35 Genius Ways to Score Free Books By Mail

It’s easy to waste hours getting lost scrolling social media feeds or playing games online. What we don’t realize is how bad the screen is for our eyes for too long or how good it can feel to crack open a new book.

It’s a good idea to shut down the laptops and smartphones and pull out some old-fashioned reading material, holding a physical book, to get your brain moving occasionally, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Many companies send free books by mail just for signing up or participating in groups of like-minded people who love books too.

With so many online services out there, let’s take a look at great places to score free books by mail services for your home library.

Can you Really Score Free Books by Mail?

Believe it or not, getting free books by mail is possible. Many companies, marketers, authors, and libraries give away free printed books or access to online books. There are opportunities for free books for kids by mail as well as adults to get completely free books to enjoy.

Some of the sites mentioned may require you to provide your personal information to get the free books delivered by mail. Others may require you to provide a review or join a reading club to access the free resources.

Pick and choose from the options that feel right to you, and enjoy having free books delivered to your house for you to enjoy.

Where Can I Get Free Books By Mail?

Check out our list of places to get free books by mail by adults and kids and enjoy your ‘happy mail,’ and some good old-fashioned reading time.

1. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is one of the most well-known organizations that sends free books through the mail. Created in 1995, the library has sent over 200 million free books to children from birth until they begin school each month.

Over 2.8 million kids are registered to receive free books with no strings attached. Dolly Parton is not known for being a librarian, but she definitely could be one!

The program has received the Best Practices award from the Library of Congress Literacy Awards and The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

Parents can sign their kids up in the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the Republic of Ireland through the library’s website.

2. GoodReads

Goodreads is a great site if you’re an avid book reader. In fact, if you don’t have an account, we highly recommend you make a free one so you can participate in discussions and reviews over millions of books. The site offers the ability to compare the prices of books across multiple websites.

How to get started:

Create your free account and add ‘friends’ to start conversations about books and get book recommendations. If you want to get free books, look for authors giving away books on the site in exchange for a free review. GoodReads also gives away free books in pre-release giveaways.

3. Bibles of America

Bibles of America is a simple way to get free Christian ebooks and a free bible. Some of the free ebooks they offer include The All-inclusive Christ, Basic Elements of the Christian Life, and The Economy of God.

How to get started:

All you have to do to register is go to this link, sign up with your information, and they will send you a free bible. That means you are not required to enter any credit card number details. Their only request is that you order the bible for yourself and not on behalf of another person.

Related Article: Get Paid to Read Books!

4. LibraryThing

LibraryThing is similar to the GoodReads program in which authors give away free books to get reviewed to a certain number of people who request a review copy. On the site, you can see how many reviews the author needs and how many people filled out the request form for a review copy of the free book.

How to get started:

Simply sign up for a free account and start requesting free books in exchange for a review. There are also member giveaways that work similarly but are free ebooks. With a lot of free stuff to choose from, there are no limits to what genres you can request books from.

There are many requests, however, so there is no guarantee that you’ll get every book you want. The more free books you request, the more likely you are to get specific books, however.

5. FreeCycle

FreeCycle’s goal becomes pretty obvious after you realize the name is a wordplay on recycle. It works like a classified service, similar to websites like Craigslist, but everything on the site is free. Usually, free books available through the service are not the most sought-after. But they are still free books.

How to get started:

Sign up for a free account and start browsing for free books! Signing up for an account takes only a few seconds, and you may find something new each day! The best free stuff and free books go to the early worms, so make sure you search through its site frequently to find your golden goose from the collection. You never know what you will find!

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6. Natural Inquirer

The Natural Inquirer is an organization that looks to distribute educational readings to children from preschool to grade 12. They always have a free coloring book available to children, which is currently about a bee that is a scientist.

Directly from its website, it says, “The coloring pages feature the Natural Inquirer bee engaging in different types of science. For example, there is a Natural Inquirer bee looking through binoculars to see birds. The text says, ‘Scientists study birds.’”

How to get started:

The nice thing about the National Inquirer program is you don’t need to sign up! Just click the links for the books you want and print or download them as needed. They usually go quickly if you prefer a hard copy, so act fast! It’s available in both a hard free copy and as a download, and it is also available in different languages. You can find information about the book here.

Additional Learning Activities for Kids: Check out the Homer Learning App!

7. Barnes and Noble

Barnes and Noble has a great summer reading activity for your kids. In exchange for reading, kids get a free book in July or August! This is a great way to keep up your kids’ reading skills when school’s out.

