Smashwords
is a platform for e-book publishing and distribution. As the world’s
largest indie distribution network, it offers its titles in various
formats so e-books can be read using any device.
Smashwords not only publishes
your work on its site and its micro-sites, it also lists the title with
Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple’s iPad Store — the three main
sites from which people buy their e-books.
Why Use Smashwords?
Smashwords is great because it’s the cheapest way to get your title
in front of the most people. The publishing process is relatively
user-friendly and the time to market is incredibly fast. It takes
minutes to publish with Smashwords.
When you become a Smashwords author, you are given your own profile page
that you can connect to your website, blog and social media sites. It
also shows up in Web searches, so if you keyword optimize your page and
make the content interesting, you can get some exposure there.
One of the things that makes the site unique is you have total
control over the final product. Absolutely everything is up to you. You
can even update your e-books if you find a typo or simply wish to reword
a sentence.
Our Smashwords Experience
We launched on Smashwords a few weeks ago. It takes some time to
feature on their premium list — a list you really need to be on. The key
to appearing on the list is proper formatting.
Following the Smashwords’ style sheet details is a must as is having a
flat cover image — those two items held up our acceptance to the site.
Find someone who knows how to format properly — Smashwords will
supply a list of recommended people. It’s not expensive and using the
service saves a load of time and potential grief.
How to Be Published
Although I said it was relatively easy to publish with Smashwords,
the truth is, there are other self-publishing platforms that make it
much easier.
Smashwords has an eight-step publishing process that’s a little bit
complicated at first, so I suggest downloading and reading the guide the site offers its new members. It will teach you some good tips and techniques.
When formatting, I suggest you choose the nuclear method. This means
copying your book into Notepad and then copying it back into the
original file to get rid of funny coding.
Promoting Your Book
Smashwords does a lot of your promotion for you. Your book will be
listed with the retailers mentioned above and your book’s page on
Smashwords and its micro-sites appears in search engine results.
One thing that is truly unique about Smashwords: you can issue
promotional coupons. You can use coupon codes to offer a discount on
your book. For example, you could post the coupon code for your book on
Facebook for your fans or list members. This is much better than
lowering the price, because you can use it as an offer for your fans.
Smashwords also allows you to show your potential readers a sample of
your book. This option is great because people are much more likely to
make a purchase if they’ve read a few pages and enjoyed it.
Another feature that sets Smashwords apart is the many different
formats it publishes in. It automatically transfers your file into nine
different formats so anybody, anywhere and with any device can read it.
Smashwords offers a variety of options for publishing and promotion.
It’s a great tool for selling your e-books and getting your name out
there as an expert author in your niche.
Toby Russell,
Post from: SiteProNews
