This presentation was given April 11 in San Antonio, TX at the Texas Library Association annual conference. It details how public libraries have an exciting opportunity to launch community publishing initiatives, the goal of which is to marshal local community talent to produce and publish ebooks.

1. LAUNCH COMMUNITY PUBLISHING
INITIATIATIVES WITH
SELF-PUBLISHED EBOOKS
How Libraries Can Foster a Culture of Authorship
April 11, 2014
San Antonio, TX
Mark Coker
Founder, Smashwords
Twitter: @markcoker

2. What We’ll Cover
 Publishing past and present
 5 Trends shaping the future of
publishing
 Aligning the common interests of
writers, libraries and patrons
 How libraries can promote a
culture of authorship
 How to publish and distribute an
ebook (checklist) 2

3. Let’s begin with an over-
simplified history of storytelling
3

4. The Story Behind Smashwords
4

5. Publishers Said “No”
• Despite great efforts of our
agent, every major NY
publisher said NO (TWICE!)
5

6. I evaluated our options
1. The rational (conventional) option
 Give up, admit failure
2. The irrational option
 Believe in ourselves
 Try to fix the problem
6

7. How to fix a problem
1. Identify the problem
 Big 6 Publishers!!!
 Toxic to the future of publishing
 Don’t value all writers
 Unable to take a risk on all writers
2. Visualize the utopian solution
 Every writer should have the freedom to publish
 Readers should have the freedom to judge what’s
worth reading
3. Create the Solution
7

8. My Answer: Smashwords
• * FREE * eBook Publishing Platform
 Free ebook publishing tools help writers
become ebook publishers
 Free learning materials to help writers
adopt best practices of professional
publishers
 Distribution to ebook stores and libraries
8

9. Smashwords Distribution Network

10. 0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ebooks published at Smashwords
140
6,000
28,800
92,000
191,000
276,000+
10

11. How Smashwords Works
• UPLOAD
• Author uploads their manuscript to
Smashwords (Word .doc or epub)
• Instant, free ebook conversion
• For sale within 5 minutes of upload
• DISTRIBUTE
• Distribution to retailers and
libraries
• GET PAID
• Author earns 60-80% list
• Quarterly payments 11

12. Let’s bust a dangerous myth
12

13. What myth should we bust?
13

14. The Myth of Big Publishing
14

15. Writers (and libraries) were taught to
bow subservient before the altar of
Big Publishing
15

16. Publishers were the bouncers at
the pearly gates of author heaven
• Promised Perks of the Writer’s Afterlife
• editing
• printing press
• distribution
• marketing
• royalties
• fame and respect
• readers
• “published author” inscribed
on their tombstone 16

17. writers taught they couldn’t graduate to
author heaven until a publisher blessed
them
… and unless they got a book deal, they
were a failure
17

18. … and in a sense it was true
Publishers held all the power to connect
books with readers
18

19. Writers were told to keep toiling, and
waiting…
Rejection would make them stronger
“You’ll get published when you perfected
your craft like these other great writers” …
19

20. Justin Bieber got a book deal
20

21. Snooki got a book deal
21

22. Kourtney, Kim and Khloe got a book deal
22

23. Stop
Don’t sell your soul
23

24. The old model of
publishing is broken
It has become harmful
to writers
to readers
to libraries
to the future of books
24

25. Publishers have amassed too
much power
• Publishers Decide
• What writers can publish
• What readers can read
• What libraries can buy
• limiting ebooks at libraries
• outrageous pricing of ebooks
25

26. Big Publishers Not Friendly to
Libraries
• Reluctant to sell ebooks to libraries
• Publishers fear library ebooks
• will cannibalize print books
• will cannibalize retail ebook sales
• don’t wear out
26

27. Big Publishers Fail to Understand
that Libraries Drive Discovery
and Sales
• Libraries help reach new readers
• 41% of library cardholders who read
ebooks purchased their most
recently read ebook (Pew)
• 50% of library card holders go on to
purchase books by authors they first
discovered at the library (Library
Journal, Bowker)
27