How to get started:

To sign up for the reading club, kids can head to the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading website and print out a journal. To qualify, children must read the stated number of books, jot down what they have read in their reading journal, and bring that journal to any Barnes and Noble location by the end of August.

In return, your child can select a free book from the list in their journals! The company also has select free ebooks available for download, too.

8. Storyberries

Storyberries doesn’t send free books by mail, but you can access many free online books to read to your children and audio books. The books include fairytales, poems, and various free children stories.

How to get started:

Sign up for a free account and select which books you’d like. You only have to provide your name and email address, so signing up takes only a few seconds.

9. ValueMags

Magazines technically aren’t books, but reading is still reading!

If free magazine subscriptions are more your thing, ValueMags will be an amazing resource for you. It provides heavily discounted subscriptions to magazine subscriptions to services like Sports Illustrated, but free magazines are available from the service as well.

Popular Science and Entertainment Weekly are two magazine subscriptions that have been given through the website.

How to get started:

All you need to do is sign up for an account and provide shipping information to get free magazines mailed to you.

10. Craigslist

Good old Craigslist is still around today and can be a great resource for getting free books. The quality of free books and the number varies greatly depending on the area and day, and it can be a bit sketchy dealing with unknown people through classifieds.

Craigslist used to be the king of online classifieds and marketplaces before platforms like Facebook Marketplace showed up to take over. You can still find some good titles and other items on Craigslist, but proceed at your own risk!

How to get started:

You don’t have to do anything formal to get free books on Craigslist. Just visit the site often and search for free books in your area. Just be sure to set up a safe place to pick up the books. Most local police stations have an area for Craiglist transfers to ensure everyone’s safety.

Related Article: 50+ Student Discounts and Freebies You Need To Know

11. NetGalley

NetGalley is another website where users can sign up for an account and then receive free pre-released books in exchange for a review. Reviews are necessary to deliver printed books, and you can receive most titles via either ebook or physical free copy.

Perhaps the best part of NetGalley and what sets it apart from most other review and receive sites is it is available in more languages than just English. It’s also available in French, German, and Japanese versions.

How to get started:

To sign up, click here to start your account. You’ll provide your name and email address. All books provided for review are audio or ebooks, so you don’t even have to share your physical address.

12. Facebook Marketplace

Like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace is another great place to find free books near you. Many people list the books they have to give away on FB Marketplace because they’d rather see them go to a good home versus tossing them.

How to get started:

If you don’t have a Facebook account, sign up for one; it’s free. Then click on Facebook Marketplace and see what books are available in your area. Check back frequently because the options obviously change often.

13. Enchanted Book Reviews

Enchanted Book Reviews also provides free books on the basis that the receivers will review them. There are a limited number of free books they give away for review at any given time, so check back frequently for new titles.

How to get started:

You must have either a blog or an Amazon account to review the books. While sites like GoodReads allow you to review the free book on their site, this company is different in that regard.

To request free books, you have to fill out your information for each book, and they will respond as soon as possible. Also, you must write a review within 30 days of receiving the books, and if you fail to do that three times, you can no longer be a part of the program.

Related Article: Easy Ways To Get Free Internet Legally At Home Or On The Go

14. Free Braille Books

The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults began in 1997 and is a program that translates written books into braille-accessible books. They say that they aim to choose books that were written within the past couple of years that both boys and girls will enjoy.

How to get started:

To get your free braille books, sign up for a free account. As books are available, you’ll receive free books.

15. FreeChildrensStories.com

If you’re running out of books to read to your children, head over to FreeChildrenStories.com and find new stories to read. The stories are for kids through middle school and are accessible on any internet-enabled device.

How to get started:

Simply head to FreeChildrenStories.com often and check out the new titles to read your kids or for them to read themselves.

16. Free LEGO magazine

Another magazine that can be sent through the mail is the LEGO Life Magazine. It’s sent four times per year to children aged 5-9. This is the perfect magazine at no cost for your creative child’s mind. They can even have their LEGO creations be featured in the magazine! With it being completely free, this is a no-brainer.

How to get started:

It’s easy to receive your free LEGO magazine. Just sign up on the LEGO site and start your free subscription! Watch your child’s eyes light up five times a year when the magazine arrives – free fun!

17. Sun-Maid Recipe Booklet

Sun-Maid, the owner of food brands for raisins, yogurt, organic substances, and more, has an extra kicker for cooks. For signing up on their website, they will send you a free recipe book using their products to create healthy and delicious treats!

