Smashwords
reviews and complaints

As someone deeply invested in the world of self-publishing, I've explored Smashwords and its mixed bag of reviews. While some authors praise its flexibility and reach, others express frustration with its stringent review process and platform changes. It's evident that Smashwords holds promise for indie authors seeking a diverse audience, yet it also poses challenges in terms of formatting requirements and account management. As a potential user, it's essential to weigh the platform's benefits against its limitations to make an informed decision on whether it aligns with your publishing goals.

Smashwords is an honest and helpful distributor of ebooks from independent authors. I have enjoyed their services for the sale and distribution of my dozen novels and stories for several years. I do recommend them. However, their format requirements are not the same as Kobo or Kindle and they have other requirements that are unique to them. Broken Symmetry Publishing, see Pa'an and Melt-Out.

It's frustrating, but I keep trying because I believe in the power of Smashwords to get my work out there. Despite the rejection, I have found that Smashwords is a great platform for self-publishing. It's easy to use and has a wide range of distribution channels, including Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and Kobo.

One thing I appreciate about Smashwords is that they allow authors to set their own prices and offer free promotions. This gives me the freedom to experiment with pricing and marketing strategies. I also like that Smashwords pays authors directly and doesn't take a cut of the royalties.

However, there are some downsides to using Smashwords. The formatting guidelines can be confusing and time-consuming to follow. The website design is also a bit outdated and could use some improvement.

Overall, I would recommend Smashwords to any author looking to self-publish. It's a great way to get your work out there and reach a wider audience. Just be prepared to spend some time formatting your work and don't get discouraged if your work is rejected from the Premium Catalog. Keep trying and you'll get there eventually.

Smashwords is a really cool site that I just can't get enough of. It's like a treasure trove of books for indie authors, both fiction and non-fiction. I mean, seriously, it's so much easier to use than Amazon, and it's got digital books for almost every e-reader out there.

One of the things I love about Smashwords is that it's a great place to find bargains. I mean, who doesn't love a good deal, right? And if you're a book lover like me, then you'll definitely appreciate the fact that this site is a great way to discover new authors and find your next favourite book.

Overall, I think Smashwords is a fantastic site that's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of reading. Whether you're into fiction or non-fiction, there's something for everyone here. So go ahead and give it a try - you won't be disappointed!

Smashwords is a website that's all about books. You can find all kinds of books on there, from romance to mystery to science fiction. It's a great place to go if you're looking for something new to read, or if you're an author looking to publish your work.

One thing I really like about Smashwords is that they make it easy for authors to self-publish their books. All you have to do is create an account, upload your manuscript, and choose the formats you want your book to be available in. Then, Smashwords takes care of the rest, distributing your book to all the major ebook retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.

Another thing I like about Smashwords is that they have a lot of free books available. You can browse their "Free" section and find all kinds of interesting titles. Of course, not all of them are going to be great, but it's a good way to discover new authors and genres without having to spend any money.

Overall, I think Smashwords is a great resource for both readers and authors. It's easy to use, has a wide selection of books, and offers a lot of free content. If you're a book lover, you should definitely check it out.

I recently had an experience with Smashwords, and I must say, it was quite disappointing. I had written an ebook that was reviewed by doctors who were against the rush in making vaccines available. However, when I tried to publish it on Smashwords, they de-published it from their platform. It was quite shocking to see that they were controlling the content that was being published on their platform, just like the Communist Party of China.

It seems that Smashwords has a certain ideological agenda that they want to promote, and they will only allow books that complement their agenda to be sold on their platform. This is quite concerning, as it goes against the very principles of free speech and expression. As a writer, I believe that everyone should have the right to express their opinions and ideas, regardless of whether they align with the views of the platform they are publishing on.

Furthermore, the process of publishing on Smashwords was quite confusing and difficult to navigate. The website was not user-friendly, and it was hard to find the information I needed. The guidelines for publishing were also quite vague, and it was hard to know what was allowed and what was not.

Overall, my experience with Smashwords was not a positive one. I would not recommend this platform to anyone who values free speech and expression. If you are looking for a platform to publish your work, I suggest looking elsewhere.

I recently published an e-book on Smashwords and I must say, it's a pretty sweet platform for self-publishing. The tools are pretty easy to use, but there are some specific styles that can be a bit tricky to get right. However, overall it's a great option for those who want to get their work out there and reach a wider audience.

