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.
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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.