Guide To 2019 Book Freebies And Promotional Offers

The year 2019 saw numerous opportunities for readers to access free books and promotional content across various genres and platforms. This article provides an overview of the available free book offers, reading challenges, and resources identified from various sources during that period.

Popular Book Freebies and Promotions in 2019

Several book promotions were available in 2019 across different genres and platforms. According to Katie Salidas's website, May 2019 featured multiple giveaways including:

• Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Giveaway (ending May 14)
• "I Love Dragons Giveaway"
• Sci-fi & fantasy Kindle Unlimited titles (ending May 31)
• "Magic and Mayhem" promotion (ending June 13)
• "The Write Stuff: Female Authors - All Genres" (ending June 15)
• 2nd Kindle Unlimited Book Fair (ending May 29)
• "A Weapon of Magical Destruction" free via Story Origin

Goodreads hosted discussions about book sales and freebies, with a particularly active thread about "Bond Street (Sales and Freebies) 2019" that featured books such as "The All Souls Trilogy," "Hell's Belle," "Once Upon a Winter's Eve," "Northern Delights," and "Taylor's Destiny." Authors frequently mentioned in these discussions included K.J. Jackson, Laura Kinsale, Mary Balogh, and Joanna Shupe.

Reading Challenges and Educational Resources

BuildYourLibrary offered reading challenges and freebies in 2019, including the "Build Your Library Family Reading Challenge." This resource encouraged readers to set various reading goals, including completing categorical reading challenge lists such as reading books adapted into movies, stories based in mythology, or books released that year.

TeachersPayTeachers provided free educational resources specifically for middle-grade readers. Their "2019 Maryland State Award Nominees for Middle Grades (4-9)" included five titles: Ghost Boys, Game Changer, Chasing Kings Killer, Click'd and Deep Water. Each title came with read-alike suggestions representing various reading levels, interests, and maturity levels.

The resource from TeachersPayTeachers also included instructions for users to provide feedback on the product, which would earn them credits to use toward future purchases. The platform offered a way for users to follow the store to receive updates about new discounts, freebies, and product launches.

Platforms Offering Free Books

Several platforms specialized in offering free or low-cost books:

1. BookWalker: This ebook store offered online reading through the web and iOS application. It provided free books through two mechanisms:

   • 期間限定価格 (limited time pricing), which included limited time discounts to zero yen
   • 期間限定 無料 お試し版 (limited time free trial versions)

   According to the BookWalker thread, at any given time there were hundreds of zero yen limited time pricing offers available. The thread maintainer mentioned using a Python script to identify high-rated books, particularly those tagged as "Award-Winning" or with user ratings of 7.5 or higher, and intended to post weekly updates on these free books.

2. Goodreads Group: The "Freebies and Low Cost Books" group was dedicated to helping readers find free and low-cost e-books, with members sharing websites, blogs, and other resources. The group description explicitly stated: "Please post any websites, blogs, etc. that you find that will help others like you find these wonderful new authors and their gifts to us!"

Seasonal and Themed Promotions

Some free book offerings were tied to specific holidays or themes. For example, BuildYourLibrary offered a "12 Days of Christmas Freebie" that allowed children to write their own version of the popular carol. This type of themed content provided additional value beyond the book itself, creating an interactive reading experience.

BuildYourLibrary also encouraged customers to share decorated photos of their Family Reading Crate boxes for potential use in future marketing efforts on the website and Facebook, indicating a community-focused approach to their promotional activities.

Customer Feedback and Community Engagement

Several platforms used customer feedback to improve their offerings and encourage engagement. TeachersPayTeachers, for instance, offered feedback credits to users who rated and reviewed products, which they could then use to offset future purchase costs. This created a system of mutual benefit between the platform and its users.

Goodreads facilitated discussions around book freebies, allowing readers to share information about available promotions and sales. The platform's group structure enabled community members to collectively discover and share free book opportunities.

Conclusion

The year 2019 offered numerous opportunities for readers to access free books and promotional content across various genres and platforms. From limited-time giveaways and reading challenges to educational resources and seasonal promotions, readers had multiple avenues to discover new authors and expand their reading collections without cost. The availability of these freebies varied by platform, genre, and timing, requiring readers to stay informed about current promotions.

Sources

1. Bond Street Sales and Freebies 2019 Discussion
2. Middle Grade Read-Alike Book List 2019
3. BuildYourLibrary Freebies
4. 2019 Reading List Freebies
5. May 2019 Book Sales and Freebies
6. Freebies and Low Cost Books Group
7. BookWalker Freebies Thread