Free E-Books for Read an E-Book Week
March 9, 2009 by Lillie
Read an E-Book Week is here … and with it the chance for you to learn more about e-books and to download free e-books. Let’s start with free e-books—everybody likes free—then we’ll get to resources to learn more about e-books.
During this week, I am offering a free e-book to each of my visitors.
Some of my clients are providing limited numbers of copies of their e-books:
- As Shadows Fall by Grace Anne Schaefer (5 copies)
- The New Day Dawns by Grace Anne Schaefer (5 copies)
- On the Wings of the Wind by Patricia Eytcheson Taylor and the Reverend Doctor James Taylor (2 copies)
- Some Monument to Last by James Doughty (2 copies)
- Spring House by David Bowles (5 copies)
I am offering an unlimited number of my own e-books:
Just leave a comment indicating your first, second, and third choices for your free e-book. I will e-mail you the e-book (typically a zip file containing several different e-book formats) within one business day. You must request your free e-book during Read an E-Book Week 2009, no later than Saturday, March 14th. Though I will give you your first choice if possible, the e-books in limited supply will be distributed in the order the request is received in comments.
Visit the Read an E-Book Partners page to find more free e-books from publishers and authors.
The following sites give away free e-books all the time:
- All Books Free—fiction, children’s literature, and poetry
- Bibliomania—over 2000 free classic texts
- Christian Classics Ethereal Library—classic Christian books in electronic format
- Classic Short Stories—read short stories online
- Digital Book Index—catalog of more than 100,000 online books, texts, and documents
- Electronic Text Center—University of Virginia’s E-Book Library for the MS READER and PALM Devices
- Feedbooks—Free public domain books in popular formats
- Free-ebooks.net—E-books delivered by RSS feed or downloadable PDF
- ibiblio—one of the largest “collection of collections” from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
- The Internet Public LIbrary—extensive online text collections from the University of Michigan
- MemoWare—free e-books for PDAs
- National Academies Press—more than 4,000 free e-books in the fields of science, engineering, and medicine
- The Online Books Page—listing over 30,000 free books on the Web from the University of Pennsylvania
- Phoenix-Library.org—worldwide multiformat e-Library
- Project Gutenberg—The oldest producer of free e-texts on the Internet
You can find even more free e-books by going to your favorite search engine and typing in “free e-books.”
If you’d like to know more about e-books, check out the following articles.
On the Read an E-Book site, you will find:
- History of E-Books
- Future of E-Books
- Information on E-Book Reading Devices
- Environmental Impact of E-Books
- Sources of E-Books
- Read an E-Book Partners
You will find a number of articles on my blog about e-books, including the following.
General E-Book Information:
- E-Book Resources
- E-Books, Part 1: I read throughout a four-hour power outage
- E-Books, Part 2: Short Nonfiction (How-To) E-Books
- E-Books, Part 3: Books from Electronic or Traditional Publishers
- Blog Action Day: Publishing and the Environment
- Read an E-Book Week
- Read an E-Book Week 2
- Read an E-Book Week Next Week
Electronic Reading Devices:
- Dream or Destiny and the Kindle
- E-Books, Part 4: Electronic Reading Devices
- What Will the Kindle Do for the E-Publishing Industry?
Publishing E-Books:
- Answers to a Writer’s Questions, Part 2: Children’s Book on CD
- Answers to a Writer’s Questions, Part 3: Marketing a Children’s E-Book
- Self-Publishing Primer: Part 13 - Do I need a Web site and should I make my book available as an e-book?
In closing, let me share a few of the things I like best about reading e-books:
- Reading electronically is easier on my aging, stroke-damaged eyes because I can adjust the font to a size large enough for me to read easily; eInk in Kindle and other e-book reading devices creates an excellent reading experience.
- Holding my Kindle or eBookWise reader is more comfortable than trying to holding a print book (especially a hard cover book) open with arthritic hands.
- I can carry dozens or hundreds of books in the palm of my hand, which is especially beneficial when traveling.
- E-books are more environmentally friendly than print books, especially considering that a third of all books printed end up in land fills without ever being read.
