Smashwords was the original distribution service for indie authors and Mark Coker has been an advocate for wide publishing for over 14 years. Draft2Digital has been a fantastic service for indies over the last decade, moving into new markets, providing great tools, and helping authors sell more books. On Feb 8, 2022, Draft2Digital announced they were acquiring Smashwords. Mark Coker and his team would be joining Draft2Digital and the combined company would consolidate systems and processes, improving services for authors. In this discussion, I ask Mark Coker and Kevin Tumlinson about the acquisition and how it will impact indie authors who publish with either service, as well as discuss the opportunities ahead. Mark Coker is the founder and CEO of Smashwords, the original ebook publishing platform for Indies, established in 2008. Kevin Tumlinson is Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Draft2Digital, established in 2012. Both Mark and Kevin are also authors and they understand the author perspective when it comes to publishing.  You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes * What the acquisition of Smashwords means for authors who publish on Smashwords — and what it means for those who publish on Draft2Digital * Some of the concerns and how they will be addressed * The implications of a company serving over 250,000 authors and how it shifts the power imbalance in publishing * Why Mark was excited about the possibilities for authors when we met in 2010 (video here) and why things are even more exciting now * Opportunities ahead for the bigger Draft2Digital You can contact Draft2Digital with any questions at support@Draft2Digital.com Transcript of the discussion Joanna: Mark Coker is the founder and CEO of Smashwords, the original ebook publishing platform for indies, established in 2008. Kevin Tumlinson is director of marketing and public relations at Draft2Digital, established in 2012. Both Mark and Kevin are also authors, and they understand the author perspective when it comes to publishing, and we've got some exciting things to talk about today. Welcome, Mark and Kevin. Mark: Hi, Joanna. Kevin: Hey, there. Joanna: Hey. It's good to have you both on the show. So, let's start with the news. Kevin, what has just happened or is happening? Kevin: You may or may not have heard by this point, but Draft2Digital is acquiring Smashwords as of March 1st, 2022. So, very big, very exciting news. We have been keeping our lips sealed for the past couple of months, but we are very excited to have that out there in the wild now. Mark: I'm really excited about this. I think that our two companies coming together that sprouted from the same seed.