Scribd is a free social sharing and publishing service you can use to get your various documents out to the world, and as a reader, you can download so many great docs with an exchange of uploading another document or with monthly subscription to access unlimited files ranging from books, docs, texts, audiobooks, newspaper articles. It has been one of my major sources to get the books I need to read in my journey to study both fashion design and graphic design for free.

I think, compared to other online libraries, Scribd’s service is the most generous of all. I limit myself to subscribe to many sites or platform unless I really need to, like online courses (I’m now subscribing to Skillshare with 2-month free and member-get-member free months, haha I’m so cheap!). And I know how annoying it is when you’re searching for a document/ book then to access it you  have to register to a questionable site, giving access to your credit card and then it’s complicated to cancel subscription.

However, I need the documents, especially right now. With Scribd, I can get the documents but I have to upload something that’s worth reading if I don’t pay for membership, and I’ve come to the points where I got tired of browsing my whole folders to find something to upload, meanwhile so many design books I wanna get from the site. And if you’re not a member, you get access to documents only, not for books and audiobooks. Meanwhile with paid membership of $8.99/ month, you get unlimited access, no need to upload docs anymore, instant download and easy user interface.

So I decided to register, this is my first time signing up to an online library because I saw that Scribd has a good credibility of not sucking your money without your permission. As a first-time member, I got one month free trial and can cancel anytime.  So I was thinking that I would download as many as possible then cancel when it’s close to one-month end. You probably think that it could be a waste, what if you dont have time during the month and other considerations, so here’s my tips how to make the most out of your one-month free-trial:

1. Know what you’re looking for and make the list

I decided to register because right now I’m studying graphic design so I’ve collected book recommendations from Youtube and googling, what books I need to read for the study. Then I started downloading everything from the list which I found 85% of them from Scribd. When you’re gonna read them?? Doesnt matter when, you dont need to wait until you finish one book, just download everything while you still have time. Sometimes I also got good book recommendations from Scribd from its “You Might Also Like” section.

2. AUDIO BOOKS

YASS!! This is the best that I love so much about Scribd, it has audiobooks too! Learning and sitting in front of my laptop all day can make my eyes dry and tired, so I need to rest my eyes but also need to make the most of my time. Or sometimes I just feel like I wanna read but I dont wanna/ cant focus attention to books/ ebooks. I’ve finished many books in a week compared to if I have to read by myself, I might have to take longer time to finish just one book. I’ve listened to Eric Ries’ “The Lean Startup”, Mark Manson’s “The Subtle Act of Not Giving A Fuck”, biography of Elon Musk, and some other memoirs and start-up related that I haven’t finished (saved for later).

3. Pause Subscription

I wish I knew about this before it’s close to the end of my one-month free trial that we can actually pause our subscription up to 12 weeks, so Scribd won’t charge us during those time. And we can resume anytime. For example, I paid for August but after looking at my schedule, I realized I wouldn’t have time to read for the 2nd and 3rd week. So I can set pause it until the 4th week to resume and Scribd doesnt count those two weeks. This is so cool and I wish other online services will follow this too!

4. Set your alarm

Bad reviews sometimes come from people who can take the blame for themselves when they’re the only one who forgot to cancel before the due date and get annoyed that they don’t get notification closer to the free trial end date. I mean, come on, they already give you one-month free access, and you want them to set the alarm for you too? Cant  you just remind yourself to cancel before it starts to charge?? Unless the site makes it complicated to cancel the plan, then it’s their fault. So set a reminder a week earlier, just in case it’s gonna take some time to process the cancellation.

5. Share the membership with other people you trust (family and friends)

One account for many, like your kids, friends, and family. Isn’t it nice if your little kids start listening to audiobooks too?

I guess the key to any subscription (whether it’s gym membership, online course, etc) is to really know what you’re looking for and to be sure whether you’re gonna have time to use it or not. The only one who can answer those questions is you. And in my opinion, I don’t mind paying $8.99 when I can read these many books (of course I have to finish in a month if I dont want to pay more for the subs). It’s much cheaper if compared to buying each book and nobody reads it for me. Hehe.