Are All Books on Kindle Free? (How to Get Them)

From the moment they unbox their Kindles, new Kindle owners are eager to fill their Kindle libraries. That usually starts with a quick browse through the Kindle Store which offers a vast assortment of books. First time users are normally curious to find out what it would cost them to get books on their Kindle.

Not all books on Kindle are free. While Kindle does offer a wide array of free books spanning different genres, readers must purchase most books the same way they would if they were buying hard copies at the local bookstore.

On some occasions, releases by major authors are made free for promotional purposes and for a limited amount of time. You may refer to the Top 100 Free Kindle Books charts, which lists the top 100 downloaded Kindle books by genre to point you on your way to what could be your next great read. Now, let’s find out more about your Kindle and ways to fill it up with books!

How to Start Using Your Kindle

Once you’ve bought your Kindle, you will need to download reading material into the device to start reading. You can do this on the Kindle Store, which boasts a vast library of over six million Kindle ebooks spanning different genres, from traditional publishers to self-published authors. Some books even come with audible narration. Once you’ve downloaded the book of your choice to your Kindle, you can start reading right away.

How to Get Free Books On Kindle

If you’re looking to save a buck, there are some ways to get free books onto your Kindle at zero cost. After all, not every book you end up buying will be a page-turner, so if you can get them for free, not liking what you read is not going to end in buyer’s regret.

You can avail yourself of free books by taking full advantage of Kindle functionalities and less-known services. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with your options will help you make the most of your Kindle without breaking the bank.

OverDrive

If your local library happens to have a digital collection, it may also have an OverDrive lending service. This service allows readers to check out Kindle books for a limited time, just like a traditional library book, but without the necessary trip back to the library to return it on its due date.

With the OverDrive service, you can download the book to your Kindle. When your time limit (due date) has elapsed, it automatically gets “returned” to the library and becomes inaccessible on your device.

You can check if your local library has a digital collection on the OverDrive website and see what titles are available for lending with a click of your mouse. The size of OverDrive libraries may vary with the location of the physical library. Depending on the library, you may need to sign up for a library card in person or online.

Project Gutenberg

Another favorite resource that provides free books for Kindle users is Project Gutenberg, an electronic repository of books in the public domain. The books are available in various formats, including forms compatible with Kindle devices and apps.

Amazon Household

Kindle has a book-sharing service that allows you to share books with family or friends by adding them to your Amazon Household. You can use this service by signing up for Amazon Household on your Kindle or online.

Each household allows for:

Two adults
Four children, and
Four teens

Once book-sharing has been enabled, only one person in the household has to buy books because new books will appear in your Cloud and other household members and be available to everyone in that household. You can exchange titles with your household members and get more than one book’s worth of reading.

Amazon Prime

A Prime subscription gives subscribers access to Prime Reading, a less-known service similar to Prime Video and Prime Music. Prime members enjoy exclusive access to hundreds of free book options that would otherwise be inaccessible to non-subscribers.

Kindle Unlimited

Kindle Unlimited is a subscription option that enables subscribers to rent an unlimited number of books, magazines, or audiobooks. However, there is a 10-book limit per check out. Once returned, the subscriber is able to check out another 10 books. Although it is technically not free since you are paying for a monthly subscription, you get much more than ten books’ worth of reading for your monthly fee.

Many Kindle users make the most of this service and take it a step further by swapping Kindles with their friends and reading each other’s book collections. However, this is only recommended if you have similar taste in books with your friends.

Kindle Email Address

The Send to Kindle email address has perhaps become the most attractive feature out of the many recent improvements made to Kindle devices and services. If you’ve obtained digital copies of books that are inaccessible through any of the other resources that have been mentioned and want to transfer it to your Kindle, you can do so via the Send to Kindle email address which is a dedicated email assigned to compatible devices and Kindle apps.

This service enables you to send documents directly to your Kindle app from any of 15 approved email addresses through your Send to Kindle email. File formats that can be emailed to Kindle include, but are not limited to:

Word documents (in .doc or .docx format)
PDF
HTML
MOBI
AZW

Once your documents have been sent to your email, you can download and convert them to a readable format on your Kindle. You can send up to 25 separate attachments if they don’t exceed 50 MB.

Conclusion

While many readers still have a sentimental preference for the feel and even the smell of paper, or the sensory experience of turning pages when reading a book, the Kindle offers functionalities that make it hard to resist even to the most nostalgic book lover.

Owning a Kindle doesn’t have to be more expensive than having a physical book collection as you can fill your Kindle libraries on a budget. Having a Kindle comes with the added perk of being able to take your reading on your vacations without it occupying more space in your bag than your regular hardbound.