It was a matter of time: Draft2Digital, which acquired Smashwords, is pay per use

[NoelWell]

D2D is no longer free. It's $20 to open a new account and $12 per year if you sell less than $100 worth of books.
This was expected because no one buys a business to sponsor it. But this begs a question: are there still free options that issue ISBNs? Ingram is $300 per ISBN. Amazon KDP does not issue them. Lulu sucks.
Kobo?
Google Play?
Apple iBooks?
Are they still around?

 

[Ray McCarthy]

If you are going to write much then buy your own block. Otherwise the publisher is the company that supplied them.
The D2D charges apply even if you have your own ISBN, Ingram is expensive even if you have your own ISBN.

It can be free if you are in Norway.

Only paper books, i.e. physical media, needs ISBNs, because they are EAN / UPC for books and related things, the ISBN is really so a physical shop orders the correct edition. A different size or revision of a physical book gets a different ISBN.

The D2D charges are nothing to do with ISBNs which in bulk (100,000) are very cheap. It's allegedly to reduce AI slop, but probably just to increase profits and dissuade people from using it purely to distribute free ebooks.

Different agencies issue ISBNs per country, though the Irish ones from the same company as does UK (I think Nielsen). Unlike domain names, you have your block of ISBNs for ever. Domain name annual charges is the biggest scam on the Internet and by USA control / design.

 

[kennychaffin]

Yes....I just removed all my books and had them delete my account. Unfortunately now I'm back only on Amazon/Kindle...

 

[kennychaffin]

The D2D charges are nothing to do with ISBNs which in bulk (100,000) are very cheap. It's allegedly to reduce AI slop, but probably just to increase profits and dissuade people from using it purely to distribute free ebooks.

Yes, this. I've sold zero books there since setting them up two years ago. I definitely feel this is just a money grab. They probably don't care if the books are AI or not if they sell them and get their cut! And those that are not selling now have to pay as well.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Yes....I just removed all my books and had them delete my account. Unfortunately now I'm back only on Amazon/Kindle...

Amazon is building a monopoly. You can add to Kobo & Google Play books for free. Possibly Bookshop.org.

I've stopping buying ebooks from Amazon. Last year they killed browser downloads. Now they have killed sales to all older models. The KFX format distorts the format decided by publisher/author. The azw3/KF8 was closest to epub uploads and now won't be delivered.

D2D do deliver now to Amazon, Bookshop.org, Overdrive, Gardners, Apple, B&N's Nook, Smashwords and Kobo.
Certainly the annual charge of $12 if less than $100 income is a shock and problem for free or low volume.

List of mergers and acquisitions by Amazon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[kennychaffin]

Yeah, same, I don't buy from Amazon any more because of the No Downloads thing, but just don't know what to do with my very low sales volume.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Yet there are international best sellers with 10s of millions sold that IMO are junk. I read Romance, SF, Detective/Mystery, Spy, Adventure, YA, Fantasy (many types) etc, both contemporary and old stuff, so it's not that I'm overly fussy or narrow in reading. I don't read erotica, nor horror (even if SF&F), but everything else.

As long as you have another income source the writing (even paying for hosting now over €200 pa instead of $100, domain name €28 instead of €10, though there is a free domain) is a cheap hobby compared to gym, golf, sailing. Perhaps not as much exercise unless all outdoor adventures where you cosplay at the real locations?
Ingram Spark are expensive.

I must see is a publisher setup on D2D $12 or per author? I've a relative on D2D and we both use ISBNs registered to Corvids Press. ISBNs can be registered to a mere "imprint" that's not even a trademark!