This post has lived in my head in a variety of ways for several years. It started as a treatise on how Amazon destroys brick-and-mortar booksellers through their Loss Leader business model; however, my relationship with Amazon has evolved so much since the initial draft in 2018 that I find myself not only disillusioned with capitalism but also with an intense desire to completely divest from Amazon’s monopoly. And thus “How to break up with Amazon as a book lover” was born.
This might not be a popular post but it is one that I needed to write. I’ve felt hopeless for a long time, disillusioned with the particular brand of late-stage capitalism. Cost of living continues to go up and corporations are reporting record profits; the rich continue to get richer. I am fighting my hopelessness by voting with my wallet and I have chosen to no longer give my hard earned dollars to the billionaire oligarch class, starting with Amazon.
The goal of this post is not to judge consumers or to force a political stance on my followers, but rather serves as a guidebook for how a book lover can move away from Amazon if they are looking to do so. But I know there is no way to guarantee that the target audience be the only ones to visit this post, so I want to take a brief moment to share information that people can read to learn more if they’d like.
Why You Might Want to Divest from Amazon
There are a number of reasons that a consumer may choose to vote with their wallet and boycott Amazon and its subsidiaries. In fact, this has been a topic of discussion for many years. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are a few reasons:
- Amazon’s treatment of workers and history of union busting (they are not the only company in trouble with the NLRB, of course)
- Amazon’s tax avoidance (Ethical Consumer has been calling for a boycott primarily due to this since 2012)
- Anti-competitive business practices which put brick-and-mortar companies out of business with the “Loss-Leader” business model
- Amazon (and other US Big Tech companies such as Google) support Israel’s AI-powered genocide of the Palestinian people
- And the most recent news being Jeff Bezos’ shift on the 47th President and the big tech oligarchs (which includes Bezos) falling in line with the felonious fascist in the White House
As of January 2025, Reader Voracious no longer provides purchase links to Amazon in posts and I am no longer part of their affiliate program. Please note that it will take some time to manually review all 588 posts published on this website to remove links and reformat posts.
How to break up with Amazon as a Book Lover
Given Amazon’s propensity to buy their competition (RIP AbeBooks and Book Depository) or acquire companies which will feed consumers into their ecosystem (Goodreads), it can feel like Amazon is everywhere. This isn’t an exhaustive list but it is a good starting point if you are looking for alternatives to shift your bookish consumption away from Amazon!
Have a suggestion not listed in this post? Please share it in the comments, especially for readers who are not based in the US or UK where affordable access to English books is considerably more difficult.
Amazon Alternatives for Physical Books
- Bookshop (US, UK) is an e-commerce option that connects readers with their favorite independent bookshops. Every purchase on Bookshop.org financially supports independent bookstores, keeping these vital businesses open and keeping more money in the local economy. You choose a bookstore to support when you sign up for an account.
- Blackwell’s is a UK bookseller that was purchased by Waterstones in 2022. They ship to a large number of countries and shipping is typically included in the cost. You are able to purchase signed copies of books, which is especially exciting for international readers who typically do not have affordable access.
- Better World Books (ships worldwide) is a certified b-corp that supports global literacy and sustainability while also providing deep discounts on new and used books. They offer free shipping and have a rewards program.
- Biblio (US, UK, Australia, New Zealand) is an online marketplace for used, rare, and out-of-print books. This small, independent company is located in Asheville, North Carolina and is dedicated to supporting independent, community businesses.
- Wordery is a completely online UK bookseller that offers free shipping to over 100 countries (excluding the United States). Wordery was purchased by Waterstones in 2020.
- Awesome Books is a secondhand marketplace for books that aims to stop books from being thrown away. The company supports literary programs around the world by donating a book for every one sold. Pretty awesome! They ship to a number of countries.
- Waterstones is a UK bookseller that can be viewed as a non-US Barnes & Noble. They offer a good selection of Signed and Special Edition books. Waterstones ships to a large number of countries but the shipping costs can be quite expensive.
Note: a number of e-commerce sites for secondhand books have been purchased by Amazon over the years. If you do not want to purchase from Amazon, be sure to avoid Abebooks (since 2008)
Amazon Alternatives for eBooks
eBooks is where it gets a little tricky because a lot of people likely are entrenched in the Kindle ecosystem (that was by design). If you already own a Kindle, please do not throw it out: you are punishing no one but yourself and the environment by throwing away a perfectly good piece of technology. Amazon already got their money and you already spent the money, so please use what you have until it is to naturally replace it.
With that out of the way, there are other options when it comes to eBook readers and retailers! When it comes time for you to invest in something new, check out Barnes and Noble’s Nook or Rakuten’s Kobo.
- Kobo (Rakuten) sells ebooks that can be read on a Kobo device of using their free app. Kobo is available to a large number of countries listed here; note that your credit card will need to match the country you are “shopping” in.
- eBooks.com (US, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia) is an independent retailer of ebooks. They have a free ebook reader app available but you can also read the books online.
- Bookshop.org now sells eBooks – I am beyond excited! Every purchase supports your independent bookshop of choice and you are able to read the ebooks in your browser or using their free app (iOS or Android). Payments must be US-based.
- Nook (Barnes & Noble) sells ebooks that can be read on a Nook device or using their free Nook app. They have a robust selection and even have freebies for those of us addicted to picking up free ebooks. A US credit card and mailing address is required, unfortunately.
