Smashwords and Other e-book sites... are they worth it?

YA writers and bloggers unite each week to share their thoughts on what it's like going indie in today's publishing world.

Welcome to the next instalment of the YA Indie Carnival "Indie Author Series". Today we are all talking about whether it's worth having your books on multiple book sites.

I admit that Amazon is my biggest seller. They are very reader friendly. I buy most of my books through them as that "buy with 1 click feature" totally rocks.

In saying this, as an author, I think it's important to have my books on as many sites as possible. So I publish through Smashwords, which then distributes to multiple e-book chains for me. I've come to see that my next big sellers are: Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Sony and Kobo.

I think it's important that we give our readers choice so I think it is worth using multiple book sites. Sure, it does take away the advantage of being able to use KDP Select, but I have heard varied opinions on that system and for now, I'm happy to stick with having my books everywhere.

What do you think?

If you'd like to hear what the other YA Indie Carnival members think, then you can check out their sites below.

You can also check out the YA Author Club for the latest updates and news on what we're all up to.

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series	4.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
5.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	6.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
7.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	8.	Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
9.	Ella James	10.	Maureen Murrish
11.	YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings	12.	A Little Bit of R&R
13.	Melissa Pearl	14.	Terah Edun - YA Fantasy

Kindle/Amazon - All In Or Diversify?

YA writers and bloggers unite each week to share their thoughts on what it's like going indie in today's publishing world.

I think this is a really interesting discussion for the week. I have read many comments on this topic and although I can see where everyone is coming from, I still remain firmly on my side of the camp.

I diversify.

Amazon is amazing and I am really glad I have my books featured on their site. I like their set up and I buy most of my books through them.

However, I never want to feel like they are my only option, so I have made sure that my books can be purchased in as many places as possible.

I have spoken to various people about KDP Select and looked at how it has worked for some and not for others. Either way, I don't like the idea of having to make my books exclusive. I want my market to be broad. The more people who can access my books, the better. This makes sense to me. 

Amazon is still my top seller, but I am starting to sell more and more books through Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo and Sony. Who knows what will become of each of these retailers. I like the idea that my options are open.

What do you think?
Do you have your books published everywhere or is Amazon the one you like to stick with?

If you'd like to hear what the other YA Indie Carnival members think, then you can check out their sites below.

You can also check out the YA Author Club for the latest updates and news on what we're all up to.

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series	4.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
5.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	6.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
7.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	8.	Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
9.	Ella James	10.	Maureen Murrish
11.	YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings	12.	A Little Bit of R&R
13.	Melissa Pearl	14.	Terah Edun - YA Fantasy