# How many FREE Kindle downloads have you actually read?



## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

With so many eBooks that are available for free, it's obvious that people would eventually overload their Kindles. So I'm curious. How many free eBooks have you actually read in comparison to the ones you paid for?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I really couldn't say.  Once it's on my Kindle, I have no way of knowing whether I got it for free or not.  I seldom go back to my account to check the price.  (I do sometimes if I'm linking to the book to share it with someone, but not often even then).

Betsy


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## AlexesR (Feb 19, 2014)

Honestly, almost all of them. I tend to download only books that look interesting and have passed the "Look Inside" test, even if they are free.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

in the 5 years since I got my kindle, I've read at least a thousand freebies..And more that I've paid for. I read what I want to read, I don't buy even free if I don't want to read it. Free has introduced me to many many new authors and I've gone on to enjoy many of their other books. paid.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

List geek that I am, I have a spreadsheet of all books purchased, price and whether or not I've read them.  (I didn't filter by date so this covers all books picked up at zero cost since August 200  

I have 364 free books and I've read 37% of them, I abandoned 12.1% and I haven't started 51%.  63.7% I picked up on Amazon, 11.5% are from Baen books, 4.9% are from the kindle lending library, and 3.3% are from Phoenix Pick Book of the Month and the rest are from a multitude of sites.  70% of them I picked up in 2010 - 12.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

AlexesR said:


> Honestly, almost all of them. I tend to download only books that look interesting and have passed the "Look Inside" test, even if they are free.


I do the same (although I don't Look Inside or sample anything)--I only download books I find interesting. However, I have about 2500 books on my account and haven't come close to reading all of them. 

I'm Betsy and I'm a


Spoiler



book slut


.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

Like others have said, I only download books that interest me. And I go in phases with the sample thing, to avoid getting books that I can't even read past the first page. 

Yes, I do have a number of books that I haven't read yet, but eventually I catch up. I don't browse for new books unless I'm looking for something to read, so I don't have a huge stockpile of unread books.


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## Marie Long (Jan 11, 2014)

I read a lot of freebies, so honestly don't know. Many times, the free reads I download are only free for a limited time, and by the time I get around to actually reading them, the price is no longer free. Since getting my new Paperwhite, I'm very particular about which free books I download.


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

Most of the ones I've ever downloaded. It has to be something I'm interested in before I download. And several of those downloads led to the discovery of new authors and the subsequent purchase of their other titles.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I have no idea. I'll guess at least 20 and no more than 100 - and probably a similar range that were abandoned or never really started (unless you want to consider downloading a freebie to simply be a full-length sample?).


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

I agree with just about everyone who has replied so far.  I've read hundreds of free books in the 5-6 years I've had a Kindle, they have often lead me to buy everything else an author has written.  I don't download free books without vetting them first and only download books I am interested in reading.

I have about a 6-9 month backlog of books waiting to be read on my Kindle, I generally read them from oldest to newest, only skipping to change genres.  If it is on my Kindle, it will get read although there are a few that get deleted without finishing.  By the time I read something I have no idea if I got it free or paid for it and don't go back to check.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

I don't download a lot of freebies and I don't follow the freebie lists or threads. I usually only download a book when the blurb pulls me in, or it has been recommended, which means I read it. I've got a relatively small TBR pile compared to many, about 250 books.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm in the camp with those who don't get a book (whether paid or free) unless it seems interesting in the first place -- though, early in the history of kindle, I did go a little crazy with free.  I've gotten over that, though, and deleted any that I decided a year later that I really didn't want.

Once it's on the device, I don't know what I paid for it.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

It would be easier to answer how many paid for books.
Now I recently went through and cleaned out my tablet (kindle app).  Note this was back when I first got into e-books.  I would say out of the 200 on there about 20 were readable.
Now on my fire and where I found this place, I would say at least 200 read freebies.  Not counting cookbooks, crafts and non-fiction. Now I have abandoned many too.  Sometimes one book and sometimes all of the authors freebies.
I have read about 50 paid for books.


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## My_Txxxx_a$$_Left_Too (Feb 13, 2014)

Content removed due to TOS Changes in 2018. I do not agree to the terms.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

Frankly, I'm the kind of person who'll only download something for FREE if I'm really interested in the book. But I'd read something I paid for quicker than something for Free unless the eBook was written by an author I'm familiar with.


