Libreture

DRM-free Bookshops

Invisible Publishing

Invisible Publishing is another not-for-profit publisher, this time based in Canada.

They produce contemporary Canadian fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry.

"Since releasing our first fiction titles in the spring of 2007, our catalogue has come to include works of graphic fiction and non-fiction, pop culture biographies, experimental poetry, and prose."

Books are available in ePub format as well as physical copies.

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Dzanc Books

"Dzanc Books was created in 2006 to advance great writing and to impact communities nationally with our efforts to promote literary readership and advocacy of creative writing workshops and readings offered across the country."

Dzanc Books is a non-profit publisher, based in the US. They primarily publish literary fiction and host a range of other projects, including a monthly online literary journal, support emerging writers and conduct an annual prize.

Their titles are award-winning, sold in physical as well as e-book formats and you know that the revenue goes back into the business of creating more books and supporting authors. A great cause.

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0s&1s

A multi-genre bookshop that gives 100% of the profit to the publisher. 0s&1s ('zeroes and ones') currently sells titles from 35 different publishers and in genres ranging from cerebral, classics and drama to sci-fi, short stories and suspense.

Their site is beautifully designed and the purchasing process is smooth as silk. E-books are available as a package of ePub, MOBI and PDF and almost all cost $6.

0s&1s also host conversations around books and their subjects. The site is well worth a read for the articles alone.

A leader in how to create a modern bookshop.

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Serial Box

Serialised books have been making a comeback for a few years now. Serial Box are taking that model and turning it into their unique selling point.

The founders include former Tor and Penguin Random House staff.

In their own words:

"Serial Box is here to change all of that: artfully blending together the best of series television and the convenience of ebooks and audiobooks to bring readers a new form of story telling. Releasing fiction serials over the course of 10-16 week seasons, Serial Box is about delivering addictive episodes straight to the user’s digital device to be read or listened to anytime, anywhere."

Episodes are available in ePub, MOBI, PDF and Audiobook formats and cost $1.99 each for individual purchases and $1.59 each for a subscription. Each episode in a series is written by a different member of the book's author team - in a similar way to a television series - and has an estimated reading time of 42 minutes.

Another example of an e-book business to watch.

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Kobo (DRM-free download option)

I'm still not sure about including Kobo in this list. They're not a dedicated DRM-free bookshop, but they're the only place I can buy certain unencumbered books. For example: Kobo is now the only shop where I can buy DRM-free titles by Tor, since they closed their own online shop and I boycott Amazon.

Founded in 2009 in Toronto, Canada, Kobo has since been bought by the Japanese company, Rakuten. They make the excellent Kobo e-reader device, so have a stake in the e-ink device market too.

Books are available in ePub format and to ensure you are buying a DRM-free title, check the Download options near the bottom of each book page.

Visit Kobo (DRM-free download option) »

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