This is a template presentation, intended for use by Smashwords ebook authors who want to give ebook presentations at their local community library. The intended audience for this presentation is readers, writers and library staff. Smashwords authors can modify the presentation by inserting their personal backstory to share their publishing journey, experiences and wisdom as a self-published author.

1. An Introduction to Ebooks
(Insert Library Logo Here)
Library Name Here
Month Day, 201X
(Your name here)

2. Instructions
This Powerpoint template is available for Smashwords authors
who want to do ebook presentations at their local library. The
audience for this “Introduction to Ebooks” talk is a general library
audience of readers, prospective self-published authors, and
library staff. It offers authors an opportunity to weave their own
personal self-publishing journey into the presentation, and to
share their experiences with fellow readers and writers at their
local community library.
It’s also an opportunity for Smashwords authors to help spread a
culture of authorship, working in concert with libraries
Feel free to add or remove slides or images, or create an entirely
different presentation. Visit
http://slideshare.net/smashwords/presentations to download other
Smashwords presentations and Smashwords data.
Requires Microsoft PowerPoint
or similar presentation software

3. My Backstory

4. Add a Heading Here
• Insert a two to four custom slides that
talk about why you wanted to write a
book
• Talk about your journey as a writer,
from idea, to completion, and possibly
why you chose to self-publish an ebook
• Include at least one slide in this next
section that shows the cover image of
your completed book

5. My Journey (change to your
liking)
• Add content here
• Add content here, etc

6. My Journey (change to your
liking)
• Add content here
• Add content here, etc

7. My Journey (change to your
liking)
• Add content here
• Add content here, etc

8. I began my first book, [Insert
Title], XX years ago

9. Gatekeepers stood in my way!
• Agents controlled access
to publishers
• Publishers controlled:
• Who got published
• Who got distributed
• What readers could read

10. Like any self-respecting writer, I
decided…

11. The Traditional Publishing Model
Wouldn’t Work for me
1. Publishers control
* the printing press
* the distribution
* the knowledge to professionally publish
2. Publishers reject most authors
3. Publishers decide what readers can read
4. Slow production cycles (12-18 months)
5. Books forced out of print early
6. Authors earn only 5-17% of list price
7. Publishers judge books on perceived
commercial merit

12. Traditional publishers want more
of …

13. Justin Bieber got a book deal

14. Kourtney, Kim and Khloe got a book deal

15. Snooki got a book deal

16. But not authors like me!

17. When it comes to books, I think:
- Every writer deserves the
freedom to publish
- Readers deserve to choose
what is worth reading

18. So I decided to take matters into
my own hands and self publish

19. My solution: Smashwords
• Ebook publishing made easy!
• Free tools enable writers to become their
own ebook publishers
• Free ebook “printing press”
• Distribution to major ebook stores like the
Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony,
Kobo
• Distribution to libraries (new!)

20. [Title} was published on
Smashwords in 20XX (insert
screen shot of your book page
below)

21. Insert a smiling picture of you holding an
e-reading device
that shows your book on it

22. How Smashwords Works
• UPLOAD
• Author uploads Microsoft Word file,
formatted to our Style Guide
• Free ebook conversion to multiple formats
• Sell today to a worldwide audience
• DISTRIBUTE
• Distribution to major retailers
• GET PAID
• Authors receive 85% of net for a SW sale
and 60% list for a retailer sale

23. Soon, my book was for sale at
multiple ebook retailers

24. Here’s How Smashwords has
Grown
190,000+
200000
150000
92,000
100000
28,800
50000 6,000
140
0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

25. Are ebooks books?
A brief history of story telling

26. In the beginning…

27. … and then Words were invented

28. … and then monastic scribes
added words and illumination to
vellum (animal skin)

29. … and then Gutenberg brought
moveable type to paper

30. … which enabled development of a
mass market for books

31. Cave walls, stone tablets,
animal skins and paper are
simply the canvas for images
and words that create books

32. Ebooks are books on screens

33. BIG TREND:
Reading Moving to Screens

34. Ebooks as a percentage of US
book market
Source: Association of American Publishers, publishers.org

35. Why ebooks are hot
• Screens offer better reading experience than
paper
•
Changeable font size A A A A
• Portable and compact
• E-reading devices will get
better/faster/cheaper
• More functional

36. The Better Book
is Here
• It’s called an ebook, and it’s immortal
• Same book, only better
• Less expensive
• Convenient sampling and purchasing
• Faster publishing, purchasing
• HUGE selection
• More accessible

37. Libraries and ebooks
• Libraries are important to the future of
books. Libraries…
• Make books available and accessible to
everyone
• Help kids develop a love for books
• Promote literacy
• Facilitate community around books
• Bring readers face to face with authors
• Beginning to offer ebook lending

38. Big publishers are not friendly to
libraries
• Big publishers refuse to sell ebooks, or
charging up to triple the print price
• Publishers fear
• Library ebooks will cannibalize print books
• Library ebooks will cannibalize retail ebook
sales
• Library ebooks don’t wear out

39. Smashwords and its 50,000
authors support libraries
• Indie authors recognize that libraries will help
them reach new readers
• Smashwords library initiatives:
• Custom library pricing
• Smashwords Direct (direct sales to libraries)
• Library aggregators
• Baker & Taylor Axis 360
• 3M Cloud Library
• Overdrive (coming soon!)
• Library publishing portals

40. Community publishing, in
partnership with libraries
• The future
• Libraries, known for promoting a culture of
reading, can now help promote a culture of
authorship
• Local authors carried by their local libraries
• Local events (like today) to connect
authors with readers, and authors with
prospective authors

41. Final Thoughts
• Ebooks make books…
• Less expensive
• More accessible
• Immortal
• Ebook self-publishing gives
• writers the freedom to publish
• readers the freedom to discover diverse,
new voices
• Support your public library!

42. Free Ebook Publishing Resources
• 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)

43. Thank you for listening!
Q&A
Connect:
Web: Insert your Smashwords author
page or web site address here
Blog: Insert your blog address
Twitter: links here
Facebook: links here
Email: Your email address