For all of you non-bloggers and non-reviewers who want free books, this is your post. I get a LOT of free books with no strings attached through… email newsletter subscriptions! I’ve compiled a list of the 7 that I’m currently subscribed to, plus a few bonus ways to get free or heavily discounted books.
How to Get Free eBooks
BookGorilla: Probably my favorite newsletter subscriptions for books… because it’s crazy long. I generally don’t check it every day or scroll through the whole email, BUT if you’re in the mood for some free or cheap books this is the one to get. When a book’s price goes back up, the photo automatically grays out so you know to not bother clicking through to an expired deal.
Book Bub: This is a short and sweet email newsletter, typically focusing on about 3-5 free or discounted books a day. It’s broken into categories, so I tend to mostly get Teen/YA, Women’s Fiction, and Bestsellers sent to me.
BookShout!: I’m new to BookShout, but so far I’m liking what I see. Every day there is one free eBook highlighted, and there are 4+ other books that are either free or heavily discounted. Today’s free book was by Brenda Novak, and one of the other discounted picks was one of my favorites, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for $1.99. They usually direct you to purchase through their website, but I’ve figured out that you can just search Amazon and generally they are priced the same. ;)
Riffle Select: Riffle has a great selection of books I’ve actually heard of. Free books are a bit less common because they tend to send over books I’d actually read. Today’s newsletter had some great deals, for instance Before I Fall was on sale for $1.99 and The Fault in Our Stars was $2.99.
Lendle: The concept of Lendle is to borrow and lend books to other Kindle users for free. I’ve never taken advantage of this, instead I subscribe to their newsletter for the discounts. I tend to find that I’ve heard of fewer authors on Lendle, but because they’re selected by their editors I imagine they are careful to add books to their newsletters with higher ratings than some of the other options. I don’t see as many free books, but definitely deeply discounted ones.
Book Elixir: I just signed up for this newsletter last month and so far it’s not my favorite. I haven’t found any books that really suit my taste, but I’m hoping since it’s new that improvements are on the horizon.
NoiseTrade: I used to use this to find new indie artists and bands, but they introduced up and coming authors last year. They have an entire selection of free ebooks and audiobooks to choose from. If you really enjoy it, you can always leave the author a tip too.
Other Options:
Amazon Prime: Are you an Amazon Prime member? Remember to check your email every month for a list of 4 books – you get to choose 1 (or recently 2) for free!
Audible Daily Deal: Since these are never free, I feel like this doesn’t count. BUT if you’re an audiobook fan, you can get some stellar deals with this daily email. I think my favorite Daily Deal was Breakfast At Tiffany’s for $1.95 and Mockingjay for $3.95. (To make sure you get these emails, sign into your Audible account, click on Account Details, then under Preferences on the right-click on “Manage Daily Deal Email Subscription”.) Also, last holiday season they did offer a couple of free holiday classics which was fun.
Hopefully a few of these are new to you and will help you score some free eBooks and audiobooks with no strings attached!
What’s your favorite way to grab free eBooks or find discounts on them?
Again with a great book resource list. I need to check these out. Do they work for either the Kindle or the Nook, or does it even matter? I’d love to get free books (who doesn’t?). Books can get so expensive, so a free one wouldn’t hurt!
Most of them are targeted towards Kindle (or the Kindle App) but many of them also go on sale/free at the same time at Barnes & Noble for the Nook. Amazon seems to pricematch Nook and vice versa!
I have never heard of any of these sites/services! This is just too cool. Mind if I share this in my link round up tomorrow?
Oops, probably too late now, but of course I wouldn’t mind! :) Glad the post was helpful, Miranda!
Great list! I have heard of like 2 of these so I am excited to add more to my list! I am hosting an e-reading challenge starting March 1st so this list will help with picking the rest of my books! If you have any interest please join us! :) The Trish List E-Reader Book Challenge
So glad it was helpful, and of course I do, thanks for sharing that!
Ah, thanks for posting this list! I had only heard of Lendle, but I’m glad to know that I can get access to books in more ways!
So glad it was helpful, Ashley!
These look like some great resources to help people choose the right book for them, thanks for sharing
Of course, thanks for checking it out, Christine!
HOW ON EARTH DID I NOT KNOW THIS EXISTED? No, really. You have CHANGED MY LIFE. Thank you!
Haha! So happy I could help, Carla!
I’ve never heard of most of these! I am going to check them out. Thanks for sharing such a great list of resources!
You’re so welcome, Heather, glad they were helpful! :)
I love your book posts! Where have I been without them? I usually use the Amazon Prime free book deal, but I’m gonna check out a couple of the ones you just mentioned. I feel that it is so important for me to always be reading to set a good example for my students and to be able to have a huge selection of recommendations for them!
Haha! I’m glad, but I think I’m about out of book posts other than the standard monthly reviews. ;) At least for now. Hope you find some great free books! :)
And she does it again! Another great resource Jenn, thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it, Angie! :)
I haven’t heard of most of these, but my husband uses sites like these every day at work. I’ll be sure to pass them along to him.
Ahh thanks for this. I knew of some of them but not all!
So glad it was helpful, Kay! :)
Have you heard of Scribd? I downloaded the app on my phone the other day, and it offers a free trial for one month, then pay $8.99/month afterwards. It has both eBooks and audiobooks, which was interesting!
I have tried them before, but I didn’t know they had audiobooks! That must be newer, or I just didn’t realize it at the time! I’ll have to check it out. :)
Hi Jenn,
This is Akshat here, owner of BookElixir.com
Firstly, thank you for featuring us on your wonderful website.
I assure you that we are working hard to improve. We are barely a month old and many authors are yet not aware about us and hence we are short on quality deals.
That aside, someday, I hope to replace Book Gorilla as your favorite free books destination.
Thank You again,
Akshat
http://BookElixir.com
Hi Akshat! Thanks for reading the post! I hadn’t realized you’ve only been around for a month, that totally makes sense and I’m sure you guys are hard at work at adding new authors to your database. I look forward to continuing to receive your email newsletters! :)
Don’t forget the public library! Well, most public libraries. They may not be free indefinitely, but being able to check out a book for three weeks without leaving your house is pretty sweet.
That is very true! My favorite is the OverDrive app – I don’t even have to go to the library! :P