# Get free books just because they're free?



## midnightglory (Nov 19, 2010)

How many people "buy" the free books just because they're free? This morning, there was a good selection of free books available for mere hours and then they were no longer free by late morning. Did many of you go on a one-click buying spree and snap up all the free books? Or do you actually read the description, check ratings, judge a book by it's cover, etc., before deciding whether to spend $0.00 and buy the book?

Personally, I picked up two of the free books this morning because that was all I was interested in, after reading the descriptions.


----------



## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

midnightglory said:


> Or do you actually read the description, check ratings, judge a book by it's cover, etc., before deciding whether to spend $0.00 and buy the book?


^^This.


----------



## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

I read the description and check the genre, if the description seems like it could be interesting, then I download it. If its a genre I don't enjoy, I don't.


----------



## kindleworm (Aug 24, 2010)

I went on a one-click buying spree with the huge list of free books offered this morning.  I bought a majority of them.  I read all of the descriptions and checked the ratings.  I'm so glad that I made the decision to buy, because many of the free books are already no longer free.  My tbr list just keeps growing and growning...I love it!


----------



## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Lately the only free books I have been picking up are some of the business books, and I send those to my husband's iPad. I haven't found anything I've been interested in in quite some time.


----------



## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

I used to download more free books than I do now. One day after I'd downloaded a book on options trading!!! I realized I might have gone too far. LOL

Now I read the descriptions before I grab them. Of all the books that were free this am, I downloaded only one.


----------



## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

I definitely "buy" books just because they're free. It has expanded what I read a great deal.


----------



## angelmum3 (Sep 12, 2010)

Tuttle said:


> I read the description and check the genre, if the description seems like it could be interesting, then I download it. If its a genre I don't enjoy, I don't.


me too -

I also was picky with the books this morning - I debated for about 3 minutes with the Steve Harvey book, I had seen him on talk shows, and they've read excerpts, it was pretty funny - so on that one I wasnt sure it was a book I'd "need" but then I remembered how funny he is, and went back and clicked and got it free... I think we'll enjoy it...


----------



## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

I only take a free book if it's something that I'd be likely to check out of the library if I found it there, for free -- in other words, something I'm reasonably likely to want to read! I download maybe 10% of the free books I come across, or less.


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

When I first got my Kindle I just clicked buy on everything free. Then I found out a lot of the stuff I got, I will never read as I won't read certain genre's like christian fiction and such. Now for those I guess one had to look at the publisher and I try to read the tags. 
I also don't really read YA so again I have to go with the tags or the category. 

Unfortunately sometimes they aren't clearly labeled. At some point I need to go through my Manage my Kindle and try to exterminate permanently some books I should have never gotten. Just been to lazy for that  

Of course I missed all the free ones this morning, by the time I got back from the doctor, they weren't free anymore.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't get the non-fiction titles -- self-help, personal finance, biographies, etc.

I don't usually get the Christian fiction ones or the paranormal romance.  Sadly, most of the free fiction seems of that sort, at least lately.


----------



## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I used to get buy the freebies if I thought I was even remotely interested. Then I realised that I'll never get through all the books I have purchased and I should really start being picky, even if they are free. But then! a few weeks ago, my mother-in-law, who shares our account, purchased a title that had been free the month before and I hadn't grabbed it. Since she is also into fantasy, especially anything dealing with the fae, I'll grab those just in case.


----------



## tiggeerrific (Jan 22, 2010)

I only get the ones I would read why download if you arent going to read it


----------



## Barbiedull (Jul 13, 2010)

midnightglory said:


> This morning, there was a good selection of free books available for mere hours and then they were no longer free by late morning. Did many of you go on a one-click buying spree and snap up all the free books?


I read every description. I usually don't bother with reviews, unless I need a little more info.
I don't download self-help or most science-fiction. I don't download for the sake of downloading. That will just create Kindle overload for me.


----------



## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I do buy a lot of them.  I skim the description and glance at the star rating for the reviews.  If it's something I think I might be interested in but it's under 4 stars, I usually don't get it.  I send the fantasy books to my husbands Kindle and let him tell me if they are worth reading.    Everything else I send to mine.  I'll read just about anything but he only likes fantasy.  DH and I each read 2-3 books a week.  It would be a hard habit to support without all the free ones.  