28. Do publisher-controlled ebooks threaten the future
of libraries? 28

29. Yes.
29

30. Yet the future for ebooks
at libraries is brighter than
ever
30

31. WHY?
31

32. THE POWER CENTER IN BOOK
PUBLISIHNG IS SHIFTING FROM
PUBLISHERS TO WRITERS
32

33. INDIE AUTHORS ARE PRO-LIBRARY
33

34. FIVE TRENDS TO ROCK THE WORLD OF
LIBRARY EBOOKS
34

35. TREND ONE:
Reading Moving to Screens
35

36. Screens are the new paper
36

37. Ebooks as a percentage of US
wholesale trade market
Source: Association of American Publishers, publishers.org. 2012-13 Smashwords estimate37

38. Ebooks to overtake print
Print books
Ebooks
UnitsDollars
Print books
Ebooks
38

39. TREND TWO
The Rise of Ebook Self-Publishing
(a.k.a indie ebook publishing)
39

40. Number of books published indie
vs. traditional
Indie
books
Today?
New trad.
books
40

41. Readers are Embracing Indie
Ebooks
• Indies scaling all the bestseller lists
• Every week, indie ebooks are in the bestseller lists
of every retailer
• Almost every week, an indie ebook is hitting the NYT
bestseller list
• Every week, every retailer is featuring Indie ebooks
41

42. Advantages of Indie Authorship
• Indie ebook author advantages
• faster time to market
• creative control
• better distribution to global market
• immortal ebooks never go out of print
• lower expenses
• lower prices to consumers
• earn more per book

43. QUADRUPLE +
43

44. Indie Ebook Authors Earn Higher
Percentage of List Price
• Indies earn more at lower prices
• At $2.99, an indie author earns more (~$2.00) than
a traditionally published author selling an ebook
at $10.00 ($1.20-$1.70)
• Lower price = reach more readers = more sales at
higher profits per sale
60-80% 12-17%
Indie Traditional
44

45. TREND THREE
Publishers Losing Monopoly as
Writers Gain Tools to Self-Publish
45

46. Big Publishers Losing Their
Monopoly
• Publishing tools and
know-how are freely available:
• Printing press
• Distribution
• The knowledge of professional publishing
best-practices
• Writers asking:
• “What can a publisher do for me that I can’t
do for myself?”
• “Will a publisher actually harm my ability to
reach readers?”
46

47. TREND FOUR
The Previous Stigma of Self-
Publishing is Disappearing
47

48. Stigmas to Reverse: More Authors
will Aspire to Indie Publish
Aspire
Traditional
Aspire
Indie
Today?
Aspire
Indie
Aspire
Traditional
6 yrs ago Soon? 48

49. TREND FIVE
As Publishers Turn their Backs on
Libraries, Self-Published Authors
Ready to Embrace Libraries
49

50. Self-Published Authors Are
Pro-Library
• Survey of 200+ Smashwords
authors/publishers (June 2012)
• 82% believe by exposing their books to
library patrons, they’ll sell more books at
retail
• 2/3 said they’d price their books for libraries
equal to or lower than the retail price
• 24% said they’d give their books to libraries
for FREE
50

51. The Plan Forward
51

52. The 5 Trends Create a Future that Benefits
Readers, Writers and Libraries
52

53. Patrons
• Patrons want
• Accessibility
• Discoverability
• Diversity
53

54. Authors (the new publishers)
• Authors want
• Availability
• Discoverability
• Readership
54

55. Libraries
• Libraries
• Promote a culture of reading
• Satisfy patrons with
• Accessibility
• Discoverability
• Diversity
• Curation
• Deliver readership to authors
55

