I’ve been visiting the library ever since I was about 10 years old.  That’s a lot of books read.  And from that same age, every visit would yield 5-10 books for me to read.  And as I got older, that number increased.  Then I discovered bookstores and went broke paying for my obsession.  Til I started using the following tips on how to get books for free.

#1 – Your Local Library. Of course, the library is the cheapest (namely FREE) way to get books to feed your appetite for words.   And most libraries nowadays can find the book you want at one of their local branches and have it transferred to your nearest library for check out.  Our awesome Koelbel Library even recently purchased books that my daughter requested that they couldn’t find in stock in any of the other county libraries. Now that is service!

#2 – Book Swaps. Check out your local Craigslist website for people looking to trade books or even give books away.  If you can’t find a book swap in your area, check some out on the web.  Two  of my favorites are PaperBack Swap and Book Mooch

#3 – Become a Book Reviewer – If you are particularly motivated, there are many publishing houses that offer free books in return for your review of it.  I just joined one recently, that deals mainly in Christian publishing, called Thomas Nelson Publishers. They’ve got a great blog reviewers program.  Check it out!

And if you can’t get enough free books and want to pay, there’s a great article on Bookstove that lists 8 ways to get books cheaper than your local bookstore. The link is below.

Attention Book Lovers: Top Eight Websites for Better Deals

I’d like to add that I’m definitely not against local brick and mortar bookstores. I still shop at local Borders and B&N bookstores.  We’ve got a great independently owned bookstore nearby called  Tattered Cover that is absolutely the most amazing bookstore I’ve been in. Especially nowadays, brick and mortar stores have great programs for kids so you can keep them entertained and still feed your book appetite.  And with 5 of my own, this is extremely important!

How about it?  Do you have a favorite way to get books cheap?  Let me know and I’ll put  them in another post for our readers!

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