There are a lot of sites that offer plenty of free ebooks, most of them saturated with legal ambiguity and a lack of author/publisher permission. I love my books, and love supporting the writers who write those books even more. Here are 9 Ways to Read for Free (with the rights of the author in mind).
This list covers mostly ebooks, classics, children’s books, and some SciFi/Fantasy/SpecFic.
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1 – Amazon Account (A Two Parter)
i – Having an Amazon account immediately opens you up to a ton of free ebooks. You can read them on your computer or phone with the free Kindle app, as well. These freebies depend on author/publisher permission, and also what self-published authors are doing with their work on the Amazon site. I’ve always found some good stuff through here.
ii – Do you have a Prime Membership (not free) with Amazon, and are you using it to the best of your knowledge?
- You get a free book every month from a handful of titles (they email you the choices).
- Prime Reading opens you up to many ebooks, and you can keep a max of 10 in your Prime Library at any given time. I’ve even kept some titles in there for a few years with no issues, in case you find a good one you’d like to keep around for a while.
- If you’ve got friends with a Prime Membership, you can lend each other books you’ve purchased for two weeks at a time.
2 – Project Gutenberg
They boast a library of over 60,000 titles, mostly older books published before 1924. It’s free to sign up, no special apps are needed. You can read from the website, or download it to your ereader if you’d like.
This is a great spot for old speeches, tons of ‘golden oldies’, and a fabulous way to find a new-to-you read.
3 – Local Library
Have you visited your local library lately? (How’s that sexy alliteration, though?!) Most libraries are digitizing their content, or partnered with a larger library that already has a solid digital library. In most cases, it seems you just need a library card and need to create an account online somewhere. Just ask the librarian!
4 – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
This is a wonderful program, created by the legend herself. From birth until your kid starts school, they’ll receive a book every month at no cost to you! There is no income minimum or maximum. The only thing that depends on registering for the program is your location.
They rely on donations and partnerships with local businesses to help cover the cost of purchasing & delivering the books.
It is available in the US, Australia, UK, and Canada.
5 – Library of Congress
They have a handful of classics available online. This is a good place if you’re looking for specific titles needed for a class or book club. There’s also academic journals/articles available.
The list isn’t as generous as I’d hope from the Library of Congress, you’re better off checking out #3 for more stuff.
6 – Google Books
The search may provide downloadable PDF’s and/or where to buy or borrow the book you’re looking for. I’ve always found this specific search to be helpful because you won’t get any pesky random sites in the way of the book you’re looking for.
7 -Barnes and Noble
Wow do they have a fun selection free ebooks for kids! It’s current books, fairy tales, picture books, series, etc. You’ll just need to create a free BN account to be able to download the books.
8 – Tor.com
For my fellow SciFi, Fantasy, SpecFic lovers, Tor.com is a lovely place to find some free reads. I signed up for their newsletter a couple years ago, and have often been surprised at the opportunities for free ebooks. They also have a nice variety of short stories on their website.
Note: For those of you not a fan of newsletters, I’ve never been irritated with theirs. They share what’s getting published, great freebies, and the recently posted good stuff online. You will not enjoy this newsletter if you’re not a fan of the aforementioned genre types.
9 – Go to the Source
A lot of writers are available on social media (Twitter is the major platform.) They are happy to share when their work is free/for sale and where to find it. Personal blogs/sites are also a resource for this kind of information.
Some writers also utilize Patreon. Obviously, this doesn’t mean their work is free, but it’s a great way to support your favorite peeps for a modest, friendly-to-your-budget cost.
Enjoy your reading and let me know what freebie you scored!