Smashwords' CEO and founder Mark Coker has written an in-depth look at the battle raging between Amazon and one of the Big Five publishers, Hachette Book Group. The battle over contract terms has seen Amazon raise the price of Hachette titles while directly offering consumers a cheaper alternative title, the out-of-stock notices that inform readers they'll have to wait an … [Read more...] about Coker: Publishers Are Disposable to Amazon
mark coker
Smashwords Wins Inaugural Self-Publishing Service Award from ALLi
The Alliance of Independent Authors is an advocacy organization that works to further self-publishing in the book industry. One of the many ways the group works for authors is in providing up-to-date and continuous information as resources for authors. As part of its Choosing a Self-Publishing Service 2014 guide, Alli examined the opportunities authors have for assistance in … [Read more...] about Smashwords Wins Inaugural Self-Publishing Service Award from ALLi
Smashwords Authors Benefit from B&N eBook Pre-Orders
One of the truths we've been hearing from forward-thinking publishing industry experts, namely where Amazon is concerned, is that we have to stop trying to compete. There are enough readers for every genre and every retailer, but offering an identical product in the same cookie-cutter way will drive consumers to go where the price is cheapest if all other factors are the … [Read more...] about Smashwords Authors Benefit from B&N eBook Pre-Orders
Self-Publishing: How Good Is Good Enough?
With both camps still divided on the self-publishing front, the same tired arguments for and against the concept are still being levied: "self-published books are notoriously bad" versus "every book has the right to be published." These same two ideas, both for and against self-publishing, have been uttered since the recent wave of indie author revolution began, to the point … [Read more...] about Self-Publishing: How Good Is Good Enough?
Mark Coker’s Indie Author Manifesto
To say that self-publishing has unleashed something profound around the world is an understatement. Whether it's through the launch of ebooks and print-on-demand books or just a blogging or social media platform, digital publishing has made it possible for individuals to put their ideas in front of a broader audience. It cannot be a coincidence that the global spread of ideas … [Read more...] about Mark Coker’s Indie Author Manifesto
Smashwords Reveals Number of Bestselling Authors Overwhelmingly Female
Over on the Smashwords blog, CEO and founder Mark Coker posted some interesting information about the demographics of the bestselling authors on the site. According to the Smashwords bestseller list, published each month by Publisher's Weekly, the top twenty-five bestselling titles on Smashwords for the last many months have all been written by women. All of them. Coker … [Read more...] about Smashwords Reveals Number of Bestselling Authors Overwhelmingly Female
Ellen Hopkins, eBooks, and the Fight Against Censorship
Young adult author Ellen Hopkins is no stranger to controversy. Her teen books--which deal with very difficult yet realistic subject matter such as drug addiction, suicide, and self-harm--are often found hovering near the top of the lists of books that have been banned in schools or libraries. But an event this week shed new light on an age-old problem: censorship. Hopkins … [Read more...] about Ellen Hopkins, eBooks, and the Fight Against Censorship
Smashwords Announces Author Promo for Read an eBook Week
Pioneering self-publishing and ebook distribution site Smashwords made an announcement for all of its member authors and publishers today that tomorrow kicks off a week-long promotional event for books. Dubbed Read and eBook Week, a campaign that runs from March 2nd through 8th, the event offers authors the opportunity to reach out to readers with promotional pricing on their … [Read more...] about Smashwords Announces Author Promo for Read an eBook Week
Smashwords Once Again Named to Forbes’ List
The quiet underdog in the ebook publishing and distribution arena has long been Smashwords, a site known for its ease of use and welcome of nearly every genre. But the site that so many readers--and even self-published authors--are not all that familiar with is actually accumulating impressive numbers, with over 80,000 authors and publishers launching more than 230,000 ebooks, … [Read more...] about Smashwords Once Again Named to Forbes’ List
Smashwords Launches Series Manager, Receives Award Nomination from BISG
As book discovery continues to plague authors of every ilk in a market that is saturated with content, platforms like Smashwords continue to look for new ways to help authors bring readers to their books easily. Today, the ebook distribution platform announced a new feature, Series Manager, aimed at helping authors lump their series titles together for easier search … [Read more...] about Smashwords Launches Series Manager, Receives Award Nomination from BISG
Smashwords Releases Data from eBook Sales Study
The ebook distribution site Smashwords, spearheaded by founder Mark Coker, is often at the forefront of what is shaping digital publishing. Whether it's making a free platform available to self-published authors or helping writers find industry professionals to work with them, the site is much more than just a portal for purchasing inexpensive digital books. Today, the … [Read more...] about Smashwords Releases Data from eBook Sales Study