Home > Smashwords: Publish for free, keep 85%

Smashwords: Publish for free, keep 85%

In some ways, the title of this post says it all.  With that said, there is so much more to know about Smashwords, the place on the internet to publish your ebooks.  I discovered Smashwords last spring and so far, nearly 1500 people have downloaded my ebooks.  I’ve not made enough to retire, but having 1500 people read my work does not break my heart one bit.

I’ve written several posts on my site about Smashwords.  In this particular guest post, I’d like to focus on the pay structure and what you can likely expect.

First, you need to know that it is absolutely free to sign up with Smashwords.  There are no hidden fees whatsoever and you can upload as many books as you care to.  The owner of the site is Mark Coker and he has built a site based on transparency and a keen sense of what is important to authors.

The pay structure is brutally simple:  Go ahead and keep 85% of the net proceeds of every sale, every time.  From the Terms of Service:

“Net proceeds” shall mean sales price paid and received less payment processing fees, affiliate fees, retailer discounts, costs due to erroneous or fraudulent transactions, credit card charge-backs and associated fees.

There ya go.  It really is that easy.  Better yet, you get to set the price for your ebook.  You can offer your work for free, you can set a hard price or (and I love this) you can allow folks who download your ebook to choose their own price!

Your royalties are paid quarterly, within 40 days of quarter end.  Payment threshold is $10 if you use Paypal, $25 if you choose a paper check.

A word about rights.  The Terms of Service is very clear on this matter that holds so much importance for authors:

The Author hereby grants and assigns to Smashwords the nonexclusive worldwide right to digitally publish, distribute, market and sell (“Publish”), and to license others to do so, the work identified on the front page of your submission (the “Work”). Since the terms of agreement with Smashwords, herein, is non-exclusive, the Author or Publisher is free to Publish, license, market and sell their work elsewhere so long as the Author or Publisher is not violating someone else’s agreement or violating any laws.

That’s pretty liberal and definitely favors the author.

One of the things I really like about Smashwords is the straightforward approach a very tough market.  They let you know to set realistic expectations in terms of sales.  Just like in the “real” world, the number of sales is a direct reflection of your marketing efforts.  Speaking of marketing efforts, there is a marketing guide full of great information to help you laser focus your efforts for the best results.

I hope this little primer on Smashwords has been helpful.  I’m happy to try and answer any questions you may have.

George Angus (formerly Tumblemoose) writes for a living; He resides in Alaska with his beautiful daughter, Madeline Skye.

You might also enjoy:

• Want To Publish Your Ebook?
• Freelance Does Not Mean Free
• Free Ebooks From Get Paid To Write Online

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