How to get 2500 epub ebooks for free
I am not talking about public domain content of Project Gutenberg or similar sites. I am talking about free access to current bestsellers! And no – I won’t tell you where to get pirated ebooks. The solution to free high quality ebooks is: Digital Libraries. Digital Libraries have the benefits of regular libraries without the caveats. You can not be fined for not returning an ebook, as it will destroy itself through the DRM (Digital Rights Management) that allows you to open the ebook only for a defined time period.
The problem with libraries is, you usually need to be resident to be eligible for a library pass. Furthermore libraries with a lot of digital content are rare and often not at the place you are a resident at. And of course – they cost money, a lot of them have an annual fee.
A loophole few people know about: There is a library which has a huge epub ebook section (>2500 at the time of writing), which is free, allows you to apply as a non-resident and best of all gives you instant access. It is the Singapore National Library Board.
Download your first bestseller within 5 minutes for free:
- Go to http://www.pl.sg/page/PlRegistration
- Select “Foreigner without FIN” and enter your passport number, name and desired account credentials.
- After accepting the terms you are supposed to receive a confirmation email. I did not receive it but your account gets activated immediately.
- Log in using your passport number & username.
- Download your first ebook.
Note: You need to install Adobe Digital Editions for this.
Other Libraries with memberships for non-residents:
- Free Library of Philadelphia
epub books: 2917
Annual Fee: $15 - Fairfax County Library
epub books: 1250
Annual Fee: $27 - Houston Public Library
epub books: 516
Annual Fee: $40 - Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
epub books: 166
Annual Fee: $45
Note for Kindle users or others users unable to use Adobe DRM: The DRM format has been hacked. So there are options to remove it and convert the ebook to a kindle compatible or other format. Depending on your jurisdiction, this might be illegal though. For more information check out http://darkreverser.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/new-blog/.
title image by Johan Larsson
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