Apple Books vs Smashwords
Apple Books offers direct publishing to Apple's bookstore with no upfront cost and a 70% royalty rate, but limits distribution to Apple. Smashwords (now part of Draft2Digital) is an aggregator that distributes to multiple retailers including Apple, Amazon, and others, taking a 10-15% cut, which reduces per-unit earnings but provides wider reach. The real difference is control and earnings per sale (Apple Books) versus convenience and market breadth (Smashwords). Authors must decide whether they prioritize maximizing income from Apple customers or gaining access to a broader audience through multiple channels.
Pick Apple Books
Pick Apple Books if you want the highest per-unit royalty (70%) for sales on Apple's platform and are comfortable managing other retailers separately or focusing solely on Apple users.
Pick Smashwords
Pick Smashwords if you prefer to upload once and have your book distributed to multiple retailers (including Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble) for a flat 10-15% fee, sacrificing some per-sale profit for broad reach and ease of management.
At a glance
| Apple Books | Smashwords | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free; 70% | 10–15% |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid |
| Free option | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Best for | Distribution & Publishing | Distribution & Publishing |
| AI features | No | No |
| Open source | No | No |
See more options: Apple Books alternatives · Smashwords alternatives