Smashwords vs. BooksOasis: Two Indie Ebook Stores Compared

For years, Smashwords was the name independent authors reached for when they wanted to sell ebooks outside Amazon. It has changed a great deal. Since January 2026, Smashwords is a dedicated ebook store, supplied only through Draft2Digital, which bought it in 2022. BooksOasis is also a store built for independent authors, but it sells print as well as ebooks and pays you the full price of every ebook sale for a flat yearly plan.

Because both are now stores rather than distributors, this is a genuine like-for-like comparison: how each pays, how you list, what readers experience, and whether it's worth selling in both. Smashwords' terms below are checked at its own pages and Draft2Digital's.

Whichever store you use, the file comes first. LiberScript exports a clean EPUB that displays well in every reading app, and a print-ready PDF for print editions.

At a glance: Smashwords vs. BooksOasis

What changed at Smashwords

Smashwords used to combine three things: a publishing platform, a distributor to other retailers, and a bookstore. After Draft2Digital acquired it in 2022, publishing and distribution moved to Draft2Digital, and by January 2026 Smashwords had completed its change into a store only. Authors now publish through Draft2Digital and switch the Smashwords Store on as one of their channels.

The store's royalty rates changed on January 1, 2026: 75% of list price for ebooks priced at $2.99 and up, and 40% for ebooks under $2.99. The old checkout-based formula ended in 2025. For books priced at $2.99 or more, that's a strong rate for a retailer. For cheaper books, it's a real cut: a $1.99 ebook earns about $0.80 per Smashwords sale, where a $2.99 ebook earns about $2.24.

What BooksOasis is

BooksOasis is an online bookstore for independent authors and small presses. One listing can carry an ebook, a paperback and a hardcover, each with its own price. Readers browse genres, series, new releases and books on sale, and read ebooks in the Oasis Reader app, which runs on phones, tablets and computers and keeps their place, highlights and notes in step across devices.

Instead of a percentage, BooksOasis charges a flat yearly plan. Every ebook sale pays you 100% of the price. Print pays the price minus the printing cost and a handling fee of 30% of that printing cost, with shipping paid by the reader.

How each pays, side by side

Per-sale figures before taxes. Smashwords earnings flow through Draft2Digital's account and payment terms. BooksOasis has a yearly plan fee.

Per sale, BooksOasis always pays more, because it takes no percentage. The trade-off is the plan fee: if a book sells rarely, a percentage-based store costs you nothing in slow months, while a flat plan costs the same whatever you sell. With a few books selling steadily, the Starter plan's $29.99 a year is quickly covered.

Listing and managing your books

To be in the Smashwords Store, you need a Draft2Digital account. That's convenient if you already use Draft2Digital to reach other stores: Smashwords becomes one more channel you switch on, and price or file changes flow out with everything else.

On BooksOasis, you list directly. You create a listing, add editions and files, choose three to five genres and at least three search keywords, and submit it for review. Print files go through an automatic print-readiness check, and once your interior is uploaded, the dashboard shows the exact cover size, spine width and a downloadable template.

What readers experience

Smashwords sells DRM-free ebooks. Readers download a file and open it in any EPUB-compatible app or device, which many readers value highly. Smashwords is also known for free ebooks and for its end-of-year sale, which gives series starters a chance to reach new readers.

BooksOasis readers read in the Oasis Reader app rather than downloading a file. The app works in any modern browser, can be added to the home screen like an app, opens books offline once they're on the device, and syncs the reader's place, highlights and notes across devices. It offers light, sepia, dark and automatic themes, adjustable text, and page-flip or continuous-scroll reading. For authors who'd rather their ebook wasn't passed around as a file, that's a point in its favour; for readers who want a file, Smashwords is the better fit.

Print: only one of them sells it

Smashwords sells ebooks only. BooksOasis sells paperbacks and hardcovers alongside the ebook, each printed on demand when a reader orders. It supports five common trim sizes (5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9, 7 x 10 and 8.5 x 11 inches), paperbacks from 32 to 800 pages and hardcovers from 24 to 800. If some of your readers want a physical copy, BooksOasis lets them buy it in the same place as the ebook.

Promotions and discovery

Smashwords runs store-wide promotions, most famously its end-of-year sale, which many authors join with discounted or free books. Free ebooks remain a draw there.

BooksOasis lets you set a promotional price on any edition with optional start and end dates. Readers see the regular price crossed out, and the book can appear in the store's On Sale banners. It also has series pages with reading order, pre-orders with a Coming Soon shelf, a New release label for a book's first 30 days, and verified-purchase reviews.

