15 Ways to Get Free Books by Mail

I’m an avid reader (as are my kids – hallelujah!) so I’m a frequent library visitor. But getting free books mailed to your home? That’s living the dream.

Sure, you can get free e-books and audiobooks to read or listen to on your smartphone or tablet, but there’s something to be said about holding an actual, physical book in your hands.

How to Get Free Books in the Mail

Here’s a great list of ways to get free books by mail. Some of these options are good for kids, while others are more for adults. Want religious reading materials? That’s available too.

In short, you should easily be able to find one or more ways to add to your reading collection without having to leave your house…or even your comfy sofa.

1. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Kids can’t go out and buy their books, so why not start by finding free book offers for them?

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library works with local community partners to provide free books by mail to children from birth to age five.

If you’re lucky enough to have this program in your area, you should sign up! Your child will receive one quality children’s book each month by mail, and it’s free to you.

This program currently gives out almost two million free books each month to children around the world.

All titles are selected by a panel of experts in early childhood and reading. Their Book Selection Committee meets every year to review and refresh the book list.

RELATED: 20 Ways to Get Free Baby Stuff

Children who are blind can also receive free books by mail each month. The Braille Books Program sponsored by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, makes this possible.

What makes this program extra awesome is that it provides new titles in Braille each year, and your child can receive books for as long as they want.

These selections are drawn from popular children’s reading books so that blind children can read the same titles their sighted friends can.

Current titles in 2022 include

The Potts-Abilities Series by Liz Cooper
I Survived Series by Lauren Tarshis
History Smashers by Kate Messner

To enroll, just submit an online application HERE. Each application must be blind or low vision and be a Braille reader.

3. Goodreads

Chances are if you’re an avid reader, you already know about Goodreads.

It’s a way to keep track of what you’re reading or what you would like to read, see what your friends are reading, and get book recommendations and reviews.

But what you may not know is that Goodreads has a Giveaways section on the website. This is where you can enter to win free books mailed to your home.

These book giveaways are sponsored by authors and publishers to get their material out there.

While there’s no guarantee that you’ll win a free book, it’s super quick and easy to enter. If you win, the author or publisher will receive your shipping address to mail you the book.

Note that some giveaways are for print books and some are for Kindle books, but you can see this information before you enter.

4. LibraryThing

If you want to share your opinion about a book in exchange for a free copy, you can sign up to become an Early Reviewer at LibraryThing.

Simply register for an account, then click the Request button for the books that appeal to you. Formats include print, ebook, and audiobook.

You can request as many books as you would like, but you can only request each book once per household. You can win up to four free books per month, although you aren’t guaranteed to win that many.

Once you receive the free books mailed to your home, you need to post a review on LibraryThing. It does not need to be a positive review – you can express your opinion freely.

While you are not legally obligated to post a review, failure to write a review will strongly affect your chances of winning future giveaways.

5. Natural Inquirer

Teachers and parents may be especially interested in this next option. Natural Inquirer provides a variety of science education materials for Pre-K up through grade 12.

This program takes information from research studies and turns it into a format that is more accessible to children of all ages.

Data and research come from the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, NOAA, and other educational partners.

Browse the Natural Inquirer website to see what’s available to download as a PDF or order via postal mail. Most products include additional videos and resources for teachers and parents to use in their instruction.

Related Article: 15 Places to Get Free Christian Books by Mail

6. Harlequin Reader Service

Interested in receiving books every month? Harlequin Reader Service offers monthly home delivery of new fiction books with no commitment required.

They’ll send you two books for free to try the service out, and you can choose from several different series like Romance, Suspense, and Inspirational.

You don’t even need to enter any credit card information to get your free books. Once you receive your free books, you can just return the shipping statement marked “cancel.”

If you don’t cancel, Harlequin will send you four additional books in the genre and charge you for each book plus shipping and handling. You can cancel at any time.

7. FreshFiction

FreshFiction provides information to readers about current authors and their available books.

There are many genres covered including action, contemporary, fantasy, graphic, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, suspense, and thrillers.

They post reviews on new titles, but you don’t need to become a reviewer to get free books mailed to your home.

Instead, check out their Contests page to enter to win books and even gift cards from select authors.

You may need to jump through a few hoops to enter the giveaways, but you won’t need to post any reviews.

