Amazon Alternatives for Books

Last tended: November 10, 2020

Amazon is great. It's super cheap, super fast, and super convenient. It's also something of a monopoly that treats people like robots and ruthlessly exterminates all competition. I'm a hypocrite who says all that but still uses them because it's cheap and there are no bookshops accessible to me currently, but I'm trying to diversify when it comes to my book addiction.

Alternatives for books

In person

Your local library - We all think of amazon as the cheapest but that's not necessarily true. For one, libraries are still very much a thing. They were my regular haunt pre-pandemic and are a crucial community service. They are also free.
Your local small bookshops - Used bookstores regularly rival or beat amazon prices and, if you're buying a book that's just come out, prices are generally similar across stores (including amazon).
Your local chain bookstores - See above, especially when it comes to books that have just come out. For another thing, you can actually look inside the books and discover hidden gems you might otherwise miss (not based on an algorithm). Hard to beat amazon prices when it comes to cheap paperbacks but reference books and small press often start and stay at a higher price.

Online (UK focused)

You can often go direct to publishers, small press, and indie authors. This will generally mean a higher price but has benefits like supporting your favs.

Or try this Amazon alternative book search for platforms like:

Your local shop - Have a favourite bookshop? They might deliver or have an online store somewhere.
Hive - An online network of independent bookstores across the UK with a percent of the profit going back to your favourite independent bookshop. Also sells ebooks.
Wordery - Free worldwide delivery and a whole host of options with prices to rival the big A.
Highstreet chains online - Most stores like Waterstones also have an online outlet. They generally can't compete on price + shipping but offer sales & deals which might as well as click and collect options.
Biblio - Want to discover those weird rare & used books you love from old bookshops but online? Try Biblio.
Ebay - Looking for used books? Especially a lot or complete series? Ebay can be great.

Ebooks

This is where the big boys like Amazon and Apple kick you with proprietary formats. Ebooks rely on intermediaries and so benefit from convenience of staying in one ecosystem (and all the biggest ecosystems punish you for going outside them). They also have the best, most comprehensive ebook stores so it's even easier to stay in the bubble. However, what you may lose in convenience you stand to gain in much greater flexibility so you can use what books you bought across platforms and devices.

The biggest thing to be aware of is your ereader. If you are using something a Kindle, you'll need Calibre or something similar to convert and load books that aren't from Amazon. But Calibre is a great tool to have around anyways (just ignore the interface design). And of course, if you're serious about jumping out of Amazon's ebook ecosystem, best to ditch the Kindle too. I plan to once mine dies.

Your library - Yes, believe it or not many libraries have an ebook selection now. They can be annoying to access, have a more limited selection, and generally require an app like Overdrive but it's free and simple enough once you get setup.
The Open Library - This one is the Internet Archive's attempt at a digital library. It came under fire for copyright violation but it's still up as far as I can tell. Requires some setup and but after that, functions similar to your local library (but generally with a focus on classics rather than the latest books).
Project Gutenburg - Remember all those classics you read in school? Most of them are in the public domain and can be download in any format for free. Obviously not great for anything new, but a brilliant way to expand your reading. If the style is cumbersome try Standard Ebooks which updates public domain books to modern ebook standards.
Hive - An online network of independent bookstores across the UK with a percent of the profit going back to your favourite independent bookshop. Also sells ebooks.
Humble Bundle - Primarily a games bundle seller but they also do book bundles occasionally, especially technical reference books and speculative fiction. All support different charity efforts and are DRM free.
Kobo - Amazon's biggest ereader rival. They offer a very similar ebook store (with almost identical deals too, by the looks of it) compared to kindle but in the more open ePub format. Also have their own ereader to rival the Kindle.
Ebooks.com - Another ebook shop, yet another ereader app and DRM. However, they have a DRM free section and are compatible with the Kobo (and possibly Kindle with the help of Calibre, but I have not tested).

My picks

For fiction, I have always been a library person. The pandemic threw a spanner in the works and I found myself using the Kindle store sales to fill the void. I have not weaned off Amazon yet but I like to buy DRM-free where I can and go direct to publishers for design and industry books such as A Book Apart.