How to get started:

All you have to do is sign up with your name and address information. You can download the cookbook as a PDF or have a physical free copy sent to your home.

According to Sun-Maid, “Raisins are a high-energy food, providing the natural sugars, potassium, fiber and tartaric acid necessary to keep digestive systems healthy.” So why not get healthy and get this free cookbook?

18. Lola’s Blog Tours

This website is very similar to Enchanted Book Reviews but has a larger collection of books for teens, young adults, and all ages as of writing this. Lola’s Blog Tours has books for everyone from children to adult fiction books.

How to get started:

All you have to do is click the book you want to read, look at the author’s requests and then review the book after you finish reading it. It’s the way most of these sites work, but it’s an effective one.

Related Article: Frugal Living: Simple Ways To Help You Live Intentionally

19. Fresh Fiction

Fresh Fiction offers 250 books to review in exchange for free copies. While there are a lot more options than previously stated websites, there is a stronger hold on who is able to review them.

How to get started:

To become a reviewer, you must send in a sample of a review of a book you’ve read recently. They’ll contact you with the next steps if they like what they read, making you a reviewer who can receive free books.

20. ReaderService.com

The Harlequin Reader Service is a book club that sends top-rated books as ranked by the New York Times and USA Today to its members multiple times per year. You get two free books just by signing up.

If you choose to stay with the club, you get discounted books off the cover price and will receive extra privileges. This is geared as a women’s book group with romance, suspense, and inspirational titles being the most prevalent. Do your homework if you think you might want to be a patron going forward!

How to get started:

To sign up for your free reader service account, choose your favorite genre and then your favorite series. You can even read a free excerpt to see which books you’d prefer. After receiving your free books, you decide whether to keep the service and buy books at a discount or cancel the service; there’s no penalty!

Related Article: Get Paid to Read Emails!

21. Free Kids Activity Books via the EPA

Sometimes, the best kinds of free books to read with your children are ones that teach them about the world around them. The Environmental Protection Agency, or the EPA, in the United States, offers select books free of charge for parents to read to their children. Free books come in multiple languages and are sent via the Post Office.

Free books currently available are about wood smoke. Who knows, maybe reading your children these books will spark a future career in environmentalism.

How to get started:

Visit the EPA and see what options they have. The books go fast, but you can often get access to other free printable materials.

22. Free Kindle Books

You don’t normally think of Kindle as free, but they offer free ebooks daily! If you have a Kindle or even a smartphone with the Kindle app, you can access thousands of book titles spanning all genres and books for all ages.

How to get started:

Download the free Kindle app, browse the free Kindle books available, and enjoy your free books! The titles change often, and offers are usually for a limited time, so snag the books that catch your eye immediately.

23. BookMooch

BookMooch is an online book exchange service for people who like to read books. You can exchange like-new books you’ve read and no longer want and request books you want to read.

There’s no cost to exchange books, but you must pay the shipping costs when you mail books to other readers. 

How to get started:

Sign up for a free account to start listing and trading books.

BookMooch operates on a points system. You earn 1/10 of a point for each book you list and another point when you mail it to another reader. You’ll earn three points if you send the book outside your country.

Requiring books costs one point, or three points if the book is in another country. You can also set up a wishlist to automatically receive the books on it when they become available when you have the points to spend.

24. FreeKidsBooks.org

FreeKidsBooks.org offers free ebooks for kids that you can read online or even print the PDF. The books are available for kids of all ages, all the way through to young adults, so there is plenty to choose from when looking for free book programs.

How to get started:

There’s no need to sign up; just check out FreeKidsBooks.org whenever you want a free book for yourself or free kids’ books and check out the selection.

25. Penguin Random House’s Reader Rewards 

Penguin Random House rewards readers who buy their books with points. When you have 120 points earned, you can redeem it for a free book from Penguin Random House (most titles apply) for a value of up to $30.

Each book purchase earns you 10 points, so after you purchase 12 books, you’ll get a free book. You can buy the books from any local or online bookstore. To prove your purchase, upload your receipt and the book’s ISBN, and you’ll receive points if it’s an eligible book.

After accumulating 120 points, you can redeem your reward for any book on PenguinRandomHouse.com. Add the books to your cart like normal, and enter the rewards code in the coupon field.

How to get started:

Create your free account and receive free book suggestions. Each time you purchase a book from any retailer, upload your receipt and redeem your points for a free book when you reach 120 points.

