How to Find Free Kindle Books
A librarian through and through, Virginia Allain writes about book topics, researching, and information for library users and librarians.
No matter what I'm in the mood to read (memoir, history, chick lit, contemporary fiction, etc.) I have plenty to choose from on my Kindle and at no cost to me.
Virginia Allain
How Do You Get Free eBooks?
It seems too good to be true—that you can get free ebooks for your Kindle from Amazon. Believe me, I've downloaded hundreds of books at no charge, so it is indeed true.
I'll show you how to find the free book deals for the day and how to download them. I will also give you a few warnings to avoid pitfalls such as accidentally downloading one that has reverted to full price.
Why Are eBooks Free?
You may wonder why authors give away their titles at no cost. What's in it for them? One reason is to get more reviews on Amazon. They are hoping to jump-start a new title in the Amazon rankings by getting positive reviews and star ratings or to breathe life into a title that isn't getting much attention. A second reason is to introduce new readers to an author. If you like the book, then you might spend money buying other titles by that writer.
There are also free books on Kindle that are out of copyright and have been digitized. Many of these are free all the time. Some are classic fiction and others might be history from the 1800s.
Sites That Alert Me to Free eBooks
Here are the daily newsletters I subscribe to that I like best. You don't need to subscribe to all of them if you don't want to overload your email inbox. I'm a retired librarian so I love getting all of them and knowing about the deals for today. Then I share some of the titles with my friends who like hearing about books that fit their interests.
- BookBub
- Book Gorilla - This one doesn't show all the titles of the day in the email. You have to click through to see the whole list.
- BookLemur
- DigitalBookSpot - This one has a really long list each day.
- EReaderIQ - This is my all-time favorite since it has a personal notification service for books you select on Amazon. It notifies you when a book you've chosen drops to the price you select.
- FreeBooksy
- Fussy Librarian
- JustKindleBooks
- Robin Reads
The newsletters feature free but also discounted ebooks. Top authors seldom go below $2 on their ebooks. Click on the ones that interest you and it takes you directly to Amazon for you to download the book.
When you sign up with one of these services, they usually ask what genre you want notification for (mystery, romance, nonfiction, biography, etc.). That way you can tailor the mailing specifically to what you like.
The newsletters arrive daily. Sometimes, I don't get around to reviewing it the same day and many of the books will revert to their normal price in a day or two. I just delete the newsletter rather than bother checking the books.
You Don't Have to Subscribe
For those who are phobic about giving out their email address or who don't want their inbox cluttered up, there's another way. Just visit one of these sites and browse the offerings of the day. I'm putting the links here for your convenience.
This screenshot shows my email inbox with the messages alerting me to book deals.
Virginia Allain
Do I Have to Sign Up for Kindle Unlimited?
No, you don't need to sign up for Kindle Unlimited. There are plenty of free ebooks that come available every day.
Don't click on the GET IT FOR FREE (that's the Kindle Unlimited subscription). The ones featured in the free ebook newsletters are free just today or a little longer.
How to get free eBooks on Amazon:
- Make sure it is still listed as $0.00 for the Kindle as the price can change at any time.
- Click on BUY or BUY NOW.
The graphic below shows what you see and what to click on.
I made this screenshot using Awesome Screenshot so I could show you what to look for.
Virginia Allain
Find Free eBooks for Children
Go to the Kindle books category on Amazon and enter the words "free ebooks for children" in the search bar.
Virginia Allain
My Favorite Book Price Tracker: eReader IQ
Once you download the eReader IQ extension for Amazon, it shows you the price ups and downs when you look at an ebook listing. You can set it to notify you of a price drop.
Virginia Allain & Awesome Screenshot
What If You Accidentally Download an eBook That Is No Longer Free?
Sometimes I get carried away when I bring up the titles from the newsletter alerts. With a dozen tabs open, I rush through choosing which ones I really want and don't always notice that one is no longer free.
It happens, as a title might be free for days but sometimes it is just hours. Even if you have downloaded the book, it can be returned if you haven't started reading it yet. You need to make the return
How to Check Your Digital Orders to Be Sure You Only Got Free Books
Scan down your list for any mistaken orders.
Virginia Allain
Steps for Returning an Unwanted Kindle Book
This has to be done within seven days. Here are the steps from the Amazon Help section for doing this:
- Go to Manage Your Content and Devices
- From the Your Content tab, select the Actions [...] button next to the title you want to return.
- Then select Return for Refund.
Do You Have a Kindle?
© 2018 Virginia Allain
Comments
Mary Norton from Ontario, Canada on April 10, 2018:
Thank you for these tips. I subscribe to BookBub but will also try the others now that I know of them.
