We make it fast, free and easy to publish an ebook!
World's largest indie ebook distributor
200,000+ titles published by 55,000+ authors and publishers
85% net back to the author/publisher/agent
Distribution to Apple iBookstore (51 countries), Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Baker & Taylor, Diesel, Page Foundry and more on the way
Upload your book once and enjoy distribution to multiple retailers. Spend more time writing and less time managing multiple retailer platforms.
We provide simple, step-by-step instructions that make it free and easy for anyone to create, publish and distribute an ebook.
Distribution to libraries
FREE ISBNs
FREE ebook conversion to nine formats from a Word .doc
FREE unlimited anytime-updates to book and metadata
FREE consolidated sales reporting simplifies year-end tax reporting
FREE centralized metadata management
FREE exclusive marketing and selling tools such as our Smashwords Coupon Manager!
We DON'T employ sales people. We'll NEVER try to sell you anything (because we don't sell anything!).

Getting Started is Easy as 1-2-3:

Sign up for your free account. Your confirmation email will summarize your next steps.
Format your manuscript as a Microsoft Word .doc file per the guidelines in the Smashwords Style Guide (also available in translated versions for German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish and Italian), or, if you don't have the time or patience to do it yourself, send an email to list@smashwords.com to request "Mark's List" of low-cost ($40+) Smashwords ebook formatters and cover designers. If you want to upload a professionally designed .epub file, please read our online documentation for Smashwords Direct (new!).
Click Publish and follow the simple steps to upload your book and cover image.

Ebook Distribution Made Fast, FREE and Easy

We invite you to join 55,000+ Smashwords authors and publishers from every corner of the globe who publish and distribute over 200,000 original ebooks with us! Come learn why Smashwords is the #1 ebook distributor for indie authors.

Smashwords makes it fast, free and easy to publish, distribute and sell your ebooks to a worldwide audience at the largest ebook retailers. At Smashwords, there are no setup fees, no packages to buy (we don't sell them!), and never any cost to update or revise your book. We provide free ISBNs.

Smashwords is an authorized ebook distributor for most major online ebook retailers, including the Apple iPad iBookstore (Smashwords is a certified Global Apple Aggregator distributing to iBookstores in 50 countries), Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo (our books also go to FNAC and WHSmith, powered by Kobo), Baker & Taylor (Blio + Axis360 service for public libraries), the Diesel eBook Store and EbookEros (Romance & erotica only, operated by Diesel) and Page Foundry (their Android ebook store app powers the ebook stores of Asus and Cricket Wireless' pre-paid smart phones; also operates online retailers Versent.com and Inktera.com). Our books are also distributed into the native catalogs of top mobile e-reading apps such as Aldiko (over 2 million users) and Word-Player on Android devices. Your book is also available for immediate sale at Smashwords.com, our retail operation. Smashwords books are also eligible for promotion through our growing network of Smashwords affiliates.

To publish at Smashwords, you must be the original author or the exclusive digital publisher, distributor or literary agent. Smashwords does not publish public domain or Private Label Rights books.

Smashwords for Authors

Smashwords is the world's leading ebook distributor for indie authors. We were created by an author (Mark Coker) for the benefit of authors (Click here to read the profile on Smashwords in Forbes Magazine). Our free service helps you publish, distribute and sell your masterpiece at multiple major ebook retailers. We also operate the Smashwords store, where customers can download your book in multiple formats, readable on any e-reading device, including the Amazon Kindle, the Apple iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, the Sony Reader, the Barnes & Noble nook, your personal computer, Android devices, and others. As a Smashwords author, you gain access to free, do-it-yourself sales and marketing tools to help you promote your book. Earn 60% of the list price for sales through our major retailers, and earn 85% net for sales at the Smashwords Store (70.5% for sales originated by our network of affiliate marketers).

Click here to download our free ebook that reveals the best practices of the most successful Smashwords authors: The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success.