I get more of the free books now than I did before we had collections.  I hated all the excess clutter!  I throw them into a collection call "Freebies".  If a book doesn't catch my interest in a few chapters, I put it in my "trash" file.  When I get 15 or 20 books in trash, I'll go to "manage my Kindle" and permanently delete them from my archives.  If I enjoy it, I put it in its proper collection.

I've discovered a lot of great new authors and have enjoyed a lot of books I normally wouldn't have read.


----------



## SongbirdVB (Nov 18, 2008)

Barbiedull said:


> I read every description. I usually don't bother with reviews, unless I need a little more info.
> I don't download self-help or most science-fiction. I don't download for the sake of downloading. That will just create Kindle overload for me.


^^ totally this.

I did pick up quite a few from the list this morning. YAY!


----------



## Morf (Nov 18, 2010)

I tend to "buy" nearly all of the free books, but over here on amazon.co.uk there are still only a very few of them so that's my justification. If there were as many available here as there are on amazon.com then I would be more selective!


----------



## bwbollom (Jul 30, 2010)

If it sounds remotely like something I might want to read some day, I'll "buy" it. Why not...it's not like I'm close to maxing out my K3's memory. If I ever get to a point where I need space, I'll delete some of those that I haven't read. Otherwise, it's better to get it while free than not and decide later that I actually want to read it


----------



## auge_28 (Oct 3, 2010)

I am picky about what I get, the only free books I have picked up are the classics that I know I should read someday . . . speaking of which, I started Crime & Punishment this morning.
It would be silly of me to get a book based on it being free . . . I don’t wanna have to slog through a bunch of trash when I already have a TBR list.


----------



## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

s0nicfreak said:


> I definitely "buy" books just because they're free. It has expanded what I read a great deal.


This ^^
I have found quite a few things that I really enjoyed just because I had them and they were free.


----------



## Fireheart223 (Oct 3, 2010)

Most mornings I'm online early, but I had to work early today, and by the time I logged on (almost noon) all the "free" books were no longer free. I'm disappointed that I missed it, if they'd offered them yesterday morning I would've been around to snap them up  

I don't download all the free books I see, but I'm a lot more likely to try out something that seems like it might be at least ok if it is free or $0.99.


----------



## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

If the cover looks like it's in a genre I like, I'll open the page and read the description - I might glance at the ratings to make sure it's not really low. If it still seems like something I'd like, I'll download it. But I don't even bother to click on books which have covers/titles that seem like genres I have no interest in.


----------



## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

auge_28 said:


> It would be silly of me to get a book based on it being free . . . I don't wanna have to slog through a bunch of trash when I already have a TBR list.


Ah, but in that pile of trash are some real gems. And on top of that, often the free books are from well-known authors, typically the first in a series, to get you hooked and then buy the rest. I know I've done that a few times.  But really, there are some fantastic authors (Shobhan Bantwal & Cayla Kluver come to mind) that I wouldn't have discovered if it their title hadn't been offered for free.


----------



## sleepy6553 (Nov 21, 2010)

Does the list of free books change from day to day? I somehow navigated to some free ones this morning and "bought" a few after reading the descriptions. If there is a specific place I should check every day, I'll bookmark it. I think I just fell upon it this morning and don't even remember how I found it.


----------



## auge_28 (Oct 3, 2010)

In your experience what kind of quality are these books?
For instance, are they mostly self-published or drug store rack type things?
Or are they books that have been properly edited & reviewed and the publisher is “sneaking” a few hundred out to get people talking about them and hoping for positive Amazon reviews?

I know that when I was publishing I would send out between 50 and 100 advance readers copies some to reviewers and some to folks I trust to give me there honest opinion.


----------



## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

When I first got my Kindle I would buy every book that was free (except business/self help ones).  I have actually discovered some really good authors and expanded on my chosen genres because of this.  

However, now that I have close to 500 books on my kindle I now go ahead and read the description before buying.  If I ever run out of books (not likely   ) I will start one-clicking every free book again.


----------



## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

sleepy6553 said:


> Does the list of free books change from day to day? I somehow navigated to some free ones this morning and "bought" a few after reading the descriptions. If there is a specific place I should check every day, I'll bookmark it. I think I just fell upon it this morning and don't even remember how I found it.


