Now that Amazon has eliminated the choice to obtain bought Kindle ebooks exterior of Kindle ereaders and Kindle apps, some persons are threatening to cease shopping for ebooks from Amazon totally, whereas others are prepared to purchase unique titles when different choices don’t exist.
At both fee, persons are on the lookout for options to the Kindle retailer now, so I assumed I’d put collectively an inventory of e book shops that also supply downloadable recordsdata.
Most e book shops add DRM to their ebooks in order that they aren’t suitable with Kindles by default, however these restrictions are simply circumvented (see DRM part beneath), and a few locations supply DRM-free ebooks which can be suitable with Kindles.
There’s additionally this separate listing of free e book web sites with public area titles and such, however these received’t be included right here.
Checklist of Different eBook Shops
Kobo – In all probability one of the best various to Amazon for ebooks and ereaders is Kobo. They’ve been round for a very long time, and their ebooks can be found to obtain in Adobe EPUB format for backup. Plus Kobo has a Worth Match Assure the place you may get an additional 10% again in the event you discover a cheaper price at Amazon or elsewhere.
Google – Most individuals appear to neglect that Google sells ebooks too. They don’t put a lot effort into it, and their retailer doesn’t have the best choice, however Google’s ebooks are downloadable in Adobe EPUB format. And in contrast to Kobo, Google helps importing ebooks and paperwork obtained elsewhere to your library, much like Amazon.
eBooks.com – One other e book retailer that’s been round for a very long time that doesn’t get a lot hype. Purchases are downloadable in Adobe EPUB format, they usually even have an app for cellular gadgets.
Smashwords – An indie writer with practically 1 million ebooks obtainable. All ebooks bought by Smashwords are DRM-free.
Bean Books – A small writer that makes a speciality of science fiction and fantasy. All their ebooks are DRM-free.
Different Choices to Take into account
Libby – You possibly can borrow ebooks from native public libraries totally free via Libby/OverDrive. This feature is barely obtainable within the US on Kindles.
StoryBundle – You possibly can selected to pay what you need for a choice of indie books which can be obtainable as a bundle for a set variety of days. Books are at all times DRM-free.
Humble Bundle – Generally you may get ebooks via Humble Bundle. The ebooks usually have DRM, however they’re normally tied to Kobo for downloads.
Purchase eBooks Instantly from Publishers and Authors
Some authors and publishers promote ebooks straight from their web sites, in order that’s one thing price wanting into as properly. However watch out as a result of some publishers promote ebooks which can be solely accessible via their app, so that you’ll wish to test first to keep away from these (Simon & Schuster, for instance).
Shops to Keep away from
Amazon isn’t the one firm making an attempt to lock clients into their very own platform. Apple has been doing that since they first began promoting ebooks. B&N doesn’t supply any option to obtain their ebooks exterior of apps/Nooks both, so these are two e book shops to keep away from in order for you the liberty to backup your purchases.
What About DRM?
A lot of the e book shops listed above use Adobe DRM, and people ebooks are downloadable utilizing Adobe Digital Editions. These received’t work on Kindles by default until you take away the DRM first. Then you’ll be able to convert them to a Kindle format or use Ship to Kindle to transform from EPUB to Kindle robotically. There’s additionally this useful DeACSM plugin for Calibre now so that you don’t have to make use of ADE anymore.
In some instances ebooks are DRM-free by default (ebooks printed by Tor, for instance), and you may ship these recordsdata on to your Kindle with none further trouble.
