ebooks

[CurrentParameter]

I am in the process of cleaning up my "Slave Camp: Jim" story for publishing as an eBook. Any suggestions for places to publish? I have seen references to Kindle Direct and Smashwords. Any other good websites?

How do you decide how much to charge for your eBooks?

Thanks in advance.

 

[dirk2024]

I don't have any books myself, but I have friends who've published on Amazon, Smashwords and a new one, Theo Reads.

One that has sent me emails is draft2digital.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Relevant but not an answer to your question: you are permitted to link to both Amazon and Smashwords in your Author Profile:

https://www.literotica.com/faq/publishing/support-this-author

--Annie

 

[Gamblnluck]

I'm not sure I want to link my Lit profile to 'advertise' my writing on another site. I'm curious as well to see not only sites but How the pricing works. Nobody is going to be willing to pay a lot for an ebook from an unknown author, but I know some authors here make a little money by selling stories.

 

[lovecraft68]

I don't have any books myself, but I have friends who've published on Amazon, Smashwords and a new one, Theo Reads.

One that has sent me emails is draft2digital.

Draft2digital now owns Smashwords. The SW store still exists for people buying but for people publishing we now go through D2D to get the book there.

 

[lovecraft68]

I am in the process of cleaning up my "Slave Camp: Jim" story for publishing as an eBook. Any suggestions for places to publish? I have seen references to Kindle Direct and Smashwords. Any other good websites?

How do you decide how much to charge for your eBooks?

Thanks in advance.

Because of the title, I'm going to ask if this is Non con.

If it is, you may have an issue with it on Amazon. They say they don't allow it, on the other hand? You can find plenty of everything they claim not to allow. Its kind of like how Lit enforces its rule...

Draft2digital will allow it on Smashwords, but no other affiliate however, the extreme kinks are what really do well on Smashwords.

If its not NC then both amazon and D2D are options and do both, do not fall into Amazon's rip off unlimited program where your book has to be exclusive to them for so many days and gets given away, its not worth it. Amazon is just their kindle store D2D submits your work to SW, Apple, B&N, Kobo and a few library style sites. You lose more royalties if D2D puts you on those sites than if you had your own account, but trust me, putting an e-book on all those places on your own is a lot of time consuming work, they all have their quirks. I find it worth it to let someone else do it.

On that note, you can put your work up yourself or find a publisher to do all the work for a cut. If you're interested in that option, send me a PM I can put you in touch with a good one that some others here use as well.

There is also Fiction4All, Carnal Pleasures and some sites that are strictly European markets like Stealth and Publishdrive. But on those last two, uploading is more complicated and they change their content rules like the wind.

 

[iwatchus]

Thank you @lovecraft68 for sharing your wisdom. I was hoping you or one of the other authors with extensive experience selling would join the conversation.

Coming back to the OP questions, how do you decide a price point for a book? If you are willing to answer, what percentage of that price eventually comes to you?

I'm also curious what you do for cover art. That bit kind of intimidates me. I'm not happy enough with my writing yet to really consider trying to sell it, but it has gotten better. A few more big steps forward and I would seriously toy with the idea. And I'll be fully retired come May, so time is not an issue. I don't expect to make any real money; my retirement planning was predicated on no income, so any income is just extra spending money.

 

[lovecraft68]

Thank you @lovecraft68 for sharing your wisdom. I was hoping you or one of the other authors with extensive experience selling would join the conversation.

Coming back to the OP questions, how do you decide a price point for a book? If you are willing to answer, what percentage of that price eventually comes to you?

I'm also curious what you do for cover art. That bit kind of intimidates me. I'm not happy enough with my writing yet to really consider trying to sell it, but it has gotten better. A few more big steps forward and I would seriously toy with the idea. And I'll be fully retired come May, so time is not an issue. I don't expect to make any real money; my retirement planning was predicated on no income, so any income is just extra spending money.

Most e-books are priced $2.99-$5.99 in general but on Smashwords and other platforms they have no limit, you can charge as little of as much as you want.

I've generally charged $2.99 even for longer works. Some people have said I'm short selling and could make more, but I also know that I'm selling many more copies at 2.99 than I would at 4.99 so why does it matter? There's also the angle that at 2.99 someone thinks, Hey, I can get three books for 10 bucks, price point is a thing in people's heads.

Now Amazon decrees you cannot sell for less than $2.99 and no more than $9.99. They also have a rule that a book sold there cannot be sold for less anywhere else. You sell 3.99 there but try 2.99 somewhere else and they see it, you geta warning to change the price or they will pull the book.

