Smashwords
Mark Coker launched Smashwords in 2008 as the first store that let anyone publish an ebook, and its own shop still sells with unusually generous terms for the author. Coupons can be generated for reviewers and newsletter subscribers, series pricing is flexible, and the site hosts long running sitewide events, notably Read an Ebook Week in March and the summer and winter sales, which many indie authors treat as fixed points in the promotional calendar.
Since the 2022 merger, uploads and distribution run through Draft2Digital while the storefront continues under its own name. Useful as a direct sales channel and for handing out review copies in several formats at once. Traffic to the store itself is a fraction of what the big retailers see, and the interface shows its age, so it works best as a supporting player rather than a main shop.
Pros
- Generous royalty on own store sales
- Free coupon codes for review copies
- Popular sitewide sales twice a year
- Multiple file formats for one upload
- Managed through the Draft2Digital dashboard
Cons
- Storefront traffic is modest
- Interface looks dated
- No separate control since the merger
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