Reading Free Books | Lillie Ammann, Writer and Editor

I read more than 250 books per year, but I spend very little money on books.

First, let me make clear that I believe authors should be paid fairly for their work. I would never download books from a pirate site or otherwise avoid paying full price for a book. However, I gladly take advantage of books offered free by the author or publisher, and I subscribe to several email/website lists that announce free and discounted books.

Right now, I have about 500 books in my Kindle, and I don’t think I’ve paid for any of them. They are all titles that I have found for free or that have been offered to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I do occasionally pay for books but usually read them immediately. If I read a free book and love it so much I want to read other books in a series or more by the same author, I will purchase the other book at full price. I also purchase specific books, especially nonfiction, that I want to read.

But, in general, I find all the books I could ever want to read at no cost–at least not in money. There is a cost in time because I read several lists of free and discounted books each day. Even when it comes to free books, I’m selective and download a free book only if it is in a genre I enjoy reading and only if the description appeals to me.

I subscribe to lists that offer the genres I like to read. When I come across a new free ebook site, I sign up and try it out. If I find books I like, I continue the subscription. However, if the list offers mostly books in genres I don’t usually read, I will cancel the subscription so I don’t waste my time.

The list below includes my favorites as well as some others that those who read different genres might like: