A Q&A About Smashwords

I've noticed a lot of writers asking about Smashwords. So from a writer's perspective and having now published two works on their site, I'm going to address some of the questions I've heard along with a few of the concerns I had to start with. If you have a question I haven't addressed, please leave it as a comment and I'll try my best to answer!

Is Smashwords as good as it sounds?
I wondered this myself when I decided to give them a try and I'm very happy with that decision. Without paying an upfront fee, you can sell your book through major outlets like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple (with strict adherence to the style guide of course). If you set a price for your book, Smashwords takes a commission, but they focus on the writer and that's what I like. It's not perfect, of course, but a dream for any writer who wants a vehicle for selling books without paying a hefty fee.

Is it complicated to format your book?
If you just glance over the Smashwords Style Guide you will feel overwhelmed. Like most how-to guides, it's easier when you put it into practice. I suggest taking the guide step-by-step and worry about each one as you come to it.

Will formatting take a long time?
I went into it expecting to spend a day or so on formatting, but I finished Dead Locked in a few hours. Formatting "Bast & Immie" took me under two hours. I also chose to take my time with both so I did things right the first time, and I highly recommend that approach. It's easier than trying to fix problems later.

How long will it take your book to go live?
I'm not sure this is mentioned on the Smashwords website, but I feel it's worth saying. Once you hit "Publish," your book goes into a queue, awaiting conversion. I wasn't aware of this the first time and it kind of threw me. My magic number seems to be in the 600s, which means your book will be converted in three or more hours. I recommend starting this process either early in the morning or later at night and planning your first promotional blitz accordingly. (P.S. You don't have to sit there and wait for it to convert. You can leave the site and it's not going to affect anything.)

Will your book sell?
As with any kind of publishing (including traditional), that mainly depends on you, not your chosen outlet. The Smashwords Marketing Guide has a lot of good ideas. Plus, there are many excellent blogs out there that cover book marketing and promotion. If you put forth the effort, you will sell your book no matter where you sell it. That said, Smashwords, though still up-and-coming, has a good following and I've been impressed by the results I've had before I've even announced my book is available.

How do you get your book into Smashwords?
Smashwords does not have any strict guidelines about who can publish and you don't have to be approved beforehand. Basically, you sign up, follow the guidelines to format your book, and upload everything. There are stricter guidelines for the premium catalog, but those aren't scary either.

If I've missed anything you're concerned about, please leave a comment and I'll try to answer your questions! Also, if you have used Smashwords, feel free to mention anything you were concerned about that I didn't bring out. I always recommend doing research before making a decision so read over the Smashwords website carefully before you submit.