Having access to literature is now more important than ever, but with the absence of libraries and a wealth of free resources, it can seem like a minefield to navigate the best places to buy books online. Avoiding Amazon, as well as companies owned by the corporation helps ensure the survival of companies that might not otherwise survive the impact of the virus on their business – buying in anticipation of staring adoringly at books in an independent bookstore once again. Supporting debut authors is also something to bear in mind if you can, as physical stores can no longer expose their new release in physical stores.

new

Hive is an online bookstore where a percentage of every sale goes to an independent bookseller that you can nominate, aiding the survival of local independents. It’s a great opportunity to shop online whilst continuing to support independent booksellers; the books sold on their website are often discounted as well. They also sell e-books, their audiobooks are the best alternative I’ve found for Audible and offer 10% off to students. I didn’t realise the joy of receiving new books until I had a few waiting on my doorstep last week, the smell (!) and a shallow but valid happiness at the value of an aesthetic book cover.

Supporting your local independent from buying directly is a fantastic way to buy new books online. They may be operating differently during lockdown, as my local independent is offering free doorstep delivery to the surrounding postcodes. Going straight to independent booksellers can also mean a higher percentage of the profit goes to the author, as opposed to larger retailers.

second-hand

Up until writing this post and subsequently investigating further, I’ve always opted for Abebooks as an avenue for second-hand book buying. I think this shines a light on the fact that, even though I’ve been making more considered purchases, no-one is the perfect consumer. Abebooks is a subsidiary of Amazon which means that a percentage of profits will be given the very corporation I was trying to avoid. Yes, the prices from sellers may be cheap but I should’ve done more research.

World Of Books is a Sussex based company that sells used books. The books are primarily bought through charities. Yes, they may sell through sites like Amazon so buying directly is the best way to support the site and the work that World of Books does. Aligning their values to the Sustainable Development Goals including quality education, they have previously donated £50,000 worth of books to primary schools across the UK.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_hrub9AO3L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Beyond the second-hand book inspiration and community fostered through their Instagram account, SendB00ks is a really great platform to buy second-hand books. Commissioning an artist to design a postcard to send out with a chosen book of the month – it’s a great way to support artists alongside books. It is, of course, worth having a browse at the other second-hand books they sell on the website.

The Secondhand Bookshelf is a one-off book subscription box sent out every quarter of the year. Containing a second-hand book, as well as 3-4 sustainable items made by local artists – it is such a wonderful concept for a subscription box and a way to read a book that you might not have originally chosen.

Surprisingly, Depop can actually be a really fruitful way of finding cheap books from individual sellers. You may be less likely to find exactly what you’re looking for but when sellers sell books they often sell a lot at once so it’s worth having a browse of their account if your taste in books align. eBay, naturally, is a go-to for searching and buying second-hand books from individuals. If it is a company remember to look at who you’re buying from.

One of the beauties of the populace reading more in lockdown, as well as the utilisation of social media, are book-swaps. If you ever see a book you like on my Instagram, please message me and I’d be happy to send or swap! Often, the books I post on my social media are library books minus the protective covering because yes, they do look more appealing behind the plastic. If they’re not, I’d be happy to spread the love.

online

I’m not a great online reader and much prefer getting lost in the pages of a physical book – nothing beats charting your progress with a bookmark or having the power to hand it over to another owner to be loved after finishing. Due to delivery times and e-books often being the cheaper alternative, reading online could, however, be the way forward. It may be easy to turn to Amazon run services such as Audible, but there are some more ethical alternatives.

Hosting over a million titles, eBooks is your most ethical alternative to buying online titles. Send an e-book to a friend, read the latest contemporary novel or non-fiction masterpiece in a few clicks; it does make reading online sound more appealing.

A free service run by most libraries is BorrowBox. Enabling reading or listening to books to become accessible, it is brilliant and, most importantly, a free resource. Often, books are on loan so reserving them makes you feel like you’re reserving books to pick up at your local library.

Where are your favourite places to buy books from and do you have a favourite independent bookstore? If you know of any good book subscriptions I’d love to divulge.

lots of love, Eleanor xx