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## Kimolisa (Apr 7, 2014)

LOL, good question. I download with good intentions of reading and reviewing, but I just end up reading none and feeling bad. I plan on reviewing them on my site for accountability sake, I just have to get into the habit of reading them


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

Wow, now I feel better about my TBR list of merely 30 books or so  I think I've read most of my free downloads but I must admit I simply can't get through _What Daisy Knew_. I would say those few free books I haven't read are "classics" I downloaded with the best intentions.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

anguabell said:


> Wow, now I feel better about my TBR list of merely 30 books or so  I think I've read most of my free downloads but I must admit I simply can't get through _What Daisy Knew_. I would say those few free books I haven't read are "classics" I downloaded with the best intentions.


30 is one of the better of the TBR lists I've seen. I did a post about this last year, and was astounded to see some people with a TBR list of over 3000. This led me to believe that many people who download FREE books don't read too many of them. Let's face it, with over 3000, chances are they'll never get to all of them in their lifetime.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Russell Brooks said:


> 30 is one of the better of the TBR lists I've seen. I did a post about this last year, and was astounded to see some people with a TBR list of over 3000. This led me to believe that many people who download FREE books don't read too many of them. Let's face it, with over 3000, chances are they'll never get to all of them in their lifetime.


But, again, once it's downloaded, we don't know whether or not we got it free -- unless we bother to go look. To do that, we'd have to switch from the kindle to a computer (or the browser on the fire). So, really, it's as likely we'll grab a free book as our next read as one we paid money for.

The only time I make any effort to read a book right away is if (1) I've been waiting impatiently and want to read it as soon as it comes out; I pre-ordered it and paid a premium, probably, to get it on release day or (2) I borrowed it this month through the KOLL and I need to read it before the following month ends so I don't miss a chance to borrow for that month.

Otherwise, when I'm looking for a new book, I'll just spin the carousel, or scroll randomly through my library on Amazon and pick something that catches my eye at the time. Unless I go the extra step, I have no idea what I paid for it in most cases.


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## MichelleB675 (May 27, 2012)

I think around 75. But several were short stories and novellas that I used as a buffer between long books or series. A handful were "free first of series" and I went on the buy the rest of the series after reading them. I've found several new favorite authors that way.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I was still fairly picky about free books, it had to be something I was really interested in and had to have a lot of good reviews so I usually read the ones I downloaded. I say this in past tense because since Amazon started limiting the amount that affiliates could promote freebies, they aren't as good anymore in my experience so I haven't downloaded any in months.


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## Cactus Lady (Jun 4, 2014)

I also don't keep track of what was free and what wasn't (though you can always go back and check "price paid" on your list of books on your Amazon account, but that's too much trouble to do every time). But pretty much everything on my Kindle will get read eventually. I don't just download anything and everything because FREE; I look for stories and genres I'm interested in. I've also found that free or 99 cents is a good way to try out genres I don't usually read, but the blurb still has to catch my attention.


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## Weebeaks (Jul 30, 2012)

30-40 or so in 2014.  I only know that because I participated in a reading challenge on Goodreads to read 5-6 books/month for 6 months of freebies.  I read some that weren't that great, but was surprised by quite a few of them.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Russell.  Hi.  I am one of those Mega TBR lists.  Though only about 1000 or so are fiction.  I will also never get everything cross stitched I want to do either.

However on that TBR (frees) I have been known to pick up everything an author has free and later decide if I want to read them all or not.

I have had the opposite luck and am finding better freebies since Amazon changed the affiliate program.

Also if you would like,  I can go chill then run to clean at least one freebie off my kindle. I mean if you really think I should I will.  I do believe that book was scheduled to chill another 3 months then I was going to run it to all my kindles.
So should I clean out my kindle or just tell you there is food on the sideboard.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> But, again, once it's downloaded, we don't know whether or not we got it free -- unless we bother to go look. To do that, we'd have to switch from the kindle to a computer (or the browser on the fire). So, really, it's as likely we'll grab a free book as our next read as one we paid money for.
> 
> The only time I make any effort to read a book right away is if (1) I've been waiting impatiently and want to read it as soon as it comes out; I pre-ordered it and paid a premium, probably, to get it on release day or (2) I borrowed it this month through the KOLL and I need to read it before the following month ends so I don't miss a chance to borrow for that month.
> 
> Otherwise, when I'm looking for a new book, I'll just spin the carousel, or scroll randomly through my library on Amazon and pick something that catches my eye at the time. Unless I go the extra step, I have no idea what I paid for it in most cases.


