Smashwords Read an Ebook Week Specials

[koland]

Originally Posted by ficbot

But if you buy it with a 100% off coupon, it counts as a purchase and gets added to your library, doesn't it?

Yes. Those will stay in your library. Also, any with "set your own price" that you say 0.00 will stay in your library (I wish more authors would use this for their limited time free offers, along with coupons).

It's only the ones that say "free" and you can just download without creating an account or logging in, that will disappear.

[koland]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What Smashwords needs to do is allow author's to bypass the meatgrinder. So if they have the eBook already formatted, then the meatgrinder should not try to do it in the format(s) the author already has and just do the ones the author doesn't have. That would work so much better. I've seen some pretty odd errors from the meatgrinder.

Or give an option to start with the EPUB and grind away from there (or lit or mobi -- all convert much better than DOC).

[Fbone]

I suppose if the same book is available at Amazon, B&N, Sony, etc it would have the same formatting problems if they originated from Smashwords?
Can authors take down and upload a better version themselves to these other sites?

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by Fbone

I suppose if the same book is available at Amazon, B&N, Sony, etc it would have the same formatting problems if they originated from Smashwords?

Not necessarily. Each store has its own conversion method, and it depends on whether the books are distributed to the other stores via SW. For my own, for example, I make my own epub and mobi files in Calibre, and upload those to BN and Amazon. Sony goes up via SW. Other authors upload Word docs to BN and Amazon and hope for the best. You can't generalize.

Can authors take down and upload a better version themselves to these other sites?

Yes, if they have direct accounts, such as Pubit and Kindle KDP.

[Janette55]

Originally Posted by koland

Yes. Those will stay in your library. Also, any with "set your own price" that you say 0.00 will stay in your library (I wish more authors would use this for their limited time free offers, along with coupons).

It's only the ones that say "free" and you can just download without creating an account or logging in, that will disappear.

So, the ones that I picked up, that has a price but a coupon for free, or at a discount, will stay in my library (at Smashwords). But, the ones that were marked as free, I can lose those?

I would think that since they were free they would stay in the library. So, my assumption (and I know what that means, ) that if it had stated free it was always free is definitely wrong.

Well, I have them saved on my harddrive, so I will still have them; but I was hoping that they would stay at Smashwords, so if I needed to redownload them I could.

[mish]

Originally Posted by Janette55

What I think would help these authors is to state what is in their books, does it have m/m, meanges, extreme erotica, good for YA, Teens or geared for adults. Some do, but many don't.

This info is often in the "tags" the author applies to the book. Not always, but often enough. Also, look at the categories it is listed in for some info like "erotica" (wish they would separate that from erotic romance) and also YA/Teen.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by starrigger

Not necessarily. Each store has its own conversion method, and it depends on whether the books are distributed to the other stores via SW. For my own, for example, I make my own epub and mobi files in Calibre, and upload those to BN and Amazon. Sony goes up via SW. Other authors upload Word docs to BN and Amazon and hope for the best. You can't generalize.



Yes, if they have direct accounts, such as Pubit and Kindle KDP.

Thanks for the info. So there isn't a way for a customer to know quality of file. Except by looking at sample?

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by Fbone

So there isn't a way for a customer to know quality of file. Except by looking at sample?

Basically yes, which doesn't help at Kobo or Sony, which have webpage "excerpts" rather than true downloadable samples. And even Amazon's downloadable samples can hide flaws such as not having properly done flickable chapter marks in the Mobi version when the ePub version contains them (I've seen this with a lot of those freebies that show up in both stores).

A few more late finds for backlist books:

Finally found some more sf/fantasy. There's a free paranormal mystery story by Elaine Corvidae, who is small-press published (her work shows up on Fictionwise, who only take established authors/presses). And books 1 & 2 of Michael Sullivan's fantasy epic Riyria Revelations, which is getting high praise over in the What Are You Reading thread in the Reading Recs forum are free with coupon and free download, respectively. Book 2 was offered as an Amazon freebie last year.

On the mystery front, Tim Myers has a couple of 1st in series books previously published under pseudonyms which can be gotten free with coupon. He's mentioned in the Backlist E-Books author association thread in one of the other forums and has been mentioned favourably by MR posters who've read him. His other books are mostly 25% and up off.

Some more backlist romance which I noticed while trawling for freebies in general: Dorothy McFalls, whose bio says nominated for Romantic Times Viewer's Choice Awards. 1 free story, other books up to 50% off. Freda Lightfoot, whose website says formerly published by Mills & Boon and Hodder Stoughton in the UK; selected novels up to 50% off. Pamela Burford, sister of Patricia Ryan; novels 25% off. Mary Kruger/Kingsley, bio says RITA award-winning Regencies that she plans to put into e-book format. Currently 1 free previously-published short story up.

Hope this helps some romance fan who's looking for deals from perhaps a favourite older author. Wish the sf/fantasy people were as assiduous about putting their backlist up on sale this week, but I suppose they have more regular outlets like Webscriptions and BookViewCafé to showcase their wares.

[Janette55]

quesion about downloading and retrieving books.

I know that I saw this somewhere (heck I probably asked about it) but I can't find where it was responded to. This time, if you all can help me, I am going to copy it onto a word doc to keep !

I went to bring up a file to look at one of the books. I had downloaded it to Admin/User/Download. no problem, they are all there.
Now, when I clicked to open it, this is what I get

Windows can't open file
To open file Windows need to know what program you want to use to open it.
Windows can go online to look it up automatically or you can manuelly select from a list of programs that are installed on your computer
What do you want to do?

Then it has two selections:
Use web to find program
Select a program from list of installed programs

So now what?

can anyone help me?

[ATDrake]

As long as your files aren't corrupted, that message just means that Windows doesn't know what app to use when you double-click your downloaded ePubs.

As long as they are readable when you drag them to Calibre or Sony Reader Library or what-have-you, then it should be okay. Otherwise you might want to go back and re-download any which refuse to open.

[RChaffee]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

It's nice to see the freebies, but I do wonder what the author gets out of it. A good sale would at least get them something. How does this benefit them to have their entire list of books offered for free?

As an indie author I think it is more important to build a fan base than it is to make a profit, after all you can charge as much as you want for your books but if nobody is buying them you still wont make a cent.


[Edited - This is not a self-promotion Forum. - Moderator]

[mish]

Now that the site is moving faster, I'm just going through my Library and checking if anything is on sale.... thank gawd this will be over tonight! Did I just say that? lol!

[mish]

Somebody stick a fork in me...I'm done!

So when can we do this again? oh yeah...July!

[Blossom]

me too! Though I admit I now check Smashwords daily for new titles. I guess you can say they've gained a customer.

[Joonbug1]

Today is the last day for that.