Other Than GoodReads or Libraries…

This post is for all the book lovers and voracious readers who want to read so many books, they run out of money to buy them all! As an indie author myself, I am all for supporting authors by buying books at full price. However, I do like freebies, and having access to free books allows me to stretch my book budgets as much as possible!

Two bloggers recently posted about sites to find FREE books, including the brilliant Niru. Taking a leaf out of their book, and creating a post of my own! Pun not intended – would hate to damage any book! 😉 

#1] NetGalley

I am glad NetGalley did not exist when I was in college, or I might have never graduated! I totally love this site!

The site has strict rules for approvals for each publisher, so you will not receive books unless you maintain a specific completion ratio. This has accidentally coaxed me to find more time to devour books, so I could finish them and send feedback! Some genres and authors are very hard to attain!

All the major publishers are on here and I am delighted to say I scored books that later turned out to be NYT vestsellers like ‘Think Like A Data Scientist’ and ‘In a Holidaze’. I am currently hoping to snag ‘Masters of Scale’ by Reid Hoffman. (#NetGalley, are ye listening??) 

#2] FaceBook MarketPlace

I have recently become a big fan of the Facebook marketplace. You get so many amazing gently used items at half price or less! A lot of items from my daughter’s nursery were bought and sold on FB marketplace.

With regards to books, just search ‘free books’ and you will find dozens of people getting rid of their books for cheap ($0.25 to $5) for books that normally sell for $20+. Depending on your location, you may see book results with ‘free shipping’ mix up the results, but just continue scrolling past them. I found at least 7 posts for free books within 50 miles of my home. Many posts showed books in mint condition or at least such good condition that they could be resold. [A smart person might snag these books and resell them to make a bit of profit, but it would take a lot of research and trips to the post office.]  

The true ‘Free book’ posts usually ‘sell’ out pretty quickly. So keep looking, it is literally like finding a treasure!

Or you can be creative and offer to pick books for free in your local area! I saw a post in my area where the person picks up books every last Saturday of the month. Just make sure to put a date at least 2–3 weeks in advance, so your post has a chance to be seen! Many folks want to de-clutter but end up giving books away to Goodwill or throwing them in the trash, for lack of an alternative.

#3] Bookstagram giveaways. 

No-brainer if you already use Instagram. 

Essentially a giveaway but happening on Instagram. If you already loiter on the platform, then it is easy peasy — most contest rules are as simple as follow, tag and comment. Look for Instagram accounts that are related to the hashtag #bookstagram. Smaller accounts with fewer followers are easier to win! 

#4] Kindle Free Books

Not to be confused with Kindle Unlimited Program. On the homepage, just filter the book categories you like and sort the books by price. Viola! Free books bubble up to the top. 

Tedious and manual, if you like multiple categories. And you may have to scroll quite a bit before you see something you like! There are often books that are by new or unknown authors, no reviews, and some just not up to your liking! But hey! They are free, and there is no compulsion to finish a book just because you started it! 

The lists change every week, so no harm in browsing. 

#5] Bonus  — Library Castoffs and more…

The original post by Niru is found here. (Link will take you to Medium.com)

Do you know of any other ideas to get free books? Share the knowledge with the world — or at least tell me via the comments! 🙂