Where to Get Books (that isn't Amazon) Take Two
Last year (it's been a fucking AGE), I did a links posts for alternates to Amazon. Then shit happened (more shit happened) and also now Amazon is allegedly removing affiliate links to erotica (mostly queer erotica, although it's been done to straight books as well). So here we go again.
Amazon supports MAGA, ICE, Trump, and the entire Christofascist agenda. Also they are attempting to dominate the market, and I take that personally. However, I understand why authors (me included) still use it: because readers won't leave it and authors have bills too. But I am going to continue encouraging people to leave it, or at least to use it less.
SO WHERE TO GET BOOKS:
Kobo (with Kobo plus, which is sort of like Kindle Unlimited) --wide ebook distribution! (I have an old Kobo and it's so much lighter and easier on my hands than a Kindle, so I love Kobo books.) This link is for Kobo US, but there are international Kobo stores.
Smashwords - indie books galore, including some erotica, and has big sitewide sales several times a year.
Bookshop.org --Bookshop.org does paperbacks (and once or twice a year will do Free Shipping sales! woo!) They have expanded into ebooks AND are actively working on selling erotica too--they expect that to be done by the end of the second quarter 2026, according to Draft2Digital. Erotica just requires more guardrails, I assume because America is run by fascist puritans. Bookshop is also going to eventually get to distributing "free" ebooks but for right now, anything "free" on Smashwords etc that you distribute to Bookshop is listed at 99 cents.
Bookshop also has affiliates! So if you are losing Amazon affiliates $, maybe look into using Bookshop.
Libraries (if you live in America and Canada, idk about other countries. Although I think some major libraries like the Brooklyn Public Library will offer e-library cards no questions asked.... ???) You can access library books through various apps, like Hoopla, Libby, Biblio, Gardners, Vivlio, Tolino, Overdrive, Cloud Library, BorrowBox, etc.
--authors, if you distribute through Draft2Digital, you can have D2D distribute to all of these library services for you. HOWEVER, Hoopla and Gardners and one or two others will probably flag anything too spicy. So for those, maybe select your less spicy books.
Everand-- a book subscription service
Apple Books
Fable (has a bookstore and also is a book reviewing/discussion app)
Barnes & Noble--- still a big corporation, but not Amazon
Itch.io ---itch was one of the early victims of America's (and Visa and Mastercard's) puritanical bullshit last year, and the owners didn't handle it well. Nonetheless, you can get ebooks there (as well as comics and video games, all indie, and many, many of them by queer artists.)
Author websites--yes, some authors have sales set up directly through their own websites! They make waaay more profit that way. Some will even sign paperbacks and send them to you! (Also be sure to check out author mailing lists. As governments try to crack down, supporting indie and queer artists is so vital.)
Draft2Digital itself! It is set up so that people (bookstores) can order paperback books? But I have not personally tested that one (yet). You can get ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks through D2D and authors, you can produce them there as well.
Independent bookstores!!! Yes this includes large famous bookstores. If they are not amazon, if they support your local economy, then yay! This everything from Waterstones, to Powell's, to the tiny little indie (often gay) bookstore in your neighborhood. If they don't have a book you want, ask them to order it for you. (AND, I forgot to mention, Bookshop lets you name a local bookstore so that a portion of your proceeds go to that bookstore. We like baddies supporting baddies. Kobo used to do this as well and might still do it, I just haven't checked recently.)
AUDIOBOOKS
Libro.fm
You can also use Libby from your local library system for audiobooks) (Ooh, forgot to mention that you can get magazines from your local library through Libby. Support your local libraries!)
Hoopla also carries them, along with many of the other library app services.
Chirp
Kobo audiobooks
Apple Books
For authors:
Author's Republic is an audiobook production and distribution service, though I haven't tried yet)
Findaway Voices is now InAudio, and they will distribute your audiobooks for you to several places. They also have Spotify as an option.... You might get exposure there but Spotify pays crap and also is pretty openly evil (imo) so I opt out of sales there. Which is fine, since, again, they pay crap.
BOOK REVIEWING/READING TRACKING
Goodreads is owned by the Zon. So some alternatives are:
Fable
Storygraph
Librarything
Bookshelf
Okay I know there are more booksellers out there, but that is a decent starting point and I have a book to finish so. Go forth! Buy indie! Spend in ways that align with your values! Give billionaires the finger! (and so on and so forth)
Also, as a reminder, this blog accepts book recommendations. The format is in the pinned post. Reviewing spaces for books, especially queer ones, are vanishing before our eyes. If you don't care to contribute here or you don't read romance, that's cool, but please keep talking about the books you love online and with friends in person. The authors thank you. Fight for your community.
