I have a Kindle Touch, so I tend to get my books, especially my freebies, from Amazon. However, as there are other eBook readers, there are also other eBook sources, even for freebies.

One of the best, in my opinion, is Smashwords. This publisher/distributor provides resources for independent, self-published authors. The website is simple to navigate and it’s easy to find the freebies, unlike other distributors (cough… Barnes & Noble).

Smashwords offers eBooks in a variety of formats, so you should be able to download what you want, regardless of eReader or app.

As I wandered through the freebies, two things caught my eye. One is that many of the offerings are an unusual length. You’ll find plenty of short stories and novella-length works, but also books that are less the 60K words or more than 100K words. It can be difficult, especially for a new author, to find a traditional publisher willing to take on a book that doesn’t fall within the 90-100K word length. This may be where such books find a home and readers.

I also noticed that a number of books were marked, “You set the price!” This means it’s free, but you can also pay the author if you’re so inclined. Nice touch.

Like Amazon, you must have a Smashwords account in order to download books.

Here are some examples of Smashwords freebies. Descriptions are provided by Smashwords.

The Chosen
(Free) Dawn lived an ordinary life, until the day she was Chosen. Through training and trials Dawn discovers the powers that have been lying dormant within her, showing her that she is anything but ordinary, and the small town life she had was full of mystery, adventure, intrigue, and a betrayal far beyond anything she could have imagined.

Black Static Magazine 19
(You set the price) Black Static is a bimonthly magazine of horror and dark fantasy fiction, first published 2007. Black Static contains original fiction and illustrations plus horror/dark fantasy related news and reviews of books, movies and DVDs. BS 19 has the print edition’s text, but some illustrations and graphics are omitted, the 2010 Anthology roundup and fiction from Simon Clark, Joel Lane, Lavie Tidhar

The Lady in Yellow
(You set the price) When young Veronica Everly takes a position as governess to a pair of identical twins, she did not expect them to join a family of werewolves, or to fall in love with her handsome employer, Rafe de Grimston. When Rafe makes her promise to redeem them all, she is faced with an agonizing choice. First she must uncover the mystery of the Lady in Yellow.

101 Tips and Techniques For Cooking Like a Chef
(Free) This cookbook provides general cooking guidelines and tips. There are chapters on Sauces and seasonings, meat and poultry, barbecuing, fruits and vegetables, pasta, rice and potatoes, and baking. The book concludes with bonus recipes. The purpose of the book is to provide key information in one easy to find location.