Introducing the Best Kindle Alternative for E-Books
By now, e-readers have been around for well over a decade, and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon! If you’ve been searching for a Kindle alternative to feel better about the books you’re adding to your wish list, you’re not alone. When you make the swap to the Bookshop.org app, you can finally support your favorite indie bookstores with your e-book purchase.
3 Reasons Readers Love E-Books
Let’s be perfectly clear—e-books are not the enemy! When it comes to listening to audiobooks or buying physical copies of our favorite books, business will always be booming. But everyone has their preferences, and for some, reading digitally is the best option because:
1. E-Books Are Portable and Lightweight
Have you ever gone on a trip or loaded up your purse for the day, only to discover the weight of your bag is unbearably heavy? Why should you have to limit the number of novels you can bring along when you can just download an app and carry an entire library with you wherever you go (without the bulk)?
2. E-Readers Are Cost-Effective
If you’re someone who wants to own every title you read, reading can become an expensive hobby. Since there are no printing or shipping and handling costs attached, e-books are sold at lower price points than their tangible counterparts, providing readers with a budget-friendly way to read as many novels as they’d like.
3. E-Books Can Help Save Space in Your Home
No matter how much space they have, booklovers can’t seem to help but fill their shelves. E-readers eliminate the need for extra bookcases. Instead, your collection can grow virtually and be read from the palm of your hand anywhere you go, from Silent Book Club to your bus commute and beyond.
Support Local Bookstores with our Favorite Kindle Alternative
For years, Amazon has had a monopoly on e-readers, but no longer! If you’re interested in a Kindle alternative that aligns with your values, Bookshop.org is the perfect solution.
Its app allows readers to support their local bookstore instead of a big brand business. When you buy a title on the e-book platform, the proceeds go directly to the independent bookstore of your choice so that each dollar spent on your hobby goes back to your community instead of the pockets of billionaires.
Popular Genres for E-Books
When it comes to our favorite Kindle alternative, there’s something for everyone, regardless of what book genre you’re interested in. If you take a look at the trends, these are the most popular today:
- Romance
- Reimagined classics
- Fantasy
- Memoir
- Cozy mysteries
Steps to Starting Your Bookshop.org App Experience
If your interest in our favorite Kindle alternative is piqued, there’s good news: anyone can learn to use it—here’s how:
Step 1: Get the Bookshop.org E-Book App
The Bookshop.org e-reader app is available for download on any iOS or Android device. Just head to the app store, search for it, and download it. From there, you can start your account on your phone or even your laptop.
Our Favorite App Features:
- Bookmark, highlight, and annotate passages
- Adjust the type and size of the font
- Search text
- Sync your titles between devices
- Share passages on socials
- Read in vertical or standard page modes
Step 2: Select Your Desired Bookstore
Once you’re in, you’ll be encouraged to select which bookstore you’d like to support with your purchases. You can find your desired shop by searching for its name or zip code. You don’t even have to live near it to choose it! The easiest way to find Novel if you don’t live in the Rochester Hills, MI, area is by searching 48307.
If you decide to use this Kindle alternative without selecting a specific store, the titles you buy will contribute a general profit pool that is then divided amongst all of the participating bookstores. It’s really a win-win!
Step 3: Buy an E-Book
After you’ve committed to starting an account on this Kindle alternative, the fun can begin! While you can’t actually buy the title in the app (similar to other e-reader options), it’s easier than you’d think.
Just search for the novel you’re looking for, add the title to your wish list, and head to your web browser. From there, you can head to the list in your browser, click the “buy now” button, and complete checkout.
Keep an Eye Out for Our Favorite E-Book Options
When you start to browse for exciting books in this Kindle alternative, don’t pass up the opportunity to read these phenomenal finds:
- Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Blob by Maggie Su
- Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
FAQ About This Kindle Alternative
Bookshop.org’s app is a new Kindle alternative, and there are bound to be a few questions. Luckily, we’ve answered them for you:
Why Can’t I Buy a Title in the App?
E-books cannot be bought directly in the app because both Apple and Google require platforms with in-app purchasing to pay 30% of their earnings in fees. That goes entirely against Bookshop.org’s moral code! It believes that the money spent should be used to support local bookstores, hence the extra step.
Can You Read Books from Nook and Kindle on the Bookshop.org E-Book App?
While this platform is an excellent alternative to Kindles, unfortunately, most of the titles you bought for your other e-readers are not transferrable to the Bookshop.org app. DRM-free titles are the only exception. Since those are unrestricted by Digital Rights Management, they can be downloaded and moved between apps and devices whenever you wish.
What if I Can’t Find the Book I Want?
If you can’t seem to find the title you’re looking for, there’s a chance that the company is still working to onboard that publisher to the app. Bookshop.org is constantly working to add new books and publishers to is e-library, so make sure to check back in.
If you want to partake in the e-book craze but want to stick to your guns and support the small businesses that you’re passionate about, Bookshop.org’s app is the way to go. Start your account on our favorite Kindle alternative, select Novel for proceeds to go to the newest Rochester, MI, bookstore, and enjoy reading on your own devices wherever you go.