Draft2Digital Release Notes

Readers can now reserve preorders at Smashwords; Authors can pair preorders with Smashwords Presales to give fans early access to upcoming books

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, September 29, 2026

Draft2Digital, the leading digital publishing and distribution platform for independent authors and publishers, today announced that its Smashwords subsidiary, one of the world’s largest independent ebook retailers, now accepts customer preorders for the first time. Preorder sales at Smashwords give independent authors another storefront to build anticipation, capture early orders, and create stronger momentum for upcoming book launches.

Ebook preorders are an essential best practice for stronger book launches, yet fewer than 20% of Draft2Digital’s 300,000+ authors take advantage of this powerful marketing tool. Even though preorders comprise a minority of new releases, for years Draft2Digital has observed that preorders earn significantly more sales than books that are simply uploaded on release day.

When purchasing a book on preorder, customer credit cards are not charged until the book is released, which can be days, weeks, or months later. Authors can list preorders at Smashwords for up to 12 months ahead of release, and all accumulated orders are credited to the book’s sales rank on release day. This concentration of accumulated sales all transacting on release day boosts the Smashwords store’s algorithms and increases the new book’s visibility among Smashwords store shoppers.

In addition to Smashwords, Draft2Digital also distributes ebook preorders to Apple Books, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. All these online retailers accept assetless preorders too, meaning authors can list their upcoming books as preorders even without the final manuscript or cover art, as long as those assets are uploaded at least 10 business days before the book’s release date. Assetless preorders give authors the flexibility to list preorders longer and accumulate more sales before release.

Preorders + Smashwords Presales

Although preorders help build anticipation for upcoming books, readers who purchase a book on preorder must wait until the book’s release date before they can access and read it. Smashwords Presales, on the other hand, gives authors the opportunity to offer enthusiastic readers early access to the book, allowing them to purchase, read, and review the book before it is released to the public.

Listing an upcoming book as a preorder is a required step for authors who want to use the Smashwords Presales tool. While their book is on preorder, authors can run one or more presales. Smashwords Presales can be offered as public presales to all Smashwords store customers, or as private presales to whomever the author chooses, such as current newsletter subscribers or an author’s street team. Private presales are accessible to readers only through a special link given by the author.

Authors can also use Smashwords Presales to attract new subscribers to their email newsletters. The tool allows authors to offer a discount incentive on their presale in exchange for a customer’s email address. Email capture is only available during the presale period.

Smashwords Presales are transacted only at the Smashwords store, before the author’s preorder releases to the public. Final manuscripts and cover art are required for presales because readers will be able to access the book immediately upon sale.

“Preorders and presales give indie authors powerful, complementary ways to build buzz around book launches,” said Kris Austin, CEO and Co-founder of Draft2Digital. “When Draft2Digital and Smashwords merged, we promised indie authors we’d continue to innovate publishing tools at D2D while bringing significant improvements to the Smashwords store. We’re delighted to keep that promise.”

As independent publishing continues to evolve, Draft2Digital remains focused on building tools and distribution capabilities that help authors reach more readers and grow their publishing businesses. Preorder distribution to Smashwords is part of Draft2Digital’s continued investment in giving independent authors greater control over how they publish, distribute, and market their books.

For more information, please visit draft2digital.com and follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

About Draft2Digital

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Draft2Digital is the world's leading publishing platform for self-published authors and independent presses. The company's time-saving tools and services streamline ebook and print publishing, distribution, metadata management, and other publishing business operations. Draft2Digital serves more than 330,000 authors worldwide who have collectively released over one million titles by utilizing its services.

New York, NY – February 4, 2026 – Bookshop.org, the online platform championing independent bookstores, today announced a new partnership with Draft2Digital, the leading digital publishing and distribution platform for independent authors and publishers. Through this partnership, self-published ebooks will be sold by independent bookstores, marking a transformative milestone for indie authors and publishers, indie bookstores, and the ebook economy at large.

The partnership brings hundreds of thousands of self-published titles from Draft2Digital to Bookshop.org’s fast-growing ebook platform, which launched in the U.S. in January 2025 and the UK in October 2025. The ebook platform has contributed towards record bookseller earnings on Bookshop.org in 2025, with independent bookstores earning over $9.5 million overall, including over 200,000 ebook sales through Bookshop.org’s app. By adding Draft2Digital’s catalog, Bookshop.org is expanding its offering for readers and opening a new, sustainable revenue stream for its network of 3,400+ indie bookstores in the US and UK. When a Draft2Digital-distributed ebook is sold on Bookshop.org, 100% of Bookshop’s ebook profit is passed directly to the affiliated bookstore.

