zoe
Member
Posts: 106
Joined: June 2011
|
Post by zoe on Jul 22, 2011 15:28:59 GMT -5
While in love with Smashwords, of course. They are fairly easy to upload, to understand, to track your sells, to edit your stuff. They send me a detailed email with every purchase (not that my email box is swamped by those notifications  ), but on every one I can see if it was bought on the full price, or with a discount, or downloaded with coupon (I sent such coupons to the recommended from here reviewers). While Amazon is just impossible to manage, to understand, to track. And worse of all, they won't let me to lower my price or to participate in any of their discount programs (on Smash that's the way I sold a little, by participating in their discount program) as long as I'm sighed for 70% royalties. Only if I agree for 35% they will allow me to manage my pricing (otherwise I can push it up but never down to 2.99, which is way too expensive for a first book of a person with no name, yet  ) Do I miss something there? Or is all this correct?  |
|
Lily
Administrator
Posts: 2,197
Joined: May 2011
|
Post by Lily on Jul 22, 2011 15:38:29 GMT -5
I prefer Smashwords too. They're much more user friendly and fast.
|
|
Richard
Member
Posts: 610
Joined: July 2011
|
Post by Richard on Jul 23, 2011 13:10:59 GMT -5
I would love to use them, my problem is that when I covert my files from pdf, the footnotes just do not transfer. I wish smashwords accepted pdf. I will have to keep working at it. As for using Amazon, it was easy for me because my editor did it for me. |
|
Lily
Administrator
Posts: 2,197
Joined: May 2011
|
Post by Lily on Jul 25, 2011 20:27:05 GMT -5
"Never use Word's automated footnote or end note functionality. You can, however, use a work-around. I published a non-fiction book (Dead Move: Kate Morgan and the Hauning Mystery of Coronado, Clocktower Books, 2008) whose print edition has about 120 footnotes. For the digital edition, I first used Word to change footnotes to end notes. As a result, the footnotes were taken away from their separate pages, and created as a numbered list (120 items) at the end. I used the nuclear option and saved it to a flat file. I then copied the end notes in one swoop, and pasted them near the end of my SmashWords upload doc file. All the linkages are gone, but it's the next best thing. This illustrates, coincidentally, a fundamental rule of digital text formatting: you cannot control the pages in the output file. A 300 page print document may end up, let's say, as a 730 page Kindle file or a 914 page Nook file or a 660 page Sony file. I just made those numbers up. The point is, there is at present no real, working footnote capability for digital books. Ideally, a footnote remains at the bottom of the same page as its callout number in the text. Use end notes in any nonfiction requiring such detail. Better technology will yet arrive on the scene, I am sure, especially as digital textbooks (soon) replace printed textbooks." www.publishingindustrynews.com/pix/2011-07/how-to-format-smashwords-template-johntcullen.html |
|
zoe
Member
Posts: 106
Joined: June 2011
|
Post by zoe on Jul 26, 2011 3:56:37 GMT -5
Is there any way I can track my sales (if there are such. Optimistic, am I? ;D) more frequently that once a month (or a quarter!)?
Damn it, it's been a week and I have no idea what's going on. I even stopped clicking on Amazon recently, not like I'm clicking on Smash to see what's up...
I think I gonna add to my signature "HATE AMAZON" lol:D
|
|
Lily
Administrator
Posts: 2,197
Joined: May 2011
|
Post by Lily on Jul 26, 2011 12:37:36 GMT -5
Click on the Reports, Zoe, and choose this option.
"2. Prior Six Weeks' Royalties
View your royalties for the past six weeks."
Amazon is a lot more cumbersome and difficult than Smashwords, where you can see at a glance if you've sold anything or not.
|
|
zoe
Member
Posts: 106
Joined: June 2011
|
Post by zoe on Jul 27, 2011 0:43:44 GMT -5
That's the thing. Six weeks between every update?!  (I've published it a little more than a week ago  ) On Smash with every purchase you get so detailed account, only the personal info and the picture of the customer is missing, lol. I think maybe to transfer the Amazon account to Smash too, so I can manage them from the same dashboard as well for a little bit of a percent? Would it be wise? |
|
Lily
Administrator
Posts: 2,197
Joined: May 2011
|
Post by Lily on Jul 29, 2011 11:42:07 GMT -5
I also like the Smashwords feature that lets you see how many customers have downloaded the free preview of your books.
|
|
Lily
Administrator
Posts: 2,197
Joined: May 2011
|
Post by Lily on Jul 29, 2011 11:43:11 GMT -5
I think maybe to transfer the Amazon account to Smash too, so I can manage them from the same dashboard as well for a little bit of a percent? Would it be wise? Not sure what you mean, Zoe. |
|
Lily
Administrator
Posts: 2,197
Joined: May 2011
|
Post by Lily on Aug 2, 2011 21:31:50 GMT -5
Not only is Smashwords easier to track your sales on, but you don't even have to. You can opt in for them to send you an email every time one of your titles sells. Pretty neat. Though having said that, I have to admit, Kindle still outsells them. At least when it comes to my titles.  |
|
), but on every one I can see if it was bought on the full price, or with a discount, or downloaded with coupon (I sent such coupons to the recommended from here reviewers).
)
)