14 Best Ways to Get Free Books

Libraries are no longer the only place to find free books

What's better than a new book you can dive into but one that's totally free! Here you'll find a list of how you can get free books of all kinds.

There are titles you get to keep, borrow, hold in your hands, read online, listen to as an MP3, or put on your e-reader. Some you can get in the mail and others you'll have to go out and pick up.

Some of these tips you've more than likely heard of, but hopefully you'll find some new ideas on how you can get free books for yourself and everyone in your family.

01
of 14

Check Out Books From Your Public Library

library of books

Trnava University / Unsplash

What We Like
  • Often a huge selecton.

  • Available in most cities and towns.

  • Some also have movies and audiobook access.

What We Don't Like
  • Usually requires a library card.

Probably the most obvious way to get free books is to check them out from your local public library. The downside is that they won't be yours to keep, but you will have the chance to read whatever they have for free, and maybe even borrow them for extended periods of time.

So, we all know libraries have books. But here's a tip: visit the last day of a book sale. Many times they will hand out free or very low-cost books instead of hauling them back into storage.

Something else I’ve done at my local library is request books I’m interested in. I’ve done this a few times to save myself from having to buy them.

02
of 14

Visit a Little Free Library

A red little free library in a front yard
What We Like
  • Novel way to get free books.

  • Fun for kids.

  • All-day access.

  • Encourages sharing.

What We Don't Like
  • Not available everywhere.

  • Hit-or-miss, quality wise.

  • Could suffer from theft.

You’ve probably seen these around. They’re typically small boxes near parks or homes that people can put books into and take books from. It’s like a traditional library, but it’s open 24/7, which is perfect when you need a new late-night read but your “big” library is closed.

I’ve seen so many little libraries just by spotting them from a car, but the Little Free Library World Map (there’s also an app) cements exactly where to find all these free books. And believe me, there’s probably one somewhere near you; there are over 150,000 of these libraries in more than 100 countries.

03
of 14

Hunt for Books Near You With BookCrossing

BookCrossing website home page
What We Like
  • Interesting way to find books.

What We Don't Like
  • Map doesn't work well.

  • Focused mainly in just a few countries.

BookCrossing is certainly a unique way to get free books! Participants label and release books into the wild for others to hunt down, find, read, and then release back for someone else to read.

Select Books & People > Go Hunting to find the location of books near you. Over one million users are on this site, and there are books waiting to be picked up in dozens of countries.

04
of 14

Get Free Kindle Books

person reading an ebook from a Kindle

James Tarbotton / Unsplash

What We Like
  • Access free books instantly from anywhere.

  • Thousands of titles.

What We Don't Like
  • Might be too many choices to know where to start.

If you have a Kindle, you'll be thrilled to know that you can get hundreds of thousands of free ebooks that can be downloaded straight to your Kindle.

There are digital books in a large variety of subjects, including both fiction and non-fiction. There are also children's books you can get for free on your Kindle.

Something uniquely beneficial about digital books is that they're easy to trade. You can borrow and lend your Kindle books with friends and family.

You don't need to have a Kindle to get free Kindle books! Just download the free Kindle reading app on your phone, computer, or other device and enjoy all the free ebooks that are out there.

05
of 14

Find a Free Book for Your Nook

Person laying on orange hammock while reading
What We Like
  • Lots of titles are available.

  • Download the book in seconds.

What We Don't Like
  • Most free book websites focus on public domain titles.

We can't leave you Nook owners out! There are also tons of free books you can download and put on your Nook. There's quite the handful of websites out there that offer these books, and you could spend years and years reading all of them.

There's a free Nook reading app as well, so no Nook is necessary to enjoy these titles.

06
of 14

Borrow or Trade Books With a Friend

Person holding stack of books
What We Like
  • Encourages reuse instead of waste.

What We Don't Like
  • Unlikely you'll get the exact title you're after.

