New German-based e-book platform

[Dorte]

The other day I discovered the German-based e-book platform XinXii.

 

They seem to be well-established in Germany, and now they also sell e-books in English and French.

 

The English shop: http://www.xinxii.com/default.php/en

 

Dorte H, Denmark.

[I. J. Parker]

This is different from Amazon???

[Dorte]

Probably. I know they are different from Smashwords (where I published a book recently), and they are not necessarily better. It may be an advantage for me that they are based near Scandinavia, and that they are smaller (your book may be more visible).

 

I just wanted to show people that there are alternatives to the big ones so please don´t see my post as a recommendation. I´d like to know if others have noticed them, however.

[I. J. Parker]

Thanks.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

I threw mine up there real quick just to see what happens. That seems to be the biggest advantage so far. I went from unregistered user to selling my eBook in about 10 minutes (it helps if you have all the materials ready). There isn't wacky formatting to master like Smashwords, and there isn't a bunch of red tape like with Amazon.

Doesn't look like a high-traffic site, though. Xinxii claims it is the premier European eBook retailer. Dorte, do you think that's accurate? Are there others (outside Amazon) doing well in the European markets?

[Dorte]

Hi Ben.

Yes, I saw that, and so did I.

XinXii may be the largest ebook retailer in Germany, but as you have also noticed, there are not that many English titles yet, especially not fiction. I don´t know much about e-books outside Denmark & the UK as I don´t read properly in any of the other languages.

I am willing to experiment with XinXii, however, as I think it is a good idea to have some non-American alternatives. As a Danish writer of American flash fiction in e-book format I am used to being a pioneer anyway ;)

 

I hope you read the conditions carefully & noticed they won´t pay you any money until they owe you € 25?

[Benjamin Sobieck]

I did see that. I don't know how much that is in US greenbacks ($30? - $40?), but it's still better than some of the sites out there. Scribd won't pay unless you reach $100 or decide to remove the item. Seems like a scam. It's my money, after all, and it's not like I got an advance.

[Mark Young]

Thanks for the information. I went online and published my novel to see how it might work. Now, let's see what happens. It is nice to have alternatives.

 

Regarding the UK, I noticed on Amazon.co.uk my sales in the UK is 0, but on Amazon.com there is activity. Does any one know if you have to do something on the Amazon.co.uk link, or does Amazon.com link across both sites. My ignorance rises to the surface again.

[Dorte]

Hi Mark.

Xinxii seems much ´quieter´ than Smashwords and Amazon, but via Twitter I have just got in touch with a German journalists. She has loooked into a few German e-book platforms, and she thinks XinXii "looks serious and good".

Are you American? Because you must realize that e-readers are not nearly as common in Scandinavia as in the US & UK. I have sold books to several blog friends, but only a handful to Danish friends - and none to my family ;) - and I assume it is the same for the rest of Europe; e-readers are regarded as new & expensive gadgets. 

 

With regard to Amazon, it is ONLY UK residents who can buy from Amazon.uk. The rest of the world must buy their e-books via Amazon.com so obviously their market is huge in comparison.

 

Dorte.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

If the European market isn't using e-readers, would it be better to offer work on Xinxii as a PDF? I see a 60/40 split between formats on the site between PDF and epub, respectively.

[Dorte]

Some Europeans use e-readers, but which one? My husband has an iPhone, some of my blog friends own Sony readers, others Kindle so for now I have settled for PDF.

 

Again, Smashwords has a clear advantage here as you upload ONE file and they convert it to ten formats.

[Mark Young]

Yes, I'm in the U.S., but trying to reach across borders. Thanks for this update. Buyers might be reluctant to buy eReaders right now, however, I suspect the price is going to continue to drop. When it does, they will see how cost-effective reading eBook can be over time. I wish you well on your marketing strategy there.

[Dorte]

Trying to reach across borders is a brilliant idea, and knowing a bit about your market should make it easier.

 

Good luck to you too.