Are you a voracious reader who consumes a ridiculous number of books? If you’re looking for ways to find bargain or free ebooks, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list just for you.
1. Subscribe to Newsletters
There are a ton of companies out there, like Crave Books, offering daily newsletters that feature e-books for free or at bargain prices of $2.99 or lower for a limited time only. Subscribing to the newsletter is essential, as every day the deals change and many of them only last twenty-four hours. Along with titles from the hottest indie authors, you’ll also find steep discounts on traditional bestselling authors, as well.
2. Get a Library Card
This one is a no-brainer. If you’ve got an e-reader, you’ve got access to thousands of books at your fingertips, all for free. Simply sign up at your local library, find out which provider they use, and then download the app. Libby and Overdrive are two popular ones and their ease of use allows you to browse titles and find your favorites. The drawback to this method is if you’re looking for a hot new title, the wait time can sometimes be six weeks or more.
3. Discover the Free First in Series (FFIS)
I’m going to let you in on an indie author trick. When writing in series, authors will often make their first title free as an incentive to draw you in. The beauty of this marketing device is that it’s advantageous to both the reader and the writer. For the writer, it acts as a calling card—the more hands the book falls into, the greater the chance of the rest of the series being read. For the reader, they get to take the series for a test-drive before committing. The beauty of indie books is that the price point is typically much lower than traditionally published books, and you can often read three for the price of one. To take advantage, head to your preferred retailer and search for free e-books in your genre.
4. Subscription Services
It used to be that Amazon was the only retailer with a robust subscription offering with their Kindle Unlimited program, but that’s no longer the case. Kobo has also jumped on board with their Kobo Plus program. In both cases, readers can pay a monthly fee and have access to the entire library of books registered in the respective programs. Outside the major retailers, there are services dedicated to subscription reading, like Scribd and Radish. You won’t find everything you’re looking for, but if you’re a fan of genre fiction, these platforms and programs are worth a look.
5. Project Gutenberg
If you’re a fan of classic literature, this should be your first stop. This incredible site has a library of over 60,000 free e-books from the public domain, all conveniently located in one place. From Austen to Shakespeare and everyone in between, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for. The best part is you can either read them online with no app needed or download them to read on your device.
Have you got any tips for finding bargain prices on books? Share them in the comments below!