8. Your Local Library

If you’re homebound and can’t get to your local library, chances are good that your library can come to you for free.

No, a librarian probably won’t show up at your door with a stack of books. But if you qualify, they will probably send free books mailed to your home.

My local library provides an At Home service free for residents who cannot get to a library due to disability, illness, or visual impairment.

Patrons who qualify can request any material that can be checked out of the library to be mailed for free in a postage-paid returnable package.

Your library system probably has a similar service. Search for “at-home library service near me” or browse your library’s website to see what’s available in your area.

9. My Reader Rewards Club

My Reader Rewards Club is a free program from Tyndale House Publishers that lets you earn points to redeem free books mailed to your home.

Note that Tyndale House Publishers primarily publishes Christian books.

You’ll earn points for shopping online at their partner websites, referring a friend, taking surveys, signing up for e-newsletters and e-devotionals, and more.

Get 25 points just for creating an account, then complete the activities to earn anywhere from 10 – 45 points each.

Once you’ve earned enough points, you can redeem them for free books. The “cheapest” book is just 25 points, so in theory, you can get a free book just for signing up!

10. BookMooch

Do you have some books you no longer read? BookMooch helps you trade your titles for ones that you want instead.

Create an account, then list the books you want to give away. You’ll need to mail your books out to those that request them, and then you’ll receive points to ask for books from others.

So, while this technically isn’t free (since you’ll have to pay to mail your books), it is a very low-cost way to get books mailed to your home that you can keep.

Remember that Media Mail is a low-cost option for mailing books through USPS. It takes a little longer than normal mail, but the reduced cost is worth it.

11. PaperBack Swap

PaperBack Swap is another site where you can trade your used books with others and get free books mailed to your home.

Again, you’ll list books you’d like to swap, then mail them to the members who request them. In return, you can choose from almost one million available books!

Despite the name, they trade more than just paperback books. You can also list your hardcover books, audiobooks, textbooks, and more.

12. PJ Library and PJ Our Way

Jewish families may be interested in signing up to receive free books from PJ Library. This organization sends free Jewish children’s books to families across the world each month.

Families with children ages birth through 8 years old with Judaism as part of their lives are invited to sign up.

They mail more than 230,000 books monthly in the United States and Canada and have mailed almost 20 million free books since their mission began.

Kids ages 9-12 can enroll in PJ Our Way, the next chapter of PJ Library. Each month kids go to the website to choose which book they would like to receive (all with Jewish themes).

13. Bibleinfo.com

Get free Bible study guides mailed to your home through Bibleinfo.com. This website provides these guides to assist people in understanding God’s answers to life’s greatest questions.

You can currently request free Bible study guides with the themes of Discover, Focus on Prophecy, and KidZone. Fill out the corresponding online form to make your request.

Once you read the guides, you can fill out the answer sheet(s) and mail them back to Bibleinfo.com if you choose.

Bibleinfo.com is a ministry of the Voice of Prophecy, a Seventh-day Adventist religious radio ministry.

RELATED: 17 Ways to Get a Free Bible

14. Better World Books

I am a big fan of buying books used instead of new, and Better World Books is a great website to do just that.

Besides reusing and recycling books, they also donate books and raise funds for literacy programs and libraries.

Sign up for the Better World Books Rewards Program to earn rewards points that you can use to receive free books by mail.

Earn points with every order, but also when you follow Better World Books on social media and refer friends to receive exclusive discounts.

Combine the low prices with rewards and free shipping on orders of $15 or more to maximize your savings.

15. ThriftBooks

For a similar website and rewards program, check out ThriftBooks ReadingRewards. It also rewards you for purchases made through the website.

Plus, there are extra earning opportunities for using the mobile app, adding your birthday to your account, and inviting friends to join the program.

ThriftBooks is my first choice when shopping for books online, so it’s very easy for me to earn free books mailed to my home with their rewards program.

Summary

Sure, you can get free books from the library or by swapping with friends and family members. But why not just get free books mailed to your home?

Getting fun mail is always a nice treat. These options for free books for both children and adults should keep your family occupied with good books for a long time.

Once you’re done reading the free books, you can keep them in your at-home library or pass them on to someone else to share the reading love.

15 Ways to Get Free Books Mailed to Your Home