There are 200 plus websites and search engines that offer online freebies - but Free-ebook.net is no longer one of the 'really free' sites. Previously proclaimed as “the internet's #1 online source for free ebook downloads," Free-ebooks.net still likes to refer to their service by that description - while charging membership fees.
Free-ebooks.net standard membership is now limited to viewing books only in html. If a user wants to download more than five pdf e-books per month, they have to upgrade to VIP status at a cost of $4.99 per month or $19.95 per year.
During the past ten years, Free-ebook.net has been a totally free download website with an estimated 150,000 visitors per month. By imposing these new charges, Free-ebooks.net hopes to grow their website profitability. With the increase in profits, Free-ebook.net plans to attract additional authors, convert e-books to mobile formats, and record audio formats.
With charges and limitations at Free-ebooks.net, readers and authors are left searching for a 'really free' e-book download website. The totally free sites will benefit greatly from this latest development at Free-ebook.net. Many websites do not even require registration before they allow use of their resources.
The Top 7 'Really Free' Sources For E-Book Downloads
1. Wowio
Finding Wowio leaves you with that 'wow' feeling. With a 'really free' website, beautifully formatted books, including recent mainstream editions, Wowio is a wonderful source for e-book downloads. Wow!
2. Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenburg is 'the' perfect source for your favorite classics (pre-1923). In addition, Project Gutenburg has a selection of later books and in total has access to millions of free, public domain books (text and HTML formats).
3. Memoware
Take a memo about Memoware! With tens of thousands of public domain books, formatted for a wide range of portable devices, Memoware deserves your attention. In addition, this source has a premium bookstore catering to current, mainstream books.
4. Fictionwise
Fictionwise, an expansive e-book bookstore, may carry fiction but it's a fact about its 'really free' service. Specializing in SF with titles formatted for a range of devices, Fictionwise offers an ever-changing selection of free e-books.
5. Zbooc
A directory of free reports, how-to ebooks, tutorials, and guides, has helpful e-books in countless categories. Free ebooks are reviewed and rated by visitors. Viewing and downloading is instant and unlimited. It's easy to see why it's on the way to becoming the number 1 'really free' source for e-books.
6. The Internet Archive
The Internet Archive doesn't resemble the dusty old archives in the libraries of past eras. The Internet Archive is a modern, active resource which scans books in libraries around the world. This 'really free' service makes their 500,000 books (to date) available in a range of formats including searchable PDFs of the original page images. The Internet Archive is always expanding its archived sources.
7. Baen Free Library
Baen Free Library, a pioneer in the e-book field, has a fantastic selection of free science fiction and fantasy e-books. A favorite with SF fans!
With the availability of these super seven 'really free' e-book download websites (as well as scores of similar sites), the changes at Free-ebook.net shouldn't cause any undue worry for readers, authors, or marketers. The top seven e-book download sites offer 'really free' books in every imaginable category. Free-ebook.net is not a 'really free' download website! Yet hundreds of websites remain committed to free service and unlimited downloads of e-books. Choose a 'top seven' contender for your source for e-book downloads.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
180 Websites for Free eBook Downloads - The Complete List
Free online books (or e-books) are one of the best sources we have for sharing knowledge and creativity. This post is a first ever collection of close to 200 websites allowing free ebook downloads.
In Future posts, I will be reviewing the best free ebooks website from this list. However for now I am publishing 2 parameters that may help you decide where you would like to search:
1. Google PageRank - this shows how much Google "trusts" a website in the information it displays. 1/10 being the highest trusted websites and 9/10 the lowest trust. Unranked or 0/10 websites probably did not even make it to the ranking level (or because they are new).
2. Website Popularity - Monthly visitors evaluation using Compete evaluation tool.
If you would like to send me your comments or your thoughts about any of the websites on the list (or suggest websites that are not included in this list for review) – you are most welcome to do that.
Not all the websites on this list are 100% free, not all of them allow you to download formatted files for handheld devices, and they don't all have editorial guidelines to monitor the quality of their inventory. This is why, in this first post, I would like to include my own selection of the top 10 places to download free ebooks from. I think these websites are the ones that really stand out from the list that follows.
1. Wowio - recent mainstream editions, perfect formatting for viewing and downloading
2. Project Gutenburg – Free and instant access to millions of public domain books (text and HTML formats).
3. Memoware - public domain books, formatted for a wide range of portable devices,
4. Zbooc – thousands of free ebooks, reports, how-to, tutorials and guides for instant download
5. Fictionwise - Specializing in SF with titles formatted for a range of devices
6. The Internet Archive – over 500,000 book scans from libraries around the world.
7. Baen Free Library - selection of free science fiction and fantasy e-books
8. Free-ebooks – one of the top free sites, recently turned paid. You are now limited to viewing html for free
9. Manybooks – free ebook downloads formatted for your PDA, iPhone or Kindle
10. Freebookspot - Free ebooks in categories such as science, engineering, programming, fiction and more.
The Complete List - 180 Free ebook Websites
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