Quick Links
What could be better than having a Kindle full of all the books you want to read? Not having to pay for those books, that's what. It might seem too good to be true, but there are plenty of legitimate ways to get free books for your Kindle. Bookworms, rejoice!
From Libby to Project Gutenberg, we're highlighting six ways to get free books for your Kindle so that you can satisfy your need to read.
1. Search for Free Kindle eBooks on Amazon
Kindle is an Amazon creation, so it makes sense that Amazon would be a great source for free eBooks. You can find classics from the pens of Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo as well as popular offerings from today's authors.
With Amazon, you can search for free Kindle Books or view the Top 100 free best sellers. You can also search for books that are available for the low price of $0.99. It might not be free, but it's pretty close.
2. Sign Up for Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime membership comes with a lot of benefits that extend beyond fast free shipping. For avid readers, one of these perks is free eBooks for Kindle.
As an Amazon Prime member, you have unlimited access to a rotating collection of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and comic books. You can also get one free pre-release Book each month that comes directly from the editors' picks.
Not an Amazon Prime member? It's not a problem because you have another option. Kindle Unlimited is a service that lets you read as much as you want. You can choose from more than three million books, thousands of audiobooks, and plenty of magazine subscriptions. It's just $9.99 per month, and you can try it for free for 30 days.
3. Share Books Using Amazon Household
We've mentioned Amazon quite a bit so far, but there's one more Amazon resource we'd like to mention before moving on to other sources for free eBooks. If you don't have Amazon Prime, but someone in your home does, you'll want to consider Amazon Household.
With Amazon Household, it's possible to share Amazon Prime benefits with another adult in your household. You both need your own Amazon accounts, which you'll link together. Once you do, you can share digital content, including eBooks and audiobooks, and control how the content is shared. It allows two people to enjoy the benefits of Amazon Prime for one price.
4. Check Goodreads for Free eBooks to Enjoy
As a bookworm, there's a good chance you already have a Goodreads account. However, if you don't, you'll want to stop what you're doing now and sign up for one. One of the many benefits that Goodreads members enjoy is assistance finding free eBooks.
Goodreads provides a list of free eBooks from sources like Amazon. You'll need to do a little digging to find the eBooks that are truly free, but the good news is that you don't have to be a member of Goodreads to access the list. Additionally, you can enter Goodreads giveaways for a chance to win free books, including eBooks. There are dozens of giveaways at any given time and the books represent a variety of genres.
5. Explore Resources Like Project Gutenberg and Scribd
As you browse the vast expanse that is the internet, you'll find plenty of different resources that provide access to free eBooks. Some of our favorites are Project Gutenberg, Open Culture, and Scribd.
- Project Gutenberg is a free digital archive of more than 60,000 documents and books. It's a great place to find plain-text versions of classic books.
- Open Culture is another source for classic novels. While it doesn't provide traditional eBooks, it does provide a list of more than 800 free eBooks and where you can download them.
- Scribd is a subscription service that allows you to access books, audiobooks, magazines, podcasts, and even sheet music for $11.99 per month. While there is a monthly fee, you can try it for free for 30 days.
6. Hit Up Your Local Library for eBooks
Finally, let's not forget the ultimate resource for free reading materials: your local library. Many people think the library only lends physical copies of books and media. However, most libraries have fully embraced eBooks and offer them in addition to hard copies.
Each library is a little bit different in terms of lending eBooks to borrowers. Thankfully, there's an app that can streamline the entire process. Libby is a free app that works with public libraries that use OverDrive, which is over 90% of those in North America.
Once you've downloaded Libby, you can take out eBooks from your local library and read them across multiple devices. You can also listen to eBooks in your car, send eBooks to your Kindle, and access all your eBooks and audiobooks offline.