Payments

Smashwords earnings are paid through Draft2Digital, which pays monthly around the 15th once you pass its minimum for your payment method: $10 for PayPal or US direct deposit, $20 for international direct deposit and $100 for check.

BooksOasis records every sale in an earnings ledger in your dashboard and pays by bank transfer or PayPal. International bank payouts go by wire once your balance passes a minimum, so a wire's fixed fee doesn't eat a small payment.

After the 2026 change: what to do with low-priced books

If you've kept books at $0.99 or $1.99 for years, the new Smashwords rates are a reason to look at them again. At 40%, a $0.99 book earns about $0.40 per Smashwords sale. Raising it to $2.99 lifts that to about $2.24, more than five times as much, and many readers won't notice the difference between a low price and a fair one if the book is good and the description sells it.

There are still good reasons to keep a low price: a short story, a first book priced to pull readers into a series, or a limited-time promotion. For those, consider where the low price does the most good. Because BooksOasis pays the full price at any level, a $0.99 series starter there still pays $0.99 per sale, which makes it a sensible home for a permanent low-priced first book, while the rest of the series sits at full price in both stores.

Free ebooks and series starters

Free first books remain one of the most effective ways to start readers on a series. Smashwords has a long history with free ebooks and an audience that looks for them, especially during its end-of-year sale. A free starter there can bring in readers who then buy the next books.

BooksOasis focuses on paid books: readers buy each book once and keep it in their library. What it offers instead is a very low entry price that still pays you in full, series pages that show readers the whole reading order, and the option to buy several books in a series in one checkout, with any books that aren't out yet included as pre-orders. For a series author, that combination makes the jump from book one to book two easy.

A simple setup sequence

1. Format the book in LiberScript and export an EPUB, plus a print PDF if you'll sell print.
2. In Draft2Digital, switch on the Smashwords Store channel for the ebook.
3. In BooksOasis, create the listing, add the ebook, paperback and hardcover editions, and choose genres and keywords.
4. Set the same list price for each format in both stores.
5. Add both store links to your website, newsletter and back matter.

Selling in both

Neither store requires exclusivity, and they reach different readers, so selling in both is sensible for most wide authors. If you already use Draft2Digital, switching on the Smashwords Store costs nothing extra. Listing on BooksOasis takes a little setup and brings a store where every ebook sale pays in full and print sits beside the ebook.

A few habits keep it tidy:

• Price at $2.99 or more where you can, which suits both stores: Smashwords pays 75% from that price, and BooksOasis pays 100% at any price.
• Keep list prices consistent and run promotions for set dates.
• Use the same description, keywords and series details in both, from one master document.
• Update back matter with links to your next book and newsletter.
• Check both stores after any change to a cover, description or price, so the listings never drift apart and readers always see the same book.

When Smashwords fits better

• You already use Draft2Digital and want one more store with no extra setup.
• Your readers want DRM-free files for their own devices.
• You rely on free first books and the store's big seasonal sale.
• You want no yearly fee for a book that sells only occasionally.
• Your genre has long-standing readers who shop there out of habit.

When BooksOasis fits better

• You want 100% of every ebook sale.
• You price below $2.99 at times and don't want the rate to drop to 40%.
• You want to sell paperbacks and hardcovers beside the ebook.
• You want series pages, pre-orders and dated promotions built in.
• You'd rather your ebook wasn't shared around as a downloadable file.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still publish directly on Smashwords? No. Authors publish through Draft2Digital and choose the Smashwords Store as one of its distribution channels.

What does Smashwords pay in 2026? 75% of list price for ebooks priced at $2.99 and up, and 40% for ebooks under $2.99.

What does BooksOasis pay? 100% of the ebook price. Print pays the price minus printing and a 30% handling fee on that printing cost.

Can I sell the same ebook on both? Yes. Neither requires exclusivity, and BooksOasis isn't a Draft2Digital channel, so you list there directly.

Does BooksOasis give readers a DRM-free file? No. BooksOasis ebooks are read in the Oasis Reader app on any device, not downloaded as files.

Will a LiberScript EPUB work in both? Yes. LiberScript exports standard EPUB files suitable for Draft2Digital and BooksOasis, and a print-ready PDF for BooksOasis paperbacks and hardcovers.

More reading: Smashwords alternatives and Draft2Digital vs. Smashwords on the BooksOasis publisher site, and our Draft2Digital vs. BooksOasis comparison.

The bottom line

Smashwords is now a store with a loyal readership, strong rates from $2.99, DRM-free files and famous seasonal sales, reached through Draft2Digital. BooksOasis is a store that pays the whole ebook price, sells print alongside it and gives authors series, pre-order and promotion tools, for one flat yearly plan. For most wide authors, the answer is both, with one well-formatted LiberScript file serving each.