 I never knew how KOLL worked, but I'm glad you clarified that you cannot borrow unless one's finished.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

Kyra Halland said:


> I also don't keep track of what was free and what wasn't (though you can always go back and check "price paid" on your list of books on your Amazon account, but that's too much trouble to do every time). But pretty much everything on my Kindle will get read eventually. I don't just download anything and everything because FREE; I look for stories and genres I'm interested in. I've also found that free or 99 cents is a good way to try out genres I don't usually read, but the blurb still has to catch my attention.


 It's great to know that some readers will be choosy, even if it's a FREE read.


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## Ros_Jackson (Jan 11, 2014)

My freebie folder has about 80 books in it, and only a couple have made it to the "read and enjoyed" subfolder this year. I've deleted maybe 5-10 unfinished because I wasn't enjoying them. As for Gutenberg freebies, although I've downloaded far fewer of them I'm more likely to finish them. Overall, I've read and finished around 10% of those I've downloaded.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Russell Brooks said:


> I never knew how KOLL worked, but I'm glad you clarified that you cannot borrow unless one's finished.


yes -- basically, you can borrow one book per calendar month. But you can only borrow a book, if you haven't already got one on loan. If I borrow in January, I can keep it as long as I want, but I can't borrow again until I return it. So if it gets to be February 27 and I haven't finished the January book, I need to finish it quickly or give up and return it unread, so I can get my February borrow. Then, if I finish that book in two days (assuming not a leap year) I can return it right away and borrow a new one on March 1.



Russell Brooks said:


> It's great to know that some readers will be choosy, even if it's a FREE read.


I think you'll find that most of us are fairly choosy . . . . .  Even the people who are willing to try almost anything free, become choosy if they start getting some dogs -- in that they'll still be willing to get free books from unknown authors, but may no longer d/l ones from writers they disliked.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I think you'll find that most of us are fairly choosy . . . . .  Even the people who are willing to try almost anything free, become choosy if they start getting some dogs -- in that they'll still be willing to get free books from unknown authors, but may no longer d/l ones from writers they disliked.


I will confirm this statement from Ann. One does get choosy and if they find an author they dislike won't download them again. Free or otherwise. I found out I don't like an AB, he had all his books free one day. I promptly discovered I did not like his writings so I deleted all his books off my kindle. (made up initials)


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## Ken Farmer (Oct 22, 2012)

Not a single one. I believe that everyone knows what their book is worth. If you put a low value on your own work...rest assured no one will raise your price.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Actually Ken,
I have spent hundreds of dollars on authors who had put one of their books on sale for FREE.    So it is not a matter of what is my book worth in the beginning but how do I get people to look at my books.
Oh and the books in question: most of the authors charge between $3.99 and $5.99 for their other books.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Ken Farmer said:


> Not a single one. I believe that everyone knows what their book is worth. If you put a low value on your own work...rest assured no one will raise your price.


I strongly disagree with your implication that giving the reader an opportunity to read a work for free makes the work itself worthless.


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## John F (May 19, 2014)

I haven't paid for any Kindle books - just downloaded a few freebies and read about 30 titles from my local public libraries, maybe 30. I've read all of them.


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## vlmain (Aug 10, 2011)

I don't download a lot of free books. I shop the freebies the same way I shop for paid titles. If it is of interest to me, I will download it and read it. If it isn't something I would be willing to pay for, I don't want it even if it's free.


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## Kindlemojodotcom_Tom (Jul 6, 2011)

I read as many of them as I can, though I don't finish them all.  People are always promoting freebees on my site and I get to as many of them as I can.  I don't think I've paid for a book in over a year.


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## Just Browsing (Sep 26, 2012)

Quite a few. And have discovered two authors whose backlist I bought up/will buy all future books from. So that was pretty amazing to me, as I can be pretty picky about what I'd pay for.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ken Farmer said:


> Not a single one. I believe that everyone knows what their book is worth. If you put a low value on your own work...rest assured no one will raise your price.


Gotta disagree with you on this one. I've picked up some incredible books for free--and gone on to buy and read other books by the author. They're like pushers--offer a free taste and get you hooked.

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Gotta disagree with you on this one. I've picked up some incredible books for free--and gone on to buy and read other books by the author. They're like pushers--offer a free taste and get you hooked.
> 
> Betsy


Agreed. Assuming it's a good book to start with. I have read some real klunkers that I got free. 'Course, I've paid for klunkers too.


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## Groggy1 (Jun 21, 2010)

Ann and Betsey have the right of it.