56. Ebook self-publishing
aligns the interests of
libraries, patrons and
authors
56

57. Libraries have an exciting
opportunity to create a brighter
future for books
57

58. THE PATH FORWARD FOR
LIBRARIES:
1. Embrace ebooks
2. Promote a culture of
authorship
58

59. Embrace Indie Ebooks (Step 1)
• Implement ebook checkout
systems. Three options:
1. Outsource
• Baker & Taylor Axis 360, Overdrive, 3M Cloud
Library, EBSCO, others
2. Insource
• Douglas County Model + Smashwords Library
Direct + direct relationships with progressive
publishers
3. Hybrid
• Multi-library cooperative such as Califa/ENKI 59

60. Utilize Crowd-Sourced Models of
Curation (Step 2)
• Aggregated retailer bestseller lists reveal
what paid readers are purchasing
• Smashwords can provide purchase lists
• Leverage social reading sites
• Library Thing, Goodreads
• Library Journal and Publishers Weekly now
reviewing select indie ebook titles
• Implement patron-driven models
• Gardners UK example
• Multi-library collaboration on reviews by
librarians? 60

61. Promote Culture of Authorship
(Step 3)
• Facilitate Community Publishing
• Orchestrate workshops, seminars, panels
to promote best practices for writing and
publishing
• Help your community of writers to publish
locally, distribute globally
• Smashwords can help
• Free training materials
• “Publish to the library” with co-branded
Smashwords publishing platform
61

62. Community Publishing Pilot Program
with Los Gatos Public Library
• Kudos to Henry Bankhead of LGPL for his
mentorship and encouragement
62

63. Henry Bankhead Recognized as 2014
Mover and Shaker
63
See March 12 Library
Journal for more

64. Community Publishing Pilot Program
with Los Gatos Public Library (Goals)
• Goals:
1. Marshal local resources to develop
and promote a culture of authorship
• Library staff
• Graphic designers
• Published authors
• Patrons
2. Develop a future supply of library-
friendly authors and books
3. Help authors publish
locally, distribute globally 64

65. IMPLEMENTATION
65

66. Community Publishing Pilot Program
with Los Gatos Public Library
(Implementation)
• Implementation:
1. Education:
• In partnership with Smashwords, educate local
writers about ebook publishing best practices
• Leverage the physical space of the library to bring
together patrons, published authors, aspiring
authors, library staff
2. Co-branded publishing portal
• Help authors publish locally, distribute globally
3. Partner with local high school to
publish ebooks in the classroom
66

67. 1. Education: LGPL/Smashwords
Community Publishing Program
• Working with LGPL, Smashwords
presented a 3-part seminar series of
one-hour workshops
1. Introduction to ebooks (patrons, writers, library
staff)
2. Introduction to ebook publishing (writers, staff)
3. Ebook publishing best practices (writers, staff)
 Smashwords will supply updated
presentations to any library that
requests them
67

68. 2. LGPL Co-Branded Publishing
Portal
• Co-branded publishing portal
with Smashwords
• Free ebook publishing and
distribution services for library
patron authors
• Local writer asks, “How do I…”
• publish an ebook?
• make my ebook available to my
community’s library? 68

69. 2a. LGPL Publishing Portal
• Custom hyperlink from LGPL web site
69

70. 2b. LGPL Publishing Portal
• Writer signs up for free Smashwords
account 70

71. 2c. LGPL Publishing Portal
• Free publishing and global distribution
• Smashwords manages end-to-end relationship from
publishing to payments 71

72. 2d. LGPL Publishing Portal
Free Author Tools
• FREE publishing platform
• FREE, best-practices resources:
• Smashwords Style Guide (how to format an ebook)
• Smashwords Book Marketing Guide (how to market any book)
• Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success (best practices of
successful authors) 72

73. 3. Ebooks in the Classroom:
LGPL/Smashwords Community
Publishing Program
• A first-of-its kind experiment
• 125 freshman high school poetry students across
five classroom periods will collaborate with
Smashwords and LGPL to professionally
produce, publish, distribute and sell a class poetry
anthology
• Mark Coker addressing five classrooms to teach two
classes:
• Introduction to Ebook Publishing
• Ebook Publishing Best Practices
• Students collaborate with one another to
write, edit, format, publish and promote anthology
• Will be used as a freshman class fundraiser
• Official book launch will happen at Los Gatos Public
Library May 6 73

