So I've pubished on Smashwords should I be promoting on the other platforms?

[bigjantailor]

Hey all,

I'm pretty brand new to the publishing thing - don't even have an eread of my own - so please accept my naivety.

I have published a book on Smashwords and it is approved in the premium cataloge... so it can be found on the other platforms like Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader and Kobo. Do I need to promote it on those other sites?

Thanks, have fun, Jan Tailor

[Edward M. Grant]

The majority of Smashwords sales come from the sites it distributes to, so if you want to promote the book, you want to promote it on those sites.

[bigjantailor]

Thanks Edward,

So what kind of promotion can I do on a site like Kobo's aside from the obvious links already embedded (like to my bio and the books blurb)?

Have fun, Jason

[kennyc]

Kindle?

[bigjantailor]

I have not published on Kindle yet. My plan (however, good or bad) is to get a few reviews and mature my marketing plan/actions before publishing on kindle, as it has the largest # of buyers. That's the plan.

Have fun, Jan Tailor

[Steven Lake]

I'm on Kindle right now and I get better sales off Smashwords than I do Amazon. I'm probably the odd fish out, but that's what I'm getting.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

I'm on Kindle right now and I get better sales off Smashwords than I do Amazon. I'm probably the odd fish out, but that's what I'm getting.

That is odd. My Amazon sales are at least 3/4ths of my sales.

As for the OP, I would suggest you put the book EVERYWHERE you can, and not hold back.

[crich70]

You could put together a website that talks about your book and provide links from there to where your ebook can be purchased. A number of people here at MR have done that I think. That way you increase your chances of someone finding their way to your book since as they will be listed on your own webpage they will show up when someone googles ebooks in whatever genre you are writing in.

[Darqref]

Originally Posted by bigjantailor

Hey all,

I'm pretty brand new to the publishing thing - don't even have an eread of my own - so please accept my naivety.

I have published a book on Smashwords and it is approved in the premium cataloge... so it can be found on the other platforms like Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader and Kobo. Do I need to promote it on those other sites?

Thanks, have fun, Jan Tailor

One perspective on promotion: Read through the weekly business blogs at Kriswrites.com

The best thing you can do to promote your book is simple. Write the next one. If you only have one book on the market, nothing you do is going to make a long term difference. If it takes off, you probably won't have much to do with it (except for the part about writing a *good* book.) Don't think about selling one book, thing about selling a career. Write. then write some more. When you've got a shelf-full of books, then playing around with marketing gimmicks can make a difference.

If I find your book and like it, great. Then, when I can't find the next one (that you haven't written yet), I'm off to the next author. If there are several, the probability that I'll even mention it to someone else (let alone recommend it...) goes up.

More books give you more keywords that a search might find. They need to be good, but they *have* to be finished.

[Lloyd Tackitt]

Originally Posted by Darqref

One perspective on promotion: Read through the weekly business blogs at Kriswrites.com

The best thing you can do to promote your book is simple. Write the next one. If you only have one book on the market, nothing you do is going to make a long term difference. If it takes off, you probably won't have much to do with it (except for the part about writing a *good* book.) Don't think about selling one book, thing about selling a career. Write. then write some more. When you've got a shelf-full of books, then playing around with marketing gimmicks can make a difference.

If I find your book and like it, great. Then, when I can't find the next one (that you haven't written yet), I'm off to the next author. If there are several, the probability that I'll even mention it to someone else (let alone recommend it...) goes up.

More books give you more keywords that a search might find. They need to be good, but they *have* to be finished.

That's truly excellent advice. It's a long term plan, and from all of my research the best plan.

As for getting on amazon - the sooner the better. 99.99% of my sales are on amazon. I have the same book published on smashwords and so far I sell more books per hour on amazon than I do in a month on smashwords. Amazon is the 500 pound gorilla and the other formats are the 99 pound weaklings.