OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
This is a bit of a rant from the non-US perspective of ebooks and ebook readers and how crazy it seems to be right now.
It is a fantastic development to finally have the International Kindle
The Kindle Store is now segregated by the country associated with your account, which I understand has something to do with overseas rights. However, the Kindle publishing platform is still only available for those publishers/authors with US address, bank account and tax number. This basically excludes most publishers and authors in other countries. I currently publish on the Kindle through a friend, and the money goes into his bank account – not the best arrangement but all I can manage to be published on the platform.
This is a big criticism of the International Kindle, and one I hope is soon solved. Opening up to non-US publishers will explode the Kindle content and offer the chance for more sales for publishers, more opportunity to sell for authors and more money for Amazon. I would be fine with being paid by Paypal or even by Amazon store credit if the problem is the bank account.
I emailed Amazon Kindle and this was the response (Oct 28, 2009). It looks pretty positive but no date yet.
Thank you for contacting us regarding your interest in selling your title in the Amazon Kindle Store.
We are in the process of expanding our Digital Text Platform to accept international publishers. However, we are not yet accepting publishers through DTP without a U.S. address and bank account.
We will contact you once we have completed our transition. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Thank you, Amazon.com
Scribd is driving me totally nuts because they only allow US residents to actually sell AND BUY on the site, although anyone can load free content there (which I do here).
Firstly, I love Scribd. It's a great platform but why can't I sell my ebooks there? I own all the rights to my 3 books, there is no foreign rights problem. I have a Scribd account, I have a Paypal account. It has been in Beta for months now. What's the problem Scribd? I'm still waiting for a response to my questions.
This is even stranger. I can't even BUY ebooks on Scribd, despite the format being a downloadable file. This is not a foreign rights issue as I can't buy self-published books either. I wanted to get “The God Patent” by Ransom Stephens (only $3.95) but get a message saying the store is still in Beta and therefore I can't buy as a non-US resident. Crazy times.
Later addition after reply from Scribd.com
jgoure, Oct 21 11:00 am (PDT):
Hello Joanna,
Many of our international members have expressed interest in the Store. However, there are several important legal and logistical issues to work out first and unfortunately, I honestly cannot estimate when the Store will open to users connecting from outside the USA.
Jerry Goure, Scribd, Inc.
Customer Care Representative
Go Smashwords! It seems to be the only site to allow truly international ebooks from any author globally. You can publish your books in multiple formats and be paid by Paypal. There is even a multi-language option coming I believe. Smashwords books are also sold on the iPhone through Stanza, as well as through Barnes & Noble ebook store and now Sony has also partnered with Smashwords.
I have written a post on how to publish your book on Smashwords here. It is pretty simple and they have many tools to help you publish, so if you want to get started with ebook publishing, definitely start there!
Can you publish on all of these platforms?
I had this question from a reader, and the answer is “Yes, if you have the digital rights to your books”. If you are a self-published author, or if you haven't sold the digital rights, you can publish your book wherever you like. I currently sell my ebooks from this website as PDF, on Smashwords in multiple formats, and on the Kindle. I will get on Scribd as soon as I am able. You can do the same! This gets your ebook to as wide an audience as possible. Brilliant!
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1 2 3 Next »Joanna, I feel the same frustration with Amazon and Scribd and I agree, Smashwords is showing these parochial players the way. Less than 5% of the world's population lives in the USA. Why shoot your business in the foot like this when there are quite easy solutions available?
I'm a non-US author (replying to your tweet) with my first novel coming out as an e-book in February 2010. Fortunately, I'm being published through a New York publishing house and the book will be available in all the major e-book markets. I've looked at self-publishing options and the restrictions on sites like Amazon have been part of what has discouraged me from going that way.
Thanks Graham - so glad you feel the same way - I have been getting most frustrated about it all! I hope your books will be available on the International Kindle so we can buy here in Australia, since you are being published through NYC!
Smashwords is the only reasonable choice now. It's the challenger here, the other two are leaders, which don't feel obliged to do risky things like embracing international content they wouldn't be able to control.
Probably some non-US self-publishing services will start engines before Scribd or Amazon open to the world.
Joanna, there is an option for non-US authors and publishers who want to publish on Kindle. Red Hill Digital enables any publisher or author who hold the digital rights to their works to export their books into the leading online stores (Kindle, Soney eBook store, iPhone/Stanza, scribd.com etc). We set up our digital book distribution service precisely because of the limitations you describe - we wanted to give non-US authors a way to scale the e-barriers that are currently in place with Amazon etc.
Sally, this sounds really interesting. Have you already started?
Nick, we have started - in September we put our first title on Scribd: The ABC of Carbon by Ken Hickson. Check out our website at http://www.redhillpublishing.com.
Before bying an ereader, please consider that paper books are more sustainable and better for the environment:
http://selfdestructivebastards.blogspot.com/2009/10/ebooks-versus-paper.html
Joanna:
Great post. Please let me know if you have any trouble getting an eBook version of Socialnomics and I will see what I can do.
Best, Erik Qualman
Author of Socialnomics
Thanks Erik, I have just bought the Kindle version on my brand spanking new Kindle International. Am enjoying the book! Thanks so much, Joanna
Great! I'm glad you are enjoying it!