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First off, I love to read. It’s a cheap hobby that I’ve been doing since childhood. But guess what? I couldn’t remember the last time I bought a physical book. It’s not the lack of time that hinders me from buying one, but rather, the cost that comes with it.
“Oh, do you mean you have stopped having and reading books?” Of course not! I would still buy a book or two in a year, but I’m also careful of going overboard or making unnecessary spending.
Considering the inflation rate, some bookworms, not only me, will buy books in moderation. As such, one might think that reading is a dying hobby. However, I’m 100% sure that people will never stop buying books, at least in the near future.
There will always be someone who loves to invest in collectors’ items, like the first edition of A Game of Thrones. Others might buy the classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer because it reminds them of their childhood.
Some people are paid to read books, while some love to buy books for sheer aesthetics but never read them.
Lately, adults are into coloring books. In fact, according to the latest research, the sales of adult coloring books are expected to grow by millions. Well, I don’t know about you and the genre you like to read, but I’m sure you love books, and you’ve found this post to know where to get them for free or look for ways to save money on books.
So, bookworms out there, listen up! There are many ways to get books for free online and in places near you. Here are the best places to get them!
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Best Ways to Get Free Books Online
One major reason I rarely buy physical books nowadays is that books are easily accessible online. The web is brimming with plenty of apps and sites to LEGALLY download books without making a hole in your wallet.
To keep up your book addiction, use these platforms to get as many books as you want guilt-free!
1. Project Gutenberg
Boomers, Gen X, and even the Gen Z bookworms who love to get free stuff online should know this website. Established in 1971, Project Gutenberg is the granddad of all free ebooks, founded by Michael Hart. At the moment, the site offers 70,000 free ebooks available for download on your Kindle, smartphone, laptop, or tablet.
You may not find the work of the best-selling authors in this generation, but I can assure you that some of the world’s most famous “classics,” along with underrated works that deserve recognition, are accessible.
Fan of The Count of Monte Cristo, Pride and Prejudice, or The Great Gatsby? Get these classics at Project Gutenberg, read them, or share them with your friends free of charge. Books here are usually older texts and are no longer subject to copyright issues.
2. Earn Free Book Gift Cards
Ever wondered how businesses launch products for consumers? It started through research companies who get feedback from you. To conduct their research, they offer gift cards for free and PayPal cash for your honest opinion.
As a bookaholic, of course, you would use gift cards or cash to redeem books on Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble, and more. These companies partner with the best survey sites, such as Swagbucks, Branded Surveys, Survey Junkie, and Inbox Dollars, to give you rewards for each task done.
There are many survey sites out there, but some of them are scams. I can attest to the legitimacy of these sites, though, because I’ve used them during my university days to get Starbucks gift cards. Now that I’ve mentioned this mermaid café, isn’t it great to read a book while sipping a Spanish Latte?
The mechanics of survey sites are basically the same. They mostly vary on the total of points you need to earn to redeem rewards. To earn points, you must take surveys or do microtasks like watching videos, playing games, browsing the web, etc.
Pro tip: You’ll get massive points from these sites by signing up! Swagbucks also offers a $10 cash bonus for new members.
3. Rakuten Kobo
People who seriously live a frugal life might have known Rakuten. But bookworms who don’t want to spend a single penny should know about Rakuten Kobo. Rakuten is a popular cashback app or company offering Rakuten Kobo, where you can download books for free.
For those who can’t commit to one genre, you will truly find Kobo impressive. It offers a large selection of eBooks and audiobooks from various publishers and authors. Anything from fiction, romance, biographies, poetry, etc., can be found here.
Take note, however, that while the site has over 2.2 million titles, only some titles are free. To get free ebooks, visit their free eBook page and click those with the “free” tag. Make sure, too, to have your Kobo eReader and app to start reading books.
4. FreeBookSpot
Whether you’re looking for books for politics, science, programming, engineering, or even fiction, FreeBookSpot should be your go-to site. This book Heaven is easy to use and has a straightforward interface, helping members find the book they want to read easily.
Obviously, you can visit any public library to read textbooks for school-related assignments or research, but isn’t it awesome to get something in a heartbeat? Not to mention that you can download books for free without the hassle of making a user profile.
Right now, as we speak, you can get as many titles as you want without logging in. However, if you’ve got time, I advise you to register one so you can share new books, create a digital shelf as if it’s a Spotify playlist, and chat with other members.
