Draft2Digital vs Smashwords
- Draft2Digital acquired Smashwords in 2022; the companies now operate together.
- Draft2Digital is the distribution engine reaching Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and libraries.
- The Smashwords Store remains a direct storefront with its own promotional sales.
- Draft2Digital's conversion and print tools are the stronger production side.
- Smashwords Coupons and site-wide sales are the main reason to keep that storefront active.
Smashwords is now owned by Draft2Digital, so this is no longer a choice between two companies. Draft2Digital is the distribution and formatting engine; the Smashwords Store is a direct storefront with its own sales and coupon tools. Most authors publish through Draft2Digital and opt into the Smashwords Store as one more channel.
Chapter i·Why it matters
A lot of advice still treats these as rivals, which sends authors comparing royalty splits that no longer differ. What actually matters now is whether you use the Smashwords Store's promotional machinery, especially its sitewide sales, and whether Draft2Digital's channel list overlaps with what you already publish direct.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Which retailers you already reach directly, to avoid duplicate listings.
- Whether you will use Smashwords coupons and seasonal sales.
- Draft2Digital's free formatting and print options as production savings.
- Library distribution through Overdrive and Bibliotheca as an underrated channel.
- Payment thresholds and reporting cadence.
- Universal book links, which Draft2Digital generates automatically.
Chapter iii·Example
An author publishing direct to Amazon and Apple used Draft2Digital only for Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and libraries, then enabled the Smashwords Store and ran a sitewide 50 percent sale that moved 300 copies of book one into a five-book series.
Chapter iv·Related questions
In WriteLoom
A launch plan, not a launch day
WriteLoom keeps one metadata record per title so every store gets the same blurb, categories, and keywords without retyping.
Not ready for a workspace yet? Get the free six-part series on winning the writing game: finishing drafts, editing in the right order, querying with real math, and launching on a runway.