I've recently learned that a service called 'Everand' has a few of my books, not all of them (most are blocked and oddly none of the ones I expected) and it is not a good service.
It was hailed as a kindle alternative but it's $11.99 and they only let you read one book a month.
So, if you're looking for kindle alternatives please check out Kobo Plus instead. They have a $7.99/m plan that's just ebooks or just audio (you pick) or a $9.99/m plan that's ebooks and audiobooks and it is unlimited access to their library.
All my books are on there and I'll be using Draft2Digital for future audiobooks so they'll be on there too. (Author's Republic is a fine distributor for audiobooks but it is easier to keep it all together in one place so I'll be switching when I get to recording more)
Just, you know, if you do the ebook streaming thing... don't use Everand. It's no good.
(and if you don't see one of mine you want on the service you use, let me know, I will get you the book)
So for those of you who don’t know, Scribd is a subscription ebook and document service where subscribers could read and listen to their entire catalog for a monthly fee.
Recent changes (enshittification) have destroyed all customer goodwill and led to a mass unsubscribing and masterclass on how to kill a company.
Earlier this year Scribd split into three services Everand (Books), Scribd (Documents), and Slideshare (Presentations).
More recently, the membership model for Everand changed to a credit based unlock system. The initial email notification claimed that readers would still have access to a limited catalog of books for unlimited reading on top of credit unlock books. Prices also increased substantially while throttling books behind an additional paywall. Unlike with other services like Audible, customers do not own the books they unlock, and lose all access if the subscription is paused or canceled. Fun.
Everand launched this change without even finishing the programming needed to do so.
However, customers have not been able to find any unlimited titles in their hundreds of saved books. Further, there is no search function to identify what, if any titles, are still unlimited.
Readers in the middle of an ebook or audiobook during the switch found it suddenly locked. Many have posted that the credits were not working on books they wanted to read, or that they had no credits left without using any.
Many customers are posting that the app is simply crashing and unusable after the update.
Meanwhile, Everand appears to have no working customer service department, with emails and issues going unanswered.
This has led to a universal panning of the service and the majority of subscribers cancelling in favor of better services.
Doubtless the changes were part of an effort to wring as much money from their two million customers as possible. But why has a company with 17 years in the book subscription industry tanked so hard so quickly?
Well, the rapid enshittification is brought to you by their new CEO, Tony Grimminck! A man who’s qualifications to run a book service include, checks notes…serving in the military, liking reading and serving as the CEO for a startup offering subscription-based exercise classes.
Tony thought it would be a great idea to turn one subscription service into three, and make their most profitable service so terrible no one will use it.
Great work Tony! I’m sure you’re worth every penny of the ungodly CEO salary and golden parachute you’ll walk away with as the company burns to the ground. Too bad about the employees who will lose their jobs and those loyal customers you fucked over.
Are we still posting vibes ? Here's what you get with Ryoma, gloomy private eye(he/him) and Guin, the cybernetic lounge singer (they/them) Synthetic Sea!
Everand/Scribd used to be an amazing site where you could access an unlimited amount of books, documents, and audiobooks all for a simple subscription fee. Until recently, I saw it as the best service for book nerds because of the sheer number of books you could read. It was even better than audible because their library of "free" audiobooks were much higher. Some even called it the Netflix of literature.
Just like Netflix, capitalism hit the fan and the executives began screwing their customers. The digital library service went out the window and got replaced with a credit system. A premium subscription, $16.99, will get you 3 unlock credits. This means that you only get to read/ listen to 3 books per month. Once the credits are used up, every other title is inaccessible. Even titles you have downloaded can't be read.
This is such a scummy business practice that it should be illegal. This is a horrible way to treat fans. I suggest that everyone unsubscribe from Everand and boycott the company. They can't get away with this.