These are limited time promo offers: http://www.amazon.com/s/?node=2279458011
But it may be easier to check the Top 100 Free books since it filters out the erotica and I think it updates quicker (every hour): http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/154606011/ref=pd_ts_zgc_kinc_154606011_more?pf_rd_p=1276270762&pf_rd_s=right-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=133141011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1WPX4EG6RSRTN0XB0SB3


----------



## auge_28 (Oct 3, 2010)

mom133d said:


> Ah, but in that pile of trash are some real gems. And on top of that, often the free books are from well-known authors, typically the first in a series, to get you hooked and then buy the rest. I know I've done that a few times.  But really, there are some fantastic authors (Shobhan Bantwal & Cayla Kluver come to mind) that I wouldn't have discovered if it their title hadn't been offered for free.


A good point, if one has the time.
I am a bit of a media hoarder, my wife said that it's a good thing all my media fits on my terabyte hard drive because if I had all those albums, books and movies stacked up around the house she would leave me 

I love reading, but I mostly count on word of mouth and recommendations. I can't/don't take the time to sift through a huge pile of books a week to find the gems.

However I do that with music, I will spend 3-5 hours a week going to a couple websites or iTunes that feature 30 second clips and if I like what I hear I get the album.
So I understand the reward of sifting through the trash to find the gold . . . it's just a *VERY * slow process with books and I already am *WAY * behind in my TBR list.
All the power to you, I would rather spend my time finding music to listen to as I am reading books others have recommended to me.


----------



## auge_28 (Oct 3, 2010)

history_lover said:


> . . . since it filters out the erotica . . .


*Hey! Who asked for this filter?*


----------



## sleepy6553 (Nov 21, 2010)

history_lover said:


> These are limited time promo offers: http://www.amazon.com/s/?node=2279458011
> But it may be easier to check the Top 100 Free books since it filters out the erotica and I think it updates quicker (every hour): http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/154606011/ref=pd_ts_zgc_kinc_154606011_more?pf_rd_p=1276270762&pf_rd_s=right-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=133141011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1WPX4EG6RSRTN0XB0SB3


Thank you!


----------



## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I tend to get most of the "freebies" but that's because with 9 people on my account ranging from 16-75 and split failry evenly m/f, the books are bound to hit someone's "I wanna read this" list. I do have one "dummy" Kindle on my account, My son's k1 was broken this summer, and we just leave it on the account so that I can "buy" Freebies that I don't know who will want, send them to it (non working so who cares) and everyone still has access to them in the archives.
(son has a K3 now)


----------



## Barbiedull (Jul 13, 2010)

BTackitt said:


> I do have one "dummy" Kindle on my account


I do that too! I have a backup Kindle, so I send all the books there...then keep my short reading list on the one I read daily.


----------



## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

history_lover said:


> These are limited time promo offers: http://www.amazon.com/s/?node=2279458011
> But it may be easier to check the Top 100 Free books since it filters out the erotica and I think it updates quicker (every hour): http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/154606011/ref=pd_ts_zgc_kinc_154606011_more?pf_rd_p=1276270762&pf_rd_s=right-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=133141011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1WPX4EG6RSRTN0XB0SB3


good to know! I have yet to stumble on the free books!


----------



## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

I usually read the description and see if I'm interested.  I'll have a cursory look at reviews but I don't tend to read then extensively because I hate being spoiled.  I won't take the books that have no appeal for me, but I am much more apt to grab a freebie that might be on the fence for me.

As far as quality goes, it can be a mixed bag.  I've read some very good books and I've had some I couldn't even finish the first chapter on.  But I've found more good than bad, so I figure it's worth a look on things I might pass by.  I always hesitated to try a lot of new authors when I was buying DTB simply because you're out a lot of money if you don't like them.  I've found several new authors to follow this way.


----------



## Tabatha (Oct 4, 2009)

Tuttle said:


> I read the description and check the genre, if the description seems like it could be interesting, then I download it. If its a genre I don't enjoy, I don't.


This is also what I do, except that I also check the reviews if there are any.


----------



## Stormy (May 24, 2010)

I read the descriptions to see if it seems remotely interesting. The free books I buy I might not have purchased had they not been free but I am not purchasing them for the sole fact that they were free.


