Since it launched in January 2020, Bookshop.org has been a popular place for readers to buy books while supporting local bookstores. But while Libro.fm offered a platform where readers could buy audiobooks while supporting local bookstores, there was no equivalent for ebooks. As of today, that’s changed. You can now buy ebooks on Bookshop.org, and just like with physical books, your purchase supports a local bookstore of your choice.
You can read those ebooks on your browser or using Bookshop.org’s iPhone or Android app. They currently have a million ebooks available to purchase, including a selection on sale for $3 or less. Even more ebooks by self-published authors and small presses will be added soon.
As Lea Bickerton, owner of the Tiny Bookstore, said: “With our current political environment, I suspect there are going to be more people who want to pivot out of the Amazon ecosystem. There’s a window of opportunity to make this market competitive again.”
Andy Hunter, founder of Bookshop.org, isn’t done yet. He’s planning to add more features to their ebook offerings, like a subscription option, and is even hoping to build an alternative to Amazon-owned Goodreads.
If you’d like to hear more from Andy Hunter, subscribe to Book Riot’s First Edition podcast, where he’ll be appearing later this week.
To learn more about ebooks on Bookshop.org, check out their FAQs.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.