I've attempted to read every book I've downloaded, but I've gotten more picky about the writing. I've raised the writing bar and much quicker to abandon poor writing.


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## JeanetteRaleigh (Jan 1, 2013)

For free books, I've probably read 1% of the ones I've downloaded all the way to the end.  When something is free and looks interesting, there is no hesitation in downloading.  I'm not one to grab everything in sight, though.  I always look at the first page just to make sure.  Of course, that means many more books than I have time to read.  I also delete books fairly quickly if I find I'm not interested after the first chapter.

I've read 100% of the books I've paid for on Kindle.


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## Amanda M. Lee (Jun 3, 2014)

I give everything I download a shot. If I get into it and it's not for me, I just delete it. I have discovered some new favorite authors off free books, though, and continued through their entire series. I would say, though, that only one out of every 10 free downloads I read is my cup of tea.


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## derekailes2014 (Aug 4, 2014)

The kindles I purchased, I read right away.  As people post their free kindle versions, I download all the horror ones.  When I have time to kill (no pun) between writing my latest stories and social networking, I'll read one.  I try to leave a review right away.


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

Wow, I can't imagine having a TBR list in the triple digits, much less four-ple, er, quadruple digits.    At what point do you quit going back to the oldest ones and just stick with the current downloads?    I'm envisioning some version of an electronic spring cleaning, in which dozens or hundreds of books--unread--get swept into oblivion with the press of a button, to make room for 10 or 20 or 50 new ones.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Jena H said:


> Wow, I can't imagine having a TBR list in the triple digits, much less four-ple, er, quadruple digits.  At what point do you quit going back to the oldest ones and just stick with the current downloads? I'm envisioning some version of an electronic spring cleaning, in which dozens or hundreds of books--unread--get swept into oblivion with the press of a button, to make room for 10 or 20 or 50 new ones.


Well, with the cloud there really isn't any need to 'make room'.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Jena
I have no clue how many books my fire will hold but it is well over 3000.  My KK has 56 books and 3,045 MB free.  So it will hold nearly 3000 books.  My touch has 266 on it with 1,521 MB free.  My Kobo has 504 books on it and is using 411MB of 1,361 MB.  Plus like Ann said with the cloud, there is no need to keep all books on your device.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

I also remove the book from the device(s) when I am done with it.

Side note: I am stuck at 45% on the most expensive e-book I bought.  It was either 13 or 15 dollars.


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Well, with the cloud there really isn't any need to 'make room'.


Very true. Okay, to make _metaphorical_ room.  Because, like magazines I keep meaning to get back to and read, or old episodes of TV shows I keep meaning to watch, at some point it becomes obvious that I'll never go back that far to the 'oldest' ones, and the more recent ones are probably better (more popular/more current) anyway.


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## Natasha Holme (May 26, 2012)

Good question. Probably only about five. ...


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Hey, my own TBR pile is in the 4 digits.  . That is paid and free alike of not yet read. 

For me it doesn't matter if the book was acquired in 2008 or yesterday, I go where my mood takes me. I am a big mood and subgenre reader. So I might read something from 2009 one day and the next something I downloaded yesterday. Just what I feel like it. Now that I finally have my collections somewhat organized, I can just dig into the genre. Within the genres/subgenre collections though I don't know whats free and what isn't. I do track that in calibre and goodreads, but mostly for budget reasons. I Calibre I have a paid for column and it helps me keep track of that stuff. But when I go into a genre collection on my kindle, I don't know how much it cost at that point.


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## Marivian (Aug 8, 2014)

No idea.

I remember when I first got my Kindle I downloaded any and every free book I could find if only due to cool looking covers or nice sounding plots. Some I downloaded thinking that it wouldn't hurt to read them because I'm a writer and need to read all types of books. Most of them never got read and I couldn't tell you what book is what these days if I tried.


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## DanDillard (Mar 10, 2011)

Geoffrey said:


> List geek that I am, I have a spreadsheet of all books purchased, price and whether or not I've read them. (I didn't filter by date so this covers all books picked up at zero cost since August 200
> 
> I have 364 free books and I've read 37% of them, I abandoned 12.1% and I haven't started 51%. 63.7% I picked up on Amazon, 11.5% are from Baen books, 4.9% are from the kindle lending library, and 3.3% are from Phoenix Pick Book of the Month and the rest are from a multitude of sites. 70% of them I picked up in 2010 - 12.


Wow. That is just astounding. Nice analysis.


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