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I sometimes click on most of them.
But most of the time I am selective.
Last year I picked up a lot of "first books" by known authors that I had not read anything by yet - like Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobbs, and Perdido Street Station by China Melville.  But I have also read a bunch of books that I otherwise would NEVER have selected.  And I have enjoyed them. 
So I will continue to follow the links and read the descriptions and "buy" what I think I might like.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Kristan Hoffman (Aug 6, 2009)

mom133d said:


> I used to get buy the freebies if I thought I was even remotely interested. Then I realised that I'll never get through all the books I have purchased and I should really start being picky, even if they are free.


Yep, that was me too. But (especially since I only have an iTouch to read on) I realized getting through ALL those books just wasn't happening. It's hard enough getting through all the ones I desperately WANT to read, you know?!

Kristan


----------



## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Dangit...I always miss the freebies...


----------



## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

Now that I have a 300+ book TBR list.... I'm much more selective about which free books I get.  I've never taken them if they were something I knew I'd never read, but I have "bought" some that I thought, "Well maybe if I have nothing to read and no $$ to buy a new book."  Now that I know I will probably not live long enough to read all that I have.... I am even more selective.  I have always read the descriptions, reviews etc. and those really help.
    I was going through this morning's list of freebies and hadn't even gotten half-way through when they all changed back to not being free.  It hadn't even been an hour since I got the email notification....


----------



## terrireid (Aug 19, 2010)

My husband has been downloading massive amounts of freebies because he is new to e-books.    Now, he's regretting he didn't pay more attention to the descriptions and ratings. 

I've been too busy writing to read - but, I promise myself that I will start again in January!


----------



## midnightglory (Nov 19, 2010)

When I first got my Kindle, I was picking up more freebies than I do now because it was part of the "I ACTUALLY HAVE A KINDLE" newbie experience. It wasn't until 3 weeks after I first laid hands on my Kindle did I actually spend real dollars on buying books. Right now, I have 14 TBR freebies on my Kindle and 1 paid TBR and I think that's a lot of books. Based on my life/work schedule, it probably takes me about 2 weeks to read a book I'm interested and I realize that, which is partly the reason why I've become selective of what freebies I get. Ultimately, I will get bogged down with so many freebies that I will never get around to buying books I really want to read, which is the downside.


----------



## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I used to grab anything remotely interesting, judging mostly by category (which is most categories.)

I'm much, much choosier now.  I didn't even make it through the whole list.  I picked one or two of the most interesting from dailycheapreads and that was it.  I look for the categories I'm most interested in (paranormal, mystery or fantasy...sometimes nonfiction) and move on.  I have a huge TBR list.

The last couple I downloaded for free (from trads FWIW) I didn't make it past 30 pages.  Maybe it's me, but it seems a better way to build an audience might actually be to charge at least 99 cents.  I'd at least read the sample if it cost 99 cents and I'd only download books that were interesting enough (to me) to make the grade.


----------



## 25803 (Oct 24, 2010)

MariaESchneider said:


> I used to grab anything remotely interesting, judging mostly by category (which is most categories.)
> 
> I'm much, much choosier now.


This is what I do, too. I'm happy I've been able to collect some of my favorite classics this way.

But I don't always go looking for freebies, so I miss some good ones. I've been very pleased with the quality of those I have downloaded! And I agree that it's a great way to try out new-to-me authors


----------



## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I make sure I click the "notify" button each month for the Free book thread list in the Book Bazaar. It's the easiest way for me to keep track of the new books.


----------



## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

When there aren't a billion at once, most of the people posting the freebies in the free thread will let you know what genre they are - makes for an easy decision for me.  I "buy" them if it's a variety we read (4 people on 1 account, so there's a bit of a variety)... A lot of the ones this morning had to have been a fluke. For instance, I had the new Faith Hunter book pre-ordered for 6.99 when I saw that it was suddenly free, so I snapped it up (wasn't showing as free in my pre-order list, so I canceled it and re-ordered).  We love this series and were thrilled to get it for free.  We've found several really great authors from free books we never would have discovered.

I don't see why not get it - you can delete them from your account if they are deemed junk. You might otherwise kick yourself for not picking it up when it was offered for free!


----------



## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

s0nicfreak said:


> I definitely "buy" books just because they're free. It has expanded what I read a great deal.


This.


----------



## Kathelm (Sep 27, 2010)

I'll get it if it looks remotely interesting.  Whether I ever get around to reading it is another matter...


----------



## meeko350 (Aug 25, 2010)

I read the descriptions and grab the free ones that I think anyone in my family will be interested in since lending is "supposed to be" coming soon.  I missed  out this morning. It wasn't even 11:00 central time and they were already gone.