Smashwords for Publishers

If you're the exclusive publisher of multiple authors, and you want to list and control your authors' titles on Smashwords, then upgrade your account for free to Publisher status. Each publisher is provided a custom-branded online bookstore, and the ability to list an unlimited number of ebook titles from an unlimited number of authors. Publishers receive 85 percent or more of the net sales proceeds from their titles (70.5% for affiliate sales), and gain access to numerous free promotion and selling tools offered by Smashwords, including our popular Smashwords Coupon Generator which makes it easy to run custom coupon promotions across online social networks, blogs and web sites. Before upgrading your account, please read this documentation about the Publisher account. If you don't plan to upload books from multiple authors, there's no reason to upgrade your account.

Smashwords for Literary Agents

The next chapter of the indie ebook revolution will be written by literary agents. Literary agents are trusted business advisors to the world's most commercially successful authors. As a business advisor and author advocate, the agent's role is to help the author maximize the commercial potential of their work. Indie ebook publishing via Smashwords represents an exciting complement and/or alternative to traditional publishing. Agents can help authors bring their reverted-rights works back to life as ebooks, or can publish an author's unsold works. Literary agents receive the same powerful publishing features as Publishers yet have their books appear as "Written by AuthorName, agented as AgencyName." Click here for the documentation on how to upgrade to a Agent account. Our consolidated sales reports simplify multi-channel sales reporting by title, author and retailer.

View The Literary Agent's Indie Ebook Roadmap presentation, which explores how literary agents can assist their client's ebook publishing efforts.

Smashwords for Libraries

Smashwords proudly supports libraries, and we're working to make our ebooks available to every library in the world. Smashwords currently distributes its books through Baker & Taylor's Axis360 platform, and will soon begin distributing through 3M's Cloud Library, as well as through other leading aggregators now in the works. Smashwords is also experimenting with Califa (read the news story here from Library Journal), a consortium of over 200 California public libraries that is working to create an ebook aggregation service modeled after the ground-breaking Douglas County model created by Jamie Larue.

Smashwords for Retailers: Co-Branded Publishing Portal Service

If you operate a Smashwords-authorized ebook retailer, or a library, and you want to provide indie authors and small publishers a fast, free and easy onramp to list their ebooks at your store, contact Smashwords to inquire about our co-branded Publishing Portal service. As a retailer, you want to serve your customers by providing them the greatest possible selection and diversity of ebook content. Yet, as you know, it's time-consuming and cost-prohibitive to enter into contractual relationships with every individual author or small publisher. This is where Smashwords can help. We're the leading independent ebook publishing and distribution platform. At no cost to you, and no cost to authors and publishers, we can create for you a co-branded publishing portal, similar to what we created for Sony and the Diesel eBook Store. Our co-branded Publishing Portal makes it easy for you to accomodate the titles of indie authors and publishers, while at the same time gaining permanent brand recognition at Smashwords. The co-branded Publishing Portal requires an ebook distribution agreement with Smashwords.

These Resources Make Your Ebook Publishing Faster, Easier and More Successful:

1. Read our Frequently Asked Questions (a must read! Includes a NEW glossary of ebook terms)

2. Read the blog post, How to Self-Publish an Ebook with Smashwords, where 31 veteran Smashwords authors share their time-saving tips for new Smashwords authors and publishers.

3. Read the Smashwords Style Guide for important ebook formatting requirements, and how to create your ebook using a Word processor.

4. If you want to upload your ebook as a professionally-designed .epub file, read our online documentation for our new feature called Smashwords Direct.

5. View our special checklist, how to publish iPad ebooks at the Apple iBookstore

6. Learn how fast track your titles for inclusion in the Smashwords Premium Catalog, which earns your book distribution to mainstream ebook retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo and Sony.

7. Read the Q&A with Mark Coker, our founder

8. Read the Smashwords Book Marketing Guide for 37 free book marketing tips.

9. Read the Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success, our free ebook that reveals the 28 best practices of the most commercially successful Smashwords authors. Released March 26 2012!

10. Read our terms of service (our publishing contract with you)

11. Read the buzz about Smashwords in our press room

12. Visit the official Smashwords Facebook page to network with fellow Smashwords authors, publishers and readers.