Like many people, I’d like to spend my money more ethically, and as an author, that especially applies to buying books. Instead of contributing to Jeff Bezos’ “let’s send Katy Perry slightly into orbit inside a giant rocket ship” fund, I try to buy most of my books at local independent bookstores, at book festivals, and directly from small publishers.
That often costs a little more, but as someone in the independent book industry, I’m well aware of the difference even small sums of money make when spent locally or at small publishers. It really helps bookstores, publishers, and authors alike, and that keeps good books coming.
1. Your local library
There are several apps that allow you to borrow books from the library as e-books. The biggest ones are Libby from OverDrive, which also offers audiobooks, and for UK residents there is also BorrowBox, which sticks to text rather than audio and is preferred by many UK councils. Libby and BorrowBox also have a variety of magazines you can browse, and Overdrive has another app, Sora, designed specifically for enrolled school students.
Both Libby and BorrowBox rely on using your library card as identification (and make it easy to get one if you don’t already have one). Once you’re signed in and set up your account, you can send titles to your device just like you would a physical library book. And like physical library books, your loans are limited in number and must be returned within a certain period of time.
2. Librería.org
One of the things I love about Bookshop.org is that when I buy books, a portion of my money goes to the nominated bookstore. And now the same thing can happen to me when I buy audiobooks.
This is a relatively new service for those of us in the UK, so the selection is currently small, but prices for high-profile books like Cory Doctorow’s enshitification They are close to those on Amazon and there are many renowned authors.
And there’s a big advantage to the much smaller selection: you won’t be crawling through AI and low-quality shovels to find the diamonds.
3. Libro.fm
Book is my favorite audiobook source, and like Bookshop.org, it allows me to purchase audiobooks and give a piece of the pie to my designated local bookseller.
The most cost-effective way is to take out a subscription (the standard $14.99/£7.99 per month subscription gives you credit for one book per month) rather than purchasing books individually, because the latter option charges full price. Subscribers get discounts on additional audiobook purchases as well as special member-only sales.
Libro.fm doesn’t have the breadth of Amazon’s Audible, but its catalog of 600,000 titles is not small. And your audiobooks are not copy protected, so you can move them between your different devices without becoming a criminal.
4. Crushing words
TL;DR – Best Tips for eBooks and Audiobooks
1. Get an app
If you read a lot of e-books, a dedicated library app can help you stay on top of your collection, and it turns out we’ve got a guide to the best e-book organizers here.
2. Search unlimited
Many e-book and audiobook platforms offer titles that are DRM (digital rights management) free, which can lock you into purchases on a single device or account.
3. Show the sound
It sounds petty, but I had to abandon some audiobooks because I hated the way they were narrated. Whenever possible, listen to a sample before purchasing that audiobook.
If you’re looking for more independent, self-published authors like those on Amazon’s Kindle platform, Smashwords is a good place to go, especially if your tastes tend toward romance, fantasy, and science fiction.
Smashwords eBooks are sold without copy protection and primarily in ePub format, and authors generally offer very generous free samples so you can be sure you’re buying something you’ll enjoy reading.
That’s good for authors, too: unlike some platforms, Smashwords sales are final, so people can’t read your book and then get a refund.
5. Direct from independent publishers
If you really want to support indie authors, buying directly from their publishers often means they’ll get the best royalty rate possible (and likely receive it faster, too).
For example, my editor 404 ink I’ll be happy to sell you e-book versions of all my books and the books of my fellow authors, and that’s common in indie publishing where margins are tight and every sale matters.
For small publishers, direct sales can make the difference between surviving and thriving, and small presses are often where the literary stars of tomorrow take their first steps into publishing, so you’re helping to support the stars of tomorrow.
