I read a LOT of books – 112 this year as of this writing. When the standard paperback is running around $18 and an audiobook around the same, that would be over $2000…and the year isn’t even done yet! With prices of just about everything else much higher than they were a year ago, there’s not many of us that can afford that kind of spend! There’s some good news though – there are so many options to get free or cheap books out there! Here’s some of my favorites:
Public Library – Free (most of the time)
I adore my local public libraries! I live in Georgia and am a member of the PINES library system. It was completely free to sign up for my library card and I can visit any library in their network. The card also allows me to check out up to 10 books at one time, and place holds on up to 10 more. I have two favorites near me in this network – one with a great kids area (behind closed doors where my youngest can be as loud as he wants without disturbing the patrons) and the other has an amazingly large selection and great hold retrieval process. If you don’t have a library card – I highly suggest you sign up!
Libby – Free with your library card
Another option you can use in conjunction with your Public Library card is Libby. This is a great app available in the Apple, Google, and Amazon Fire app stores. Once you link your library card, you have access to all digital materials (ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines) from your library. I actually prefer Libby over a trip to my library for my own reading needs – I can access it from my phone and then download the ebooks to my Kindle for easy reading. Again, you can check out up to 10 books at one time and place holds on another 10. You can also great lists which can help if you’ve got a reading challenge you’re working through. One downside – sometimes there can be long waits or books may not be available in your network. You can add more than one library card, but I haven’t played with that yet. Obtaining and adding non-resident library cards for other networks seems easy, but those cards require payment and sometimes an in-person visit to the library of choice.
Kindle & Audible
I am lumping these two together as they are both Amazon companies. I know…Amazon isn’t the preference for those of us who love independent bookstores, but there is a definite usefulness to these services. If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, you already have access to Amazon First Reads – a program that gives you one (sometimes two) free Kindle books every month. There is a variety of genres available to choose from and these books are usually early releases. Additionally, Amazon launches great Kindle deals with prices as low as $0.99 – there are some daily, weekly, and monthly ones, so check back often.
Kindle Unlimited
For the super readers among us, Kindle Unlimited is a great option starting at just $9.99 per month – that’s half the price of a standard paperback and gets you unlimited reads! The KU catalog is huge and revolves constantly with new books and authors available all the time, and they are recent releases, too! KU also offers the Kindle Rewards program, allowing readers to earn points you can redeem for dollars off ebook purchases. Every few weeks, the rewards program has double or triple point days…if you plan ahead and wait for one of these, you can rack up the points and then spend them in the store that day to continue the cycle!
Audible Premium and Premium Plus
I am a Premium Plus subscriber, meaning that I pay around $160 per year and get 12 credits to use in the Audible store, plus 30% off any additional purchases. That equates to around $13.33 per credit and sometimes $5-6 off additional purchases. When I can’t find an audiobook I’m looking for on Libby (or the wait time for my hold is MONTHS long), this is my first stop. These subscriptions also give you access to other features like Only on Audible (books and podcasts), Audible’s free book selection, and more. I do try to budget my credits to one per month to make them last, and some months don’t use any at all. Also – always check what the rate would be to purchase the audiobook as an additional purchase to your subscription. More than once, I’ve found the outright purchase price under $13, making it more advantageous to buy the book without using my credit.
ARCs, Gifts, and Giveaways
About 18 months ago, I was invited to join a program that provided Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of books in exchange for a public review. These reviews generally get posted on websites like GoodReads, Amazon, Social Media, or blogs (like this one!). Some reviewers don’t like sharing where they get these from because they don’t want demand to go up and reduce the supply, but I’d rather tell you the good one versus the not so good one.
ARC
If you’re looking to get started with ARC’s, I’d recommend NetGalley. Sign up is free and you get access to a wide variety of publishers, authors, and genres. The books are free, too! You can request an ebook or audiobook and use their app to read, or send an ebook to your Kindle once you’re approved for the read. Most ARCs have a deadline for when the review is required (usually publishing day) and will be achieved around 30 days afterwards, meaning you don’t have access to the book forever. Once you post your review to the website, you are encouraged to post it elsewhere. This is where I get about 95% of my ARCs from and the process has been super simple and easy to work with.
Before I joined NetGalley, I had been invited to the OnlineBookClub. I really should have done my research here, but it looked intriguing because you get paid for each review you post. What I didn’t know was that the majority of the ARCs available to newbie reviewers like me would be less than desirable options. Mostly self-published works, these books had so many errors and not the polished quality of better-known authors. Also, if you didn’t follow the rules for your review to the exact commands of the guy who runs this group, your review could be disqualified, meaning you wouldn’t get paid. Additionally, you sometimes had to pay out of pocket for the book, being reimbursed later. Once the site runner started heavily promoting his own work and practically demanding reviewers download and review it, I decided to end my relationship with this source.
There are many other options for free books in return for reviews, but I find it easiest to limit my options to just one or two providers so I can manage my selections and review ratings easily.
Gifts & Giveaways
The best way to get FREE books is with the gifts and giveaways available online. If you have a favorite author, sign up for their newsletter, follow them on social media, and do the same for their publishing house. A lot of authors run giveaways as they get closer to their book’s release day, so watching their communications can be beneficial. You can also find out about author events through these avenues – I generally pay around $30 for a ticket to an event and it includes a signed copy of the book (sometimes personalized!).
Another great option is GoodReads Givewaways. If you’re not familiar with this option, go to the GoodReads website from your desktop browser. Click on “Browse” and navigate to “Giveaways”. These giveaways are generally for physical copies of the books that will be mailed to you, or ebooks delivered to your Kindle (your Amazon account must be linked to enter these contests). With just a couple cliks, you’re in the running! These books are a mix of new and older releases – I’ve got a few ARCs and some first editions of well known series through this avenue. I generally run through the available giveaways two or three times each week to enter for new ones, entering a dozen or so each time. I’ve been averaging 1 week per week, so my TBR stack isn’t getting any smaller!
What are your favorite sources for Free or Cheap books? I’d love to hear if you use any of these and your thoughts!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
- Current audio book: Wildflower Falls, Denise Hunter
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Magic Lessons, Alice Hoffman
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