SmashWords vs Royal Road

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

SmashWords is a News & Books solution with tags like ebooks, selfpublishing, distribution.

It boasts features such as 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 pros including Easy self-publishing process, Wide distribution reach, Good royalties for authors, No fees to publish, Formatting assistance, Analytics and marketing tools.

On the other hand, Royal Road is a Online Services product tagged with fiction, fantasy, scifi, romance, writing, publishing, community.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like Free to publish stories, Large audience of readers, Good for getting feedback, Active writer community, Allows new/amateur writers to gain experience.

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

Product Overview

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.

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.

Key Features Comparison

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

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

Pros & Cons Analysis

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

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

Pricing Comparison

SmashWords

• Freemium
• Subscription-Based

Royal Road

• Freemium