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Let’s talk about some easy ways to get free books.
Look, I get it. Times are hard and books are not cheap. For some of us, books are what we spend our hard earned money on when we want to treat ourselves. Maybe you can buy books without worrying about the money. Authors still need our support, so it is always good to support them when you can, but I also know sometimes there’s not extra money for books. Luckily I can help you find free books!
No matter your situation, I am here to help you with some seriously easy ways to get free books!
Your local library
Let’s start with the most obvious place to get free books: your local library. Yes, libraries still exist, and they need our support!
When I first started reading again, I was burning the barcode off my library card each month because that was the quickest and cheapest way for me to read books.
Most libraries are free for residents of that city or county. If you live in a smaller town that does not have a local library, you can usually join one nearby for a small yearly fee.
I know it would be inconvenient to travel to another town or city for the library, but most will let you check out multiple books at one time (I think I am allowed ten books!). My library also offers the option to renew books online up to three times without having to come back in the library.
Check to see if your card can be used at multiple branches. I can use my card at two libraries for no charge. One library is not as convenient, but if there is a title I want, I can request it online and they will deliver it to the branch I choose! They will text my phone and let me know my reserves are available. If you go enough (like me!), the staff will start to recognize you and pull your books from the shelf as soon as you walk in. Talk about personal service with a smile!
One last library tip: ebooks and audiobooks! Most libraries now offer ebooks and audiobooks through services like Hoopla, Libby, or Overdrive. If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can easily access these titles on your favorite device for no extra charge!
Little Free Library
If you do not have a library close to you, you can start one in your neighborhood! I love looking for Little Free Libraries when we are travelling.
I love the concept of Little Free Library because you take a book and leave a book. So you can get free books and you are decluttering your bookshelves. Win-win.
If you want more information about starting a Little Free Library, visit their website. https://littlefreelibrary.org/start/
Bookbub and Kindle Deals Emails
You can sign up for daily emails with BookBub and receive daily book deals. Amazon also sends a daily digest email for Kindle Deals. Most of the times, these daily emails include books that are super cheap, but they also let you know about free books. The best part is you can customize the genres you want to get emails about!
If you don’t want to sign up for Amazon emails, you can search for “Kindle book deals” on their website and find the daily, weekly, and monthly deals. Free books show up here all the time!
BookishFirst
This website hosts weekly raffles for free books! Every Monday, BookishFirst posts new books on their website for you to preview and win.
To enter raffles, you read the “First Look” for each book and provide a short review. On Tuesday the next week, they do a drawing for the books. Super easy!
You can also earn points by providing reviews of books on BookishFirst, your blog, or retailer websites. Once you earn enough points, you can pick a free book from their stock!
You get 500 points just for signing up. If you decide to join, I would appreciate you using my referral code 0f3f57c9b0dc6993c so I can earn some points too!
Giveaways
This method involves a bit of luck, but there is no harm in entering giveaways!
If you are on bookstagram or book Twitter, you have probably noticed that people post giveaways on both platforms. Giveaways are win-win for everyone. The person hosting the giveaway gains new followers and the winner gains books, bookish items, or gift cards for books. I have only won two giveaways on bookstagram, but it is always exciting to win!
If you are on Goodreads, you may or may not know about the giveaways section of the website. I do not find the Goodreads app to be very user friendly, so I was surprised when I came across the giveaways page on the website. I’ve won a few books from Goodreads, but I know people who win tons of books all the time.
Another way to get free books is to sign up for authors’ and publishers’ email newsletters. Make sure you open their emails because sometimes they sneak a giveaway in at the bottom of the email!
Finally, if you have Facebook, follow authors’ and publisher’s Pages. They host giveaways for free books often. I have won ARCs (advanced reading copies) entering these contests. Personally, Facebook giveaways have been the most successful for me.
Book Swaps
Since I mentioned Facebook, this would be a good time to mention the book swap groups on Facebook. There are dozens of these groups on Facebook. Some are swap only and some allow selling as well.
The concept is pretty simple-find someone who has a book you want and swap with them! I usually do this with books I know I will never read again or don’t care about owning.
Book swaps do cost you a little bit of money because usually the two people swapping just agree to pay the postage to send their book. If you ship using media mail with USPS, it is usually $3 or $4 to ship, which is really not that bad.
Request ARCs (advance reading copies)
I only recommend this method if you plan to read books in a timely manner and provide a review for the book. So in a way, ARCs are not really free books because you are expected to review it in return. You don’t have to have a blog to review books-you can post reviews on Goodreads or retailer websites and still be approved for ARCs.
The easiest way to start requesting ARCs is to sign up for eARCs on Netgalley.
Netgalley is a very user friendly website where you can request ebooks and audiobooks. You will need a smartphone, tablet, or Kindle to access this titles.
Physical ARCs are a bit harder to come by these days. With the increasing popularity of Netgalley, publishers are printing less copies of ARCs. COVID-19 has also affected physical ARCs because publishers are not in their offices to ship books.
Related: How to Request ARCs From Publishers
I hope this list helped you find a new way to acquire free books! Which tip was new to you? Let me know in the comments!
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