74. Future plans for
LGPL/Smashwords Collaboration
• Future plans
• Underway: LGPL and Smashwords are
partnering with local high school (LGHS) to
integrate ebook publishing into creative writing
curriculum
• Once LGPL implements an ebook checkout
system, the building blocks will be in place for
local authors to “Publish to the Library”
• With over 90,000 authors, Smashwords has
authors in nearly every zip code in the US.
• These authors can be invited to the library to for
seminars, workshops and panel discussions to mentor
fellow writers about ebook self-publishing
74

75. Let’s learn how to publish and distribute
an ebook!
75

76. Checklist for Publishing an Ebook
 Finish a super-awesome book
 Format the book prior to conversion
 Prepare cover image
 Prepare the metadata
 Ebook conversion to multiple formats
 Pricing
 ISBNs
 Copyright
 Distribution to retailers, libraries
 Piracy
 Marketing
76

77. Finish Your Super-Awesome Book
• Ebook publishing tools make
publishing fast, free and
easy, but…
• They don’t make it easy to write a
great book
• The author is the publisher, so must act
like one
• Edit, edit, edit, revise, revise, revise
• Involve beta readers (then revise again)
• Hire professional editor if necessary
77

78. Ebook Formatting
78

79. Formatting is the layout and design
process to prepare your book for
publication
79

80. Formatting for Smashwords
300,000+
Downloads!
80

81. Formatting Secrets
• Forget (some of) what you know
• Don’t try to make e- look like p-
• Ebooks consumed differently than print
• Less = more with ebooks
• Remove narrative from images
• Liberate text from complex formatting
and layout
• Design for reflowability, small screens
81

82. Reflowability: Ebook devices
(and customers) shape shift text
• Example of Smashwords novel, Heller
by JD Nixon as viewed in iBooks e-
reading app
• Users can select font style, font size and
nightime mode, or view in portrait or
landscape mode. Reflowability enables
this!

83. Cover Image
83

84. Create Your Ebook Cover
• Covers are important
• First impression
• Great covers make a promise
• Make it:
 engaging, matched to target audience
 professional
 good as thumbnail
 good as B&W, greyscale

85. DIY Cover, or Hire Professional?
• Unless the author is an expert graphic
designer or cover designer, they hire
someone (covers are inexpensive!)
• Email list@smashwords.com for low cost
cover designers and formatters
• $50-$150 (Mark’s list) or under $300
elsewhere (still cheap!)
• Library Idea: Find patrons expert in
graphic design to leverage library’s
multimedia lab to produce covers

86. Great covers make a promise
86

87. Great covers make a promise
87

88. Great covers make a promise
88

89. Great covers make a promise
89

90. Great covers make a promise
90

91. Great covers make a promise
91

92. Metadata
92

93. Metadata is data that makes your
book discoverable in a store
Book title
Book description
Author name
Book category
Price
Publication dateISBN
Language Tags

94. Ebook Conversion
94

95. Conversion = Turning your formatted
manuscript into an ebook file readable on
multiple ebook reading devices
95

96. E-reading Devices
96

97. Ebook Conversion at
Smashwords

98. Pricing
98

99. Pricing
• Determine objective
• Platform building, sales, or both?
• Non-fiction supports higher prices than
fiction
• If you publish multiple books, cover
multiple price points to capture the
most readers
• FREE, $.99, $2.99, $3.99, $4.99+
• Pricing strategy is integral to building
readership

100. ISBN
100

101. What’s an ISBN?
• What it is:
• Unique digital identifier
• A 13-digit number
• Helps supply chain communicate about
book
• Required for distribution to
Apple, Sony, Kobo
• What it is NOT:
• Does not connote ownership or copyright
• Does not imply “professional” or “real”
• Not a common discovery method 101

