Smashwords Partners with Diesel eBook Store to Expand Inventory and Create Additional Sales Channels for Indie eBook Authors and Publishers
Smashwords to Supply eBooks to Diesel, and Diesel Selects Smashwords to Power New Diesel Publishing Portal
Los Gatos, CA. and Richmond, VA—July 5, 2010 -- Smashwords, the leading eBook publishing and distribution platform, and the Diesel eBook Store, the world’s largest independent eBook retailer, have announced two eBook distribution agreements that will expand eBook publishing, distribution and sales opportunities for thousands of authors.
The agreement is comprised of two components. For the first part of the agreement, Smashwords will distribute its Premium Catalog of over 11,000 Smashwords eBooks to the Diesel eBook Store. Smashwords books will begin appearing in the Diesel eBook Store two weeks from today.
For the second part of the agreement, Diesel has selected Smashwords to power the new Diesel Publishing Portal, where indie authors, and publishers with fewer than 100 published titles, can utilize Smashwords to supply their books to Diesel. The new Diesel Publishing Portal makes it easier for self-published authors and independent publishers to sell their books at Diesel as well as other major eBook retailers served by Smashwords and via Smashwords-supplied mobile apps including Stanza and Aldiko. Effective immediately, indie authors and publishers can visit http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/category/smashwords_pubportal to click on a dedicated link that will allow them to sign up for a free Smashwords publishing account.
After Diesel authors sign up for the co-branded Smashwords service, they upload their finished manuscript as a Microsoft Word file, formatted to the requirements of the Smashwords Style Guide. Smashwords automatically converts the book to nine eBook formats, making the book available for immediate sale to customers at a price set by the indie author or publisher. Smashwords then evaluates the book for inclusion in the Smashwords Premium Catalog.
Authors and publishers who utilize Smashwords to supply eBooks to the Diesel eBook Store will earn royalties of 60% of the retail price as set by the Smashwords author or publisher.
“Diesel’s approach to eBooks is to offer our customers choices – across multiple devices, multiple reader software and beginning with Smashwords, multiple publishing models,” explained L.Scott Redford, president and founder of the Diesel eBook Store. “Smashwords has aggressively built an extensive platform that makes it simple for a small author or publisher to quickly enter the fast growing digital marketplace.”
“Our mission at Smashwords is to help authors and publishers reach readers, so indie eBook retailers such as Diesel are an important and welcome addition to our distribution network,” said Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords. “Over the last several years, Diesel has done a fabulous job of cultivating a large and loyal customer base of thousands of eBook readers who prefer shopping at Diesel. Smart authors and publishers need their books available for discovery and sale at Diesel, and Smashwords makes this distribution fast, free and easy.”
As a result of this agreement, Smashwords becomes the third leading eBook distributor to supply eBooks directly to Diesel.
About the Diesel eBook Store
Launching in 2004, Diesel operates the world’s largest independent eBook retailer, offering over 2.2 million original eBook titles including hundreds of exclusive cyber bundles for deep discounts. Based in Richmond, Virginia, Diesel sells titles from hundreds of publishers including Harlequin, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill, Penguin and Random House and in multiple formats including ePub, Microsoft Reader, Mobipocket, and Palm/eReader and PDF for all eBook devices and eReading hardware. Forty categories and 2,700 sub-categories mean customers find it faster at Diesel eBooks.
About Smashwords, Inc.
Smashwords operates the world’s leading eBook publishing and
distribution platform serving authors, publishers, readers and
retailers. Smashwords makes it free and easy for the world’s authors
and publishers to instantly publish and distribute their books as
multi-format ebooks. Smashwords puts authors and publishers in full
control over the pricing, sampling and distribution of their works.
Authors and publishers receive up to 85 percent of the net proceeds
from sales of their works. Smashwords has distribution relationships
with leading online retailers such as Apple, Diesel
eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Sony, and leading mobile e-reading apps including Aldiko,
Stanza, Kobo, FBReader and Word-Player, spanning all major mobile
platforms including Android, Blackberry and iPhone. Privately held
Smashwords is based in Los Gatos, California, and can be reached on the
web at http://www.smashwords.com/. Visit the official Smashwords blog
at http://blog.smashwords.com/.