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VydorScope · 01-11-2014, 06:35 AM

My suggestion...which is based on my knowledge of the US Market (the largest ebook market currently) - so you might have to tweak this to fit your situation.

1) Go direct to Amazon. Take the time to create a mobi just for them and get all your details right with them. They are King right now.

2) Kobo - you will want to go direct with them (assuming you can) only because they are also a distributor. Your ebook will show up in lots of non-US stores through them. Stores you can not get into otherwise.

3) Google Play - They are on the rise, not a real player yet but getting in now will get you on the up swing. Thier system is not very intuitive to use, so plan to take time to work through it. You will want to consider going direct to them, as, to the best of my knowledge, no one distributes to them yet.

For all the rest of the stores - use Smashwords, Bookbaby, or Draft2Digital. Put your time in where you make the sales, and not where you do not. There are a gazillion little stores out there now, and you want to be in them, but it is not a good use of your time to fuss with them so let your distributor handle that.

Possible exceptions:

1) Apple - This is a big player for some people but as I understand it one of the hardest to deal with directly. I currently let Smashwords deal with them. It is fairly easy to get around the "you need a mac" requirement, but that takes additional time. If you are not selling much there, I would not worry about it. I am looking into going direct this year with them.

2) Barnes and Noble - I hate to say this, but they have all the signs of a dying platform. I have pulled out of going direct to them and personally do not plan to waste time fighting with them any more. I let Smashwords push to them. I hope they recover, and they still might - but it is more likely the Nook brand will be bought out.

I have been using Smashwords for over 3 years now, and they still offer advantages others do not...

1) Coupons.
2) Pre-Orders
3) Oyster & Scribd
4) Libraries

The primary issue with Smashwords is that they are SLOW with everything. They accept direct EPUB uploads now, and that EPUB is what they distribute to their channels so the Meatgrinder is not an issue anymore - unless you want to use the non-epub options in their store front.

So that is my thoughts on the matter. Good luck!

01-11-2014, 06:35 AM	#2
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	My suggestion...which is based on my knowledge of the US Market (the largest ebook market currently) - so you might have to tweak this to fit your situation. 1) Go direct to Amazon. Take the time to create a mobi just for them and get all your details right with them. They are King right now. 2) Kobo - you will want to go direct with them (assuming you can) only because they are also a distributor. Your ebook will show up in lots of non-US stores through them. Stores you can not get into otherwise. 3) Google Play - They are on the rise, not a real player yet but getting in now will get you on the up swing. Thier system is not very intuitive to use, so plan to take time to work through it. You will want to consider going direct to them, as, to the best of my knowledge, no one distributes to them yet. For all the rest of the stores - use Smashwords, Bookbaby, or Draft2Digital. Put your time in where you make the sales, and not where you do not. There are a gazillion little stores out there now, and you want to be in them, but it is not a good use of your time to fuss with them so let your distributor handle that. Possible exceptions: 1) Apple - This is a big player for some people but as I understand it one of the hardest to deal with directly. I currently let Smashwords deal with them. It is fairly easy to get around the "you need a mac" requirement, but that takes additional time. If you are not selling much there, I would not worry about it. I am looking into going direct this year with them. 2) Barnes and Noble - I hate to say this, but they have all the signs of a dying platform. I have pulled out of going direct to them and personally do not plan to waste time fighting with them any more. I let Smashwords push to them. I hope they recover, and they still might - but it is more likely the Nook brand will be bought out. I have been using Smashwords for over 3 years now, and they still offer advantages others do not... 1) Coupons. 2) Pre-Orders 3) Oyster & Scribd 4) Libraries The primary issue with Smashwords is that they are SLOW with everything. They accept direct EPUB uploads now, and that EPUB is what they distribute to their channels so the Meatgrinder is not an issue anymore - unless you want to use the non-epub options in their store front. So that is my thoughts on the matter. Good luck!