I’ve been trying to buy my books at indie stores instead of Amazon these days and stumbled upon Libro.fm. It’s an alternative to Audible and when you purchase an audiobook you can choose your favorite indie bookstore they split the profits.
You can find out more here and get one free audiobook. (FYI: this is referral link and I would receive one free audiobook if you subscribe for one month - but feel free to check it out from the home page if you'd like).
I was asking Amber from Du Livre if it was better than Audible and she loves the app (as do I!) more than Audible’s and informed me about their Audiobook Listening Copy (ALC) program for educators, librarians, booksellers, reviewers and influencers. Available in US and Canada.
Each month you get to choose form a mix of new and upcoming audiobook releases. You download which books you would like to listen to during that month but can listen whenever you want once it is downloaded. They don’t really ask anything in return but provide all the links for cover photos, press info and hashtags so you can share on your blog or social media.
I love the variety of books they offer. For example in July they had Boyfriend Material, The Voting Booth, Wandering in Strange Lands, The Pull of Stars, The Only Good Indians, Notes on a Silencing, His & Hers, and All Along You Were Blooming.
This months picks are
You have to apply (it’s a very easy/quick form) & you can do that here. I found out that I was accepted by the end of the day. It’s totally worth a shot if you love audiobooks, like a little variety and want to help out indie bookstores in the process. And yay for the no deadlines (other than downloading your picks by the end of the month) or pressure to review.
I think I’m going to spotlight the books each month along with an indie bookstore.
I chose my local bookstore – Vault Books and Brew in Castle Rock, WA for my Libro.fm purchases. I’ve posted a few pictures of this place before but it’s been a while so I’ll post them again. Vault Books and Brew used to a bank before becoming a bookstore and coffee shop and they converted the old safe room into a fun Narnia like play area for kids!
They just posted about new bookish masks and socks that arrived so I see a shopping trip in my future.
If you prefer print books – check out Bookshop. Like Libro.fm, you can order online through Bookshop and select an indie bookstore to support. They are currently US only. I’ll be sharing some of the stores I’ve supported through them soon.
Do you have a favorite indie bookstore?
What August audiobooks should I download?
That bookstore looks awesome! Glad you are happy with the switch and it's a great win-win situation too.
ReplyDeleteI've never subscribed to audible. It's so pricey and, at the time, I didn't listen to enough audiobooks to make it worth it but I'm glad Amber told me about his option. it's a win win for everyone.
DeleteI love this, and your local bookstore sounds amazing. I'm an affiliate with Bookshop. I love that you can support indie bookstores and the prices really aren't bad! Definitely a good alternative if you want to avoid, or limit, Amazon purchases.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I signed up for the Bookshop affiliate thing too. I need to work on that a bit more though lol
DeleteI've been trying to shop more locally since the shutdowns anyway and this makes it easier for all involved.
Your local indie store is awesome! I have NONE near me... It's ridiculous. I mean, I have Waterstones but they're a chain along the lines of Barnes & Noble in the US. When I buy paperbacks, I do buy from Waterstones over Amazon but it's not the same as a good indie. :(
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have any in FL either so this is all new to me. WA/OR are big bookish towns but even so, they're all struggling.
DeleteI didn’t know all that about Libro.fm. I don’t know whether or not I’ll be able to use it outside of the US or if it’ll work in the same way but I’ll definitely be checking it out all the same. And I do remember you talking about the bank bookstore but those pictures still amaze me. It’s just so cool!
ReplyDeleteI *think* they do US and Canada. I have to visit more indie bookstores out here. There are SO many!
DeleteI'm sure anyone who likes audiobooks will be happy to hear about this place.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice, comparable (price wise) alternative if you want to go somewhere other than Amazon or help local booksellers.
DeleteYes!! I love libro.fm! I support Powell's through mine. I downloaded Vivek this month (I got The Switch from NetGalley).
ReplyDeleteI knew about it but I wasn't really into to audiobooks enough to make it worth it at the time. But they have so many options besides a yearly subscription.
DeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
Wow that's cool. I don't listen to a lot of audiobooks (I get distracted) but if I did I would totally check this out! Plus it helps indies too which is nice. Hmm...
ReplyDeleteThat bookstore looks super neat too!
I'm learning!!! I found I can listen to genres I don't normally like or that bore me in print but I can still only listen under certain circumstances.
DeleteYou should look at Bookshop then. It's the print version of Libro.fm
I've bought several books through them for bookstores that don't have an online option.
I have to take a look at those. Audible is just so audible, I'd rather have something else
ReplyDeleteI have Kindle Unlimited but I don't want to subscribe to anything else on there and I've used Audible for Prime free reads and I hate it.
DeleteWell I read mostly from my kindle these days but if I order print books (from other genres like nonfiction) I will buy them local if I can. Very cool what Libro.fm does though. I haven't checked them out so I will need to look into them.
ReplyDeleteThey're very comparable to audible.
DeleteI'm almost 80% library books right now but when I buy a print book (@ once or twice a month) I'm trying to help an indie bookstore.
I don't have a local indie store, and I'm afraid I do feed the monster since I only read on Kindle these days. I do sometimes get prints to support an author specifically. But *sigh* I'm not that good about it anymore.
ReplyDeleteNo shame! You get books where you get them!
DeleteTo be honest, I get almost all mine from the library now & I can only afford one or two from an indie store per month. It's way more expensive. I still shop Amazon for ebooks a lot.
That bookstore looks amazing! I don't have any local ones that I like, they're all rather snobby with very limited choices but there's one in Salem, MA which is about 50 mins away and it is AMAZING.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've lived anywhere with indie bookstores. FL had nothing. Portland, OR has even more but I haven't gotten there yet.
DeleteI'm so happy you're enjoying libro.fm. I think the interface is better than audible and I'm just over giving money to Jeff Bezos.
ReplyDeleteI'm still in love with your old bank bookstore. Ugh, I miss visiting bookstores. I realize I won't have content for my Independent Bookstore Spotlight blog posts. ):
None are opening yet? We have a mix of open (with rules) and curbside out here. The main Powell's hasn't opened yet but one has - but their airport store closed permanently.
DeleteThanky ou so much for the heads up about libro.fm!!
We don't have any Indie bookstores anywhere near us sadly or I'd be there every week! My nearest bookstore is about 6 miles away and that is Waterstones. We used to have a great bookstore when I was a kid but Waterstones opened up beside it and took their trade. Both were shut a year or two later which really narked me off!
ReplyDeleteI have less bookstores close by here than I had in FL but more indies so that's weird. I really miss just being able to stop by and wander around when I'm bored like I used to but I guess I have more variety when I can get out.
Deleteaahh, you're making me look at another audiobook app. I've been considering subscribing to one since I tried Scribd a couple of months back. I will definitely look into this but I can't subscribe right now. Probably soon.
ReplyDeleteI've only subscribed to KU. I was looking at Audible since I'm using audiobooks more but I've always disliked the app. I do like libro.fm so far.
DeleteGoodness, that bookstore looks amazing! There are no indies here, sadly. I guess the closest would be NYC or Philly, both of which are 2+ hours. But I love the idea that you can support indies regardless! I will definitely be checking out Bookshop. Also, the audio thing sounds so great! I really wish I could get into them, maybe one of these days!
ReplyDeleteIt took me YEARS to be able to do audiobooks. And I still struggle. I'm very choosy about the narrator and genres I usually love don't work for me on that format.
DeleteThis sounds wonderful! I will check it out. 👍✨
ReplyDelete