Smashwords Signs Distribution Agreement with Sony Electronics; Helps Power New Sony Publisher Portal
Smashwords Authors and Publishers, Anywhere Around the World, Can Now Publish Directly into The eBook Store from Sony and other Major Ebook Retailers
Los Gatos, Calif., September 29, 2009 - Smashwords today announced an ebook distribution agreement with Sony Electronics, with dramatic implications for self-published authors and small publishers around the world. Authors and publishers can now go straight from finished manuscript to ebook distribution in a matter of minutes, hours and days.
Effective immediately, self-published authors and independent publishers can visit the Sony Publisher Portal at http://ebookstore.sony.com/publishers/ and click on Smashwords to sign up for a free Smashwords publishing account. Authors simply upload their Microsoft Word file, per the Smashwords Style Guide formatting requirements, choose their distribution and then their book will be made available for immediate online sale at Smashwords.com. Authors opting in to Sony will have their ebook appear at The eBook Store from Sony within days of uploading to Smashwords.
“We’re thrilled to help power the new Sony Publisher Portal,” said Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords. “Smashwords makes it free and easy for self-published authors and independent publishers to distribute their ebooks via multiple distribution channels, including online retailers and mobile app providers. Authors and publishers simply upload their manuscript to Smashwords as a Microsoft Word document, select the price, and then we handle the conversion and retail distribution.”
Smashwords first launched its ebook publishing and distribution platform 16 months ago. The company has experienced rapid growth in recent months as publishers from around the globe take advantage of its free ebook publishing, conversion and distribution services.
New ebooks published via Smashwords through the Sony Publishing Portal can receive immediate distribution in the eBook Store from Sony. For Smashwords authors who already publish over 3,000 books via Smashwords, their ebooks can also gain distribution into The eBook Store from Sony within the next few months.
The Smashwords platform is a proven and efficient onramp to facilitate the rapid intake of ebooks from small publishers.
Sony is the third major online ebook retailer to distribute Smashwords ebooks. In January, Smashwords announced a distribution agreement with Lexcyle, now owned by Amazon, where Smashwords ebooks are listed in the native ebook catalog of Stanza, the e-reading app used by over two million iPhone and iPod Touch customers. Earlier this month, Smashwords announced a distribution agreement with Barnes & Noble, which now distributes Smashwords ebooks to multiple B&N properties including BarnesandNoble.com, Fictionwise and the popular eReader app.
Authors and publishers who wish to publish with Smashwords can learn more at http://www.smashwords.com/about/how_to_publish_on_smashwords
About Smashwords, Inc.
Launched in 2008, Smashwords is a publisher and distributor of multi-format ebooks. The free Smashwords ebook publishing platform 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 books are distributed via leading online retailers such as Sony and Barnes & Noble, and via leading mobile e-reading apps such as Stanza on the iPhone/iPod Touch and Aldiko and Word Player on Android phones. Smashwords, Inc. 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/. For frequent Smashwords updates, follow Smashwords’ founder, Mark Coker, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/markcoker