If you want a good answer to this question: Can I publish on Amazon KDP and Smashwords? You have this post to give you all the answers you desire.
Related: Smashwords Draft2digital merger update
Can I Publish in Amazon KDP and Smashwords: Going wide
Authors who want to publish on both Amazon KDP and Smashwords (or Draft2digital) are said to be going wide with their books.
In case you don’t know Smashwords was acquired this year by Draft2digital. So publishing your ebook on Smashwords is just the same as publishing your ebooks on Draft2digital. The two publishing companies are now one.
Going wide with your books
Smashwords or Draft2digital publishes your book and also helps you to distribute it to all their major ebook stores and online library partners. This way, your book has the chance of reaching as many people online as possible.
However, we have seen authors who prefer to publish their books only on Amazon. These authors have chosen that their published books on Amazon KDP should be on the exclusive list.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both forms of ebook publishing.
Related: Exclusive Publishing articles and resources
Can I Publish on Amazon KDP and Smashwords or Draft2digital?
Yes, Yiu can publish on Amazon KDP and Smashwords or Draft2digital at the same time if you fulfill certain rules, especially on the part of Amazon KDP.
What are the rules? Let’s look at them below:
Don’t opt in for Amazon Kindle Select
If you want to publish your ebooks on both Amazon KDP and Smashwords or Draft2digital at the same time, you should not opt-in for Amazon Kindle Select program.
If you enroll your book in the Amazon Kindle Select program during publication or at any time, Amazon expects the book to be exclusive to them. This implies that you must not publish the ebook version on any other online stores for three months.
Related: Amazon Kindle Select: How to use it to promote your book
Your book’s price must be the same
If you must successfully publish your ebooks on Amazon KDP and Smashwords or Draft2digital, then your book’s price must be the same in all the stores where you published your books outside Amazon KDP.
If you don’t obey or keep this rule, Amazon wili price match your book’s price when they find out. This implies if you sell your ebook at $2.99 on Amazon and sell it at $1.99 on Smashwords or Draft2digital, Amazon will change the price of your book to $1.99 without informing you.
Get your books published worldwide
If you obey those simple rules from Amazon KDP, you can get your books published in Amazon KDP and Smashwords or Draft2digital at the same time successfully.
There are no rules preventing you from doing this on the part of Draft2digital.
So go ahead and let your ebook go wide or let your ebooks be published worldwide.
