Libreture
Libreture's list of DRM-free Bookshops exists to help you find great independent publishers, booksellers and authors, and ultimately, the amazing books they've created. It all started on my personal website in 2013, and now includes almost 200 shops.
Made up of publishers and individual authors selling e-books direct, as well as full-blown digital bookshops, the list is a great place to start when you want to find something a little different. Something you may not find promoted by the large bookshops.
To help you discover your next favourite book, we compile monthly Top Ten lists to see which shops our visitors went off to explore. Let's take a look at what was popular over the last month.
May 2019
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Red Sun
Added 30th of April, 2019
Red Sun is a quarterly science fiction, fantasy and horror magazine.
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Phoenix Publishing House
Added 29th of April, 2019
Phoenix Publishing House rose from the flames in 2018 to create a home for mental health publishing as independent specialists.
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Mythic Delirium
Added 30th of August, 2017
A small selection of very interesting titles make Mythic Delirium a great publisher to keep an eye on.
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Saga Press (-2)
Added 16th of April, 2019
Saga Press is an all-inclusive fantasy and science fiction imprint publishing great books across the spectrum of genre, from fantasy to science fiction, commercial to literary, speculative fiction to slipstream, urban fantasy to supernatural suspense.
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eManga (-)
Added 9th of March, 2019
eManga is Digital Manga, Inc.'s own one stop online shop for manga, originally established back in 2008.
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Black Shuck Books (-5)
Added 30th of March, 2019
Launched in 2015 by editor Steve J Shaw, Black Shuck Books is an independent publisher of horror fiction based in the depths of the Kent countryside.
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Kobo (DRM-free download option)
Added 19th of January, 2016
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 solid stake in the e-ink device market.
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eBooks.com (-4)
Added 1st of November, 2018
Launched in 2000, eBooks.com sells ebooks direct to millions of consumers around the world, with five local sales portals in the US, Canada, UK, Europe and Australia.
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Augur Magazine
Added 1st of February, 2019
Based in Toronto, Augur is a literary magazine that believes we can better engage with our pasts, presents, and futures through stories that explore what-ifs and could-bes.
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Belgrave House
Added 20th of June, 2015
Belgrave House, and their sister site Regency Reads, sell over 800 e-books in various genres.
Well, that's another big change! This month's highest three entries are all new to the Top Ten, and Belgrave House makes its first appearance at tenth place.
It's worth pointing out that this isn't a popularity contest as much as it's about finding e-book trends. But even more than that, it's about showing readers that there's more out there than Amazon and the other big guys.
Most of these e-bookshops are tiny. They're predominantly the websites of small presses and publishers where they sell their own titles. They love their books and want to get them in front of readers without capitulating to ridiculous terms and conditions or insulting royalties. Many are niche shops, stocking specific genres that loyal fans absolutely adore. That's what makes these bookshops so interesting and unique - it's all down to love. Heck, these folks aren't in it for the money!
This month's number one is the wonderful sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine, Red Sun. SFF magazines have had a rough time recently. With Intergalactic Medicine Show, Liminal Stories, and Shimmer closing, and Apex Magazine entering an indefinite hiatus, all in this year alone, everyone is aware of the fragility of the current market.
The problem has prompted Nin Harris to double down:
I get really worried about the dearth of short fic markets for F&SF these days as more and more magazines are closing/going on hiatus. In part that is why I am committing to a thrice a year schedule for @MagazineTruancy
— Nin Harris (@mythopoetica) 27 May 2019
In turn, Nin's commitment has prompted me to do more with Libreture's DRM-free Bookshop listing. In addition to 'Books' and 'Comics', I'll be adding a new 'Magazine' category to the page soon, along with filters to help people find them more easily.
If this monthly rundown helps just one reader discover a new e-bookshop or subscribe to a magazine that they love, then I've done my job.
Next month we'll see what the start of Summer brings us, and what little titbits we can glean from our growing trends. For now though, enjoy your DRM-free reading and support these amazing bookshops.
You can find more great shops in the full list of DRM-free Bookshops.