About SmashWords
Smashwords is a leading online retailer of independently published ebooks, offering over one million DRM-free titles. Founded in 2008 and now part of Draft2Digital, Smashwords focuses on providing readers with a vast selection of affordable ebooks while empowering authors with fair royalties and global distribution. The platform is known for its reader-friendly features, including multi-dimensional search tools, exclusive sales events, and a DRM-free library for seamless reading across devices.
FAQ
Yes, you can publish on Smashwords even if you've already published on Amazon. After uploading to Smashwords, you can use the Channel Manager in your Dashboard to opt out of any Smashwords retail partners you're already reaching through Amazon or another distributor to avoid double-distribution.
Smashwords does not charge for publishing, conversion, or distribution services. They work on a commission basis, earning a small percentage only when your book sells. The commission is 15% or less of the net, which translates to about 10% of the retail price at other retailers. At Smashwords, authors earn higher royalties, about 80% of the retail price.
No, Smashwords' publishing agreement is non-exclusive. As the original author or exclusive publisher, you retain all rights to your work and can publish anywhere else you like.
Smashwords is for finished, complete, and original written works only. This includes short and long-form fiction, personal memoirs, essays, poetry, screenplays, or anything else you can write in a word processor. Drafts, works-in-progress, or partial works are not accepted.
If your book contains language, situations, or images inappropriate for children under 18, you can tag it as having adult content during upload. This voluntary label helps protect minors and ensures your book doesn't appear in search results if the Adult Filter is activated. You can remove this label later in your Dashboard Settings if needed.
Smashwords stopped accepting new publishing accounts in March 2023. Current authors and publishers will retain access to their Dashboard and tools until later in 2024, when all publishing operations will migrate to Draft2Digital. Smashwords will transition to being an online retailer only.
To maximize distribution, you should publish on multiple platforms, including Smashwords and Amazon. Avoid Amazon's KDP Select program, as it requires exclusivity and restricts your ability to sell on other platforms like Smashwords and its retail partners (Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc.).
If you notice errors like incorrect pricing or missing metadata in your book's listing on a retailer, you can correct these issues through the Smashwords Dashboard. Use the provided tools to update your book's information and ensure it appears correctly across all distribution channels.
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