For Authors
Information for authors and publishers selling with Scarlet Ferret.
The Basics
- Scarlet Ferret is a curated ebookshop
- We hand-pick books we've read and loved
- Authors and publishers get 80% of the List Price
- Books include digital extras to attract more readers
- We create beautiful pages to enhance your book listing
- You can buy optional ISBNs at cost price to help your book's discoverability
"Scarlet Ferret is a wonderful curated ebookshop with thoughtful and supportive owners. I highly recommend indie authors apply."Victoria Corva, author of Books and Bone
Book Extras
Extras are optional digital files distributed with a purchased ebook.
They add extra value to a book that can be reflected in a higher sale price. They can attract new readers, and provide special material for existing fans. Book Extras are equivalent to the Special Features on a Collector's Edition DVD.
Extras can include a variety of material, as long as it is in a digital format:
- deleted chapters
- additional stories
- essays or blog posts collected together
- desktop, tablet and phone wallpaper, based on the book cover or related artwork
- alternative book covers
- map images
- print-and-cutout models
- recipes
- music & audio files
- recommended playlist to read along to
- and much more.
Existing fans who already own a book may consider buying a new Scarlet Ferret copy if it means they can access special or even exclusive material they will enjoy.
Extras are optional, but authors are strongly encouraged to consider including them.
ISBNs
ISBNs are not required at Scarlet Ferret, but can help in the wider discovery of your book.
Unfortunately, ISBNs are extremely expensive for authors or small publishers to purchase themselves - and they get more expensive the fewer you need. (Except in Canada, where they're free as a Government service.)
If you already have an ISBN for a self-published edition of your ebook (not one from Smashwords, Draft2Digital, etc. where the distributors are listed as the publisher) then we are already good to go. But for those without an ISBN, we have a solution:
To help ensure books are discovered and listed as widely as possible, Scarlet Ferret will sell authors who stock books with Scarlet Ferret their own ISBNs at cost price.
The only caveat is that Scarlet Ferret must become a co-publisher of the work, by being listed as such in the book's front matter. We buy ISBNs from the UK's ISBN agency as book publishers, so we cannot sell you an ISBN for your exclusive self-publishing use. But we believe that co-publishing means you gain the benefits of an ISBN without the ridiculous cost, and Scarlet Ferret are compliant with ISBN guidelines.
Currently, an ISBN for a book on sale through Scarlet Ferret costs £16.00.
Reporting
Transparency is essential to the trust authors place in Scarlet Ferret when agreeing to sell their ebooks with us. There are far too many stories of small publishers and bookshops hiding or obfuscating sales data to withhold money from authors.
Authors receive an e-mail each month where they've had sales, detailing:
- list of all individual sales
- the total income from their sales
- their author income share
- full list of their past payouts
- their current payout amount - which is paid out on reaching £10
Read the Author Agreement