Are you an avid reader who’d love to grab best selling books for free? Are you an up and coming author that would like to promote your book, either free or discounted? Then you’ve landed in the right place. This week I’m running a series of posts that highlight the sites to go to and, by default, the sites to avoid. I’ll be covering over 5o of the best sites, the ones where you can trust the content, as well as the price. And it’s wise to be selective, because there’s a great selection of reputable sites offering super book deals. But as with everywhere else on the web, there’s a flood of dross and, frankly, charlatans who are more interested in capturing your personal data and plundering your wallet than they are in connecting readers with authors.
When the Siren Calls
I’m going to start today with Net Galley, because my post earlier this year reviewing that site caused a bit of a stir, and not just from readers and authors but from the wider eco-system that lives off the back of aspiring authors. If you know about Net Galley already and would like an in depth review, warts and all, then go to my earlier post. For our purposes here all you need to know if you are a reader is that Net Galley is a great source to grab early review copies of books in every genre, from fiction and non-fiction, from independent publishers to the biggest gorillas on the block like Macmillan and Random House, including from their best selling authors. If you are an author all you need to know is that Net Galley is a great place to solicit genuinely independent reviews. It helped When the Siren Calls get over 100 reviews on Amazon and over 200 ratings onGoodreads in six months. (But authors, as Net Galley will be dipping into your wallet, do read my full review before you decide whether the site is for you.)
Tomorrow, god willing, I’m going to share another 5 sites, including my #1 site for top quality books from the independent sector, where you’ll find some of the freshest and most original writing out there today (and I’m going to let you into the secret of why the independent sector is the best source of quality fiction in the market-place.) And I will be looking at one of the sites that offers readers and writers an alternative to Net Galley, but without some of the drawbacks I discussed in my Net Galley review. So be sure to check back here to discover more of the top sources for free and discounted books. And in the meantime, now’s the time to grab a copy ofWhen the Siren Calls at just 99 cents (70p). But be quick, because like the steamy love affair in the book, something this good can’t last for long 