eBook prices got you down ... free & cheap eBooks

[alangerow]

It's no secret that Barnes & Noble's eBook pricing has seen come recent changes. The $9.99 blanket price for new releases has been blown away and expect to see high prices on average. But the nook supports a variety of file formats and DRM schemes that allow you load eBooks from a various sources, shopping around for the best prices.

Free & Cheap Books from Barnes & Noble

Prices are going up, but that doesn't mean all the prices are going up. Mostly new releases are getting hit the hardest. Many older releases aren't seeing dramatic, if any, price increases. There are free books available, and still plenty of books in the sub-$5 range.

Barnes & Noble Big Deals (most eBooks in the $1-5 range)

Barnes & Noble Free eBook Search (currently lists 951,754 results)

Barnes & Noble - All Product Search, Under $5 (currently lists 61,380 results)

Free Nook Books

Public Domain & Open Licensed

Public domain is the rule, copyright is the exception. Most of the greatest literature of the world is free, available to the everyone as part of our collective culture. Get intellectualized and read the classics. Additionally, some authors recognize value in giving their work away and provide their art under creative common or other open-license model.

Google Books

Project Gutenberg

Feedbooks

ManyBooks.net

epubBooks

Scribd

Cory Doctorow's craphound

Independent Publishers/Authors

Sometimes going with the major distribution system isn't a possibility. There are other avenues for some great small or unknown authors to distribute their work and make a little money by charging far less than what the major publishing houses think we should pay.

Smashwords

Baen Books

Other eBook Stores

Competition is a good thing, and sometimes competing eBook stores have different prices. Check out some of these other stores and make sure you're getting the best deal for the books you choose to pay for.

Koko Books

Fictionwise

Library

Many libraries offer digital lending using OverDrive and Adobe Digital Editions. Check to see if you can load content loaned from your library that you're already paying for with your taxes.

OverDrive

Blogs

The best news is by the (wo)man-on-the-street. People finding free eBooks and letting everyone else know. Here are blogs of people keeping the rest of us informed.

Finding Free eBooks

Free Books Blog

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If anyone else has any other sources of getting free or cheap eBooks, or any alternatives to using Barnes & Noble for comparative price shopping, please share them. Also, any eBooks posted on the net by the authors for free distribution would be great to hear about, too.

[03FLHT2]

Speaking of Baen, those that have People in the Navy , should check out this or if you appreciate what some people do for the Military

Forgot to add link

Cool Thank You

[Rav_Bunneh]

Finally, a useful post. Thanks!! This should be a sticky post at the top.

[sub_rosa]

Great post, Alan - it's good to have options!

[alangerow]

Couldn't find a way to edit the post and just noticed Cory Doctorow's link was incorrect:

Cory Doctorow's craphound

[eserafina42]

Here's a site someone pointed me to that allows you to search and compare prices, formats, etc. I haven't used it a lot but have found it useful when I have.

http://inkmesh.com/

[janjanjan]

This is extremely helpful, but may be a bit misleading.  I checked out the mystery category of the B&N free book link, and found that the vast majority were actually Google Books, and most had 3,4, 5 or even more copies listed.  I haven't explored other categories, but if the same is true there, there is tons of duplication.

I'm a big fan of OverDrive since I rarely reread a book unless it is truly excellent, and I can keep these books for only 7 days.  That is generally long enough, especially since I don't like every book I check out. This is the only source I've found for best sellers and current books.

[gqb]

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alangerow wrote:

The $9.99 blanket price for new releases has been blown away and expect to see high prices on average.

______________________________________________________________________

Some of that is out of Barnes and Noble' control.  Some of the publishers expect you to sell it for the price they set.  If not, you won't be selling their books.

Don't forget the public libaries!

[Read-n-Quilt]

So I keep hearing about the Big 5 controlling the prices of ebooks and I don't get it! How is this the case yet these same stores (B&N, Borders) are discounting these same books in store? I know that the publishers set a recommended retail price, it's right on the dust jacket, but the stores themselves often discount the books. I mean seriously, look at every Harry Potter book when it came out! $30 hardcover books being sold by Walmart for $17 and Borders and B&N were deeply discounted as well! I would love if someone could explain why the ebook sellers can't do this with ebooks? Especially new ones that they know are going to be hot?

[LarryOnLI]

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Read-n-Quilt wrote:

So I keep hearing about the Big 5 controlling the prices of ebooks and I don't get it! How is this the case yet these same stores (B&N, Borders) are discounting these same books in store? I know that the publishers set a recommended retail price, it's right on the dust jacket, but the stores themselves often discount the books. I mean seriously, look at every Harry Potter book when it came out! $30 hardcover books being sold by Walmart for $17 and Borders and B&N were deeply discounted as well! I would love if someone could explain why the ebook sellers can't do this with ebooks? Especially new ones that they know are going to be hot?

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Because their contracts with the publishers for eBooks does not allow it.

Specifically, physical books are sold using a standard retail model where the retailer buys the book from the publisher and then as the owner of the book can sell it for whatever price they want.

Under the new "agency" model - the retailer does not buy the book, instead they are acting as an agent for the publisher and take a commission on the sale, but do not set the price.

[bklvr896]

As @LarryOnLi said, different contract terms for DTB vs eBooks.

You can see this in the details for the ebook.  If you look at the product details, for any Agency 5 books it will say

Published by:  Penguin

Sold by: Penguin

or for non agency books

Published by:  Random House

Sold by: Barnes and Noble