I received a Kindle for Christmas last year and I LOVE it! I’m a huge fan of reading, so anytime I can download a book for FREE from Amazon, I do. However, most of the best sellers or specific genres that I enjoy typically are not offered for free. So what’s a thrifty girl to do?
I recently discovered www.lendle.me and am completely addicted. Here’s how it works: You create a free account and then update your profile with all the e-books you own. Then, when Lendle users want to borrow one of your books, you get an email with quick steps to lending your book through Amazon. The person borrowing the book has 14 days to read the book before it disappears from their e-reader. In return, the book cannot be read on your device while it is being loaned out.
As you share your books, you begin to accumulate credits. Each credit is good for one FREE book rental. To give you an idea of the credit accumulation, I have loaned out 3 books and have earned 11 credits! As a matter of fact, I am now reading The Hunger Games for free on my Kindle (and still have 10 book credits to use in the future).
So here’s a little trick I’d like to share with you. As many of you probably already know, Amazon offers free e-books HERE (column on right side). Actually, about 90% of the books I listed on Lendle were free to me. Most of them, however, have gone back up to their normal price. So, if you begin adding books to your Kindle (or other e-reader), you can then loan those books out for credit. In return, you can use your credit to read some of the more expensive, best-selling books. How awesome is that?
Oh, and did I mention you can earn $10 Amazon gift cards for loaning out books? Lendle pays its users a very small amount for each book loaned. Once you reach $10, they send you a $10 Amazon gift card!
Just a few more tips on using Lendle’s web site:
- Each book can only be loaned out once.
- When you log on to Lendle, go to your “dashboard” to see if you have any requests for book loans (this will be on the right side of your screen). If you do, approve the request ASAP. It’s on a first come, first serve basis. If another Lendle user loans their book first, you lose that credit opportunity.
- When requesting a book with your book credits, you may have to wait a day or so (I had to wait 48 hours for The Hunger Games since it’s so popular). You can check on your status by clicking on the “You” dropdown menu, then choose “Your borrow requests”. You’ll be able to see your “place in line” to receive the book.
- You don’t have to own a Kindle to use Lendle. The site supports MAC and PC computers, mobile versions for iPad, iPhone, Android and other “popular devices”.
If you don’t mind, enter my referral code when you sign up: ZX4HQAD7.
Do you read e-books? If so, had you ever heard of Lendle before?
Happy reading!
Sarah Myers