As for cover art. There are ways to make your own. Sites like Deposit photos sell subscription plans. For example I pay $80 for 100 images. I'm not going to use that many so I let my publisher grab some and a couple of people here I've let pick a few. From there, a lot of tool are available to put on titling and pen name and if you're good with a program, can add backgrounds, add in people etc.

Or, I know someone who charges $20 for a cover which considering the time and headaches it saves you is worth it. I pay for mine, even though I supply the image because I'm friends with the woman who does it and I like to support people's work. AI is a thing now but some sites won't allow it and IMO screws real creators out of work, so I don't touch it, but some do. That's a personal choice.

As for money, the market is saturated so its not easy, but think of it like lit. You don't really get a following here until you get a few stories up. Same there, you build a base by always adding new books. After awhile each new one leads to sales on the old ones. The great thing about e-books is they don't have a shelf life, they don't go away. I still see a few sales here and there from the first one I put out in 2011.

Congrats on retiring, enjoy your time, you earned it

 

[iwatchus]

Or, I know someone who charges $20 for a cover which considering the time and headaches it saves you is worth it.

Can you tell me who that is? DM if you don't want to post it.

Thanks for all the great info.

 

[lovecraft68]

Can you tell me who that is? DM if you don't want to post it.

Thanks for all the great info.

Sure, I'll send it along.

 

[CurrentParameter]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like Smashwords is the place to go and not have to worry as much about content restrictions. Looks like they pay royalties of about 70%.

will look at the sign up process over the next few days.

 

[iwatchus]

keep us updated about how your progress goes with the endeavor.

 

[CurrentParameter]

I will. I'm looking at documenting going from my original Word versions that I put together for chapter submissions to generating the epub format in Caliber. Maybe touch on the cover, but I'm not planning to do too much in that area. Then what I find on the submission process.

 

[CurrentParameter]

Just an update that I elected to go with ZBookStore.com. It is a smaller site, but based on the contents of some of the stories, it looks like I'll have less problems getting Slave Camp: Jim published there than on the other sites.

My Authors page is: https://zbookstore.com/a/223/currentparameter

My "Oh Shit!" four chapter story is now there. Slave Camp Jim still in re-editing.

ZBookStore also has a much simpler setup for an author. Less paperwork, and you get paid with PayPal, which I prefer, as I'll only add my banking info to my PayPal account when there is money to pull and delete it after.

I have started putting the documentation together on the process to get the first book there. The high level steps are (and I will be documenting more detail for each:

1. Cleanup your story for publication
   1. For me, if the story was published over a year ago, then it likely has alot of typos. Also a cleanup to remove any notes to myself, etc. Proper page headings and page breaks
2. Create the book cover
3. convert to epub format - I used the free program Caliber
4. Create book store account - I will describe ZBookStore.com
5. Create PayPal account
6. Submitting the book

 

[Bramblethorn]

I don't have any books myself, but I have friends who've published on Amazon, Smashwords and a new one, Theo Reads.

One that has sent me emails is draft2digital.

Smashwords is owned by D2D these days.

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like Smashwords is the place to go and not have to worry as much about content restrictions. Looks like they pay royalties of about 70%.

D2D have just announced that they're changing royalties. Anything under $2.99 earns the author 40% of list price, above that 75%. The 75% is similar to the old rates but it sucks if you're aiming for lower price points.

 

[CurrentParameter]

ZBookStore has the following royalties. This is from their Terms of Use

• You own your books
• You get 87% of net price of each book.
• Net is displayed price minus payment processing fees.
• credit card processing fees: 5.65%
• Paypal processing fees: 2.9% + $0.30
• CC Example: Book priced $5.00. Net is $4.67. If the book is only on ZBookStore, then you get $4.06 per copy sold. If it's posted on SOL, SFS or FS (as premier-only), then you get $4.29 per copy sold.
• Paypal Example: Book priced $5.00. Net is $4.55. If the book is only on ZBookStore, then you get $3.95 per copy sold. If it's posted on SOL, SFS or FS, (as premier-only) then you get $4.18 per copy sold.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

ZBookStore has the following royalties. This is from their Terms of Use

• You own your books
• You get 87% of net price of each book.
• Net is displayed price minus payment processing fees.
• credit card processing fees: 5.65%
• Paypal processing fees: 2.9% + $0.30
• CC Example: Book priced $5.00. Net is $4.67. If the book is only on ZBookStore, then you get $4.06 per copy sold. If it's posted on SOL, SFS or FS (as premier-only), then you get $4.29 per copy sold.
• Paypal Example: Book priced $5.00. Net is $4.55. If the book is only on ZBookStore, then you get $3.95 per copy sold. If it's posted on SOL, SFS or FS, (as premier-only) then you get $4.18 per copy sold.