- I find innovative, entertaining, and informative books from small, electronic publishers that often don’t follow the mold of books from traditional publishers.
- Many e-books, especially classics, are available for free, and e-books from independent publishers usually cost much less than print books, allowing me to buy more books on my budget.
I read e-books almost exclusively, but many people prefer print. Do any of the benefits listed above attract your interest? Many readers find that reading e-books—once a week, once a month, or once a year—adds to their reading enjoyment and saves them money while preserving trees. Hope you Read an E-book this week!
Don’t forget to leave your comment with your first, second, and third choices of e-books. If you request one of my books, Dream or Destiny or Stroke of Luck, you don’t need to include any other choices, as there are no limits on how many of these I will give away.
I have been reading ebooks for years. They are mostly for school and for computer-related information (i.e. Adobe Photoshop, ASP.NET) but I have recently gotten into reading ebooks that were written by online authors. I am interested in attaining one of your books, is this possible? Regards!
Chicago (if you wrote YourName@Keywords, I could address you as a real person, and you would still get your keyword link),
Let me know which book from the above list of free e-books you would like, and I will e-mail it to you. If you don’t respond right away, specify your first, second, and third choices in case your first choice isn’t available. Right now, though, everything on the list is available.
Hi Lillie – I would like a copy of Stroke of Luck please. I don’t know how I will get on with a fiction ebook but I’ll certainly give it a shot. Thanks.
Cath Lawson´s last blog post..Are We Stupid? Silva Life System Review Part 1
Cath,
I’ve just e-mailed you a copy of Stroke of Luck. Hope you enjoy it!
Let me know if you don’t receive it—I remember I was having trouble with your e-mail at one time.
Hi Lillie,
As the proud owner of a new BeBook ebook reader I’m jumping into ebooks with both feet and so far I love it! I’m never without something to read and I take the BeBook everywhere I go. So, I would love a free ebook to add to my collection. In order of preference:
The New Day Dawns
As Shadows Fall
Some Monuments to Last
Thank you,
Pretty
Pretty,
I appreciate your sharing your experience with the BeBook. I was not familiar with that device, and it looks like a good one.
You will receive an e-mail with The New Day Dawns. Enjoy!
If possible, I would like the ebook Stroke of Luck. I don’t have a second or third choice.
Thank you very much,
hannah
hannah,
Your free e-book of Stroke of Luck is on the way to you. Hope you enjoy it.
I have just discovered e-books and I’m loving my new kindle. I just wish I could afford kindle 2. I would love a free e-book. If possible I would like “As shadows fall” as my first choice followed by “Dream or Destiny” and “Stroke of Luck.” Great promotion, I’m really enjoying it.
Marcy,
As Shadows Fall is on its way to you. Enjoy!
The value of e-books for kids cannot be overated. The low cost/free ebook opens the world to those who are financially disadvantaged.
It’s good to see sites like yours enabling people of all ages to re-experience the joy of reading.
Keep up the good work!!
Shane,
You make a good point about e-books being helpful to people who are financially disadvantaged. There are so many free e-books available, and even when they are sold, most e-books (at least those from small publishers) are much less expensive than print books.
Lillie, I don’t own a Kindle but it was nice to hear the real person perspective and not simply the marketing. I do love books but as you noted, I don’t have money or space to buy everything I want to read. This post makes me rethink e-reading. I do believe I’ll be saving up for a kindle! I’ve read and loved Dream or Destiny so would love to win Stroke of Luck.
Karen Swim´s last blog post..Lazy or Creative?
Karen,
I think you’ll love the Kindle.
I was also interested in the BeBook, which another commenter mentioned. I’ve had an e-mail conversation with her about it, and she’s very happy with it. It reads PDF, which Kindle doesn’t (though you can save unencrypted PDF to another format to read on Kindle). She’s going to check out how large the font can be adjusted—one of the best things about the Kindle is the large size the font can be set to.
Stroke of Luck is headed your way via e-mail.