102. Where to Obtain an ISBN
• Go to Bowker.com
• Expensive unless you purchase blocks of
10+
• Lists you as “publisher” in Books in Print
• Go to Smashwords
• FREE ISBNs
102

103. Copyright
103

104. Copyright Simplified
• By publishing something you
created, you have copyright
• Copyright entitles you to an exclusive
bundle of rights
• The notation of © is optional
• For best legal protection, go to
Copyright.gov and register copyright
online
• Learn more at the Copyright Clearance
Center at www.copyright.com
104

105. Distribution to retailers and libraries
105

106. Smashwords Distribution Network

107. Maximize Availability, Avoid
Exclusivity
• Ebook retailing is not like sports, religion or
politics
• If your book is not available at every
retailer, it’s not discoverable or purchasable
• Exclusivity
• angers fans
• limits audience
• increases your dependence upon a single
sales outlet

108. Two options for getting your book
on a retailer’s virtual shelves
1. Use a Distributor (such as Smashwords)
• Spend more time writing, less time on everything else
• Upload one file, reach many retailers
• Centralized metadata management
• Time-savings, consolidated payments and tax reporting
• Preorders to Apple, B&N, Kobo
2. Direct to Retailers
• Format for each specific retailer
• Upload to, and manage each retailer separately
• Some retailers (Flipkart, Oyster, Scribd, etc) and Libraries
require distributor

109. Distribution to libraries
109

110. Libraries and ebooks
• Libraries are important to the future of
books. Libraries…
• Make books available and accessible to
everyone
• Promote literacy and a culture of books to
children and adults alike
• Facilitate community around books
• Bring readers face to face with authors
• Beginning to offer ebook lending
110

111. Smashwords and our 90,000
authors and publishers see
opportunity
• Smashwords library initiatives:
• Custom library pricing
• Smashwords Library Direct (direct
sales to libraries)
• Distribute via library aggregators
• Baker & Taylor Axis 360
• Overdrive (coming soon!)
• 3M Cloud Library (future)
• Others in the works 111

112. Piracy
112

113. Everything you need to know
about piracy
• Obscurity is bigger risk
• Black hat pirates who steal your book
wouldn’t have purchased it anyway
• Most piracy is accidental – it’s an
enthusiastic fan marketing your book
for you
• Combat piracy by making your book
easier to purchase than steal
• Broad distribution
• Low, fair price

114. Irrational fear of piracy leads
leads to obscurity
• The only reliable method of piracy
prevention is to NEVER PUBLISH
• Anti-piracy measures such as DRM only
limit availability, accessibility and
enjoyment
114

115. Marketing
115

116. Traditional marketing isn’t as
important as you think it is
• Marketing is a catalyst, not fuel
• Your book is your best marketing
• Reader word of mouth determines your
success
• Viral catalysts amplify word of mouth
• Build permanence
• Platform building
• Platform is your ability to reach readers, or people
who can help you reach readers
116

117. The Plan Forward
117

118. Summary: How to Foster a
Culture of Authorship in Your
Community
• Indie authors are
• the future of publishing
• pro-library
• It takes a village to publish a great book
• Help your community publish great books
• Marshal local talent of patrons to mentor next
generation of pro-library writers
• Hold events featuring local authors who can help
mentor the next generation of authors
• Help your patrons publish locally and
distribute globally (Smashwords PubPortal
can help!) 118

119. Learn how to e-publish like a pro with
Smashwords Tutorials at Youtube at
youtube.com/user/Smashwords
119

120. Free Ebook Publishing Resources
• NEW! Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success (best
practices of successful authors)
• Smashwords Book Marketing Guide (how to market any
book)
• Smashwords Style Guide (how to format an ebook)
120

121. Thanks for Listening, and Good Luck!
121

122. Q&A
Connect with Mark Coker and Smashwords:
Web: www.smashwords.com
Blog: blog.smashwords.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markcoker
Facebook: facebook.com/markcoker
HuffPo: huffingtonpost.com/mark-coker
Twitter: @markcoker
122