't send it anywhere else, blah, blah.

The fact that my stuff is so hard to fit into any one genre makes it hard too. I guess I just didn't want to be labeled. And to pick my own label and have someone glance at my synopsis and toss my manuscript away because it doesn't match their niche... :(

Spoke with an author giving a presentation on his books at Chapters in Canada. He told me that he is not and will not sell his ebooks through Chapters because they offer only half the royalty of his paper books. He sells his ebooks himself.

I'm not sure what that author told you makes any sense. Chapter's sells ebooks through Kobo. Independents can list with them, but they like independents to have ten tittles, or recommend using smashwords or one of several other approved content aggregators. The royalty rate depends on several factors, but they are in the same range as most other outlets for self-publishers and small publishing companies. Like the other fellow said, he must have a great deal with his print publisher.

And we're working on making our books even better right as we speak. I'll finally release our support for dropcaps and footnotes (links to a non-linear flow)..............

I searched but could not find an answer to this question. Do any ebook distributors allow the publishing of things like photo books of a company's products? Or a color swatch guide relating to products?

I am looking for somewhere I can do this and charge $0. The most likely candidate I've found is iBooks, but I'm skeptical they would allow a photo book or other material relating to a specific company's products.

I've had trouble locating info about this on the help/FAQ sections of Kindle,Ibooks, etc.

My goal is to be able to easily distribute a free image gallery to ipad and other tablet users. Ebooks seem to be the only way to do it without requiring recipients to purchase an app (sometimes. for example, ibooks is free on ipads).

Thanks!

I searched but could not find an answer to this question. Do any ebook distributors allow the publishing of things like photo books of a company's products? Or a color swatch guide relating to products?

I am looking for somewhere I can do this and charge $0. The most likely candidate I've found is iBooks, but I'm skeptical they would allow a photo book or other material relating to a specific company's products.

I've had trouble locating info about this on the help/FAQ sections of Kindle,Ibooks, etc.

My goal is to be able to easily distribute a free image gallery to ipad and other tablet users. Ebooks seem to be the only way to do it without requiring recipients to purchase an app (sometimes. for example, ibooks is free on ipads).

Thanks!

Maybe get Sigil and tool around with it to see if you can get the functionality you want? Then you can upload the epub to your website and direct people there for downloads.

Spread around the goodness, use Smashwords (you will rarely make direct sales from the website) for its distribution hubs, place your book on B&N via Pubit and get it up on the Kindle via KDP. Everything else is persistence and settling down for a marathon, not a sprint.

This Amazon's Digital Text Platform are there any other benefits to using it over other websites?

This Amazon's Digital Text Platform are there any other benefits to using it over other websites?

That fact that the vast majority of ebooks currently being sold are sold through the Amazon Kindle store?

You also make a little more on each sale going directly rather than through (say) Smashwords.

I gather from my reading posts over the past year that Smashwords' meatgrinder is to be avoided when possible.

I see now that Amazon has its own DTP system, Barnes & Noble has PubIt!, and Kobo I'm not sure about. Are they all better than Smashwords? Is it better to submit your work to each of these separately before you go to Smashwords?

GA, our Meatgrinder system works really well for narrative and narrative + images. If you're doing a fixed format book (like some childrens picture books), it won't work for that. The secret to getting a good book out of Meatgrinder is to carefully study and implement our Smashwords Style Guide. It'll show you how to format your book for Smashwords, and how to take advantage of its support for styling and various bells and whistles.

Thanks!

I downloaded the Style guide during last year's Read an eBook Week, so I'll get to that.

I'm writing a simple novel without graphs and illustrations.

I'll second Mr Coker there, I've had no trouble with the meatgrinder for my novels or short stories.

Can anyone tell me if Pubit is open to non US citizens these days or even a link to find it? I'm in the UK.

Cheers

MTM

Can anyone tell me if Pubit is open to non US citizens these days or even a link to find it? I'm in the UK.


MTM, try this:
http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home

Ooo. Thanks.

You're welcome!

:thumbsup:
GREAT IDEA!!! Especially the bit about how to set up one's own store and sell from the website. YOU GO GIRL!!!

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but I saw this proposal on Kickstarter to create a publishing site for ebooks released under creative commons licenses at leebre.org, and thought it might be of interest to people here.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mpb/leebreorg-liberate-fiction-with-free-social-publis

That fact that the vast majority of ebooks currently being sold are sold through the Amazon Kindle store?

But some ebooks I have treid to find and have not beens old on amazon but more bespoke websites, thats the onla reason I atrated using others

Question on the business side to self-publishers. As a self-publisher, do you just put your name as the publisher, or have you created your own publishing company? If you have set up a publishing company, have you registered it, or created a separate entity?
What are the pros and cons of each?
Bob

But some ebooks I have treid to find and have not beens old on amazon but more bespoke websites, thats the onla reason I atrated using others

I didn't mean number of titles (although I wouldn't be surprised to find that Amazon had more titles than anyone else), but that Amazon sold more copies of ebooks than anyone else, by a large margin.

This is obviously of interest to people wanting to sell ebooks. (Note title of this thread.)

Of course, as a reader, one buys ebooks from whichever legitimate outlet offers the book you want to buy at the best combination of price and convenience.

I've had some success publishing my books on IvaNovella www.ivanovella.com (http://www.ivanovella.com)

They are new which is not always bad, but there are no fees and they don't like DRM.

Hmmm..... I appreciate the information, but there are several strikes against ether as far as I'm concerned. iOnly is bad, I can publish myself for free without any contests etc. on many platforms including iStuff and actully get paid for it. Now there could be some good in shared publicity but not sure it would get to my target audience just as there is in giving away free ebooks and downloads, but....

Anyway, thanks but no thanks from me.