Using Smashwords for access to Sony ReaderStore & iBookstore

I work for author in USA who has digital rights to 6 non-fiction books that have been continuously in print for >20 years. We have created kindle/mobi eBooks, and ePub eBook which we sell on our own website but I am exploring wider distribution. While we will deal directly with Amazon/Kindle, and B&N am exploring Smashwords for access distribution on Sony ReaderStore, and iBookstore. Will direct all of the questions to Smashwords directly but user experience is often gold.

1) Smashwords requires a word doc file to go through their meat grinder to output ePub. Would they accept the ePub we have already spent 100s of hours on so that appearance is exactly what we want and we have already verified the appearance at different magnifications on various eReader devices? We found that applying Styles in MS word was insufficient to accomplish the look we wanted from ePub and worked with our consultant programmer to massage the html to get what we wanted. Meat grinder it seems can be primitive if one has formatting (pull quotes, different first and later paragraph indents, different treatment of very first paragraph in chapter, and etc.). Our ePub has gone through and been verified by epubcheck. We have copyright and appropriate ISBN, and essentially are all ready to go - customers have been buying directly from us for a year. Hoping that Smashwords has some flexibility on this "issue."

2) We are considering Smashwords for iBookstore as latter requires an intel based Mac running OS X 10.5.8 or later, and we are not a Mac based office and don't want to purchase a Mac. If we used Smashwords to gain access to iBookstore and found that say in 6 months sales warranted considering going directly to iBookstore without Smashwords as content aggregator (Apple's terminology), I know we could end our relationship with Smashwords. What would the process be in ending things with Smashwords and giong directly to Amazon? I understand that there is likely to be some time period when things would no longer be in iBookstore via Smashwords, AND our own direct ePub eBook would not yet have been accepted. This is probably acceptable to us. I also imagine that any reviews of the eBook title that had existed under the Smashwords publication would be wiped out.

Thanks for cutting my learning curve.

James thanks for response; and yes I did mean going directly to Apple but typed in Amazon which we already plan to go directly. Will report back on our own experience and direct response from Smashwords, if Smashwords is willing to bend their rules and accept a verified ePub we have already created and sell ourselves rather than inflexibly requiring us to submit a word doc and have it go through their meat grinder.

You, or anyone have idea: You get eBook onto iBookstore via Smashwords; end the relationship with Smashwords, and then subsequently get the same eBook title onto iBookstore yourself directly, would any reviews that you had previously be wiped out? I would imagine so, but would rather know if someone has direct experience with making such a transition.

Our particular situation might have an additional layer. We are thinking of using Smashwords to get in to iBookstore solely because we do not own a Mac and iTunes Connect requires that. If we go through Smashwords, unless they allow us to use our own existing group of ISBN numbers and assign one to this eBook, then Smashwords would supply one and it would have their 4 digit identifier as part of the 3 digits. If we end the relationship with Smashwords, I would expect that both Smashwords and we would want to relinquish (stop using) the ISBN they had assigned, and use our own ISBN. But this seems like a fundamental violation of the principles for ISBNs; a single title and format for that title in perpetuity has one ISBN connected to it as part of its "identity."

Again thanks for cutting my learning curve in this area.

Thanks James for your helpful response. I had worded things poorly it seems. I know that part of the "identity" of a book or eBook contained within the ISBN are the 4 digits that identify who published the item.

As you point out, if the publisher of eBook changes then the industry expects/wants the ISBN to change as well.

Glad to hear that Smashwords would allow us to use our existing ISBN number which we already have assigned for the eBook's sale on our own website. We would simply be using them as a "distributor" or as iBookstore calls them a "content aggregator."

This is good news for us about Smashwords.

Currently only accept word doc; no mention of plans to accept ePub as well

J. Tanner said:

Regarding your first question, its "no" for now but Smashwords has announced that at some point in 2012 they will be allowing direct epub upload as an alternative to the meatgrinder for premium channel distribution.

Click to expand...

As a follow-up: James can you indicate any place where I can see/confirm the Smashwords announcement?

Several days ago I had sent ?/feedback form directly to Smashwords and after describing how we had created our ePub for our own website; run it through ePubCheck software; I then wrote:
"We would greatly appreciate being able to submit an ePub file to you that we
have already verified.Thank you for your response and consideration of our
situation. We would look forward to taking the next step with you. "

I got the following extremely brief response without any reference to the "fact" that they are considering/planning on accepting ePub.

"Hi _____,

Thanks for the email. Unfortunately, we can only accept Microsoft Word .doc uploads.

Best,
Raylene"

I am a bit surprised that their work-flow is so rigid, but that is their business model.

So wanted to report back what I found out from the horse's mouth.

Thanks J.; I was able to find the reference on Coker's blog where he indicates that they plan to be able to accept ePub files from authors in 2nd half of 2012. His discussion of past year and upcoming year and plans is a worthwhile read for anyone who is currently using Smashwords or is considering doing so.