One thing to keep in mind is that while Smashwords does have some good marketing tools, it's always a good idea to promote your work through other platforms as well. Social media is a great way to get the word out and connect with potential readers.

If you're looking to spread your work for free and reach a wider audience, Smashwords is definitely a good option. It's an easy-to-use self-publishing forum that allows you to connect with readers all over the world. Plus, it has a good network for iTunes and Barnes & Noble libraries, which can help you reach even more readers.

Overall, I would say that Smashwords is a solid second option to Amazon for self-publishing. It's definitely easier to use and can help you reach more readers on your own. While I haven't tried Amazon for myself, I've seen some areas where Smashwords could make some slight improvements to make it even more awesome. But for now, it's a great platform for anyone looking to get their work out there and connect with readers.

So, I recently had a really bad experience with Draft 2 Digital (D2D) and I wrote a book about it. I also wrote a review of D2D, but since the merger with Smashwords, my accounts were banned due to the lies that D2D said about me. It's really frustrating because if the reasons why I had a bad experience were true, then why is the book being sold on Amazon? If what D2D and later Smashwords claims is true, then Amazon should have also blocked me and banned me as well.

In my opinion, it's better to publish your work at each store site or create your own website that you can control. That way, you can have what you like there without any fear of being banned, etc. I would caution you, like I did in my review of D2D, not to publish with Smashwords/D2D. It's just not worth the risk.

Overall, I think Smashwords has a lot of work to do when it comes to customer service and transparency. It's frustrating when you feel like you're being lied to and your accounts are being banned for no reason. I hope they can improve their processes and make things right for their customers.

Smashwords is a platform that I have used as an author, and I have to say, it's not the easiest platform to use. Their ebook file creation process is a bit clunky, and their review process is quite strict. When it comes to the amount of time spent versus the amount of sales you can make, it's simply not a good option. Let me give you some numbers to back this up.

Sales on the platform are quite low. According to reports, Smashwords made around 6 million in revenue with 250k authors. This means that the average author made around $24 per year. In comparison, Kobo, a much smaller ebook retailer, made 97 million in sales. Amazon and B&N are in the billions of dollars of sales. From these numbers, it's clear that the book-purchasing public is not really on Smashwords.

Overall, the return on investment is not impressive, especially since their payment system for authors is a bit clunky and slow. They cut paper checks with a threshold of $ in your account before you can be paid.

I don't find their "Premium Catalog" to be of much value. It's better to create separate author accounts for major retailers and use those to publish your book directly. Once you have created a book that satisfies Amazon's requirements, you are 95%+ of the way there with other retailers. There's no need to let Smashwords take a cut of your sales on other platforms, especially Amazon.

I would only recommend using Smashwords if you want to cover all your bases and have your book available on every platform possible. Or, if you're publishing some kind of niche content that already has an audience on that site. Otherwise, it's best to avoid it.

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with Smashwords for terminating my author account without valid reasons. They accused me of violating their terms of service, which is not true. I received a notification from them a few days ago informing me of the termination, without any prior warnings. According to Smashwords, I had published the same or similar book under two different author names, but this is incorrect. What I actually did was repackaging, a common practice on all online book platforms, including Smashwords. I write romance novels with male/male gender pairings and then convert them to female/female pairings. Occasionally, I also convert male/female pairings. Smashwords claimed that my books "***'s Slavery" and "Lesbian Slavery" were the same, but this is false. "***'s Slavery" is a male/female book, while "Lesbian Slavery" is a female/female book. I have been doing this on Smashwords for several years without any issues, and I believe other authors have done the same. If Smashwords had a problem with this, they could have simply asked me to remove one of the books, as their terms of service do not prohibit repackaging. However, they abruptly terminated all my accounts without warning or explanation. This is inappropriate. Initially, I accepted their decision since I wasn't earning much from them anyway. However, upon further reflection, I realized that Smashwords made an error and should reinstate my accounts. They provided no warning before terminating my account, falsely accused me of publishing the same book under different names, and claimed to have emailed me about questionable books I published, which I never received. Smashwords terminated my account despite the fact that I have not violated their terms of service. This is highly inappropriate and unethical, and I request that they reinstate my accounts. Thank you.