Beyond Amazon

A guide for better ways to buy and borrow books ✨

It’s Anti-Prime Day in this neck of the woods. This guide is a joyful reminder that every book bought from an indie shop or borrowed from a library keeps money in local communities. 💜

Ways to Buy Books

Bookshop.org: The premiere place for conscience-clear book buying. Every purchase earns profit shares for independent bookstores across the country and you can select a local shop to benefit directly from your purchases. You can read all about their business model and booming success in this article from Publishers Weekly.

ThriftBooks: Giant selection of used and new books at discounted prices.

PangoBooks: A reader-to-reader app for buying and selling books. It’s intuitive UX design and friendly (and humorous) support team make for a great experience. We’ve even got our own PangoBookshop!

Independent Bookstores: Need we say more?! Indie bookshops are a vibe and one that is easy to become addicted to. The staff, the book clubs, the community events, they are all wonderful parts of the indie shop experience. Find one in your neighborhood via one of the links below👇

• Diverse-Owned Bookstores in the US & Canada

• National Association of Black Bookstores Directory (US)

• Bookshop.org Store Locator

Ways to Borrow Books

Libby: Borrow e-books and audiobooks from your local library through this app! A library card is needed to set-up an account.

Libro.fm: Audiobook subscription service that routes profits to local independent bookstores. Choose a local bookstore when you sign-up and a portion of every purchase goes to them.

Public Libraries: Not only can you borrow books FOR FREE, but you can also borrow media, e-books, audiobooks, board games, and museum passes. On top of that, libraries offer a range of programs from language courses to resume building to children’s reading hour. All. For. Free. That list of offerings is just the tip of the iceberg. Locate your town’s library and find out all the awesome programs they have available.

Little Free Libraries: There are now more than 200,000 LFLs across the US. Find one that’s close to you and see what they have inside.

---