Getting stuff for free is great, getting something worthwhile, enduring and entertaining for free is even better. Do you like a bit of reading but find yourself stuck at home? You just can't get to the library or the book shop right now. Maybe you're feeling poorly and you're not up to browsing in your local department store for discount books. Or maybe your budget is a little tight and books are too much of a luxury. Take heart, as long as you have an internet connection you can get Amazon's free Kindle App and load it up with free books. Of course, you can also shell out for the latest bestsellers if you want; it's entirely up to you.
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Many people think you need to purchase a Kindle to access Amazon's books. You could do that if you want, but you don't have to. I've had a Kindle for a number of years now. Even the best sellers on Amazon are cheaper for Kindle than buying hard copies. Add to that, the heavily discounted or free books you can get, it will pay itself off. But this article is not about buying a Kindle, it's about the
FREE Kindle App.
Be aware that the free Kindle app is different from signing up for an Amazon Prime account which will extract a fee if you extend beyond a 30 trial. Do not sign up to Amazon Prime to access the free app and the free books described in this article.
Get the Free Kindle App from Amazon
Amazon provides a free download of their Kindle Reading App, which is available for both computers and phones. Click through to the Amazon Australia page
https://www.amazon.com.au/kindle-dbs/fd/kcp or go to Amazon in your country and enter "Kindle App" into the search box.
Amazon provides four download options. You can click through to the 'Apple Store' to get the app for your iOS device, to 'Google Play' to get the app for your Android device or to 'Download for PC and Mac' to get the app on your tablet, laptop or PC. There is also an option to enter your email address or mobile phone number to have the Kindle app delivered to your device. You will be prompted to sign up for an Amazon account to start downloading books and there is no charge for this.
Photo by Gayle Beveridge
Now you've installed your App, how do you find the free books? It's very simple.
1. Once you are in your Kindle App, tap on the STORE icon which will probably appear at the bottom of the screen.
2. Enter 'free kindle books' into the search box and press the magnifying glass to the right to search. A list of books with thumbnail covers will appear. A word of warning here. Sometimes books will show a price; move past these to those showing a cost of $0.00.
3. Scroll down the list until something spikes your interest.
Photo by Gayle Beveridge
Tap on the title of the book to go to the details screen, where you will see a short summary of what the book is about. Tap on product details for more information. If you want to check reviews of the book from other readers, scroll down the page.
5. When you decide to download a book tap on the 'BUY NOW FOR FREE' bar.
6. Tap on the 'LIBRARY' icon to go to your downloaded books.
7. To start reading, double tap on the book cover, on your library screen.
Image by Felix Lichtenfeld from Pixabay
If you see a free book you want, download it.
Many books are offered for free for a short period, often as a promotion when authors have a new book coming out. What is free today, might not be free tomorrow. There will, however, be no shortage of free books to choose from. Over the last couple of years, I have downloaded more than 200 free books for my elderly mother who is an avid reader. Amazon does not limit the number of free books you can download.
Image by andrii Sinenkyi from Pixabay
You can also access your Amazon account from their website, to choose and download your free books which will then be delivered electronically to your device. This is my preferred method, (because I'm a bit older and still favour websites over apps), but it's really just a matter of personal preference.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
One of the features I love about the Kindle App is that you can install it on all your devices and sync it. Not only will all your downloaded books be available, but they will sync to the page you were up to. I have a standalone Kindle but also installed the free app on my laptop and my phone. Most of the time I read on my standalone Kindle, but it's great to be able to grab my phone and continue reading my book while I'm away from home. Imagine if you are in a waiting room at the doctor or the dentist. No longer will you be leafing through out-of-date magazines; you can simply take out your phone and read the book you chose.
Image by GustavoWandalen from Pixabay
Once you are on the Amazon download page for the free Kindle App you can scroll down to find out about all the cool features, or which there are many. Features like instant previews, switch from reading to listening, (that's right, it can read the book for you), increase the text size to suit your eyesight, access dictionary, and more.
GET THE APP FOR iOS, ANDROID, MAC OR PC To download your free app, click here
https://www.amazon.com.au/kindle-dbs/fd/kcp and you'll be reading your free books in no time.
