Questions about Smashwords.com

[Mello_SixtyNine]

Any lit members here that have published on Smashwords?

Can you make decent money?

Had any personal problems with the site?

Is there a minimum size requirement when you post? (The stories I've posted here are 2-4 pages long.)

Can I post stories with a pen name? (I've written 4 incest stories here and I prefer the anonymity.)

 

[lovecraft68]

Any lit members here that have published on Smashwords?

Can you make decent money?

Had any personal problems with the site?

Is there a minimum size requirement when you post? (The stories I've posted here are 2-4 pages long.)

Can I post stories with a pen name? (I've written 4 incest stories here and I prefer the anonymity.)

1-yes

2- You can make money, but there is no guarantee how much and like lit your success can depend on being able to keep posting new material so people will keep coming back

3-I have never had any issues in the 3+ years I've been there

4-you can post any length(but if they are very short you won't sell them unless you're going to do .99

5 yes pen names are fine and the smart thing to do.

 

[R. Richard]

In order to post in Smashwords, you need to get past their automated submission checker and that's not easy.
The Smashwords site will not let you publish a cover image with a butt crack showing.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Any lit members here that have published on Smashwords?

Can you make decent money?

Had any personal problems with the site?

Is there a minimum size requirement when you post? (The stories I've posted here are 2-4 pages long.)

Can I post stories with a pen name? (I've written 4 incest stories here and I prefer the anonymity.)

Several of us here have published on SW. Yes, you can use a pen name; you need to give RL details to register for payment etc but they're not publicly displayed.

Money: I hear from more prolific authors that every book you publish on SW helps sell the others, which makes sense, but I've only got one major work up there so I haven't yet tested this for myself. My story "A Stringed Instrument" (novel-length F-F romance) has been up there for about a year. During that time it's had about 72 sample views and 24 purchases, i.e. one in three people who tried the sample liked it enough to shell out $4.99 for the full version. I get about $4.00 of that (the percentage varies a bit depending on how they're buying it).

So for me, not huge money, but it's an ego boost to know that people will pay for it, especially since some of them are coming via Literotica where they've already read it for free, using SW as a tip jar or a way to get a nice e-reader version. The main challenge is getting people to try the sample in the first place - I think it would be easier if I was publishing regularly and keeping myself on the 'new stories' lists.

I haven't had any problems with the site. It took a bit of work to edit my stories to their formatting requirements, but I just followed their authors' guide and didn't encounter any problems. They notify me every time somebody buys a copy and they pay on time. So, would recommend.

No minimum length requirement that I'm aware of. I have a short story there too; it hasn't done nearly as well - even on a pay-what-you-like basis, only 7/94 sample readers went on to download the whole thing for free, and one was nice enough to pay $1.50 for it. That might be the length, or the genre, but I suspect the #1 reason is that it has much less sex.

(I published "Stringed Instrument" in filthy and less-filthy versions in case there were readers who wanted the romance without so much of the sex. The lesson I learned from this is that there aren't. Only two people bought that version, and they're both people who know me IRL. So, not bothering with that idea again!)

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

What is your percentage of a sale? Is it a 70-30 split like the Apple store?

How do you decide on pricing? My longest story is "Baxter's Plan" at 11,419 words. Is that worthy of $4.99 price point or is that a 99¢ story?

On average, approximately how much have you made on a story? Five bucks? Fifty bucks? Five hundred?

 

[lovecraft68]

What is your percentage of a sale? Is it a 70-30 split like the Apple store?

How do you decide on pricing? My longest story is "Baxter's Plan" at 11,419 words. Is that worthy of $4.99 price point or is that a 99¢ story?

On average, approximately how much have you made on a story? Five bucks? Fifty bucks? Five hundred?

Smashwards pays 85% which I believe is the highest out there. That's on their main site.

They put you on sites like apple barnes and Noble Kobo and others and that affiliate gets their 35% or so plus SW's 15% but it saves you the trouble of uploading to them.

Kobo and Apple will not allow incest.

SW has a minimum of .99 but I don't think has a ceiling.

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

Lovecraft,

I noticed that your book covers have photos. Do you get any flack for using copyrighted images or is there a place online where you can score copyright-free pics of hotties?

I've been using Photoshop for years so I won't have a problem designing my own.

 

[lovecraft68]

Lovecraft,

I noticed that your book covers have photos. Do you get any flack for using copyrighted images or is there a place online where you can score copyright-free pics of hotties?

I've been using Photoshop for years so I won't have a problem designing my own.

You can get them from sites like 123rf, Dreamstime, Bigstock....there's a few others.

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

In order to post in Smashwords, you need to get past their automated submission checker and that's not easy.
The Smashwords site will not let you publish a cover image with a butt crack showing.

What's specifically is so difficult about it? Also, what do you to make it a smooth acceptance?

 

[DeYaKen]

What's specifically is so difficult about it? Also, what do you to make it a smooth acceptance?

If you use the "so called" nuclear option to remove word processor formatting and follow the other instruction in the Smashwords, Style guide ( downloadable free) it should work OK.

There is a minimum size for cover pictures ( it must be wider than 1400 pixels and be taller than it is wide.) what they don't tell you is that they seem to prefer 300 pixels per inch.

Yes you might have to submit a few times to get your book in the premium catalogue and therefore distributed to Ibooks and Kobo. My advice is to give it a try, once you actually start submitting, understanding the advice in the style guide becomes easier to understand.

 

[lovecraft68]

What's specifically is so difficult about it? Also, what do you to make it a smooth acceptance?

It's not difficult. They have something called the "meatgrinder" that formats your book for you.

