Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s sales. If an author has more than one title eligible for the list, only the highest performing title will be included. This ensures high-performing titles receive the accolades they deserve, while providing up-and-coming authors the visibility they have earned. Don’t miss Monday’s Top 10 Hot Preorders List, where Smashwords will provide a list of the most highly anticipated ebook preorders.

Exclusive Excerpt from THE LORD OF THE WOOD Chapter 7: Arthur bit his lip. It seemed strange the forest would offer a haven after putting him through so much, but the vale seemed safe enough. Safer than where they’d been, at any rate, but whose home was it? Whoever lived here might jump out and attack, or challenge him to a series of riddles, of which he’d get the last wrong and be turned to stone, or eaten, or perhaps they’d skip the formalities and eat him right off the bat. Well, no good standing here.He knocked on the door of the oddly shaped house. “Hello?” Not a house: a tree. Rather, it was a house, but a house built into—or growing from—an oak tree with an impossibly distended belly. Instead of a roof, the crown of the tree branched up and out, extending past the surrounding evergreens in both directions. Arthur gaped, recollected himself, and knocked again. “I don’t mean to intrude, but . . .”The door creaked open. Arthur swallowed. Notwithstanding their helpfulness, he didn’t like the way things kept responding to him—as if someone were watching. He peered into the tree-house. “Hello?”It was unlike any house he’d ever seen, all wooden…

What is the title of your latest release? HENRY TUDOR MUST DIE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Anne Boleyn is a witch, and after she uses her magick to avoid a beheading, she teams up with Catherine of Aragon – who also faked her death – to take down the king. With the help of a secret feminist society and several of the other women Henry VIII has wronged, they’ll rewrite history. How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Naturally, most of the novel is set in the castles and courts of 16th century England, but our presumed-dead queens also visit Spain and France. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely, even though Anne Boleyn is way too cool for me. She’s wickedly smart and, well, a little bit wicked. Sort of a stab-with-a-dagger first, ask questions later kind of heroine. What are three words that describe your hero? Bold, unapologetic, determined What’s something you learned while writing this book? Oh, where to start! I’m still learning as I keep reading more and more about the Tudors. One of the facts that tripped me up was that I…

Book Title: THE MOONSINGERSCharacter Name: Ismay Gebhardt How would you describe your family or your childhood?
I grew up on the Granite Coast, a rather cold and stark city, around a good number of very conventional people (who noticed quickly that I was not). Despite my sister Iona’s best efforts to help, I never mastered either small talk or knowing when to leave things alone. What was your greatest talent?
I have two – getting myself into unfortunate situations, and uninterrupted reading. To the latter point, my father always says it’s not healthy to stay shut up in the library for so long, but these Gothic romances aren’t going to read themselves. Significant other?Oh, nobody would bother courting me after what happened. At least, nobody in Port Skerry would; who knows what sort of romance might spring forth in the more rural reaches of Netherbrightshire. I’m certainly not thinking of anything at the moment, however, apart from finding a suitable teaching post. Biggest challenge in relationships?
Meddling. Where do you live?
I have recently relocated to a small village called Glenmaidens, which I’m sure you’ve never heard of apart from its summer festival, all to do with the harvest and some sort of superstition…

Book Title: UNPREDICTABLE MAGICCharacter Name: Angelina Everhart-Trueblood, aka Angie, aka Angie Baby, aka Ange How would you describe your family or your childhood?Oh, y’all. I had a magical childhood. I’m witch. Haha. Yack it up. I’m also the godchild of the Dark Queen of the Vampires, A “Princess by Decree” in her royal court, I had an actual angel looking out for me, and I’m a witch on both sides of my family, a double gened witch. (Witch power is passed down on the X genes, and I got mine from Mama and Daddy both.) I lived through Jane Yellowrock ascending to the Dark Throne, which was a bloody and violent horror, survived the vamp war, and was engaged at age eight to the Vampire Emperor of Europe. Not that he agreed to that but, hey, he was my first crush and I was a demanding little snot. Because of all that, I got backstory out the wazzoo. I grew up in the royal court, being taught royal protocol by the staff of vampires, magic by the Everhart-Trueblood witch clan, and how to fight by vamps, supernats, and paranormal creatures. That’s why I was a little snotty brat – I…

