In many ways, Amazon’sKindle devicesreign supreme amonge-readersdue to their affordability and user-friendly design. While Amazon dominates a significant portion ofonline book salesin the US, this newKindle alternativeaims to change that while supporting local bookstores.
Bookshop.orgis a new online platform that allows users to buy and read e-books while supporting local bookstores. The app is available on iOS and Android and can also be accessed from the web. Its CEO and founder, Andy Hunter, says the app was inspired by the need to support local bookstores in the digital age.
“Right now, no matter how much you love your local bookstore, if you want to read an e-book, you have to go to Amazon or another alternate platform and you’re able to’t support your local bookstore,” Hunter said, speaking toUSA Today. “E-books are an important revenue stream for publishers and authors and they could be for independent bookstores.”
Bookshop.org Ebooks
The Bookshop.org app lets users read ebooks on their mobile device. Ebooks can be purchased on Bookstorg.org’s website, and you can choose your local bookstore to buy from.
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Bookshop.org doesn’t support Kindles
Readers can only use it on iOS and Android devices
Bookshop.org lets users select their local bookstore tobuy ebooksfrom online, and most of the profits go to the bookstore. you may find out which local bookstores are on the service by visiting Bookshop.org’sstore locator. However, many eager users immediately pointed out the lack of support for e-readers likethe Kindlebecause of a DRM issue. Bookshop.org is working on adding support for Kobo devices later this year.
“Due to Amazon’s proprietary digital rights management software (DRM) and publishers' DRM requirements, it’s not currently possible to buy ebooks from Bookshop.org or local bookstores and read them on your Kindle,” Bookshop.org’sFAQ reads.
Kindle fanson Redditquickly pointed out that this app will be difficult to use for users who struggle to read on devices without an E Ink display like Kindle and Kobo devices have. “This is dead for anyone who can’t read on [a] phone or tablet,” oneReddit usersaid.
If you’re comfortable reading on your phone or tablet, then Bookshop.org appears to be a solid Kindle alternative to explore, particularly if you wish to support a local bookstore. It offers over a million titles from major publishers, and your reading progress syncs seamlessly across all your devices. The Bookshop.org app is currently available on both the App Store and Google Play Store. At the time of writing, Bookshop.org has raised over $35 million for local bookstores.
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