27. DigiLibraries

DigiLibraries is another great resource for free books online. While you don’t get free books mailed, you can access as many free books as you want online in the online library. Their categories are vast and include books about antiques, cooking, religion, games, gardening, and more. Of course, there is a large selection of fiction books, too.

How to get started:

You don’t need to sign up for an account. Simply head to DigiLibraries whenever you want to download free books and check out the great selection.

28. Bookloons

Bookloons is a book review website that gives bookworms ideas for new books. While you can purchase books for the retail price there, after reading reviews, they host a lot of contests to win free books.

Some of their bigger contests reward readers with 40 books! Most contests require a review, which only takes a few minutes and can result in free books.

How to get started:

You don’t need an account to use Bookloons. Simply visit the website often and see the latest books, reviews, and contests to win free books.

29. Read It Forward

Read it Forward is a Penguin Random House newsletter readers can sign up for to enter contests and earn free books. The community has over 385,000 members, and its website offers book recommendations, podcasts, and other resources to help you find the perfect book.

Like other services, you can earn points by buying books and redeeming them for free books when you reach the required threshold.

Don’t ignore the weekly newsletters, though, as that’s where you might have a chance to win free books and other merch.

How to get started:

Create your free account to start earning points, get free book recommendations and to enter contests.

30. PaperBack Swap

As the name suggests, PaperBack Swap is a book exchange. Like many other book exchanges, it costs nothing to receive books; for any books you send out, you must cover the shipping costs. 

Despite its name, you can swap hardcover books, textbooks, and other media sources, too.

How to get started:

Complete the Club Member Registration sign up and you’re ready to start swapping books and other reading materials.

31. First Book

First Book is a free service for families in need. Their mission is to ensure all kids have equal access to reading materials for educational purposes and fun. They offer a wide range of free children’s books for educators (formal and informal).

How to get started:

Sign up for a free account, and you’ll have access to a wide range of materials to help the children in your life.

32. That Daily Deal

Adult coloring is a great way to reduce stress and enjoy free time. That Daily Deal sends one free adult coloring book per household with no strings attached.

They require your credit card for validation but don’t charge anything. The free coloring books by mail are chosen randomly, and if you want, you can donate, which they say moves your order to the front of the line. Typically, orders take 6 to 8 weeks, but they sell out often.

How to get started:

Check the website often for the latest free coloring book deal. They go fast, so if you want to grab one, check back frequently.

33. The Jiffy Mix Recipe Book

If you love cooking with Jiffy just like mom used to, get a free Jiffy Mix Recipe Book. The latest version has many new recipes for you and your family to enjoy. Requesting a book is free, and you can opt for an online version for immediate access.

How to get started:

Complete the Jiffy Mix Recipe Book sign-up form, and within 2 – 3 weeks, you’ll have your free cookbook in the mail.

34. Hillsdale College- US Constitution and Declaration of Independence

If you’ve always wanted your copy of the US Constitution or Declaration of Independence, you can get a free copy from Hillsdale College. 

How to get started:

Just complete the form for the US Constitution or Declaration of Independence, and you’ll have a pocket-sized copy for your enjoyment!

35. Check Your Local Library & Summer Reading Programs

Not every library has a mailing service that sends you a book every month, but some do, with a higher likelihood in metropolitan areas. We strongly encourage everyone to contact their local, county, or regional libraries to see if they offer any free reading programs, as they may just not advertise them well! Be sure to ask a librarian for help checking their databases and if they offer their patrons that library service.

Many local libraries offer a summer reading program for children, too, and it’s a good idea to get your kids a free library card, which enables them to be a borrower! Libraries are obviously places you can go to borrow books, and although you may receive fines on overdue books if you don’t renew them by the due date, you’ll have so many titles at your disposal.

At the library, resources include the availability of audiobooks, DVDs, E-books through Overdrive, CDs, internet access, and more at a public, county, or state library. If books are checked out already, the interlibrary loan library system, where libraries borrow books from each other, is an alternative.

The public library is a great place to go for almost anything, not just library books! So don’t miss out on going there even just to get work done or homework help because library services are abundant.

Time to Get to Reading!

By now, you should know just how many ways there are to get free books by mail and magazine subscriptions by postage! You can even get digital free ebooks from many sources, too.

Of course, we think everyone should focus on getting free books by mail to learn more about personal finances. Check out our financial independence retire early books list and see which books should be on your list to create financial independence.