How to Get a Free Kindle Book Every Month from Amazon

Did you know that Amazon Prime members get a FREE Kindle ebook every month? Yep, it's a program called "Amazon First Reads".

How Does the Amazon First Reads Program Work?

You can either remember to check each month (set an alarm on your phone?) or, if you sign up for the First Reads newsletter, you get an email on the 1st of every month to remind you. 

This post may contain affiliate links meaning I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking a link. Images in this post courtesy of Ivory Mix, one of my favorite feminine stock photo membership sites. Check out their free stock photos! 

If you're logged in to your Amazon account and you have Prime, the First Reads page will look like this (showing one free Kindle book; sometimes you get to pick TWO!):

If you don't have Amazon Prime - or you DO but you're not logged in - it will look like this (showing one $1.99 Kindle book):

Once a month, go to the Amazon First Reads page to scroll through all your choices and pick which ebook you want for free. There are usually about 6-8 books to choose from, always with a variety of genres like Suspense, Rom Com, Thriller, Historical Fiction, and sometimes even children's books.

Are the Amazon First Reads Books Any Good?

When the program first started, there were a couple months when I had to struggle to find a book I wanted enough to download for free 😂. But it's gotten better over time and now I always find at least one and sometimes two or three books that I want.

Here you can see a bunch of previous First Reads picks.

I tend toward the Contemporary Fiction options. Here are some of the Kindle books I've gotten for free over the years from First Reads:

Room to Breathe by Liz Talley 

These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean

Like Me by Hayley Phelan

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

Love, Comment, Subscribe by Cathy Yardley

Can You  Use Amazon First Reads If You Don't Have a Kindle Device?

You know what? YOU CAN. All you need to do is download the Kindle App on whatever device you do have - computer, laptop, tablet, or phone. It's free. With the Kindle App, you can read Kindle books - even without a Kindle. Pretty cool. So don't let the fact that you don't have something like a Kindle Paperwhite (my drug of choice) or other Kindle reader keep you from trying First Reads.  

Can You Use Amazon First Reads If You Don't Have Amazon Prime?

Even if you're not a Prime member, the Kindle books are only $1.99 and the print versions are $9.99 or less. If you're a bookaholic, you know that those are great prices these days. But can I talk you in to joining Amazon Prime perhaps?

I've been a Prime member since 2012 and I've always just paid the annual fee. It's gone up a few times since then but it's still well worth it. If I add up all the 2-day shipping I'd be paying plus a free Kindle book per month (sometimes two), that alone more than covers it.

Then there's Prime Video and other benefits. The annual fee can be a lot at once but they now have a monthly payment option too.

You can look into joining Amazon Prime HERE, including the 3 different pricing options and what you get with each one. 

I hope you enjoy the Amazon First Reads program. Happy free and/or low-cost reading! 📚