Thanks for the free book offer. My choices would be
1. The New Day Dawns by Grace Anne Schaefer
2. As Shadows Fall by Grace Anne Schaefer
3. Dream or Destiny
Karen in TN´s last blog post..
Karen,
The New Day Dawns is headed your way via e-mail. Hope you enjoy it!
Hooray, the extravaganza free E-books week had already begun. Lillie, I will spread out the words and hope more people will flock to your blog…
wilson´s last blog post..My Nephew’s Tooth Pain Story!
wilson,
Thanks for spreading the word about Read an E-Book Week.
Do you want a free e-book for yourself? I’d love to send you one of my novels (or one of the other books listed above).
Thanks for the offer of a free book. My choices would be
1. On the Wings of the Wind by Patricia Eytcheson Taylor
2. As Shadows Fall by Grace Anne Schaefer
3. Dream or Destiny
Thank you.
Wilma,
On the Wings of the Wind is winging its way to you through cyberspace. Enjoy!
Hi Lillie! What a great idea. I’d love a copy of Stroke of Luck!
Hope you are doing well.
–r
renae´s last blog post..Getting Ready
Renae,
You’ll receive Stroke of Luck in an e-mail. Hope you enjoy it.
Hi Lillie,
Thank you for offering us a free e-book. My choices in order of preference:
1. The New Day Dawns by Grace Anne Schaefer
2. As Shadows Fall by Grace Anne Schaefer
3. Spring House by David Bowles
Cherie,
Enjoy The New Day Dawns, which you’ll receive in e-mail.
I’m not requesting an ebook (and won’t leave a sig line
, but did want to say that it’s great that you’re giving away books, both yours and those of others. I do believe e-books are the wave of the future and here to stay, but I don’t have an e-reader.
Helen Ginger´s last blog post..Social Networking: Read My Link
Helen,
Thanks for commenting and for noting my contrarian point of view on your own blog.
Maybe one day you’ll get an e-book reader. One of the things I like best is to do the final readthrough of a book I’m editing on my Kindle. Somehow a few things always crop up after I think I’ve finished editing. Reading on an e-book reader saves printing out the manuscript again if you’ve already edited in print, and it’s different than reading on the computer screen.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to get a free ebook! One thing I’ve loved with my Kindle these past several months is the opportunity to try new authors that I might never have found otherwise, there’s a lot of talent out there that gets a better chance to be “heard”, I think.
I’d love to get a copy of your book, Dream or Destiny, as it sounds very intriguing.
Thanks again!
Stephanie,
I agree that there are a lot of new or less well-known authors that can be found on Kindle (and other e-books).
Dream or Destiny is headed your way. Enjoy.
Wow, I didn’t know there was so much information on e-books. There are 3 things I want to do with my income tax refund–buy Pittsburgh Pirate tickets (6 game plan), register for the Ellora Cave convention in October, and buy an e-book reader. I can’t believe how many e-books there are out there. I’d like your book Dream or Destiny. It sounds interesting.
Sheila,
Hope you do everything you want with your income tax refund.
Dream or Destiny has been sent to you. Hope you enjoy it.
[...] addition to this week being Read an E-Book Week, the entire month of March is Small Press [...]
I had no idea there were so many sites with free ebooks. I would love to read Stroke of Luck.
Thank you for the offer!
Sally Ferguson´s last blog post..Do your kids like to take medicine?
Sally,
Hope you enjoy Stroke of Luck. You’ll receive it in e-mail.
Hi Lillie – Thanks very much. I’ve checked my email and junk box for As Shadows Fall but could not find the message. Wonder if you could resend? Thanks
Marcy,
I’ll re-send As Shadows Fall. The attachment is a zip file containing several different formats. If you don’t receive it this time, let me know what format you prefer (HTML, PDF, or RTF), and I’ll send the single file.
I would love to read Stroke of Luck!
Thank you.
Estella,
Stroke of Luck will be sent in e-mail. Enjoy.
Your Dream or Destiny sounds like a great book.
Even Stroke of Luck sounds great.
Wishing you well woth all your writings.
