I want to buy my first ebooks and I have two goals: don’t pay Amazon, and give the largest possible cut to the authors. Is there something like Bandcamp for ebooks?
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Smashwords is good.
Thank you!
I like the sound of that! Let’s see…
No, not in any of the (first 30) stores. The author’s website only lists amazon, audible, and apple books, so they may not have another channel for selling. I’ll send them an email and see.
Do they have a patreon or similar? Maybe your best bet is to pirate it and give them the money that way.
Oho, they do. Good idea.
I’m a writer and have an ebook. Also accept support on Patreon. I wouldn’t mind having more places to publish my ebooks other then Amazon. I do publish on Barnes and Noble, as well has Google books. I willing to offer DMI free.
Reach out to the author, unfortunately a lot of small publishers or self published are exclusive to Amazon.
I’m personally a fan of Kobo as it’s pretty easy to strip the DRM with a calibre plugin. (I also really like my kobo ereader)
Thanks, I don’t have an e-reader yet but Christmas is coming.
I’ve used kobos, nooks, and kindles. And I’m happy to answer questions.
The biggest difference in book quality, IMHO, is a good editor. I honestly think I’d feel it would be fair if the editor and the author split the profit pretty evenly; maybe 60/40. I’m not an author, but I’ve read plenty of books which clearly did not have one (or had a terrible one), and they’re painful. Editors are the unsung heroes of the publishing industry.
That was an interesting read, thank you!
Looks like amazon ebooks are commonly the best=paying way.
You’re welcome :) And for people who want to support local independent bookstores, I’ll drop in a plug for bookshop.org .
Another great site.
I use various sources, from Kobo to bookshop.org or even finding good books from authors who give their work away for free, but I always donate at least $10-$20 for their work, like I would if I bought a paperback. Regardless, I refuse to pay for anything with DRM on it.
Reasonable, thank you.
Not sure, but do you have a library card? If so see if the use libby or similar ebook app
Absolutely, but in particular since this is a small-time author I’d really like to pay them!
Do you have any way to get in touch with the author? If they’re “small-time” they might have an easy way to contact them through their web site. I imagine they’d love to hear something like “Hi, I love your work! What is the best way for me to buy an e-book and support you?”
They have a Discord but it seems to be locked behind a Patreon, which I now see includes an ebook at some tiers. That’s gotta be the best way to go!
If the author lists a Patreon thing, then that is likely the best way to pay them. I emailed one of my favorite authors directly to ask a similar question, and he replied with detailed information, including signing the copy he sent me along with a signed bookmark.
Ebooks.com sells DRM free books when the publishers allow it and you can set filters for that as well. The selection is good but not perfect. I supplement with the kobo store as needed. And make sure you are using calibre to manage your library :)
So does the Kobo bookstore, but it’s entirely up the the publishers.
Kobo’s now processing sales through Google, though, so I too need to find a new bookstore.
I looked there as it was on the list of resources that [email protected] shared, but sadly they don’t have the books I’m looking for.
Older than amazon (I think?). DRM free as well and gives you all the options: https://www.baen.com/
Has a free library too: https://www.baen.com/allbooks/category/index/id/2012
I’ve got Baen books on my shelf going back decades! They aren’t the publisher of the books I’m looking for, but it’s a good tip! Thank you.
https://www.betterworldbooks.com/
Better World Books is your online destination for books offering the widest selection of used and new books. We give booklovers across the world access to the power of knowledge at an affordable price and help them stay connected through reading. We better the world, one book at a time, by making a difference with every purchase made through donations and environmental programs. It’s simple: Buy Books. Do Good.
I like the sound of that, thank you.
I get all of my books through Better World Books. I buy them used as much as possible and they’re always in fine shape. I then donate the books on if I don’t want to keep them. I seriously love BWB.
I buy so many used books at local stores. I think I need to switch to ebooks just to limit the number of tons I’ll eventually need to move!
I know friends love their ereaders. I’d need an open one, I refuse to get into the Amazon ecosystem. But I also LOVE physical copies. I think they’d probably be great for books I’m sure about and then buy a physical book later. But lots of ebooks are ridiculously priced compared to physical.
I use Bookshop.org for ebooks and Libro.fm for audiobooks
I’d look and see if the publisher or author sells the book directly.
Good idea, but nope. Their website just links to amazon and apple books.
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eBay for E books? Huh, I wouldn’t have guessed. I’m looking for a sales channel that pays the author, though.
Thanks!
Other than buying from an author directly, I don’t think there’s any model that directly puts money in the authors pocket, it’s all going through the publisher.
I’d be almost as happy to buy it from the publisher, but their website is dogshit. The buttons don’t work, the phone number listed is 123-456-7890 and there’s no store.
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