CreateSpace vs Smashwords

Last updated: October 21, 2023
As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, CreateSpace and Smashwords were two popular self-publishing platforms, although CreateSpace has since been absorbed into Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). However, I can provide a brief comparison based on the differences that existed between the two platforms at the time.

CreateSpace was Amazon's print-on-demand publishing platform that allowed authors to easily create and distribute print books. It provided tools and services for formatting, cover design, and printing, enabling authors to publish physical copies of their books without the need for upfront inventory. CreateSpace seamlessly integrated with KDP, Amazon's e-book publishing platform, allowing authors to offer both print and digital versions of their books. However, CreateSpace has since merged with KDP Print, and authors can now access print-on-demand services through KDP.

Smashwords, on the other hand, is a self-publishing platform that primarily focuses on e-books. It allows authors to upload their manuscripts and distribute them to various e-book retailers, including major platforms like Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, and others. Smashwords offers a range of formatting tools and guidelines to ensure proper conversion of manuscripts into different e-book formats. It provides authors with greater distribution options and access to a wider audience across multiple e-reading platforms.

Another notable difference lies in the pricing and royalty structures of the two platforms. CreateSpace (now KDP Print) offered authors the ability to set their own pricing for print books and earn royalties based on the book's list price and printing costs. Smashwords, on the other hand, allowed authors to set the price of their e-books and provided a standard royalty rate of 60% for sales through its own store and varying rates for sales through distribution partners.
52
CreateSpace
With CreateSpace you can easily access tools, quality printing, booksellers, eBook distribution, and marketing strategies so that you can generate more opportunities than you imagined – all while building your following of readers. Through our services, you can sell books for a fraction of the cost of traditional manufacturing, while maintaining more control over your materials. We make it simple to distribute your books through Internet retail outlets, your own website, and other bookstores, retailers, libraries, and academic institutions.
38
Smashwords
Smashwords is the world's largest distributor of indie ebooks. We make it fast, free and easy for any author or publisher, anywhere in the world, to publish and distribute ebooks to the major retailers. We provide free tools for marketing, distribution, metadata management and sales reporting. At Smashwords, our authors and publishers have complete control over the sampling, pricing and marketing of their written works.
CreateSpace vs Smashwords in our news:

2022. Self-Publishing service Draft2Digital to acquire competitor Smashwords



Draft2Digital, a pioneer in the field of ebook self-publishing, is set to acquire its competitor, Smashwords. This acquisition will enable authors who use Draft2Digital to gain access to the Smashwords Store, as well as its exclusive book marketing tools, such as Smashwords Coupons, self-serve merchandising, Author Interviews, and the patent-pending Smashwords Presales tool for book launches. Meanwhile, authors who use Smashwords will benefit from new tools that simplify both print and digital publishing, leading to greater success. These tools include D2D Print, Draft2Digital's Print on Demand service for paperbacks, improved metadata management tools for better book discoverability at retailers, automated end-matter for series books, payment splitting for co-authors and collaborations, and more payment options, including direct bank deposits. Retailers and libraries served by both companies can expect a wider selection of titles and improved merchandising recommendations. Customers of the Smashwords Store can also look forward to an improved store experience and an increased selection of books from the many great authors and publishers distributed by Draft2Digital.


2015. Smashwords allows authors to offer preorders without final ebook files



Popular self-publishing platform Smashwords has introduced a new feature that allows authors to initiate preorders for their titles up to one year in advance, even before uploading the final assets such as the finished manuscript and cover image. While Smashwords has offered preorder capabilities for over two years, it was limited to titles with ready and finalized files. Interestingly, Smashwords reports that 67% of its top 200 best-selling titles initially began as preorders on their platform. However, only a small fraction of Smashwords' extensive community of over 100,000 authors and indie publishers have utilized preorders, mainly due to the unavailability of final files until just before the official release. This recent change aims to enable more Smashwords users to generate revenue from their titles at an earlier stage. The company considers this new feature to be their most ambitious enhancement to date.


2014. Smashwords partners with Overdrive to bring more self-published books to libraries



Self-publishing platform Smashwords has expanded its reach by entering into a partnership with Overdrive, the largest digital library distributor in the country. This collaboration enables Overdrive's extensive network of library clients, which includes approximately 28,000 libraries and schools worldwide, to procure and lend out around 200,000 ebooks authored by 88,000 writers from Smashwords. The significance of this partnership lies in the fact that Overdrive works with numerous libraries and supports Kindle e-readers, setting the stage for broader global exposure for titles by Smashwords authors. As a result, these authors have the opportunity to reach a larger audience of readers through this expansive distribution network.