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.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Royal Road

Royal Road

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.

Categories:
fiction fantasy scifi romance writing publishing community

Royal Road Features

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

Pricing

  • Freemium

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

SmashWords

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.

Categories:
ebooks selfpublishing distribution

SmashWords Features

  1. Self-publishing platform for ebooks
  2. Distribution to major ebook retailers
  3. Royalty payments direct to authors
  4. Ebook formatting and conversion
  5. ISBN assignment
  6. DRM options
  7. Coupon generation
  8. Sales and readership analytics

Pricing

  • Freemium
  • Subscription-Based

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