If you're an obsessive reader like me, you know that collecting books is an expensive hobby. Seriously, before I knew how to find free books, going to Barnes & Noble meant "The End" for my budget. But, luckily there are tons of ways to get free books, both online and in-person. That's right, whether you're looking for free hard copy books, free Kindle books, or free audiobooks, I've got you.
I've been using these tricks for ages and have gotten hundreds of books for free. And don't worry, these tips are super simple and completely legal. That way you can smash your reading goals without smashing your piggy bank.
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1. Give and take books from more than 90,000 Little Free Library boxes.
Little Free Libraries are book-sharing boxes that look like small houses. You’ll find more than 90,000 of them in neighborhoods and high-traffic areas. Just note that if you take a book from the collection, you should replace it with a book of your own, that way everyone can benefit.
Find a Little Free Library near you (or apply to set one up yourself for free).
RELATED: Learn How to Get Kids’ Books for Free.
2. You know about the library. But are you using Libby?
Everyone knows you can check free books out at the library. But did you know that you can access thousands of e-books and audiobooks through the Libby app? In fact, you can have up to 15 audiobooks on hold at one time, ensuring you’re never without something to listen to. You just need a current library card to get started.
Sure, you don’t get to keep these books, but considering the scale of free books accessible this way, I think it’s worth mentioning.
3. Get new-to-you books via book exchanges.
Book exchanges have a “give a book, take a book” policy, just like Little Libraries. And online book exchanges make it easy to list your good-condition books and find some more that you might want. You’ll only pay for shipping.
Here are some of our favorites:
Book exchanges aren’t just online; check Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace to find listings for book exchanges near you.
4. Sign up to read Advance Review Copies (ARCs) of new releases.
This is my favorite way to get free books since I worked as a book reviews editor for a while. Publishers and authors tend to give away free books, often before they're available to the public, in exchange for reviews.
Anyone can get an ARC to review. Here’s how it works: you sign up through a third party, browse their catalogues to see what's available, and read a free digital copy of the book of your choice. Here are some of the best sites to find ARCs:
Some books require approval in order to access, but the way to get approved is to start out reading books that don’t need approval and leaving reviews faithfully. This will help you make a name for yourself as a reviewer. Just make sure you include that you got the book for free in exchange for a review.
5. Kindle offers a rotating selection of free books.
Kindle offers a range of free e-books, and if you see something you like, snap it up because it might not be free for very long. Once you download the book, it's yours to keep.
RELATED: 10 Ways to Get Free Books Online for the Whole Family
6. Digital copies of public domain works are always free.
Titles that were published more than 100 years ago are considered public domain. Essentially, this means that the book's copyright expired. So famous works by authors like Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen, are always free.
You can easily find public domain works for free on Apple Books, Kindle, Project Gutenberg, Google Books, Open Library, and Bibliomania.
7. Read books from over 20 different genres on BookBub.
You can access free e-books on BookBub in almost every format: Kindle, Nook, iPad, Android, you name it. Titles rotate frequently.
If you’re willing to pay just a smidge, BookBub also runs deals for $0.99 e-books all the time. These are often new and bestselling titles.
8. Stuff Your Kindle Day offers thousands of free indie books.
Stuff Your Kindle Day is an event where indie authors make their books free for one day only. The event happens four times a year and features thousands of titles. You'll mostly find romance books, but many of these books can also be categorized as mystery, fantasy, thriller, sci-fi, erotica, and more. In the past I've even found Colleen Hoover books.
9. Find free books using local bulletin boards.
Visit Freecycle and the “Free Stuff” section of Craigslist to see if people in your area are giving away free books.
If you don’t see books on there, you can always post that you’re looking for them.
Also, look on barter sites like Bunz, OfferUp, and Trademade to see if you can trade goods or services (not just books) for free books.
RELATED: 13 Places to Find Free Books Online
10. A free 30-day Audible trial gets you one audiobook.
In addition to being more accessible to a wider variety of readers, audiobooks are also a multitasker’s dream. Still, they can be expensive so it’s important to know where to look for free audiobooks.
Audible offers a free book with their 30-day trial period, but I’ve found this resets about once a year. I’ll sign up for the free trial, usually keep my subscription for a few months, then cancel. Rinse and repeat a year later.
11. Spotify has over 200,000 audiobooks.
Or, if you have Spotify Premium, you can get 15 hours of copyrighted audiobook listening. They offer over 200,000 books. After your 15 hours, copyrighted audiobooks will require a purchase in order to access.
If you don't have Premium (or used your 15 hours) you can still listen to the classics and other public domain works for free.
12. Stuff Your Earbuds Day is like Stuff Your Kindle Day but for audiobooks.
Stuff Your Earbuds Day offers hundreds of indie audiobooks for free. It's Stuff Your Kindle Day's sister event for romance audiobooks. While the next date hasn't been officially released, it's slated for some time in spring 2024.
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