If you’ve stopped by this blog before, you already know I like book apps. What I haven’t shared nearly as often is my love for ALL types of books, especially mysteries, YA and middle grade novels, business and other how-to volumes, and even the occasional chick lit book. Because the only thing better than a good book is a good FREE book, I have found myself visiting a few special online destinations to help me be one of the first to know when a book shows up free or at a steep discount.
Book Apps
For those of you looking for the best deals and free offers on apps, look no further than the Daily Deal Page at Digital Storytime. I don’t know how she does it, but Carisa Kluver (the muscle behind Digital Storytime) handpicks the best deals on storybook and other apps for kids twice a day! I LOVE it and check it at least every day or two.
Free App Alert doesn’t specialize in book apps, but stories will show up in their daily listing of apps that are temporarily offered FREE. I have found many cool apps this way, mostly game apps.
Amazon Kindle Books
While I don’t actually own a Kindle, the Kindle app on my iPad gets a lot of use. And with the help of the following three sites, my wallet doesn’t have to be adversely affected (much!).
My favorite Kindle deal site is Pixel of Ink. This site provides brief write-ups on books that have recently come down in price or are being offered FREE in the Kindle store. They seem to mention books of high quality, helping me separate the good stuff from the dreck.
I admit I stop by the site a couple of times a day when I remember, but sometimes I need a bit of prodding. That’s where their Twitter feed, daily email newsletter and Facebook page come in handy.
Another resource I recommend is Kindle Nation Daily. Run by Steve Windwalker (cool name, eh?), this site has a searchable, continually-updated list of Kindle freebies, sorted with the most recent additions at the top by default. This is a complete list (with no curation), which is useful every once in a while when Pixel of Ink doesn’t mention something I think I might like.
One I’ve discovered recently is eReaderIQ. They have a similar freebie listing to that found at Kindle Nation Daily, but they add a Recent Price Drops section that is generated by their readers and includes a wide range of prices. I like the icons that appear next to each title, showing you at-a-glance which books are lending and TTS enabled, etc.
Dead-Tree Books
While I am quickly making the transition away from printed media, I admit this effort is sometimes stymied by my cheapskate tendencies. I refuse to spend $9.99 or above for a Kindle book I can get cheaper as a paperback. I take special delight in circumventing the outdated and no-longer-relevant new book retail process and getting books secondhand.
The best way to do this is through PaperbackSwap.com. The idea behind the site is genius. Start by putting up for trade a pile of physical books you no longer want (paperbacks and hardbacks are welcomed, as are audiobooks). Agree to ship (at your expense) one of these books to another member who requests it. Doing this earns you a credit, which you can use to request a book of your choice from another member.
I have scored many hard-to-find and out-of-print books through PaperbackSwap, which I love. If there is a book you want that isn’t available, just add it to your wish list. It might take a while, but someone will eventually post it, and the system will offer it to the next person on the wait list for that book. I also really like the fact that the books I don’t want any more get shipped to someone who is happy to receive them.
Scored any free books lately? Got any other resources you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments.
Sparks by Brooks Jones 