In a post on the Smashwords blog, founder Mark Coker reports that the distributor of e-books for self-publishers added about 25,000 authors in 2013 and that its total title count is now 276,100, up from 190,600 at the end of 2012. Authors earned $20 million from sales through Smashwords last year, helping the company, which now employs 23 people, post its third year of profitability.
Looking ahead to 2014, Coker promised upgrades to Smashwords’ distribution and reporting systems as well as new marketing tools. Improvements in distribution will be aimed at increasing the shipment frequency to retailers that can support it, while an overhaul of its reporting systems will give authors faster, more intuitive access to sales data and trending information, Coker said. New marketing tools will be geared toward helping authors improve the discoverability of their books.
