5 Ways to Get Free Books

There used to be a time when I could indulge my book addiction. One book became an entire series, an entire series became an entire shelf, and an entire shelf became an entire collection.

But then the economy took a dive, and with it, my bibliophile heart. I’m the type who doesn’t like library books for two reasons: one is that I really like to keep my books. Another is that I cannot hold a library book without imagining all the other potentially germ-y hands that have held it before me.

So how does one afford the books one loves without going to the library? Prayer, of course!

Mine went something like this: “Lord, please show me how to afford the books I love so much.”

It was a simple prayer, but it was answered in a mighty way!

In the past 3 months alone, I’ve won 1 e-book, 4 paperbacks, and downloaded or received 25 free books. That’s 3 months, 30 books, and about $300 saved.

It wasn’t long before I realized: hey, if this could help me, maybe it could help someone else, too!

So here are 5 tips I’ve compiled to help you afford the books you love:

1) Get an e-reader and follow websites that post Kindle deals.

The majority of book deals now come through e-readers and, specifically, Amazon.

If you’re one of those who prefers the real thing to a handheld device, I get you. I love the feel of a real book in my hand as well and didn’t want to get a Kindle just because it was the popular thing to do.

However, after seeing how many free books were offered for Kindle and comparing the price of e-books to regular books (at least a $5.00 difference), I was a convert.

Remember those 25 free books I mentioned? Nearly all of them came through my Kindle.

After owning my Kindle for over a year now, I can tell you that it’s 100% worth the money you might spend on it. Within a few months, you can easily get back what you spent in the amount of free and discounted books you can buy.

If you’re looking for some high-quality bargain books, a Kindle is the way to go.

Here are just two of the websites I’ve found that regularly post e-book deals: http://www.vesselproject.com
http://www.bookwi.se.com

2) “Like” author or publisher pages on Facebook.

Giveaways are a huge deal right now on the internet and in the publishing world.

In any given month, there’s usually three or more giveaways going on at once. A great way to find out about these giveaways would be through “liking” your favorite author pages on Facebook.

Not only will authors let you know when their book is being offered in a giveaway, they’ll often let you know of other giveaways going on as well. If their book is being offered for free or at a discount price on Kindle, they’ll let you know about that, too.

Because publishers represent a lot of authors, publisher pages (such as Bethany House or Tyndale) can be an even greater resource.

In most cases, entering these types of giveaways are pretty simple. They might want you to leave a comment on their blog, “like” their page, or just share about the giveaway on Facebook.

Many people don’t consider entering giveaways simply because they don’t think they have any chance of winning. I’d caution you against that, however. Remember: in the last three months, I’ve won 1 e-book, 4 paperbacks, and 1 ten-dollar Amazon gift card. All through giveaways!

Many blogs regularly host giveaways. Here are a few I follow:
http://www.christianfictionsite.com
http://www.rittywrites.blogspot.com

3) Sign up for a “Blogging for Books” program.

Many publishers have a bloggers reward system, meaning they’ll give you a free book from one of their authors if you give an honest review of the book in return. Although every publisher has different rules, most of them require you to have a blog and that you post a review of the book on both your blog and favorite retailer’s website (such as Amazon, CBD, etc.)

I personally use WaterBrook Multnomah’s blogging program (check it out here: http://www.waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks) because it’s one of the easiest, but I know Tyndale and many other publishers have blogging programs as well.

I don’t know about you, but a free book (from e-books to paperbacks) in exchange for a short review and an honest opinion? Sounds good to me!

4) Attend a library book sale.

Okay, so usually I’m not a fan of these, what with the germs and all. However, you can usually get a lot of really great books for not a lot of money.

At the library book sale I went to, it was all by donation. So I could have easily walked out with dozens of free books, and essentially did.

For instance: I got the entire Left Behind series in hardcover (about 11 books valued at around $140), a 1916 copy of Treasure Island, a 1940’s copy of The Pickwick Papers, and seven other books.

I’d never attended a library book sale before because I was certain all the books would be old and of poor quality. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find many current authors and a ton of amazing deals.

So if you like owning books and aren’t as ridiculously concerned about germs as me, definitely check into that!

5) Follow my “Christian Deals and Giveaways” board on Pinterest.

If all of that sounds like a lot of work to you, you can also follow my “Christian Deals & Giveaways” board where I do the leg work for you. I post weekly and include all the giveaways as well as any free or discounted books I come across. You can find it here: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzieveldboom/christian-deals-giveaways

So there you have it! 5 ways to get free books. If this has been helpful for you, please consider sharing. Until next time, happy reading!

(My thanks to Jeanette Neels at “Creating a Life” {www.creatingalifenow.blogspot.com} for helping me create the fantastic button for this blog post!)