Confused about where to purchase the eBooks from ? Read on to find the answers.
If you are bored sitting at home through the lockdown, then reading books is one of the pastime activities I can recommend. And most importantly, you do not need to get any physical paperback or hardcover delivered to your house as it may or may not contain the infection. Simple pay and purchase the eBook online and download it to read it on your computer, smartphone, tablet or eBook reader like Kindle.
There are many eBook Stores available where you can buy eBooks online, and here is a list of some of the best places where you can compare the titles and the prices before purchasing them.
Also Read: How To Read Free eBooks With Wattpad Stories?
1. Amazon eBook Store
When you speak of Books, the first name that comes to mind is Amazon which initially started as an online book vendor in 1995. The same is true for eBooks, and Amazon has moved a step further and invented an eBook reader known as Kindle as well. Currently, Amazon has the largest eBook Store on the internet and offers more than simple everyday eBooks.
Amazon has used innovative ideas to attract customers from across the globe and always delivered its promise to customers, along with books. One of the most amazing features of Amazon is the Kindle unlimited for $10 per month, which gives you access to 1 million + titles to choose from. There is no individual cost of every book for unlimited members, and they can read any title in this collection for free.
The second feature that Amazon users can benefit from is the Prime Reading. If you are an Amazon Prime customer, then you can read from a varying library of 1000+ eBooks for free. This library collection keeps changing every month. Above all, Amazon eBook store offers the best discounts and schemes on books during the festive season.
Note: You do not have to be a Kindle user to purchase any eBook from Amazon eBook store. Anyone can do so and download the eBook and transfer to another eBook reader to read. However, if your eBook does not support the Amazon eBook format, then convert it to another format with a free application called Calibre.
Also Read: Book Browser App: A guide about books
2. Apple Books
Apple has always provided competition to others when it comes to technology, and it has continued the same with Apple Books. Previously known as iBooks, Apple Books is limited for macOS and iOS devices which mean it won’t work for someone who does not use an Apple device like iPhone, iPad or Macintosh computer. For Apple users who wish to buy eBooks online, there are various best sellers available from famous and independent writers. However, the collection is less as compared to Amazon eBook Store.
3. Total Boox
If Reading is your hobby and not something you have tried out during this lockdown, then you must have felt the pain of purchasing books which you have pushed aside without reading them till the end. For me, it is not the money spent that hurts the most, but it is the time spend that will never come back.
To avoid disappointment and wastage of money, Total Boox eBook Store has introduced a unique concept of paying for what you read-only rather than buying the eBook online. You can download as many books as you want from a collection of 40000+ eBooks, and you will not be charged until you start reading. In other words, you only pay for the section of the book you read depending on the percentage completed. Total Boox is only available on Android and Amazon Fire devices.
Also Read: Top 10 Free E-Books Readers for Windows
4. Smashwords
One of the world’s largest eBook Store for buying eBooks online that are written by independent authors is Smashwords. It supports new authors to publish their books for free and helps their work to be included among retailers and libraries. Currently, this eBook store has over half a million eBooks available out of which 70,000 are free.
One of the unique features of Smashwords is that it has different filters for word count, which help you list eBooks under 20,000 words and over 100,000 words. There are common filters as well like poetry, essays and screenplays. Smashwords allows its users to download eBooks in more than one format like PDF, EPUB and MOBI for Kindle devices.
Also Read: Hey, Bookworms! Here are 6 Best Websites to Read Books Online
5. Barnes & Noble
If you want to buy a book (the normal ones, printed on paper), then there is one famous name in every household – Barnes & Noble. With the advent of eBooks and increasing digitalization, Barnes & Noble decided to shift their business to paperless. Although Barnes and Noble still have 600 brick and mortar stores spread out in the USA, it is diverting its efforts on eBooks. It has also developed Nook eReader, which is a direct competition to Amazon’s Kindle.
As of now, Barnes & Noble consists of more than 3 million paid titles and 1 million free eBooks. However, due to the intense rivalry, Barnes & Noble has maintained a different eBook format known as EPUB, which is no compatible with Amazon’s Kindle. But there is nothing to worry about!
All eBooks can be converted into any format you wish with the help of Calibre Application which is free to use.
6. Kobo Bookstore
Kobo Bookstore is another important eBook store on the list where you can buy eBooks online. With over 5 million titles divided between fiction and not fiction, Kobo Bookstore is a one-stop solution for your eBook choices. It is available on multiple platforms like Windows, iOS and Android. Kobo Bookstore has also initiated theKobo Writing Life program, which is a boon for new writers to get their work published. This has increased the number of free eBooks available on Kobo Bookstore. On the other hand, Kobo Bookstore is considered more expensive than any other eBook store on this list.
7. Google Play Books
Google has many credits to its name, and the Google Play Store eBook Store is one of them consisting of 5 million titles. As per one of the research conducted involved choosing 5 most popular titles and checking their price on all the famous eBooks stores online, Google eBook Store was found to be at least 10% cheaper.
Google eBook Store lets users download eBooks in two formats, EPUB and PDF out of which PDF is the most compatible on almost all eReaders available today, including Kindle. However, books from Google eBook store come with a DRM restriction which can be easily removed with Caibre application for free.
Also Read: Best Free Interactive eBook Creator Applications For Windows 10
Bonus eBook Store: Local Library
Most Local libraries have started lending out eBooks to their readers on specific applications. They follow the same system used in case of a physical book. With the increasing popularity of eBooks, local libraries have been issuing eBooks to all their members. If you have a library card or a student card, then you can issue eBooks from these sites.
- OverDrive
- Open Library
If you want to get access to free eBooks, then this article might interest you- 10 Best Free eBooks Download Sites.
Also Read: Best Free Interactive eBook Creator Applications For Windows 10
Which eBook Store Did You Choose To Buy eBooks Online?
Reading is a great hobby and has gained more popularity after physical Books were transformed into digital eBooks. With this transformation, you need not carry books everywhere without and store it on your smartphone and start reading whenever you get time. Buying from these eBook stores is perfectly legal, and the eBook will stay in your account as long as you want because you paid for it. The cost of an eBook is always less than the physical books as the cost of printing a book is reduced.