----------



## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

If it's free, it's for me. At least most books. Some books, I don't bother with.


----------



## traceya (Apr 26, 2010)

I'll only ever buy a book I really want to read - free or not.  What's the point in having a book, electronic or otherwise that you won't read?


----------



## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

auge_28 said:


> *Hey! Who asked for this filter?*


Don't worry, they're still on the first link


----------



## crash86 (Oct 8, 2010)

I generally do go for quite a bit of the free books.  I have downloaded well over 100 freebies, some I like and some I don't.  It is a great way to read things you wouldn't ordinarily read and find some good writers I would never have heard of so for me it's a win - win situation.  I get some really good books for free and being out of work it helps keeps my spending in control and so far with 3-4 exceptions of books I have payed for it keeps me reading.

I have found a page on Facebook called Free Ebook Deals which sometimes give hourly updates for free Kindle books.  Yesterday there were 25 new free ones (mostly pre-order books) that lasted only a few hours for free and I got 10 instant and pre order books.

Just my two cents worth.


----------



## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I just posted a bunch of new ones in the Free books for December thread.. Cookbooks and all sorts of stuff..(I did get the LRon Hubbard for my dad, and the cookbooks for me.. )


----------



## Sunset (Nov 10, 2010)

I agree. Free isn't good enough to make me read a book I don't want. They'd have to pay me...a lot!


----------



## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

I usually read the descriptions even if it's free and I only download the ones I think I actually want to read.  Time is too precious to waste it simply because something is free.  I'd rather pay for what I truly want.

Linda


----------



## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I usually read the description and choose from there. If it is something I might normally read then I will click it, if not then I won't. 
I have picked up a few in genres that I wouldn't normally read but only because it still sounded interesting and I thought I would give it a try. I have found some really new and interesting genres and authors that way.


----------



## Pamela (Oct 6, 2010)

I was dazzled by free books when I got the Kindle, last Christmas.  I thought the novels would be good because they were published.  (us indies can't put up books for free on Kindle.  Amazon uses their whispernet technology to send them and we pay the cost.)

Anyway, I sure learned quickly about who the publishers were that put up the free books.  One publisher (starts with the letter Z) seems to publish anything with the words virgin, bible, preacher or sermon in it.  No matter the quality of writing.  I avoid that publisher now.  I don't mind Christian books, but I don't like being duped into buying one without knowing I will be preached at.

I can also say have read some wonderful freebies and tend to gravitate to them near the end of the month when finances are tighter.  I do read reader's reviews.  They are very helpful.

On the other hand, I just paid $14.99 for Storm Prey, by John Sandford.  For me it was well worth the price, because I love his writing, have been reading his books for 20 years, and I'll have it forever on my Kindle.

Pam


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't "buy" as many free books as I first did.  I'm about 500 books behind.  Some of them have been good, some have been good enough, none of the ones I've read so far have been terrible, though I've been forewarned about some of the horrible ones.  

Betsy


----------



## Luke King (Nov 4, 2010)

I have bought a lot of free books in the past. I don't always read them, and tend to find that they're usually teasers - novelettes, or a lead in to a series, though I have found one or two genuinely good (new) free novels.

One I bought was an indie author being republished by Amazon Encore, and they had his book offered for free for a few weeks while it climbed the ratings.


----------



## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I don't much care for freebies so I rarely look to see what is free, on the occasions that I do look I'll look at the cover art, author name, and title. If something catches my interest I'll go take a look at the description, maybe skim the reviews.

I try to limit my purchases to one at a time and only when I'm ready to read it, as a result I'm exceptionally picky about the freebies that I download.


----------



## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Just got my pick for the Quasi-book club and found that I bought it in September of last year... for free. Yay! Another case where picking up freebies has been handy!


----------



## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

I have 6 people on my account soon to be 8 and I normally buy the freebies because someone might be interested in them. I normnally steer clear of vampire, sci-fi and paranormal. Freebies have introduced me to different genres and authors. I still have about 500 TBR and it is growing daily.


----------



## Shotintheheart (Nov 30, 2010)

Normally  ...  'actually read the description, check ratings, judge a book by it's cover, etc., before deciding whether to spend $0.00 and buy the book'.

Because many of 'freebies' cost around 2USD outside US!


