Free*-to-borrow books for Amazon Kindle!
you’ll have to have both an Amazon Prime subscription AND a Kindle
Hello Internet Neighbors!
Do you struggle to find time to read books? Me too. I end up buying books that I never read… Why? It’s because there’s no urgency. After I found out that I can get a free book to borrow each month with my Amazon Prime membership, I’m more prone to finish the book so I can borrow another one in the next month.
I challenge you read a book this month! In the comments below, let me know what book you plan to read! If you don’t already have a prime membership, keep reading to see what else you can get with it. (spoiler alert: it’s a whole lot more than just 2 day shipping)
Free* Bestsellers?
The * means that you’ll have to have both an Amazon Prime subscription AND a Kindle (e-reader or Kindle Fire - not the apps), which a lot of my friends and neighbors have. If that’s the case, then you don’t need to spend any more money, but keep reading as I’ll show you which books you can lend for free. If you don’t have a Prime subscription or a Kindle reader yet, see the next section.
If you have Amazon Prime, then I’m sure that Amazon has a feature called ‘Kindle Owners Lending Library’ (where you can borrow one book at the beginning of each month, and return it whenever you’re done). The major gripe I have with this is that it is pretty hard to find books that are ‘Lending Library’ eligible… however, I’ve discovered that MOST of the “Kindle unlimited” books are eligible (Kindle unlimited is a $10/mth service that lets you borrow up to 10 books at a time).
Even then, there isn’t really an easy to find link to see what books are part of Kindle Unlimited.
Don’t have an Amazon Prime or Kindle?
Don’t worry, I got you covered. You can get a Fire tablet for pretty cheap. The problem is that it is straining on the eyes if you read for a long time. I personally recommend getting an e-reader, there are refurbished ones that don’t cost that much more than the Fire tablet. But I’d get a new one (Kindle “Paperwhite”) with a built in nightlight even though it’s about twice that. Totally worth it.
Kindle Fire tablet Kindle e-reader refurbed Kindle e-reader new w/backlight
Everyone knows that Amazon Prime gives you free 2day shipping, but it also includes ad-free music where you can choose the songs… just the music service itself is worth the cost ($99/year vs $120/year for Spotify - granted Spotify might have a better selection). Get yourself a 30 day trial or give Prime to one of your co-workers/friends.
On to the good stuff
To find all ‘Lending Library’ eligible books, I recommend using a web browser and not the kindle as it is easier to browse.
Here is a link to the search results.
Most of these books should be eligible for the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library (borrow-for-free) program. One book I recommend is ‘Will it Fly’ by Pat Flynn - it’s a great read if you’re planning to launch something and it’s eligible to be borrowed for free. There are a ton of other good books here!
Link to the Amazon search result for business books
How does it work again?
Say you borrow a book on the 25th of June, come July 1st, you can return that one and borrow another. However you won’t be able to return and borrow another until August 1st even if you return that book. So choose your books wisely! If you choose to hold on to the book that you borrowed on June 25 and return it in September, you will be able to borrow one book in September only (i.e. in the months that you don’t borrow a book, there is no accumulation of ‘borrows’). This is one motivation to read at least one book a month 🙂
But wait! There’s more
Amazon has a program called Prime Reading, which allows you to borrow up to 10 books from a limited selection (but at no additional cost and you don’t have to have a Kindle!)
Want to borrow more?
So the Kindle owners lending library only allows you to borrow one book a month, and you have to have a Kindle… Kindle Unlimited is a $10/mth service where you can borrow up to 6 books at a time, and return and borrow a new one at any time. You don’t have to have a Kindle (you can use their app). If you want a free trial, you can get it here.
If you have a Prime membership, there is also a program called “Prime Reading” in which you can borrow 10 books from a smaller selection at no additional cost.​
Btw, there are Kindle books that are actually free, but the selection isn’t that great. You might find some classics here though.
