What you're looking at is the Amazon sales graph of my ebook Soleá about to drop through the 500,000 level for the third time in as many months. Sharp eyed readers could easily conclude that I have not written The Da Vinci Code. As can be seen from the graph, a single sale causes a dramatic sweep all the way from below 500,000 to 40,000 or less before the graph resumes the journey south. Although such a leap through the rankings may represent little more than half the price of a coffee at Starbucks in royalties, it's an inspiring thing for a new author to see. The first time it happens you imagine yourself having a drink at a writer's conference with a couple of other authors in the Kindle top 100. The second or third time it happens, you realise you're back at Starbucks and you're sitting there all by yourself.
The sales graph above is currently the only tool Amazon offers Kindle authors and publishers to monitor activity on an ebook's page. By contrast, Smashwords offers the following neat set of graphing tools:
It's easy to see what a great set of features Smashwords offers in comparison to Amazon. Not only can you see how many sales you've made, but also how many potential buyers have viewed a book's page and downloaded samples. With this information it's easy to gauge how much success you're having at garnering attention; flirting with potential readers well enough to get them to download a free sample; ultimately seeing those who download a sample return to buy the rest. You can use this data to tweak your book cover, title, description, even the opening chapters if you like - all with the aim of increasing sales. Smashwords also offers a powerful discounting system that is fully under control of the author or publisher. Last but perhaps most importantly, Smashwords provides a central facility through which to deal with all major ebook distributors.
But today I confess that I have forsaken all of these great Smashwords tools for a three-month trial of Amazon's newly announced KDP Select program. Unfortunately, this means that for the next three months, I will not be able to make my book available through any other platform or distributor other than Kindle. Am I supporting the bullyboy tactics of a mega sized corporate bent on monopolising the future of Indie publishing? Perhaps. However, the way I see it is that there are two factors that should be taken into account before making that judgement: First, I'm a new author out there trying to carve a readership. Once an author has a following - the way I see it - his or her work will land on whatever platform the readers choose whether it be Kindle, Kobo, Apple, or even paperback. Which brings me to the second factor that should save me from the wrath of principled Indie authors: The immediate publishing battle is one between devices. Us writers have enough of a time just stringing words together in a way that's meaningful enough to sell. Should we also concern ourselves with whether people on trains, buses, in airport lounges and bedrooms are reading on a Kindle or a smartphone?
As authors it's our job to write, to promote our work, and to be read. I'd rather leave the likes of Steve Jobs to consider whether attempts to monopolise the Indie market will influence the average reader's ultimate choice of platform. I know where my long term bet is going.
