Do you self-publish on Amazon?
I have three e-books on Amazon that sell a handful a month. Not great, but its a learning experience. Do you self-publish on Amazon? Or do you prefer others like Smashwords for uploading to multiple platforms? Do you write fiction, non-fiction? I'd love to hear about my fellow hubbers self-published books.
Rachel
It depends on what you call 'publishing on Amazon'. I refuse to use CreateSpace because of Amazon's VERY sketchy manipulation of the contracts for writers and small press publishers. Amazon has proven time and again over the past 5 - 7 years that they are no friend to writers and small presses. Unfortunately, greed appears to have overtaken them.
That said, with Kindle dominating the ebook market, writers and small presses are forced to play the Amazon game. Selling handfuls of books is about where I'm at. I do have one author who is getting a lot of attention in NY and her Kindle sales are bumping up a bit, and her book is priced at $8.99. Most of the other Kindles I have are priced in the Amazon 'greed zone' of $.99 and $1.99. That said, we've been pushing the Nook for the lady in NY and her sales are almost dead even with Kindle.
I am not a fan of Smashwords personally. I keep hearing whispers of calamity with them, but then they keep right on trucking. I have nothing to base my opinion of Smashwords on other than wrestling with their instruction manual a couple years ago and then saying the heck with it.
I personally write fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Our authors are mostly non-fiction. As far as Amazon goes, I have seen too many of their underhanded manipulations behind the scenes to be too happy about them. Of course, when you're as big as they are, I suppose you get to throw your weight around. I just feel it's unfortunate that a company that started out writer-friendly has fallen prey to the almighty dollar.
Beware of CreateSpace. Amazon uses their own ISBN and I would look over the contract VERY closely and see what all you give up. I believe writers are much better off finding a reputable small press or setting up their own small press to help insure 1) that they keep their rights - especially all subsidiary rights and 2) that you can have some control over the retailer discount price, which Amazon inflates to their advantage.
Wow I came to answer the question and found a lot of great information. Thank you Michael Ray King, this was very helpful and informative.
Hi duffsmom. I've been involved in the writing/publishing industry for over a decade. The publishing biz is a bit crazy. Like waiting 2-4 years for traditional publishers to take all your money and not market you. Thank you for your comment!
Does it bother you that CreateSpace is owned by Amazon? I ended up using Lulu for my print after some advice from other authors. I also started to use BookTango, which seems to be doing well.
I'm going to fight self publication as long and viciously as I can. My dream was to be a successful and respected author, but from what I have seen, self publication rarely, if ever, leads to either of those. I write genre fiction (fantasy, sci fi, horror) and if the book I finished doesn't get accepted by agents and publishers, then I'll write another book. If that one fails to get attention, then I'll write another book, and so on and so forth. To me, self publication represents giving up. I don't mean that to sound harsh, it's just how I view it in terms of my own life goals. To someone else, it might be a wonderful opportunity. But if I have to jump through hoops that the agents and publishers want me to jump through, then I'll ask 'how high?'. Because I want my book on shelves, not just e-readers. I want my book to last long after I'm dead. And I want to look back on my life and say that I achieved my dreams.
I self publish to Amazon. I have 18 under a pen name and 2 under my real name. I also upload to Barnes and Noble. Then I use Smashwords, which will distribute to Apple, Sony, Kobo (although they are about to start their own), and Diesel. I have some other niche sites I sell through as well. I use Smashwords only to upload to those sites that do not have a program like Kindle or PubIt to do it myself. When you use Smashwords, even though it is available right away on their site, it can take up to a month for it to be distributed to other sites. I write fiction, non, and poetry.
by cashmere 11 years ago
I want to know what a good website would be to get books printed from. I have a self published ebook, that I want to convert into a printed book and would appreciate knowing the names of some self publishing websites.Thanks for your help
by M. T. Dremer 10 years ago
Has your experience with self publishing been positive or negative?For those of you who have self published a book (either physical or ebook), how would you say your experience was overall? Please consider things like production costs, self promotion, sales and reviews. What is the best thing about...
by Jeff Gamble 5 years ago
Anyone have experience using Amazon to self-publish?Anyone have experience using Amazon to self-publish? I've been looking at the CreateSpace and direct to Kindle options and wanted to get feedback from folks who have used one or the other or both to self-publish.
by Leni Sands 10 years ago
If you self-publish on-line, what on-line publishing company do you use?I am currently using Amazon Createspace for 'in print' versions, having also tried lulu.com. For e-books I am using kdp and smashwords. I have also published on kobo. So far I am happy with Createspace then...
by eminator21 12 years ago
I'm nearing completion of one of my projects, and I'm thinking it's the book I want to debut with. I've always been cautious of publishing companies, especially when I hear about how they dictate everything from titles to content. I started looking into self-publishing as an alternative, but it's...
by Mel Carriere 11 years ago
What company do you recommend for publishing an ebook?I'm hoping to publish an ebook soon. My first attempt did not go so well because the company I used was not careful about reproducing my story the way I wrote it. I'm looking for help in this area please.
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