Since eBooks, fan-fiction communities, audio books and writing platforms have become a common sight nowadays, there are more ways than ever to publish or read a great story without ever holding a physical copy of it. Here are just a few places you can go to, to enjoy some high-quality storytelling:
Many readers only know Kindle as Amazon’s handheld eBook reading device, but you can also get Kindle for free as an app for Windows, iOS, and Android as well as various other platforms.
While reading books on your PC or Laptop might somewhat defy the purpose of an actual eReader, it is a great alternative for people who don’t want to buy such a device but still need to read certain books, which are only available (or much more affordable) as eBooks. Also, nothing is stopping you from installing it on your mobile device, which turns your smartphone or tablet into an improvised Kindle.
Kobo is an app for nearly every device and operating system, which works much like Amazon’s Kindle app.
The account and software come free, and you can buy your eBooks out of a library of over 5 million titles and sync them easily between all your devices.
They even sell their own eReaders, just in case you prefer that to your phone or tablet.
This one is especially appealing to kids (and their parents). Tales2Go aims to foster children’s vocabulary as well as their interest in reading, by offering a vast library of audio books.
The special thing about it is that you don’t have to buy every single book, but rather gain access to the whole collection for the monthly fee. There is a 30-day free trial available, in case you want to check it out.
If you’re into fan-fiction, you must be familiar with FFN. They are one of the big names in fan-fiction and have been around since the late 90’s.
With more than 2 million users and an enormous database of stories, you are sure to find the coolest expansions for your favorite universe.
There is also a mobile version so you can enjoy your fanfics on the go.
Full disclosure: this one is my own baby, but it fits perfectly into this article. Belletristica (or Belle, as the community calls it) is an online platform for readers and writers alike.
One special thing about Belle, which I personally love, is the gamification aspect. For example: for everything you do (publishing, reading, commenting, or even just chatting) you get small amounts of Fairy Dust, which works exactly like experience points do in roleplay games. Additionally, there are medals, seasonal challenges and many other things to explore. Also, it is entirely free, and it will always stay this way.
It’s fully responsive and designed to feel like an app on mobile devices. Also, an actual Belle-app is planned for early 2017, so you might want to keep an eye on it.
About the Author
Ben Wendtner is an Austrian author and the creator of the online writing platform Belletristica, a place to publish, enjoy and chat about written words of all kinds.
Image credits: Pixabay
Image credits: Pixabay
