If you’re interested in book publishing, you may be shocked at the news that Draft2Digital has acquired Smashwords.
From Draft2Digital:
We know this is going to feel a bit unexpected and out of the blue, but we’re very excited to make this announcement, and even more excited about what this means for you and the rest of the author community.
Book publishing: is the consolidation good news for self-publishing authors?
I admit my indie-loving soul cringed a little when I heard the news. Generally speaking consolidation anywhere in publishing (viz the few book publishing houses left standing) is bad news for authors.
Authors Alliance published a good article, The Consolidation Of Publishing Houses, Past And Present:
When publishers merge or acquire other publishers, a key question is what degree of independence each entity will have within the new one.
Consolidation of companies across many industries is common; I’m not suggesting that the consolidation of Draft2Digital and Smashwords is a problem for publishers and authors. Neither company owns any rights in their authors’ books, so all should be well, shouldn’t it?
Besides, I’m a big fan of Draft2Digital.
Book publishing with Draft2Digital: easy, fast, and reliable
I’ve been using Draft2Digital for years to publish my books more widely. My experience is solely with ebooks, rather than print. Although I’ve been meaning to get my books into print, but I’ve never found the time to take a deep dive into the process.
My experience with Smashwords is zero. Their publishing process never appealed to me, because it seemed complex, when compared to Draft2Digital’s process.
Good things coming for Draft2Digital’s book publishers and authors
From Draft2Digital’s blog post, if you’re currently publishing with Draft2Digital, the acquisition offers good things:
D2D authors and publishers can expect to gain access to:
- The Smashwords Store
- Smashwords Coupons
- Smashwords Presales
- Self-serve merchandising
- Author Interviews
- D2D erotica authors will also gain access to the Smashwords erotica certification system
All good, right?
Book publishing: teams of both companies remain intact
The acquisition is expected to be done by March 1, 2022.
From Draft2Digital’s FAQ, re the staff of both companies:
This is an acquisition of opportunity, not necessity. Because we are two successful companies coming together, all Smashwords employees, including founder Mark Coker, are joining the D2D team, and the D2D team will remain intact.
Re distribution networks:
Once our distribution systems are merged, authors will be able to opt-in to any and all sales and library partners currently offered by either Draft2Digital or Smashwords.
If you’re involved in book publishing, especially as a self-publisher, the merger of these two companies is big news. Signs point to the merger being a good thing, but time will tell.
In the meantime, go and publish more books. 🙂
Whether you’re a publisher or an author, distribution is everything. Here are the two companies’ current (February 2022) distribution partners.
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Copywriter and marketing pro Angela Booth maintains a busy copywriting and ghostwriting practice. Fascinated by online marketing, she wrote one of the first business books for internet marketing, published by Allen & Unwin. She’s been an enthusiastic blogger since the late 1990s.