5. Free Kindle Books
Kindle eBooks might not be as stylish as having physical books that you can flaunt on your Pinterest-inspired shelf or with old pages you can smell. But with these digital books, you can read anytime, anywhere.
I don’t know what it is with Kindle, but I always find it sexy when someone, regardless of gender, is using an Amazon Kindle. These people are like the main characters in a coming-of-age film.
As for getting free Kindle books, the most popular one is through Amazon. Many new authors make money on Amazon by selling their books on the website. These same authors also offer free books on the app to attract new readers who might not have been interested in their work before.
Another way to get Kindle Books is to join the event called “Stuff Your Kindle Day.” This event happens 4 times a year, and the “free stuff” from indie and new authors can be downloaded to your e-reader.
Yes, you read it right. The event is actually for any e-reader users. So, if you’ve got Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, or Barnes & Noble, you can stuff them free books, too!
6. Public Library Lending
Did you know the number of digital books borrowed from 2017 to 2023? It’s 605 million! This truly shows that US public libraries are still very reliable.
For those who find going to public libraries very old school, you should rectify that. Public libraries have kept up with the times and allow us to borrow not only physical books but also digital and audiobooks. Tip: it’s fun to listen to audiobooks with an Alexa-enabled device!
Libby and Overdrive are the best apps to help you connect with public libraries near you. You can use either of these platforms because they work the same. They basically help you borrow books through your public library card.
By signing up through these apps, public libraries can lend you e-books and audiobooks right this second within a few taps. The best part? You can check your time limit and request to extend them if you want to.
Don’t have a library card yet? Don’t worry, as many public libraries will give you a temporary one to activate online. Out-of-state residents can get an e-library card, too. They only need to pay between $20 to $50, depending on the state library they want to borrow books from.
7. Google Books
According to Google themselves, Google Books has over 10 million free books for users to download and read. That’s quite a lot to browse with your fingers really, but finding the best books from this large selection is like finding dog videos online, it makes you happier.
Of course, you are not required to scroll those books with your fingers to hunt books. There is a search bar where you can find the author and title. Be reminded, though, that not everything is free, so you might want to use the keywords “Free Google eBooks” to download free content.
Once you find titles you’re interested in, get them as free PDF books. To do so, click “Download PDF” under the title. You won’t need a Kindle or ebook reader to read these books.
Your smartphone will work just fine unless you have a phone full of funny videos of your friends doing silly things. In that case, you might do some “Mari Kondoing” to those files that no longer spark joy.
8. Internet Archive
From the name itself, you know that books are not the only main character here. Founded in 1996, Internet Archives provides videos, TV shows, audio files, and images. But let’s focus only on books.
Internet Archive features a huge digital library with various genres like fiction, history books, children’s books, scholarly publications, and popular literature. They have 20,000,000 books you can read and about 2.3 million modern ebooks they can lend to members.
If becoming a BookTok Influencer is one of your dreams, or if you want to update your #bookstagram account but don’t have the funds to buy good books, you could never go wrong with their selection of books.
What I love about the site is that it categorizes titles by genre, and there is a search box feature to help you not get overwhelmed with your book hunting.
Forget about buying a new ebook reader because books are available in several download formats such as ePub, PDF, and Kindle (or any eBook reader).
9. Open Library
Why spend tons of money on a book you would only read once? To our dear budgetarian friends who want to excel in their classes or nurture their brains to become the next Oprah Winfrey, gather up!
From the family of the Internet Archive, Open Library is perfect for people who are into free eBooks and audiobooks. The site can be used in two ways: reading online and checking out a book from their digital book lending collection.
Like Project Gutenberg, the Open Library offers many public domain works; thus, many classics are available. If you want more recent titles, you might find them at their lending library to be ready directly online.
The site aims to build a “web page for every published book.” With more than 3 million books, including textbooks, accessible online, this platform is definitely cost-effective for students. They provide a large collection of free textbooks that every college student should take advantage of to save more money.
10. Goodreads Giveaways
Besides lurking on free books websites, there are other exciting ways to get free books by mail or receive physical books at your doorstep. Nope, I don’t mean taking you to the high seas – just more time on social media. (IYKYK)
Goodreads offers giveaway programs for publishers and authors to promote their books. Here’s how you can participate in this type of event:
- Visit the giveaway page
- Filter by Print or Kindle giveaway.
- Click the “Enter Giveaway” button.
