--- title: "Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing vs Smashwords: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Smashwords more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Self publishing platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/amazon-kindle-direct-publishing-vs-smashwords" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing vs Smashwords: Which is searched more? Is Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Smashwords more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Self publishing platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords - **Competitive set**: Self publishing platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Share of Search**: 47.5% - **Smashwords Share of Search**: 0.7% ## Is Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Smashwords more popular in search? - In September 2026, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing had more branded searches than Smashwords among self publishing platforms worldwide. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing had about 1.8 million branded searches, while Smashwords had 27,100. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing made up 47.5% of all self publishing platform searches we track, and Smashwords accounted for 0.7%. - Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing was ahead of Smashwords in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing’s share of searches among self publishing platforms worldwide moved from 46.6% to 47.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2M to 1.8M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smashwords’ share of searches among self publishing platforms worldwide moved from 1.3% to 0.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 33.1K to 27.1K. ## Top self publishing platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing appeared in all five answers. Smashwords was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing was listed before Smashwords in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Draft2Digital | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | IngramSpark | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Lulu | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Barnes & Noble Press | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Amazon KDP | 6th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Kobo Writing Life | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Smashwords | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about self publishing platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which self publishing platform should I use?": 1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, 2. IngramSpark, 3. Draft2Digital, 4. Lulu, 5. Amazon KDP - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best self publishing platforms?": 1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, 2. IngramSpark, 3. Draft2Digital, 4. Lulu, 5. Barnes & Noble Press, 6. Amazon KDP - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best self publishing platform for independent authors?": 1. Amazon KDP, 2. IngramSpark, 3. Draft2Digital, 4. Lulu, 5. Kobo Writing Life, 6. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing - Searched Google, AI Overview "self publishing platform": 1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, 2. Kobo Writing Life, 3. Barnes & Noble Press, 4. Draft2Digital, 5. Smashwords, 6. IngramSpark, 7. Lulu - Searched Google, AI Overview "publish a book online": 1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, 2. Barnes & Noble Press, 3. Lulu, 4. Draft2Digital Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for self publishing platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing gained share of searches among self publishing platforms worldwide, from 46.9% to 47.5%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Smashwords worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 33.1K to 27.1K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing estimated searches | Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Share of Search | Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing rank | Smashwords estimated searches | Smashwords Share of Search | Smashwords rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.2M | 46.6% | 2 | 33.1K | 1.3% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 1M | 45.9% | 2 | 33.1K | 1.5% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 1.2M | 46.6% | 2 | 33.1K | 1.3% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 1.2M | 46.4% | 2 | 40.5K | 1.5% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 1M | 46.1% | 2 | 27.1K | 1.2% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 1.2M | 46.6% | 2 | 33.1K | 1.3% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 1.2M | 46.6% | 2 | 27.1K | 1% | 5 | | May 2026 | 1.2M | 46.7% | 2 | 27.1K | 1% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 1.2M | 46.8% | 2 | 27.1K | 1% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 1.2M | 46.6% | 2 | 33.1K | 1.3% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 1.5M | 46.9% | 2 | 27.1K | 0.85% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 1.8M | 47.5% | 2 | 27.1K | 0.7% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing’s and Smashwords’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing**: Measured on the search term “amazon kindle direct publishing”. - **Smashwords**: Measured on the search term “smashwords”. - [Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing profile](/demand/global-en/brands/amazon-kindle-direct-publishing) - [Smashwords profile](/demand/global-en/brands/smashwords) - [All self publishing platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/self-publishing-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Smashwords more popular in search? In September 2026, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing had more branded searches than Smashwords among self publishing platforms worldwide. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing had about 1.8 million branded searches, while Smashwords had 27,100. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing made up 47.5% of all self publishing platform searches we track, and Smashwords accounted for 0.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing vs Smashwords: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/amazon-kindle-direct-publishing-vs-smashwords This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/amazon-kindle-direct-publishing-vs-smashwords. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.