Sharon,
Hope you enjoy Dream or Destiny, which you will receive in e-mail.
Hi, Lillie. What a great offer. I would like to read Dream or Destiny. I’ve been reading ebooks for eight years now and love the convenience and portability of the devices…particularly on holiday. I am reading on my new Sony reader these days and would like the book in PDF, if possible. I can’t wait to read it.
Dee
Dee,
Dream or Destiny will come to you in a zip file containing several formats, including PDF. Hope you enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed your books.
This is a great idea
Thanks, Shelly. Let me know if you want a book.
Hi, Lillie,
I’m not sure I’m doing this right…but wanted to give it a try…I’m not familiar with blogging, so bear with me. I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to get acqainted with romance…and your books sound like a good start..
I’d like to try “Dreams or Destiny” for my first choice and “Stroke of Luck” as my second choice.
Thanks so much for this opportunity.
Betty Sullivan La Pierre
Mystery/Suspense Author
Betty,
You did it just right, and Dream or Destiny is on its way to you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy your Hawkman books.
I have been reading ebooks for a about 5 months. Both of yours are “my type” of book.
1st choice: Dream or Destiny
2nd choice: Stroke of Luck
Thank you.
Kay Irwin
Kay,
Hope you enjoy Drema or Destiny. You will receive it in e-mail.
Hi Lillie,
Sorry not to have come earlier on font size in the BeBook reader. It seems that there are only three sizes of fonts – normal, full screen and double (this last one is landscape). The sizes are pretty good but as you say, if the initial document is loaded with quite small font, zooming in even to double size may not be large enough.
There is an option to load other fonts in a file on the SD card (ttf files) so I assume that if there was a ttf for an already large font you could change the display to that font which might solve the problem. I haven’t tried this but will let you know if I do.
Pretty
Thanks for the info, Pretty. If a larger font can be installed it might be feasible; otherwise, probably not. I really like being able to read PDF, though.
Oh my, how generous you’re, Lillie. If you don’t mind, I would like to have a copy of your first published novel, “Stroke of Luck”…
Thanks again, my friend!
wilson´s last blog post..To Write or Not To Write?
wilson,
Stroke of Luck is headed your way in e-mail. I hope you enjoy it!
[...] Free E-Books for Read an E-Book Week: Lists sites that have free e-books all the time. Still prefer my books printed not on a reader. [...]
I have just read that there will be an ebook reader for the iPod touch via the kindle/amazon system. No good for me because it is not available outside of the US but interesting anyway.
Paulette´s last blog post..Television and Music
Paulette,
Too bad it’s not available outside the US, but thanks for letting us know.
Great idea, Lillie. Looks like it’s being productive for you, too. No need to send me a book but I wanted to tell you I love my Kindle. (I should go see if my publisher is doing anything like this for the week’s events.
Vikk Simmons´s last blog post..Edgar Allen Poe, a father to many of today’s writers
Vikk,
I love my Kindle, too, but mine is Kindle 1 … it’s hard to keep up with the latest technology.
Hello,
I would like to request copy of :
Dream or Destiny,
Stroke of Luck,
Spring house if possible.
Thank you
Meiredith,
You will receive Dream or Destiny in e-mail. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi, again,
Thanks for the E-Book!
I included a link to this blog on my blog. Great post you have here. Keep up the good work!
Dawn Colclasure´s last blog post..Read an E-Book Week: Still time left to get a free E-Book!
Thanks, Dawn. I enjoyed reading the Read an E-Book posts on your blog and have subscribed. Hope you enjoy the book.
What a lovely idea for a giveaway!
I would like to request, if possible:
On the Wings of the Wind
The New Day Dawns
As Shadows Fall
Dream or Destiny
Stroke of Luck
Thanks a ton!
Theo,
On the Wings of the Wind is on its way. Hope you enjoy it.
Hi Lillie – I would like a copy of Stroke of Luck please. Thanks for the offer.
Lynn,
You’ll receive Stroke of Luck in e-mail. Hope you enjoy it.
your list of free ebook sites is going to keep me busy for a very long time, i could spend months reading through all that information.