As long as you don't do anything crazy with paragraph indentations or spacing the book will go through.

As for the "butt cracks" SW will let you show pretty much anything, but it can;t go into their premium catalog(which is all the affiliates) with any nudity.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

In order to post in Smashwords, you need to get past their automated submission checker and that's not easy.
The Smashwords site will not let you publish a cover image with a butt crack showing.

I haven't found it difficult. There are certain things you can't do, but you can format the word doc just like you do for Lit. or not. It's up to you. Just read the Smashwords style guide and you'll be fine.

I publish there under two different pen names. Check the links in my sig. I also publish at Amazon.

Decent money? I depends on what you mean by that. I do a couple a hundred a month at Amazon. Smashwords is a little different as they only pay quarterly, but it works out to a couple a hundred a month.

Not to bad for a hobby.

ETA: Pricing...the following is the word count break on price.

Word
Count Price
2,400 1.00
2,500 1.00
2,730 1.00
3,690 1.00
3,810 1.00
3,850 1.50
3,990 1.50
4,000 1.50
4,150 1.50
4,430 2.00
4,790 2.00
5,160 2.00
5,320 2.00
5,490 2.00
5,520 2.00
5,690 2.00
6,170 2.50
6,380 2.50
6,720 2.50
8,880 3.00
9,490 3.00
10,380 3.50
13,000 3.50
14,200 3.50
19,158 3.50
21,480 3.50
22,090 3.50
22,950 3.50
33,120 4.00
36,710 4.00
38,290 4.00
40,780 4.00
43,070 4.50
57,630 5.00
61,200 5.00
85,200 5.50
93,030 6.00

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

I haven't found it difficult. There are certain things you can't do, but you can format the word doc just like you do for Lit. or not. It's up to you. Just read the Smashwords style guide and you'll be fine.

I publish there under two different pen names. Check the links in my sig. I also publish at Amazon.

Decent money? I depends on what you mean by that. I do a couple a hundred a month at Amazon. Smashwords is a little different as they only pay quarterly, but it works out to a couple a hundred a month.

Not to bad for a hobby.

Not too bad at all. If I made $250 per month, that would be a nice 3 grand per year that I could spend (new Macbook Pro, 4k Hdtv, sweet vacation, etc.)

 

[Zeb_Carter]

It's not difficult. They have something called the "meatgrinder" that formats your book for you.

As long as you don't do anything crazy with paragraph indentations or spacing the book will go through.

As for the "butt cracks" SW will let you show pretty much anything, but it can;t go into their premium catalog(which is all the affiliates) with any nudity.

Of course there is a work around...publish with the PG cover. Once it goes Premium, republish with whatever cover you like.

Apple and Sony are the only picky ones and I stopped sending mine to Apple as they are just pricks about somethings. Incest being one of them. Or just erotica in general.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Not too bad at all. If I made $250 per month, that would be a nice 3 grand per year that I could spend (new Macbook Pro, 4k Hdtv, sweet vacation, etc.)

Uh...I do have about 45 eBooks published to generate that kind of cash flow.

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

Uh...I do have about 45 eBooks published to generate that kind of cash flow.

Forty one more to go.
Yay me!

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

Uh...I do have about 45 eBooks published to generate that kind of cash flow.

I noticed that you have 28 stories on Lit currently. Are those part of the 45 that you are selling or do you have 45 separate stories that you sell?

 

[lovecraft68]

Of course there is a work around...publish with the PG cover. Once it goes Premium, republish with whatever cover you like.

Apple and Sony are the only picky ones and I stopped sending mine to Apple as they are just pricks about somethings. Incest being one of them. Or just erotica in general.

I think they still review it. Kobo is like amazon they claim they do not accept incest, but there is a lot there sometimes it goes through sometimes it does not

What gets me is B&N allows everything (except underage) and the nook sales are great, you would think amazon and apple etc....would get off their moral horse and just make money, which I thought was the point.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I noticed that you have 28 stories on Lit currently. Are those part of the 45 that you are selling or do you have 45 separate stories that you sell?

Most of the ones on lit are also for sale or part of an anthology for sale. There are a few here at lit that are no place else on earth, except my computer.

There are at least 40 or so that are original, never seen lit, ebooks.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I think they still review it. Kobo is like amazon they claim they do not accept incest, but there is a lot there sometimes it goes through sometimes it does not

What gets me is B&N allows everything (except underage) and the nook sales are great, you would think amazon and apple etc....would get off their moral horse and just make money, which I thought was the point.

Yes they still review it and put a hold on it...but it's already been sent to all the affiliates.

B&N is going out of business, isn't it?

 

[lovecraft68]

Uh...I do have about 45 eBooks published to generate that kind of cash flow.

Don't feel bad I make around $400 a month from there, but that's with 73 titles

 

[lovecraft68]

Yes they still review it and put a hold on it...but it's already been sent to all the affiliates.

B&N is going out of business, isn't it?

B/N has been on the brink of ruin multiple times due to the brick and mortar business fading,

Their e- platform does well though. They have been saved twice, once by Gates who invested 300 million in them just because he hates amazon and Bezos(what's not to hate?) and this time I think it was samsung that bailed them out...but don't hold me to that.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Completely off-topic, I like seeing LC and Zeb's avatars next to one another. They look like they ought to be friends.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Completely off-topic, I like seeing LC and Zeb's avatars next to one another. They look like they ought to be friends.

Naw, LC's dog looks mean, while mine looks all friendly.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Naw, LC's dog looks mean, while mine looks all friendly.

Yeah, I was thinking sort of "mismatched buddies". Yours is like "but if you eat him he can't throw the ball for us".