If you are a library user and/or already own a number of Kindle eBooks like me, what I did was download the Kindle app on my cell phone and tablet. That way I am able to read these books without spending more money in the Kindle ecosystem. Want to go a step further? Check out Calibre.
Audible Alternatives for Audiobooks
Libro.fm has been around for a decade and has continued to gain considerable traction in recent years as opinions for Amazon have continued to sour. Available internationally, Libro.fm provides DRM-free copies of the audiobooks while supporting your favorite independent bookshop.
I am a proud Libro.fm affiliate. If you’d like to sign up for a monthly membership ($14.99) using my link, be sure to enter code “SWITCH” at checkout to also receive 2 free audiobook credits.
🎉 Related Post: Why I Switched to LibroFM for Audiobooks. Learn all about LibroFM in this dedicated post from 2020!
Goodreads Alternatives
In case you weren’t aware, Amazon purchased Goodreads in 2013 and the website has gone without significant improvements ever since. Well, basically until a couple alternatives showed up; the competition seems to have inspired some coding updates and “improvements” to the annual reading challenges that broke why people liked them in the first place.
- The StoryGraph launched in 2020 and is a favorite among the bookish community. The website is constantly improving and their staff listen to the users. It’s honestly a treat!
- Book Hype is an alternative created by veteran book blogger Nose Graze. I’ve been playing around with it for some time now (since 2021 oops) and will eventually do a dedicated post deep dive, but I wanted to include it here as well.
🎉 Related Post: All About StoryGraph – a better goodreads, finally!. Learn about The StoryGraph and make the switch from goodreads.
Let’s Chat!
Thank you for being here! Please drop in the comments to say hello and share your thoughts on breaking up with Amazon. Do you agree with my suggestions?
💖 If you like the work that I do here at Reader Voracious, consider fueling my Java Chai consumption by buying me a ko-fi or joining my Patreon! ☕
What a great resource that addressess all the different facets of Amazon (ie not just alternatives to purchasing physical books)! I never purchased books from Amazon to begin with as I have a discount at a local shop, but Blackwell’s is my go to for books I can’t get from a Canadian retailer. I did not know it was acquired by Waterstones :O But certainly that’s better than being acquired by Amazon…
Great post!! It’s crazy to think about how Amazon is literally everywhere in the book world 😯 I’ve really enjoyed using Storygraph, as I love their stats and how they’re offering new functions! I still use Goodreads for the social aspect, but I’m glad that there are now more book-tracking sites that have become popular!
I’m also super happy that I finally have access to Libby, as it means listening to so many audiobooks for free. I just hate that Audible still has the exclusive audiobooks that I can’t get from my library 😕
I love this post. I do try not to use Amazon although it can be tricky sometimes as we have found that is practically impossible to buy somethings elsewhere due to physical shops closing and the way Amazon has taken over so many online suppliers. For books, I try to use physical bookshops where ever possible and often buy used books through ebay (it’s great for second hand fairy loot books! )
Great post! I’ve been using Libro.fm for audiobooks (with an occasional Chirp audiobook) for a few years now, and I love it. I’m lucky in that I have a couple great local indie bookstores I can shop at, but when I need to get gifts for people (with gift receipts) I’ve been switching to Barnes & Noble instead. They might not be perfect either, but they’re still better than Amazon, at least.
Sadly, I won’t be able to give up my Kindle until NetGalley and Edelweiss have ways to download my ARCs to other devices… But I don’t buy Amazon books anyway so…
I loved this post so much!
Thank you SO MUCH for putting this post together. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a couple weeks now, but you’ve done all the work for me and now I don’t need to! Some of the book buying websites I’d never heard of, like Wordery, which sounds awesome. Here are a few others I’d add:
–Thriftbooks is an independent seller and sells a lot of used books from their warehouses (and I think some new books, too).
–Pangobooks is like Poshmark/Mercari, but for books only so you pay media mail shipping, which is a lower price; consumers buy directly from individuals.
Book Outlet, which I use for cheap new books, was acquired by Amazon over a decade ago. So FYI to anyone who reads the comments.
Anyway, I also wish people would apply this principle to any use of Amazon. I know it’s not feasible for many who don’t make a lot of money or who live in really rural areas. But for those who have the means I wish they’d stop using Amazon simply because it’s “easy.” They are the last outlet I check when I’m not satisfied with my options elsewhere. So, yes, I’m not “perfect,” but I try really hard to avoid Amazon. And, with this whole no more downloads allowed of your ebooks, I’m done buying ebooks from them. Once my current kindle dies I’ll probably move over to Kobo.
One last note–it’s also frustrating that libraries (at least mine) use Amazon as their ebook supplier. Now that I know digital loans cost the library more, though, I’ve moved more to physical loans and make sure I finish my audiobook first before checking out another.
I am using Fable this year. It is similar to Goodreads and story graph.
Another great and informative post, Kal. Although I no longer blog about books (formally Flora’s Musings) I am still a reader and avid listener to audiobooks.
I love bookshop.org and XigXag for audio.
I make the switch wanting to move away from Amazon. The problem I faced was that I mainly read self-publishing authors. Sadly to begin with I couldn’t find those authors on the site. Although ALLI and other independent author resources recommend writers publish wide, many still only use KDP. And many only publish ebooks. This means that I can’t buy their work anywhere other than Amazon.
However, now my 3 favourite pnr authors have their own stores on their websites and I buy direct.