Posted By Jon Guenther on September 5, 2010
I’ve made an awesome discovery thanks to the recommendation of my good friend, author Linda Pendleton. It’s called Smashwords and it’s literally a feast of e-books available in different formats. The naysayers of self-publishing can say what they want, but after what I’ve seen I happen to think Mark Coker, CEO and Founder, knows what he’s talking about. And it’s not difficult to appreciate what the guy’s trying to do, especially considering he’s one of us—an author who got frustrated with waiting on the Machine and opted to go his own way. Personally, I’m glad he did.
Here’s the deal. If you have a completed manuscript, all you need to do is download the free e-book on how to format your manuscript to publish on Smashwords.com. So what’s the catch? How much does it cost you? There’s the beauty: nothing! Only thing you invest is a little time (maybe an hour or less) to format your manuscript. Not only does the guide break down in succinct steps, it shows you how to format in multiple versions of Microsoft Word (the recommended software for publishing your document). If you don’t have Word, I’d recommend you get OpenOffice, follow the guidelines and then save it as a *.doc file.
Once the manuscript and cover image are uploaded, it’s a waiting game. Despite the fact it indicated I was #61 in the queue, I believe it didn’t take more than about 20 minutes for my book to be published without errors. You also have the ability to set your own price (for which you should see a royalty of anywhere from 60-85% depending on the retail channel), which is paid on a quarterly basis into a PayPal account or by check. Finally, you can let people preview your work. While Mr. Coker recommends 50%, I think that’s a bit high. I believe 25% is fair to you and the reader. But as to the process, it’s quick and pretty painless.
Here’s my caveat to any authors who have less or no experience being a published writer. Put only your best work out there on Smashwords, particuarly if you’re charging people any amount of money. I guarantee if you don’t that your first published book sold could well be your last. If nothing else, let some people in whom you trust to have your best interests at heart proofread the work. You may or may not have the talent to build a readership; whether you do isn’t for me to judge. But at least put your best foot forward using the basic tools of the writer: words that are spelled correctly, sentences that are coherent and a clean manuscript with appropriate punctuation. Anything less will make it difficult to gain any respect as a professional.
If you want to be published and perhaps make a little coin on your work, I’d definitely recommended Smashwords. Despite what many might think, e-books are the wave of the new reading generation. Get on board while it’s still gaining momentum. Don’t let traditional publishing snatch away your opportunities to expose your writing to a world of hungry readers!
Category: Publishing, Self-Publishing, Writing |
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Tags: alternative publishing, guenfire.com, Jon Guenther, self-publishing, Smashwords, writing
