Royal Road vs SmashWords

Struggling to choose between Royal Road and SmashWords? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Royal Road is a Online Services solution with tags like fiction, fantasy, scifi, romance, writing, publishing, community.

It boasts features such as Allows users to publish original fiction stories chapter-by-chapter, Has sections for different genres like fantasy, sci-fi, romance, etc, Readers can comment on stories and give ratings, Writers can get feedback from readers, Has forums and groups for writers to connect, Tracks story statistics like views, ratings, followers, Has contests and writing challenges and pros including Free to publish stories, Large audience of readers, Good for getting feedback, Active writer community, Allows new/amateur writers to gain experience.

On the other hand, SmashWords is a News & Books product tagged with ebooks, selfpublishing, distribution.

Its standout features include Self-publishing platform for ebooks, Distribution to major ebook retailers, Royalty payments direct to authors, Ebook formatting and conversion, ISBN assignment, DRM options, Coupon generation, Sales and readership analytics, and it shines with pros like Easy self-publishing process, Wide distribution reach, Good royalties for authors, No fees to publish, Formatting assistance, Analytics and marketing tools.

Feature	Royal Road	SmashWords
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Online Services	News & Books

Product Overview

Royal Road

Description: Royal Road is an online platform and community for amateur and aspiring writers to publish their fictional stories and build an audience. It has a large collection of original fiction across various genres like fantasy, sci-fi, romance, etc.

SmashWords

Description: SmashWords is an ebook publishing and distribution platform for independent authors. It allows authors to upload and sell their ebooks while handling distribution to major ebook retailers.

Key Features Comparison

Royal Road Features

• Allows users to publish original fiction stories chapter-by-chapter
• Has sections for different genres like fantasy, sci-fi, romance, etc
• Readers can comment on stories and give ratings
• Writers can get feedback from readers
• Has forums and groups for writers to connect
• Tracks story statistics like views, ratings, followers
• Has contests and writing challenges

SmashWords Features

• Self-publishing platform for ebooks
• Distribution to major ebook retailers
• Royalty payments direct to authors
• Ebook formatting and conversion
• ISBN assignment
• DRM options
• Coupon generation
• Sales and readership analytics

Pros & Cons Analysis

Royal Road

Pros

• Free to publish stories
• Large audience of readers
• Good for getting feedback
• Active writer community
• Allows new/amateur writers to gain experience

Cons

• No editoral feedback
• Hard to stand out with so many stories
• Few options to monetize writing
• Site design and features are basic
• Most readers only interested in top stories

SmashWords

Pros

• Easy self-publishing process
• Wide distribution reach
• Good royalties for authors
• No fees to publish
• Formatting assistance
• Analytics and marketing tools

Cons

• Less exposure than Amazon Kindle
• Lower name recognition than major publishers
• Less promotional marketing than major retailers
• Less prestige than traditional publishing

Pricing Comparison

Royal Road

• Freemium

SmashWords

• Freemium
• Subscription-Based