Friends and family can be a great source for getting free books. You can borrow or trade books, or you might just get lucky enough to receive some books permanently that they're done with.

Be sure you return the favor with your read books, and you'll be more likely to get additional titles in the future.

07
of 14

Download a Free Audio Book

Man with headphones on listening to phone audio
What We Like
  • Shockingly huge catalog.

  • The audio files are yours to keep.

What We Don't Like
  • Many are older, public domain works.

Audio books are great to listen to in the car or on the go, but they can be really expensive to purchase.

The link below will lead you to free audio books that you can download and listen to from your phone, computer, or MP3 player, or alternatively burn to a CD.

08
of 14

Sign Up Your Child for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library home page
What We Like
  • A free book delivered every month.

What We Don't Like
  • Limited availability.

Kids can get free books mailed to them each month through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. This is an awesome idea for children; over 200 million books have been gifted through this program.

Registration is free and is geared towards children up to five years old. It works in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, and Australia.

09
of 14

Read a Free Book Through Google Play

Free Google Play eBooks
What We Like
  • Instant access.

  • Read from a computer, phone, or tablet.

What We Don't Like
  • Must read through a specific app.

  • Relatively few titles.

Google Play allows you to read a ton of free books right on your computer or phone. This is a one-page listing of ebooks that are available on your device in moments.

10
of 14

Find Free Books on Craigslist

List of free books on Craigslist
What We Like
  • Worldwide access.

  • Includes other free items you might like.

What We Don't Like
  • Isn't limited to books.

Craigslist can be a useful resource for just about anything, but it may not come to mind when you think of free stuff.

Similar to Freecycle listed above, Craigslist has a whole section dedicated just to free items. You might have luck running across books there, too.

If the free books don't show up right away, search for the book you want, or just enter book into the search box to find every book that users are selling in your area.

11
of 14

Ask for Free Books at Garage Sales

person looking through books

Clem Onojeghuo / Unsplash

What We Like
  • You might score free books in bulk.

  • Garage sales can include other free items.

What We Don't Like
  • You probably won't find a specific title you're searching for.

  • It's difficult to find all nearby garage sales.

Visit some local garage sales right as they are closing up for the day, and you'll be surprised at how many people would just give away their items, including free books, instead of hauling them back to the garage.

If you're not sure where to go, you might have luck finding a nearby sale at Garage Sale Finder.

12
of 14

Read Online at Bibliomania

Free short stories at Bibliomania
What We Like
  • Read directly from the website.

  • Books are available instantly.

What We Don't Like
  • Limited to older books.

  • No option to save books offline.

Bibliomania has hundreds of free classic literature and non-fiction texts that can be read in their entirety online.

These are over all different kinds of subjects and there are some great selections for people of all ages.

13
of 14

Trade Books Online at PaperBack Swap

PaperBack Swap home page
What We Like
  • Lots of books to pick from.

What We Don't Like
  • Must pay for shipping.

PaperBack Swap isn't quite free, but I had to include it in this list because the cost is very low to get a book that you can keep.

First, you'll need to mail out a book of your own to someone who requests it (you'll have to pay for shipping), and then you'll get a credit that can be redeemed for a book of your choice that someone else will ship to you.

There are hundreds of thousands of books to choose from, including not only paperbacks but also hardback books, textbooks, and audiobooks. You can keep the books you receive or offer them back up for other users to have.

BookMooch is a similar alternative.

14
of 14

Claim Free Books Through Freecycle

Freecycle.org home page
What We Like
  • Wide availability.

What We Don't Like
  • Most offerings are not books.

Freecycle is a website that connects people who want to give stuff away with people who want that stuff.

You'll need to join your local group online and then watch for when people post free stuff like books or anything else. Then, you claim those free items and pick them up with no strings attached.

There's no cost to use this website. You'll join over 10 million members who are giving away and picking up free stuff in thousands of towns.

Was this page helpful?