What is the title of your latest release?THE MATCHMAKER’S COTTAGE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?THE MATCHMAKER’S COTTAGE is a cozy fall romance about the owner of a lakeside bed-and-breakfast who is reunited with her childhood sweetheart for a celebrity matchmaking scheme designed to revive both their careers. But as they work together, they’re forced to confront the memories, regrets, and unresolved feelings they’ve spent years trying to leave behind. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I always knew I wanted the story to take place by the lake in the fall. Autumn is my favorite season, and when I sat down to build this story from scratch, it just felt like the right place to spend my time. The town itself is fictional, but it’s inspired by the lake communities of upstate New York, near the Finger Lakes. I wanted something that wasn’t Canadian – that setting is coming up in my next book! – but still evoked the feel of how I know and remember Canadian Cottage Country. In my mind, there’s just something about those small lakeside cottage towns that feels timeless, and I knew it would be the perfect…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Evan S. Porter! Writes:Hi there! I write funny, heartfelt novels about families and relationships, usually with a big focus on what it means to be a parent. My debut novel DAD CAMP, a dad-daughter love story, came out in 2024 and is in development as a feature film at Netflix. A LAST TIME FOR EVERYTHING is my latest: It’s about a young, stuck-in-a-rut couple dealing with a surprise pregnancy by trying to cram a lifetime’s worth of bucket list adventures into the final weeks before baby arrives. About:I’m from Baltimore, where my book is set, and currently live in Atlanta with my family. My two daughters, 5 and 11, keep me extremely busy. On any given hour of the day, I’m usually in the car driving someone to school, soccer, karate, or gymnastics. Hobbies? Never heard of ‘em. But in a past life, I have really enjoyed chess, playing guitar, and learning card tricks. I really do love long walks on the beach! My…

What is the title of your latest release?THE BROKEN EDGE OF THE WORLD What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Sylvie is obsessed with beauty. When she ends up working a summer job at a preserve in the middle of the Great Plains, she finds herself caught between two boys, one who is beautiful but mysterious – he only appears at night and won’t tell her his name – and the other, Jack, who is so strange-looking that the folks at the preserve cruelly call him the Grovelhog, but he is gentle and kind and alluring. Sylvie has OCD – based on my own experiences – and her obsession with beauty leads her down a dark path, where she will discover that she has more power than she knows, but whether it’s for good or evil is, it’s undetermined. THE BROKEN EDGE OF THE WORLD is a gender-flipped fairytale – complicated girl, nurturing boy – that’s based on a Brothers Grimm fable. It explores what happens when the lure of beauty and the power of love clash. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?When I first moved to Nebraska from Seattle, I thought it was…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Katharine McGee! Writes:I’m a fan of romance, drama, shocking plot twists and over-the-top settings, looking for readers who love the same! I have three children (ages 6, 3, and 9 months) and live in my hometown of Houston, though I spent several years in New York and in the San Francisco Bay Area after college. As a reader, I gravitate toward epic stories with sprawling plotlines and tangled casts of characters – usually historical fiction or fantasy, though I have a soft spot for contemporary romance. My latest book, UNGODLY RICH, reimagines the Greek gods as a family of billionaires in the modern world, with all the complicated drama and magic that entails! When I’m not writing, you can find me swimming with my kids (it’s hot in Texas!), eating chips and queso, or curling up on the couch with my husband to watch a prestige drama (think Succession, White Lotus, or Your Friends & Neighbors)! About:Classics nerd seeks readers who like their romance…

What is the title of your latest release?DEATH DO US What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?DEATH DO US follows Bea, who should be having an amazing time as she plans her upcoming wedding, until she starts to notice strange things happening to her body. Her skin begins flaking, her teeth loosening, her engagement ring far too tight. And she can’t stop thinking about a proposal from an ex-boyfriend years before. As her wedding approaches, Bea is forced to question her mind, her upcoming marriage, and what is really happening to her. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I have lived in London for a long time, and so setting the novel in my hometown felt natural. The city has so much history, and as my protagonist is an archaeologist, it seemed fitting to base the story in a place with a rich and vibrant past. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Maybe! I think I’d like to have a discussion with her about archaeology, but some of her takes might be a bit too morbid for me. What are three words that describe your hero?Academic, unconventional, troubled. What’s something you…