----------



## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I adopt the same procedure for 'buying' free books as I do for paid ones - I don't automatically download stuff just because it's free. I have a limited amount of time for reading so I only get what I think I'll enjoy and I'm lucky that I have a book budget that's enough to match the amount I read. 

I have a seemingly endless wish list already so it's not as though I'm desperate for just anything to read regardless of what it is. Also I don't download books till I'm ready to read them - I just add them to my wishlist if I see something I like till I've read a sample, so in many cases the free books would be gone by the time I'd get to them.


----------



## Michael Crane (Jul 22, 2010)

I'll usually check out the product page to see if it's something I'd like.  Even if it's free, I still want to get a book because I think it's something I might actually read one day.


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

I "buy" about 85% of the freebies.  The worst thing in the world for me is to not have something to read, and there have been times when I don't even HAVE a book budget, though thankfully that's not been recently.  At any rate, most of the freebies are my Just In Case books.  Just in case I need something to read.  I do a quick check as to whether or not I'd enjoy it - most non-fiction books get a pass, though there've been some that looked interesting so I grabbed.  Fiction - I'll read just about anything if it's a good story.


----------



## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

I download quite a lot of freebies because I like trying new books.  If I don't finish them, no harm.  I've found some I love.  I don't mind wasting a bit of time, it's worth the effort to me.

I read a review for a book the other day that made want to read it.  I was chuffed to bits when I found I had, at some stage, gotten it as a Kindle freebie. I couldn't finish it so I was delighted I hadn't paid for it.  I would have been really annoyed if I paid 7 or 8 dollars for it.  Freebies rule.

That said, I can't even give away my own books so obviously not everyone likes freebies - or Smashwords - or me.


----------



## Lalalaconnectthedots (Dec 5, 2010)

I only download if it's something I think I would enjoy. 

Likewise, I don't mind paying a buck or two for a book that's free elsewhere if the formatting on the $2 book is superior. 

Of course, I purchased a "Complete Sherlock Holmes" last night and there was not table of contents, no way to navigate, etc. I went ahead and purchased it because it was only a little over a buck. I should have downloaded a sample. Live and learn.


----------



## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

PersephoneLives said:


> Likewise, I don't mind paying a buck or two for a book that's free elsewhere if the formatting on the $2 book is superior.


Definitely this. Bad formatting is impossible for me to read comfortably.


----------



## Lalalaconnectthedots (Dec 5, 2010)

farrellclaire said:


> Definitely this. Bad formatting is impossible for me to read comfortably.


My Sherlock experience taught me a lesson. I've now downloaded a bunch of samples and the first one I tried this afternoon - a book of writing prompts with "excellent" reviews - was full of 
* tags. Terrible, terrible formatting.*


----------



## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

PersephoneLives said:


> My Sherlock experience taught me a lesson. I've now downloaded a bunch of samples and the first one I tried this afternoon - a book of writing prompts with "excellent" reviews - was full of
> * tags. Terrible, terrible formatting.
> *


*

I used to check the reviews of classics for mention of formatting but now I don't bother. I've downloaded one or two that had one word on each line.  It can be a struggle wading through the different versions trying to find one that looks good but it's worth it to pay a dollar or two when you find it.*


----------



## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

Emily King said:


> Just got my pick for the Quasi-book club and found that I bought it in September of last year... for free. Yay! Another case where picking up freebies has been handy!


A friend of mine has been recommending books to me lately and I have found with most of them that when I go to Amazon to look them up they are books that I have previously purchased for free. The freebies have certainly saved me a lot of money recently


----------



## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

There are something like 14 kindles on my account now. We give them as gifts/loaners/etc so there's quite a few and you name the genre, I'll find someone on that account that will want to read it. I send the freebie randomly to someone that would want to read it. If it's something I'm not sure, I have Kindle for PC that I send it to and download/clear those out every now and then. Most of them like it, it's like a surprise. LOL. 

So yeah, I still grab almost all of the freebies if I see them.


----------



## Cardinal (Feb 24, 2010)

When I first got my Kindle I would read each book description and look at ratings and make a decision.  Later on, I'd be at another site which listed freebies and would be wondering if I had decide not to buy the book or if this was a new book.  I visit a bunch of different Kindle blogs and I ended up spending so much time looking at freebies wondering if I seen them before, it was a waste of time.  Now if it is free, I send it to my K2 and put it in the Freebie collection.  So much faster!


----------