What are SOS, SFS, and FS?

 

[stickygirl]

I have several books on Smashwords - I'd almost forgotten they were there. The point being, don't expect sales to materialise just because they're available - you'd need to publicise them, just like any other product. Speaking personally, I don't have time/energy to push sales - it was an interesting exercise, they're sitting there and epub pages don't yellow so I can come back to them another time.

 

[alohadave]

What are SOS, SFS, and FS?

SOL=StoriesOnline
SFS=SciFiStories
FS=FineStories, which was renamed to StoryRoom at some point

Same company, different sites with particular content focuses.

 

[iwatchus]

I have several books on Smashwords - I'd almost forgotten they were there. The point being, don't expect sales to materialise just because they're available - you'd need to publicise them, just like any other product. Speaking personally, I don't have time/energy to push sales - it was an interesting exercise, they're sitting there and epub pages don't yellow so I can come back to them another time.

This is what will keep me from trying to sell books if I don't (I'm seriously considering it sometime next year.)

I'm not looking for a retirement job; I want to expand my hobby and maybe make a bit of pocket change. I have no interest in pimping my books. It's why I may just stay publishing for free at a site like this (at least a site that doesn't fatally screw up the rendering of stories, but I'll keep that rant away from here.)

 

[TheLobster]

What are SOS, SFS, and FS?

SOS is said to be a shorthand for Save Our Souls, a distress call used by marine navigators in case of an emergency.

Hope I could help

 

[lovecraft68]

This is what will keep me from trying to sell books if I don't (I'm seriously considering it sometime next year.)

I'm not looking for a retirement job; I want to expand my hobby and maybe make a bit of pocket change. I have no interest in pimping my books. It's why I may just stay publishing for free at a site like this (at least a site that doesn't fatally screw up the rendering of stories, but I'll keep that rant away from here.)

I can't say marketing e-books doesn't help but how do you do it?

Putting your books here in the author and their books thread is just vanity, it leads to nothing. Putting a link to your books in your sig is allowed and worth a shot, but you're advertising on a free writing site and on a forum where people are more wrapped up in themselves than supporting someone with more than a comment.

You can advertise on social media-at risk of being shadowbanned or otherwise buried.

The best marketing is your output. Keep steadily uploading new material that gets advertised on the new release pages of Smashwords helps, as does the fact Smashwords allows customers to bookmark you and get an e-mail notification that you just put out a new book.

Its a bit like here, consistent output is the best thing you can do to build a base.

Be warned, there are people out there who will reach out and say for a fee they will market you. Know what they do? Advertise your book on their social media pages. Nothing you can't do yourself and if you write certain content, they won't even do that, but the sketchy ones will take you money anyway.

You're your own best advertising.

 

[lovecraft68]

ZBookStore has the following royalties. This is from their Terms of Use

• You own your books
• You get 87% of net price of each book.
• Net is displayed price minus payment processing fees.
• credit card processing fees: 5.65%
• Paypal processing fees: 2.9% + $0.30
• CC Example: Book priced $5.00. Net is $4.67. If the book is only on ZBookStore, then you get $4.06 per copy sold. If it's posted on SOL, SFS or FS (as premier-only), then you get $4.29 per copy sold.
• Paypal Example: Book priced $5.00. Net is $4.55. If the book is only on ZBookStore, then you get $3.95 per copy sold. If it's posted on SOL, SFS or FS, (as premier-only) then you get $4.18 per copy sold.

Never heard of this site, I'll have to look into it. Thanks for posting about it.

 

[alohadave]

Never heard of this site, I'll have to look into it. Thanks for posting about it.

It's Bookapy with a name change. Same owner as SOL.

 

[stickygirl]

The problem for both readers and authors is the volume of available books and that's another reason why Lit ( still !! ) has a purpose. My reading is always based on recommendation and generally that means online interviews, articles where the book happens to be mentioned.
Most recently I bought a couple of Robert MacFarlane's books, s/h simply because he was a guest on a writers YT and I liked what he had to say. He starts one book "The wind was rising, so I went to the wood" ... I mean, gah
Readers are inundated my 'meejah'. The only words I trust are those from a mouth.