Publishing E-Books For Dummies

Distributing Your E-Book via Smashwords

You may choose to simply have your e-book for sale on the Smashwords site. However, in most cases, you can take advantage of Smashwords’ links with big-name online stores. By adding your book to the Smashwords premium catalog, you can reach a wider audience.

Joining the Smashwords premium catalog

After your book is published on Smashwords, it’s available via Smashwords itself. Although some readers like to buy e-books from Smashwords (for its multiple e-book formats), others prefer to use a retailer’s site, especially if they have that retailer’s e-reader device.

To distribute your e-book to major retailers (including Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Sony), go to your dashboard. The rightmost column, labeled Premium Status, should show you a link to enroll your e-book in the premium catalog.

If the status is Needs Modification, you should see a note indicating why your e-book can’t yet be added to the premium catalog (such as needs cover image) or a link you can click to open a page with more details. Read the Current Status section carefully to find out what changes you need to make.

Opting in and out of different channels

Smashwords now distributes to Sony, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, and Diesel. It’s also seeking to arrange distribution to Amazon and Baker-Taylor. By default, when you submit your e-book to the premium catalog, it’s listed for distribution to all these stores. (It will be sent to Amazon and Baker-Taylor only ...