# Teleread offering 3 month trial for Scribd



## 75845 (Jan 1, 1970)

Read this Teleread article for a 3 month trial at Scribd- all the reading your want for a quarter, including back catalogue of HarperCollins and Simon and Schuster plus books from Smashwords, BookBaby, and Draft2Digital. Normally you just get a one month trial, or two months if using the link provided by a Scribd member.

http://www.teleread.com/book-subscription-services/want-try-scribd-free-3-months/


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Lots of folks here tried the free 3 months when Scribd first launched the 'subscription' service.  Problem is: you need to read on a tablet. There's no way to get the books on a kindle eInk reader.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

I think the coolest things about the scribd app is that it has a separate brightness control from the tablet, and it also has a sepia mode.  It's still not quite as nice as reading on my e-ink devices, but it's not bad.
It's also neat that you can get big publishers like Harper Collins and Simon and Schuster.  In my opinion they messed up the last major update though.  They added a two-column layout in landscape mode with no option to turn it off.  I'm hoping that gets fixed soon.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I started with a 3 month trial too, a different offer. No, there is no way to read on e-ink kindles. They do have an app for the kindle fires, which I don't think Oyster has. One of the best things is their customer service. I have had to contact them a few times and they always got back to me right away and try to fix things.

Here are some of the publishers I have found on there. What I do is follow the publishers, then I can go to my profile and look directly in their catalog.

They don't have all of their books in Scribd, some publishers have a lot of them though

HarperCollins
Simon and Schuster (they been one of my favorites, their books are not in my local library)
Kensington
Sourcebooks
Diversion books (great backlist stuff)
Open Road Media (great backlist stuff)
Samhain Publishing
Belgrave House (traditional recencies)
Dreamspinner Press 
BelleBooks
Epubdirect



Andra said:


> I think the coolest things about the scribd app is that it has a separate brightness control from the tablet, and it also has a sepia mode. It's still not quite as nice as reading on my e-ink devices, but it's not bad.
> It's also neat that you can get big publishers like Harper Collins and Simon and Schuster. In my opinion they messed up the last major update though. They added a two-column layout in landscape mode with no option to turn it off. I'm hoping that gets fixed soon.


I had to downgrade to 3.6.2 on my Nexus tablet because that last update added HUGE margins. I mean just huge. So I got the apk to go back down to the previous version. They also added hyphenation which looks horrible in the books I tried reading. I hope I can stay on this older version, as 3.7 was not readable for me on my tablet anymore. I was freaking out when it downloaded. I did give them feedback on that. I don't know about the 2 columns as my tablet is only a 7 inch. But I guess that would mean if one wants to read sideways, its not possible. 2 columns would be too narrow to read on for me in any case.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Atunah said:


> I had to downgrade to 3.6.2 on my Nexus tablet because that last update added HUGE margins. I mean just huge. So I got the apk to go back down to the previous version. They also added hyphenation which looks horrible in the books I tried reading. I hope I can stay on this older version, as 3.7 was not readable for me on my tablet anymore. I was freaking out when it downloaded. I did give them feedback on that. I don't know about the 2 columns as my tablet is only a 7 inch. But I guess that would mean if one wants to read sideways, its not possible. 2 columns would be too narrow to read on for me in any case.


Exactly! The two columns on my Nexus 7 are too narrow and it just looks funny. I hadn't thought about rolling it back though. I may have to try that if they don't get this fixed soon. There was an update yesterday (9/24/14). I don't know if it fixed your margin problem, but it's still automatically two columns when you go to landscape view.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Andra said:


> Exactly! The two columns on my Nexus 7 are too narrow and it just looks funny. I hadn't thought about rolling it back though. I may have to try that if they don't get this fixed soon. There was an update yesterday (9/24/14). I don't know if it fixed your margin problem, but it's still automatically two columns when you go to landscape view.


You didn't notice the large margins on your nexus? They were as wide as the widest setting in the kindle app on my nexus. Not in sideways mode, in portrait mode. I took screencaps of before and after. I have the apk, so I can always go back I assume. 
But if they keep the hyphenations in, I won't be able to every update. They were horrible. The way the words were cut off was disturbing.


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

Atunah said:


> I started with a 3 month trial too, a different offer. No, there is no way to read on e-ink kindles. They do have an app for the kindle fires, which I don't think Oyster has. One of the best things is their customer service. I have had to contact them a few times and they always got back to me right away and try to fix things.
> 
> Here are some of the publishers I have found on there. What I do is follow the publishers, then I can go to my profile and look directly in their catalog.
> 
> ...


I've just signed up for Scribd, how do you follow the publishers?


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

ValeriGail said:


> I've just signed up for Scribd, how do you follow the publishers?


