how to get free books

How to Get Free Books

I love to read when I get the chance, but I don’t always love the price tag that goes along with reading.  Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to get books or digital books for Free!

Where to Find Free Paperback Books:

The Library: The library is the first place I check if there’s a particular book I want to read.  The only downfall is that there’s usually a waiting list because the books I want to read are usually newer books.  There’s been only a couple of occasions when I’m not able to find the book I want.

Friends: Often times friends of mine already own books that I want to read so I tend to ask around first before I buy.  Of course, I return the favour if I own a book someone wants to read.

Facebook Groups: Check your local Buy Nothing group for people giving away free books. Or, you could even put in an ask and I’m sure other would be happy to pass on their books!

Swagbucks: While this is not an instant gratification method to getting free books because it takes time to earn Swag Bucks, it’s still worth a mention!  I like to collect Swag Bucks and then redeem them for Amazon gift cards (and Starbucks cards…)  There are plenty of ways to earn Swag Bucks.  Searching the web, shopping online, daily polls, surveys, watching videos and more!  Check out this post for 6 Ways to Earn More Swagbucks.

how to get free books

Where to Find Free eBooks:

eBooks are books too! They are a great alternative to physical books. There are so many ways to expand your library this way. Here’s how to get tons of Free eBooks:

Libby app: I have been loving the Libby app! With Libby, you can enjoy free ebooks, digital audiobooks, and magazines from your library. All you need is a library card.

eReaderGirl: Check daily for free ebooks, including Kobo, NOOK, and Kindle versions.

BookBub: BookBub alerts you to limited-time free and discounted ebooks matching your interests.

The Fussy Librarian – The Fussy Librarian offers two email newsletters catered to your particular interests: Bargain books or free ebooks! Pick one or both, delivered on the days you pick.

Amazon: Do a search for Free ebooks by either typing in “0.00” or “free kindle ebooks”.

BookRunes: Find a great selection of free & bargain books on BookRunes. Search by genre too!

Story Cartel: This one is neat and practically anyone can use Story Cartel! All books on Story Cartel are completely free, but in return you support authors by leaving your honest review, whether good or bad, of the book you downloaded.

Blog email newsletters: Follow your favourite blogs and sign up for their email newsletter if they offer any ebooks they’ve written for free!  This is a great way to support those bloggers you love!

Openlibrary.org: has over 1 million ebook titles available for you to read!

Project Gutenberg: Project Gutenberg offers over 75,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free kindle books, download them or read them online.

Kobo eBookstore: Visit the Kobo store for a list of Free ebooks

While I’m still a fan of paperback books, my love for eBooks has been growing.  I purchased a Kindle ereader a few years ago and I’ve been loving it ever since.  It’s not easy to carry around hundreds of books at the same time otherwise! 😉 Amazon also has a free app that will allow you to read Kindle books on your computer, smartphone or tablet.

I’d love to hear all your ideas on how you find free books and ebooks in the comments!