“This is a watershed moment for independent bookstores,” said Andy Hunter, Founder & CEO of Bookshop.org. “Our mission has always been to help local bookstores thrive in the digital age. Partnering with Draft2Digital means self-published authors, an essential and rapidly growing part of the publishing landscape, can now work with indie bookstores, and they can support each other.”

This partnership arrives at a time when indie authors are experiencing unprecedented cultural momentum. Long dismissed by the publishing establishment, indie authors have taken significant market share in multiple genres. Today, self-published titles frequently climb bestseller lists, attract film and streaming deals, and cultivate millions of devoted readers. A new generation of readers are actively seeking diverse and undiscovered voices, fresh storytelling, and the next great gem outside of mainstream publishing houses.

“Gone are the days of the self-publishing stigma,” said Jane Friedman, publishing industry expert and author of The Business of Being a Writer (Second Edition). “Indie authors have proven themselves to be talented writers, savvy marketers, and astute businesspeople. Retailers and libraries who ignore this essential inventory are only hurting themselves.”

Draft2Digital’s catalog of more than 1 million titles includes many of the most commercially successful ebooks across global platforms. Bestselling authors include Jan Moran, Piper Lawson, Kristen Ashley, Juliette N. Banks, and many others. A large launch collection of ebooks from Draft2Digital is available for purchase through Bookshop.org today and will expand significantly in the weeks and months ahead. Indie authors and publishers who wish to distribute their ebooks to Bookshop.org must opt in through their publishing dashboard at Draft2Digital.

“Indie authors publish high-quality books that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with traditionally published works,” said Kris Austin, CEO of Draft2Digital. “Readers don’t care whose logo is on the spine, they care about a great read. All the major ebook retailers carry indie titles because they sell. Our partnership with Bookshop.org ensures independent bookstores can now participate in that success by enabling self-published ebooks to become a meaningful and permanent part of their inventory.”

The partnership builds on Bookshop.org’s significant growth and impact. Since launching in 2020, the platform has raised over $44 million for independent bookstores in the U.S. Bookshop.org’s ebook platform, available through any web browser and the Bookshop.org apps for Apple and Android, allows readers to directly support their favorite bookstores while enjoying digital reading. When an ebook purchase is made without selecting a store, profits are shared among all participating bookstores, further strengthening the literary ecosystem.

To learn more about Draft2Digital and its community of independent authors, visit Draft2Digital.com and follow @draft2digital on Instagram and TikTok. For more information on Bookshop.org and its mission to support independent bookstores, visit Bookshop.org and follow @bookshop_org across social platforms.

About Draft2Digital

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Draft2Digital is the world’s leading publishing platform for self-published authors and independent presses. The company’s tools and services streamline ebook and print publishing, distribution, metadata management, and other publishing business operations. Draft2Digital serves more than 330,000 authors worldwide who have collectively released over one million titles by utilizing its services.

About Bookshop

Bookshop.org is an online bookstore that financially supports local, independent bookstores. Since its launch in 2020, Bookshop.org has earned over $44 million for local bookstores. It is a certified B Corp, carbon-neutral, mission-based business that believes local bookstores serve their communities and the public good. The company has also won several awards; most recently Fast Company’s 2023 Brands That Matter, Digiday’s 2023 Greater Good Awards for ‘Best Retail Model’ and Fast Company’s 2025 World Changing Ideas Award.

How to distribute your ebooks to Bookshop.org

If you distribute ebooks through D2D, you can opt in to Bookshop.org today from your publishing dashboard.

The next time you log into your account, you’ll see a pop-up window notifying you that ebook distribution to Bookshop.org is now available. You will have the option to add all your eligible ebooks or add them one by one. You must manually opt-in to have your ebooks distributed to Bookshop.org.

If you publish print-on-demand paperbacks through D2D Print, your print books are automatically purchasable through Bookshop.org.

To learn more about what the Bookshop.org / D2D partnership means for you, your books and indie bookstores, be sure to catch D2D’s Self Publishing Insiders show live with the CEOs of Bookshop.org and D2D on at Noon Central/1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific on February 5 or watch the replay at your convenience using the same link.