Just search for them in the top search bar, it will give you suggestions as you type and you'll see the official publisher name. Once you pull them up you can hit the follow button. You can also get to the publishers through a book and the little "i" info and click on the publisher name. Once you have them follow, you go to your profile in the drop down menu and can go directly to them.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Lots of folks here tried the free 3 months when Scribd first launched the 'subscription' service. Problem is: you need to read on a tablet. There's no way to get the books on a kindle eInk reader.


THIS.

I have a year sub and I no longer use it. I hated reading on my laptop and even stopped reading a couple of books partway through. Some of it was contrast -- I read on my laptop all the time (like now). They have this beige background thing going and it bothered my eyes. The selection there is better than the Kindle lending program, but I couldn't stand reading on the interface!


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I couldn't read a book on a laptop either - it just isn't portable enough for me and the screen is just too big for me, and definitely not "booklike" enough for me. I don't love reading on a big iPad either - just too much print on the page (magazines are great on the iPad, though). But I have no problem reading on my iPad Mini or on my Fire.

I did get the free 3-month subscription to Scribd, and my library was saved from my previous extended trial subscription. I'm thinking I'll enjoy reading on the HD6 when it arrives - hopefully they've fixed the glitchy page turns that bugged me before.  I mostly read on the iPad Mini last go round Because of that - the iOS app ran much more smoothly than the Fire app.


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

So far, I'm really enjoying the app. The book selection seems quite extensive in comparison to KU. (Taking the big publishers into account for scribd but minus a good portion of indies for KU, so it's a pro/con).  The interface is nice. I love the organization ability.  So far that is my favorite feature. 

As far as the beige (sepia) background, they actually have three settings now.. Day(white), night(black), and sepia. You can set your brightness inside the app as well. I read on my iPad so that my husband can read on my kindle. I tend to read mostly when everyone else is asleep (medical issues that keep me up), so having a backlit device works best for my needs. 

This all said, if amazon could work a deal with the big publishers and expand the titles available on KU, I would only read through amazon.  I still prefer the familiarity and comforts of what I've considered "home" for so long.


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

Atunah said:


> No, there is no way to read on e-ink kindles. They do have an app for the kindle fires, which I don't think Oyster has.


Wait, whoa, where did you find this? This is my biggest complaint with Scribd--I can't use it on my Kindle Fire. There is an android app available in the Amazon App Store, but it doesn't show as being eligible to be downloaded to any of our Fires (maybe it works on newer Fires?). I did wonder if Amazon was just making it appear that way, since they are now a direct competitor of Scribd. If there is a Scribd app that will work on my Fire, I'd love to have it, as for now I am reading my Scribd books on laptop or phone (I don't have a tablet other than the Fire).


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Maria Romana said:


> Wait, whoa, where did you find this? This is my biggest complaint with Scribd--I can't use it on my Kindle Fire. There is an android app available in the Amazon App Store, but it doesn't show as being eligible to be downloaded to any of our Fires (maybe it works on newer Fires?). I did wonder if Amazon was just making it appear that way, since they are now a direct competitor of Scribd. If there is a Scribd app that will work on my Fire, I'd love to have it, as for now I am reading my Scribd books on laptop or phone (I don't have a tablet other than the Fire).


From the Scribd website: http://www.scribd.com/kindlefire Follow the link on your Fire - easy peasy! Just make sure you've got the Fire set to install apps from "unknown sources". (When I was doing their beta test, the page turns were pretty glitchy but I heard they'd fixed that - don't have a Fire right now so I haven't tested it.)


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Atunah said:


> I started with a 3 month trial too, a different offer. No, there is no way to read on e-ink kindles. They do have an app for the kindle fires, which I don't think Oyster has. One of the best things is their customer service. I have had to contact them a few times and they always got back to me right away and try to fix things.


There actually is an Android app for Oyster now, as well as an app for the Fire. In case anyone's interested in a free trial there using a Fire: 
https://www.oysterbooks.com/kindlefire

For other Android things, it's in Google Play and also in 1Mobile.

My one suggestion - don't do a free trial of Oyster and Scribd at the same time - stagger them to get max use of each!


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

never mind


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Atunah said:


> never mind


I didn't know either until I checked the Oyster site today  I knew they'd said they were working on Android, but didn't know it had actually happened. And was a little surprised that there's even a Fire app - indicates that there's a fair number of them out there. Then again they're competing against Scribd. And Kindle Unlimited.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Meemo said:


> I didn't know either until I checked the Oyster site today  I knew they'd said they were working on Android, but didn't know it had actually happened. And was a little surprised that there's even a Fire app - indicates that there's a fair number of them out there. Then again they're competing against Scribd. And Kindle Unlimited.