- Agree and follow the terms and conditions then click the “Enter Giveaway” button once again.
Bear in mind that Print Goodreads Giveaways are only for U.S. and Canadian residents, while the Kindle Giveaway is only currently being offered to U.S. residents. If you’re not from these countries, there’s still hope.
Many companies, celebrities, and influencers host giveaway campaigns to promote their books, get more followers, or drive traffic to their socials. These events can occur on their social media pages, or you can follow hashtags (example: #giveawaybook, #bookgiveaways(insert your city) #bookgiveaways).
Best Ways to Get Free Books Near You
Not fond of digital books? Your head swims reading on the screen, no matter how large the font, you hurt your eyes focusing on the gadget, or you’re just not interested in doing things that involve too much technology…. Well, it’s time to get free physical books in places near you!
Of course, the following venues can be your second resource for eBooks, but these places will take you to more popular books. I mean those that can’t be downloaded online for free due to copyright issues.
11. Craigslist & Facebook Marketplace
Let’s not divert ourselves from the internet yet. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace (and some Facebook groups) are the best places to sell used books. The beauty of these websites is that they have an algorithm where you can connect with people near you.
This means, let’s say you reside in Los Angeles, California, simply typing “free books” or, more specifically, “free books Los Angeles” on the search box will get you to the list of books up for grabs free of charge.
If you’re struggling to find free books, head to Craigslist’s “free” section. Many bookworms want to declutter their old books, others want to donate, while some are moving to another place and don’t want to pack extra things.
As for Facebook Marketplace and Facebook groups, the best way to get one for free is to buy in bulk. You can also leave a side note asking the seller to give you a freebie.
Some people will also give you books for free for the same reasons I’ve mentioned above. When this happens, zoom in on the pictures of books you’re about to receive to know their quality.
If you decide to meet up, follow safety precautions, such as meeting them in well-lit public places or having someone accompany you.
12. Garage Sales
Who does not love garage sales? I love going to this type of event in our local community because it’s like a small festivity to catch up with people you don’t get to meet often. After all, adult life makes us all busier.
Garage sales are community events that usually happen within the neighborhood to get rid of and make money from unwanted items, as a family bonding, and as a way to build good relationships with neighbors.
To get books for free, be an early bird, even if it pains you to wake up as early as 8 AM. In this way, you can choose good items from the free book section of any yard sale.
Well, most people won’t allow you to get the best ones for free, so if you’re too hooked on a particular book, you might want to buy one or some books and ask for freebies.
Most free items are usually given on the closing day. People would give away some books and other items instead of hauling them back to their houses. So, when the garage sale is about to close for the day, you know the drill – “ask, and you shall receive.”
13. Community Book Swaps
Community book swaps are among the best places to find novels. Want to read Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us before it hits cinemas? Try to participate in community book swap events to get them.
I’m 98% sure you would find this novel or other widely sought-after books you would want to read because most book swappers bring high-demand books to find equally popular books.
If you’re a student, you might want to check in your school if there’s any book club you can participate in. Book clubs usually host book swap events, and even without any occasion, you can easily tap any club member to swap books.
You can also make friends with bookworms or other like-minded people in cafes or local community centers. They might know any book-swapping activities in the area, or you might ask for any good books you can trade.
Note: Make sure to return books the same way you have borrowed them. It’s an important book trading etiquette.
FAQs
Is there any app for free books?
Yes. Many apps offer free books, and you don’t need to act like a detective to know the best ones. I have already mentioned some (i.e., Amazon Kindle, Google Books, Kobo, etc.), but others can be found simply by searching “best apps for free books” on the web browser.
If you want to know some of the legit best apps for free books, you can download Aldiko, Barnes, Wattpad, Scribd, and more. You can find various books in your favorite genres through these apps.
For those who have Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, or Macbook), you can use Apple Books to get free content.
Is the Z-library legal?
No, Z-library is not legal. The site is a shadow library offering file-sharing access to various books without prior permission from the author or publisher, making them illegal.
For those who aren’t aware of shadow libraries, it is an online database that acts as a repository for contents that aren’t available, difficult to download, or costly to obtain.
For this reason, many countries, such as the US, UK, and India, have sued and banned them by seizing the website’s internet domain. If you live in a country with strict copyright laws, chances are it’s also illegal to use Z-library within your area.
Technically, Z-library is a place for pirated books. While they have a good intention to provide educational books, their means to share content are unfortunately against the law.
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