can you check your formatting after smashwords, and b4 publishing?

thrillerz

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I'd like to see what is looks like in kindle before publishing it to so many places smashwords publishes it. Obviously, I've not used smashwords but I did just get an account and am ready to go, I'm just not clear on the process. After I click the button to upload file and cover and submit button, is it gone or do I get a chance to see it before its on Amazon?

Thanks for any help!
 

davidw

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It was my impression that Smashwords does *not* submit directly to Amazon, but they give you a file (epub) that you can submit. But I haven't used them either, maybe I'm mistaken.
 

jnfr

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The Kindle Direct Publishing process allows you to preview the book before you hit the publish button. In fact, in my experience their previewer is very good at emulating what you'll see on an actual Kindle.

Smashwords doesn't publish to Kindle, but does provide a MOBI formatted file that can be used on a Kindle or in the Kindle software. That file, like all SW editions, is labeled as a Smashwords edition.
 

thrillerz

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1 - Does Smashwords get a cut, a percentage, of sales?
2 - It looked like when you submitted to Smashwords, it submitted your book to all publishers. Does it not do that but instead, simply create the correct formatting and files to submit it yourself?

Thanks.
 

jnfr

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Yes, Smashwords takes a percentage of sales. When you set your price the software displays the chart of who gets what percentage.

Smashwords submits to a number of outlets, but you can control which outlets your book is submitted to, so if you've already submitted to B&N, for example, you can opt out of that in SW. Option is somewhere in your Dashboard, sorry I don't recall the exact steps.
 

thrillerz

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So if you use smashword, they take a cut, and your ultimate seller (Kindle, B&N,...) take a cut as well. So why use smashwords?