Yep, lots of fires out there now. Oyster really took their time initially with the android app. When I looked into both services, I picked Scribd for 2 reasons, a kindle app and I was able to browse the complete catalog on Scribd, something I couldn't do on Oyster. I didn't regret the decision. 
Although I don't use my Fire anymore, I got a Nexus 7.2. My fire is an older 8.9 HD and it was just too heavy to read on. The Nexus is surprisingly easy on my eyes, which I didn't expect. I still prefer e-ink, but that is just not possible with Scribd. I'll leave Kindle Unlimited before I leave Scribd as the selection is just so much better with Scribd.

I'd be willing to pay more if I could get all the publishers on Scribd, but have them on e-ink with Amazon. Wishful thinking though.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Yeah, I don't see the Big 5 publishers getting on board with Kindle Unlimited anytime soon - that relationship with Amazon is just a bit too...contentious.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Meemo said:


> Yeah, I don't see the Big 5 publishers getting on board with Kindle Unlimited anytime soon - that relationship with Amazon is just a bit too...contentious.


Yeah, there is just no way. Unfortunately, that just makes the program not as interesting in the long run, especially for what it costs. I'd much prefer to stay within the Amazon universe, but I want to read the stuff that is on Scribd more. Content is what matters really.


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

Atunah said:


> Yeah, there is just no way. Unfortunately, that just makes the program not as interesting in the long run, especially for what it costs. I'd much prefer to stay within the Amazon universe, but I want to read the stuff that is on Scribd more. Content is what matters really.


My thoughts exactly. I'm really enjoying what Im Finding available on scribd and can easily see myself keeping this long term.

Another question, how do I view my collections after I've set them up?


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

ValeriGail said:


> My thoughts exactly. I'm really enjoying what Im Finding available on scribd and can easily see myself keeping this long term.
> 
> Another question, how do I view my collections after I've set them up?


They just revamped the website. Just click on "My Library" in the drop down. They have consolidated everything there. On top are your collections and below you can sort by saved, finished and reading. I really like this new look. It shows your activity by month, so over time if your books are marked as finished as you read them, you get an idea how much you read each month. I make spreadsheets anyway, but this is a nice overview.

I don't recall how it looks like on the app though, especially since I can't use the newest app it will look different anyway.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Holy Moly

Harlequin just joined Scribd with 15000 titles   

http://blog.scribd.com/2014/10/02/now-on-scribd-unlimited-romance-from-harlequin/
There are some nice historical authors on Harlequin I like to read.

Scribd is a romance readers dream now. .


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

Meemo said:


> From the Scribd website: http://www.scribd.com/kindlefire Follow the link on your Fire - easy peasy! Just make sure you've got the Fire set to install apps from "unknown sources". (When I was doing their beta test, the page turns were pretty glitchy but I heard they'd fixed that - don't have a Fire right now so I haven't tested it.)


Thank you! I feel silly now that I didn't think to look on Scribd's site for this. I'm so used to shopping on Amazon & Google Play for apps that I didn't look anywhere else...duh!



Atunah said:


> Harlequin just joined Scribd with 15000 titles
> 
> Scribd is a romance readers dream now. .


You aren't kidding! I don't see how Amazon is ever going to be able to compete with Scribd on all-you-can-eat books when they're already this far behind. I suppose there are people who just don't know Scribd & Oyster are out there. Maybe the one-price reading idea is so new that KU is the first they've heard of it?


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Atunah said:


> You didn't notice the large margins on your nexus? They were as wide as the widest setting in the kindle app on my nexus. Not in sideways mode, in portrait mode. I took screencaps of before and after. I have the apk, so I can always go back I assume.
> But if they keep the hyphenations in, I won't be able to every update. They were horrible. The way the words were cut off was disturbing.


I am noticing the margins now. You are right, the text used to flow much closer to the edge of the screen. They have been pretty responsive in the past about fixing problems, so I'm not sure why it's taking them so long to fix the display problems that crept in with the last update...


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Andra said:


> I am noticing the margins now. You are right, the text used to flow much closer to the edge of the screen. They have been pretty responsive in the past about fixing problems, so I'm not sure why it's taking them so long to fix the display problems that crept in with the last update...


I was in contact with them and they are always very nice, but the response was pretty much in the vein of this being a feature, along with hyphenation and no plans of changing that. So I had no choice but to dial back the app version.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Maria Romana said:


> Thank you! I feel silly now that I didn't think to look on Scribd's site for this. I'm so used to shopping on Amazon & Google Play for apps that I didn't look anywhere else...duh!
> 
> You aren't kidding! I don't see how Amazon is ever going to be able to compete with Scribd on all-you-can-eat books when they're already this far behind. I suppose there are people who just don't know Scribd & Oyster are out there. Maybe the one-price reading idea is so new that KU is the first they've heard of it?


Beyond that, there are lots of folks who really don't like reading on a tablet or phone - not to mention those who don't even own a tablet or smartphone. Those folks won't consider Scribd or Oyster because of that, but KU is a viable option for them because they can read those books on their eInk Kindle.


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