Quote:
Originally Posted by ereadingdotcom
We're currently developing Ereading.com and our social networking site for readers, MyEreading.com. However, one of the next projects up for development is our publishing platform, which will be at LaunchWords.com.
I'm sure many indie authors are using Smashwords. We're wondering if you'd be willing to share what you like (and don't like) about the Smashwords platform?
Our goal is to build the best publishing and distribution platform out there. We know that's a bold claim. But with the help of the indie author community, we're hoping to make that happen.
Thanks for any input you'd like to share!
Best,
Richard Starr
Co-Founder & CEO,
eRead Technologies, Inc.
www.Ereading.com |
I suggest you look at Draft 2 Digital. They have been rising up and are the first successful challenger to Smashwords that I have seen.
But what both of them have that is need to compete:
1) WIDE distribution. Smashwords and D2D are both in all the major stores (Apple, B&N, Kobo, ScribD, etc) but only Smashwords is in the Libraries (Via OverDrive) and many smaller outlets.
2) Speed. D2D is hands down faster in publishing and customer service then Smashwords, this is one area where they have really worked thier advantage of being smaller and nimbler on the way up.
3) Payments. Smash pays quarterly, D2D pays monthly. Monthly is preferred by all.
4) Reporting. Both offer daily reporting of sales and free downloads
5) Coupons. ONLY Smashwords offers coupons.
6) Pre-Orders: Both offer pre-orders - this is a big deal for authors trying to get on best sellers lists. It is also helpful for organizing and timing releases
7) Direct Sales. ONLY Smashwords offers a store for direct sales of all file formats
8) Advocacy. Mark @ Smashwords has been a major champion of the self published movement. D2D has been only been riding on the coattails of his victories (to the best of my knowledge).
9) Royalty. Smash takes 10%, and gives 60% to the author and 30% goes to the retailer. Those numbers fluctuate a bit but are close enough for this discussion. D2D I believe is about the same.
10) Smash and D2D both accept EPUB uploads for distribution. This is important. The author should have the option to submit the final product and not depend on some converter.
11) Both have a converter for Word docs, but only Smashwords converts to all major and minor ereader platforms. D2D does only EPUB (to the best of my knowledge).
Disclosure: I am a long time client of Smashwords, but have never used D2D.
Good luck. Competition is a good thing!
