How to Get Free eBooks

Once you pick up an e-reader, I promise you will love it. I have had my Nook for two years and I never pay for books anymore or have to drive to the library. There are tons of free sources for books. Additionally, eBooks are about to go down in price because there is currently a class action lawsuit against some publishers for working together to keep prices high.


Classic/Out of Copyright Editions - Copyrights don't last forever so when it expires, the books become open property (not the actual legal term). Sites like Amazon, BN, and Google make searching for these free books simple. The only downside is that since no one is making a profit they don't worry about the quality. Many older books were just scanned into a PDF file. If you like to change your font size, bookmark pages, etc. on your reader it won't always be possible. Project Gutenberg is working to collect these classics and currently hosts over 40,000 digital books.

Discover New Authors - Thanks to the digital age, many writers are now releasing their work through self-publishing. Often times they will release a novel for free to get their name out there. You might have heard of one of these self-published works, Fifty Shades of Grey? The author self-published and then a publisher found her that way and re-released her work. Just remember that not every self-published story is going to be good but stick with the free ones and it's not a big deal.

Public Library - More and more public libraries are expanding into the digital realm. My library lends out digital books on a three week cycle. After the three weeks, the file will expire and no longer open.

Lending Communities - Amazon allows you to lend Kindle files you have purchased. A quick Google search shows tons of websites that connect readers with other Kindle owners. Since the book loans are through Amazon and automatically expire after two weeks, there is no risk to lending/borrowing a book.

Swagbucks - If you prefer top sellers without a wait, you can always redeem your Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards. These giftcards can then be used to purchase books for a Kindle.