By my own decision, my books are not available on Amazon (to know why, see Why You Won’t Find My Books on Amazon). Unfortunately, this means that most people won’t find my books, and those who do might pass them up because they only buy ebooks on Amazon for Kindle.
But don’t worry. You can find my books on all other major ebook retailers: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, and Scribd.
If you you want to know more about these other ebook retailers, I’ve created this handy little guide to help you out.
Barns & Noble
Barnes and Noble makes it just as easy as Amazon to buy ebooks and get them to their own ebook devices and app. Their answer to Kindle is the Nook, but they also have free Nook app for Android and iOS which you can find by searching for ‘Nook’ in the respective app stores. Once you log into your B&N account on the Nook device or app, you should have access to your full B&N ebook library.
Unfortunately, you cannot buy ebooks directly from B&N in the Android or iOS app because both Google and Apple want to charge for in-app purchases, and the margin on ebooks is so tight that B&N would lose money. You can’t buy ebooks on the Kindle Android or iOS app either, for the same reason. Instead, just make your ebook purchases on the B&N online store and they will automatically show up in the app.
All of my books are available on B&N, so be sure to check them out.
Kobo Books
Kobo Books, also known as Rakuten Kobo (because a company called Rakuten bought them in 2016), is another great place to find ebooks. Like B&N, they also have a huge selection of ebooks, and their catalog is fairly well organized. Like B&N, they too have their own ebook device, all with various different names.
However, you might be better off just getting their free Android or iOS Kobo reader. You can find the app by searching for ‘Kobo’ in the app store for your device. Once you log into your Kobo account in the app, you should have access to your full Kobo ebook library.
As with the Nook and Kindle apps, you cannot buy books through the Kobo app. Once again, this is because Google and Apple want to charge for in-app purchases.
If you want something like Kindle Unlimited, Kobo has Kobo Plus. Like Kindle Unlimited, Kobo Plus is a monthly subscription allowing you to read as many ebooks as you want. Most of my books are available as part of Kobo Plus.
Apple Books
Apple Books is a great alternative to Amazon if and only if you use iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad. If you don’t, then forget about it.
I use Android myself, so my familiarity with the Apple ecosystem is a bit shaky. However, you should be able to search for books within the Apple Book store, and searching for my name, J.D. Masterly, should turn up my books as well. If not, perhaps this web link will turn them up for you.
Apple Books also lacks anything like Kindle Unlimited, but if you are interested in something similar, you can read about Scribd farther down.
Smashwords
Smashwords isn’t well known, but it is the place to go if you’re searching for erotica. The reason being, all the other retailers have various murky restrictions on what is allowed in erotica books, but Smashwords is significantly more liberal.
Alas, the Smashwords website is a bit dated. Neither do they have a dedicated ebook reader like Kindle, Nook, or Kobo’s devices, nor do they even have an app for Android or iOS.
What Smashwords does allow you to do is download the DRM-free ebook as an ePub file or PDF. No other retailer lets you do this, or if they do, it’s not obvious to me. By allowing you to download the ePub file, you have the freedom to put the ebook on your Kindle, Nook, or some other ebook app on your Android or iPad. You can even import the ePub book from Smashwords to your Kindle library.
Getting the ePub file onto your device or into your ebook library can be a bit tricky, however. Check out How to Add an EPUB book to your eBook Library to learn how.
Smashwords also lacks anything like Kindle Unlimited. But if you are interested in something similar, you can read about Scribd just below.
All of my books are available on Smashwords, so dive in and check them out.
Scribd
Think of Scribd as Kindle Unlimited. If you are looking for an alternative to Amazon KU, then Scribd (or Kobo Plus, mentioned earlier) is what you’re looking for. Having a monthly subscription to Scribd allows you to read as many ebooks as you like, just as KU does.
Scribd does not have a physical ebook reader. But, you can read books online and they also have an app for Android and iOS. You can find the app by searching for ‘Scribd’ in the app store for your device. Once you log into your Scribd account in the app, you should have access to the full Scribd library of ebooks and audiobooks.
At the time of this writing a Scribd subscription is $11.99, which is more than Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus, at $9.99. However, while not all Kobo and Kindle books are enrolled in KU, all Scribd books are accessible through the Scribd subscription. A Scribd subscription also gives you access to audiobooks. That means a Scribd subscription is a bit like having both a KU subscription and an Audible subscription wrapped up in one!
If you decide to pick up a Scribd subscription, be sure to check out my books.
Google Play Books
Google Play Books is like Apple Books, except for Android. If you use an Android device, you may already have Google Play Books installed and already linked to your Google account. If so, you can simply buy books straight off their in-app store and start reading!
Many (although not all) of my books are available on Google Play Books.
Conclusion
That about wraps it up for my guide to book retailers beyond Amazon. I realize Amazon is the go-to place to find books, ebooks, audiobooks, and everything else under the sun, but if you’re an avid reader, you should consider giving these other retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Scribd, and Apple Books a try. You will find books on those other retailers that you won’t find on Amazon, and that’s especially true if you’re searching for erotica or other ‘forbidden’ content.
Be sure to check out How to Add an EPUB book to your eBook Library to learn how to add EPUB ebooks to your favorite reading device or app. And if you’re looking for something hot and spicy to add to your reading list, check out my latest erotica books.
Happy reading!
