A while ago, I explained why my books aren’t available in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited programme. You can read the full article here, but my reasoning remains as follows:
- If I put my eBooks into Kindle Unlimited, Amazon won’t let me sell them anywhere else (or let me offer them for free via public libraries)
- Amazon’s Kindle store only publishes to a handful of countries
- Amazon is known for changing its trading terms without warning
So, if you’re a reader or writer looking for a different subscription service than Kindle Unlimited, what choices are available to you?
There are several eBook subscription services offering an alternative to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, but for the purposes of this article I’ve listed the most popular ones, including some apps that offer eBooks for free.
As a writer, I work with all these subscription services to make sure readers around the world can read my eBooks, especially now that many of my books are also available in French, Italian and Spanish.
Kobo Plus
Canadian-based and available worldwide, Kobo sold its first eReader in 2010 and has been going from strength to strength since then.
Originally selling eBooks, Kobo launched the Kobo Plus subscription service in 2017 in Belgium and The Netherlands. It has expanded year on year and at the current time of writing is available in 21 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, the UK and USA.
You’ll find a wide choice of books on the platform, and you’ve got the option of topping up your subscription to include audiobooks (so you don’t have to have two separate apps like Kindle and Audible).
Benefits of Kobo Plus
- A 30-day free trial is available before your subscription fee begins
- You can read on a Kobo e-Reader, or on any device using the Kobo app
- There’s a bolt-on subscription fee to include audiobooks, which you can listen to on the same app you use for reading eBooks
Cons
- Books that are locked into Kindle Unlimited will not be included in the Kobo Plus catalogue
- Some publishers have opted not to share their books with readers using the Kobo Plus subscription model
You can find all my eBooks in Kobo Plus here.
You can read more about the Kobo Plus subscription service here.
Everand
Everand started its eBook subscription service under the name Scribd and has grown in popularity since it began selling eBooks in 2009. It launched its subscription service in 2013 and rebranded to Everand in 2024.
Now with several million eBooks available, the Everand app includes many of your favourite authors’ titles (including mine) as well as audiobooks, magazines and comic books.
Benefits of Everand
- Everand offers a free 30-day trial before your subscription starts so you can see if this service is right for you before committing.
- The subscription fee includes audiobooks.
Cons
- Not every major publisher includes their authors’ titles in Everand’s library so check first before subscribing.
- There are monthly limits on some titles (not mine).
You’ll find all my eBooks and audiobooks on Everand here.
StoryTel
First established in 2005 in Sweden, StoryTel’s alternative to Kindle Unlimited launched to a wider audience in 2015 and quickly expanded across worldwide territories.
It offers audiobooks and eBooks in an unlimited subscription model that can be paid for monthly, six-monthly or annually and has a family subscription package. Every subscription offering has a child-safe option as well for peace of mind.
Benefits of StoryTel
- A wide choice of subscription payment choices
- A child-safe environment option that can be switched on when sharing the app with younger members of your family
Cons
- Not yet available in some countries.
You’ll find all my books on StoryTel here.
Free books
If the cost of a subscription service is too much for you at the moment, the only way to read books for free legally (aside from free deals authors offer from time to time), is to borrow them from a library.
There are several library apps available, and the benefits of reading eBooks on a library app is obvious – they’re all free – but did you know you’re still supporting authors when you use these as an alternative to Kindle Unlimited as well?
This is because every time you borrow a free book on one of these library apps, the writer receives a royalty for the book that the library has purchased to share with you, and in Australia, Canada and the UK authors also benefit from a small payment via a system called Public Lending Rights.
You can read more about why I love working with libraries here.
Both eBooks and audiobooks are available from many library apps and I’ve included details about the most popular free library apps below.
Hoopla
The Hoopla library app is currently available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.
It costs nothing to download and is available for Android and iOS phones and tablets. Servicing over 10,000 libraries, all you need to join Hoopla is a library card to access the book catalogue. You can even watch popular movies and TV series on the Hoopla app.
Find out more about the Hoopla app here.
Find all my books on Hoopla here.
Libby
The Libby app by OverDrive is another library app that’s extremely popular with readers as an alternative to Kindle Unlimited.
OverDrive was established in 2003 as the first digital lending platform for libraries. Today, it works with over 92,000 libraries in 115 countries, and you just need a current library card to access the free app (which is also available for Android and iOS).
Find all my books on Libby here.
Conclusion
In summary, there are many great alternatives to Kindle Unlimited and often these subscriptions offer additional access to audiobooks, saving you the expense of having to pay for an Audible subscription as well.
Happy reading!