Thanks for letting us know about these, much appreciated.
steve,
Some of these sites have hundreds or thousands of free e-books. I’ve been using some of them for years and still find books I want to read.
Of course, I buy my share of e-books, as well.
I don’t have a Kindle either, most ebooks I read on the PC and some I print out 2 up using the fineprint driver which saves 50% of the paper. What a great Idea. I know that I missed the deadline, but I have lots to read already.
Tony,
Although I prefer that people don’t print e-books at all because of the paper waste, I’m glad you’re printing in a way to conserve paper.
A lot of Books there, thank and thank again, i very happy now
Andrew,
Yes, there are a lot of e-books available. Glad you’re happy.
In Spain they have a great self publishing site called Bubok. Its still only in Spanish but I’m sure they have plans on doing an english version. Check it out.
casa (if you wrote YourName@Keywords, I could address you as a real person, and you would still get your keyword link),
Thanks for telling us about Bubok. It looks like a good resource for writers in Spain. Keep us posted if they expand into English.
Thanks for that very interesting list, lots of books to look forward to there.
I read them on my pc, but I am also wondering how do you format a pdf for kindles?
As I have done a few e-books myself and look forward to doing more of them, would like to be able to allow kindle users to read them too.
Rob
Rob sellen´s last blog post..Quality over quanitity
Rob,
It’s easy to convert PDF to Kindle. Go to Amazon’s Digital Text Platform at https://dtp.amazon.com/mn/signin. If you have an Amazon account, just signin with that login; if you don’t have an Amazon account, you will need to create one.
Go to the “my shelf” tab and select “add new.” It’s a simple process to enter the information and upload your media (which can be a PDF file or a number of other file types). I’ve never used PDF, and Amazon warns that sometimes the formatting of the original document can cause problems in the conversion. I’ve always uploaded Word, rtf, or html files, and they have converted flawlessly. At least as far as I’ve noticed—I don’t read every page in the preview, but I do a random sample of a number of pages and have never found a problem.
There’s no cost to convert, and you don’t even have to pay the fee to join Amazon Advantage.
Thank you for that response, never realised it was so simple!
I will have to give that a go and see what it’s like.
Again, thank you for that explanation, much appreciated.
Rob
Rob sellen´s last blog post..Quality over quanitity
Good luck, Rob. It’s surprisingly easy.
wow, a really good sharing.
thanks for sharing this big list.
hehe
SkinCareLib´s last blog post..How to prevent your skin from getting acne
Skin (if you wrote YourName@Keywords, I could address you as a real person, and you would still get your keyword link),
Hope you find some great reads on this list.
Unfortunately here in Australia it’s hard to get hold of a Kindle, so I am reduced to reading my ebooks on the computer screen, which is more than a little uncomfortable.
I have read recently however that the IPod touch has a new Kindle Application, and as I need a new phone anyway, so I’m leaning heavily towards buying one just for that purpose.
John,
Yes, I understand you can read Kindle books on a iPod so that would be a definite reason to get one.
Cool list. Thanks for sharing it. E-books is a popular staff. Anyways, I like them a lot.
Holiday (if you wrote YourName@Keywords, I could address you as a real person, and you would still get your keyword link),
Glad you like e-books. As you can tell, I’m a big fan.
[...] organizations and programs, such as Operaton EBook Drop: Free Books for Deployed Soldiers and Free E-Books for Read an E-Book Week, generated many comments. However, I limited my choices to posts that reflected my opinions, [...]
I’m a fan of ebooks but the only thing that I don’t like about ebooks are you have to read it from electronic device and the strain it does to our eyes is pretty bad.
Brad,
Actually I prefer my Kindle with e-Ink technology to a print book. I can adjust the font to a comfortable size, and the e-Ink is very similar to print.
Hi Lillie.. Many Books you shared, I would like a copy of Stroke of Luck please.. thank so much..
Arragon,
I’m sorry, but if you read the complete article, you would see that the offer of free e-books was for a limited time during Read an E-Book Week (May 8-14, 2009).