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E-book subscription service Scribd has signed a deal with self-published e-book distributor Smashwords, which will add more than 225,000 e-books from 70,000 authors and publishers to the service.
The deal means Smashwords will supply books to Scribd’s new e-book subscription service, where for $8.99 (£5.50) per month subscribers get unlimited reading.
Smashwords e-books will also be available for individual sale to Scribd customers.
Trip Adler, c.e.o. and co-founder of Scribd, said: “Since we started the company, Scribd's mission has always been about creating an ecosystem to democratise content, and bring together a community of writers and readers.
“Smashwords authors include everything from New York Times bestsellers to up-and-coming writers across a diverse range of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
“I know our readers will be excited to have access to these works as part of our subscription service.”
Smashwords authors will be able to distribute their books across Scribd’s services on the iPhone, iPad, Android mobile devices, and web browsers.
As part of the deal, Scribd will help Smashwords authors by providing e-book marketing tools such as proprietary author data and merchandising to Scribd’s audience of 80+ million users from around the world.
Mark Coker, c.e.o. and founder of Smashwords, said: “Ever since Scribd launched in 2007, I’ve admired their publishing platform, their commitment to content creators and their social reading technology.
“Scribd has built a massive audience of millions of readers, and these readers are now accessible to the 70,000+ authors and small independent presses that publish and distribute with Smashwords.
“I’m looking forward to working in partnership to introduce Scribd’s customers to the amazing talent within the Smashwords catalog.”
Scribd will offer special marketing initiatives to Smashwords authors, including featuring authors’ works on its homepage in its new ScribdSelects merchandising feature, and giving each Smashwords author a profile page.