Quote:
Originally Posted by BWinmill
Well, the article is really about Smashwords as a publisher. If you look at it in that context, the graph makes much more sense: as a publisher, their cut of the pie is minimal. But it also sounds like the services they offer are minimal (they vet books, don't edit them; they only offer electronic editions, not electronic and print). As such, the risk to them is much lower than with traditional publishers.
|
They really aren't a publishers, and it is misleading for them to describe themselves as such. The are an ebook wholesaler/distributor (and retailer). They sell books themselves, but their key function is to provide an easy way for authors to get ebooks into other retailers catalogs. But they really don't provide any of the other services a publisher does.