# Smashwords > DRM-free ebook store — reachable only as a Draft2Digital channel — with author-controlled coupons, three annual sitewide sales, and erotica-friendly policies. Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/publishing/smashwords Website: https://www.smashwords.com Category: Publishing & Distribution (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/publishing) Pricing: freemium — $0–$20 AI-powered: no Tags: ebook, storefront, drm-free, coupon-system, erotica-friendly, established, annual-sales, draft2digital Last verified: 2026-08-19 Best For: Authors who want DRM-free sales, reader coupons, and an erotica-tolerant store — accessed as one channel inside a Draft2Digital account Distribution Channels: Smashwords Store Exclusivity Required: no Format Support: ebook Royalty Rate: 75% of list on the Smashwords store at $2.99+; 40% under $2.99 — both calculated after discounts; 60% via Draft2Digital's other retail partners Service Type: storefront Smashwords is a DRM-free ebook store founded in 2008, now operating as a retail destination inside the Draft2Digital ecosystem. Smashwords' own About page describes the platform as having "completed its transformation from a combination publishing platform/distributor/bookstore to its current form, a dedicated ebook store only" as of January 2026; a March 10, 2026 Terms of Service rewrite formalized that Smashwords "is now an ebook store only." There is no Smashwords publishing account — authors publish at Draft2Digital and opt in to the Smashwords store as a channel. ## What You Get - **Author coupon system:** Create percentage-off or free-download coupons with custom expiration dates and redemption limits (or unlimited redemptions). Public coupons also appear in the store's "Special Deals" section for extra visibility; private codes suit reviewers and street teams. No other major retailer gives authors direct coupon generation. - **Three annual sitewide sales:** Read an Ebook Week (17th annual ran March 1–7, 2026), the Summer/Winter Sale (18th annual ran the full month of July 2026, with nearly 100,000 ebooks discounted), and the End of Year Sale (9th annual, December 8, 2025 – January 1, 2026). D2D authors enroll from the My Books dashboard using either One-Click Sale Pricing (one discount tier — 25%, 50%, 75%, or free — across all titles) or Advanced Sale Pricing (per-title tiers). As of 2026 there is no enrollment deadline; titles can be added or removed mid-sale. Sale discounts apply to the Smashwords store only and do not change retail prices elsewhere. - **DRM-free EPUB:** Every book is sold without DRM. Books are, in Smashwords' words, "primarily available in the ePub format," readable in the browser via the store's online reader; some legacy titles also carry a MOBI file. The pre-2022 "Meatgrinder" era that auto-generated PDF, TXT, RTF and other formats is over — assume EPUB. - **Erotica-tolerant catalog:** Smashwords carries erotica that most mainstream retailers reject, governed by the Erotica Certification System (ECS) that authors self-certify against at upload. ## Who It's For - **Authors publishing erotica:** One of the few legitimate major retail channels for the genre, with an established reader base that seeks it out. - **Authors wanting coupon-based promotions:** Direct coupon generation is unavailable at Amazon, Apple Books, or any other major retailer — a genuinely distinctive capability for ARC distribution, reader magnets, and newsletter incentives. - **Existing Draft2Digital users:** Adding the Smashwords channel costs nothing extra on an account that already pays for distribution, and unlocks the annual sale events. - **New authors:** Sign up at Draft2Digital, activate distribution (a $20 one-time fee since April 2026), and opt in to the Smashwords store. No separate account or workflow. **Pricing:** There is no Smashwords-specific fee, but store access now runs through a paid Draft2Digital account. New accounts pay a **one-time $20 activation fee** at distribution activation, which also covers the first year of maintenance; after that a **$12/yr maintenance fee** applies to accounts earning under $100 in the trailing year. Accounts predating the April 15, 2026 announcement are exempt from activation, accounts with no titles in distribution owe no maintenance fee, and D2D formatting and previewing stay free. Authors then earn **75% of list price at $2.99 and above, 40% below** (D2D Terms of Service §12.h.ii) — both calculated *after discounts*, so coupons and sitewide-sale markdowns reduce the base the 75% is taken from. Distribution to D2D's other retail partners pays 60% of list. ## Strengths - **Industry-leading retail royalty:** 75% on direct Smashwords store sales at $2.99+ is the highest rate among major ebook retailers, versus 60% at Apple, Kobo, and B&N through D2D. Rates were simplified in January 2026 from the old cart-size formula that produced 80–83%; several older D2D blog posts still quote the retired figure. - **Unique coupon system:** Author-generated, time-limited discount codes are a promotional tool no other major retailer offers. - **Proven annual events:** The most recent figures D2D has published are from 2025 — Read an Ebook Week 2025 drew 169,000 participating titles, and the first two weeks of the 2025 Summer/Winter Sale ran "up an impressive 28%" over the record-setting 2024 sale. No comparable numbers were released for the 2026 events. ## Limitations - **Store-only, not a distributor:** Smashwords sends books nowhere. It is one retail destination; Draft2Digital handles all distribution, including the library channels (OverDrive, Hoopla, cloudLibrary, BorrowBox) that Smashwords itself has no part in. The store has no library program of its own. - **Erotica is hidden by default:** Erotica is excluded from home page listings, category listings, and search results unless a registered reader opts in via the Filtering tab, and taboo-flagged titles need a second opt-in. The genre tolerance is real, but so is the discoverability cost. ECS miscategorization risks title removal, reversed sales, earnings forfeiture, and account termination. - **Draft2Digital's content bans gate entry:** Because Smashwords is reachable only through D2D, D2D's rules apply — no public domain works, no low-content books (journals, planners, notebooks), no wholly AI-generated text without extensive human editing, and noncredentialed AI-written nonfiction may require proof of subject-matter expertise. - **Smaller audience:** A dedicated indie-reader community, not the scale of Amazon or Apple Books. - **Payout thresholds and fees (D2D Terms of Service §12.c, §12.e):** $10 for PayPal and domestic EFT, $20 for international EFT and Payoneer, $100 for checks. PayPal payments cost 2.5% of royalties (capped at $1.50 for US addresses, $25 outside the US); checks cost $2.50 US / $4.00 non-US per payment. - **Ebooks only:** No print capability at the Smashwords store. ## Alternatives Draft2Digital is the publishing and distribution platform that powers Smashwords and is the mandatory starting point for any new author. For authors prioritizing Kindle Unlimited revenue, Amazon KDP with Kindle Select trades exclusivity on the digital edition for KU page-read income — a tradeoff wide-distribution authors on D2D cannot make.