No matter what kind of eReader you have, a Kindle, a Nook or a Kobo, you can access thousands of free eBooks at no cost? In 1971, Michael Hart formed the first digital library called Project Gutenberg (PG), and he voluntarily started distributing as many free eBooks as possible on the internet. The web site’s archive that includes 36,000 items in its collection as of June 2011 is continuously expanding thanks to other volunteers’ contributions. Kindle and other book stores can take advantage of Gutenberg’s source material on their own web site today.  

The Public Owns the Book  

You may ask; how do we access these eBooks for free? Read below and see why: The main reason is that such books now belong to public domain. The books published in the USA for the first time before 1923 fall into this category, if the publisher did not keep copyrights thereafter. When a book is in the public domain, the public owns it, and have access to this content at no cost and without any permission. This explains why you can find William Shakespeare’s and Jane Austen’s books for free in the Kindle Store nowadays.

Time is precious

The second reason is promotional titles. Even if the book is free, why will I read it unless the novel offers quality content? Please remember that time is more precious than ever when choosing among thousands of free eBook titles. The competition between the writers is very though and it is very difficult to get noticed, especially for a novice writer. Hence, the publisher can offer the first eBook of an “emerging writer” for free, hoping that readers will like and buy this writer’s other books which then won’t be free anymore.

A Gift to the Audiences

Third reason is giving a gift to the audiences. For instance; Kobo, Amazon and other book stores offer bestselling author Rae Anne Thayne’s romance novel ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ as a free eBook. In my opinion, the writer probably wanted to give a present to her dedicated readers. How lucky her readers are! Being the fourth reason, eBooks can help to build your reputation. Especially if you’re businessman, it can be more important to release a free eBook than making money for it. If you provide quality content, and can make your name known to masses, chances are people will know or even admire you all around the world and search for your name.

While the sales of eBooks have been growing rapidly in recent years, people can still and do read free eBooks too. In addition to Kobo and Amazon, Google Books reached a staggering number of 2.5 million eBooks downloaded for their fans.

EBooks continue to change the way of reading in a positive way. So, keep reading eBooks whether it is free or not.