# Where to read free indie books (legally)

Free first chapters, free advance copies, free days on Kindle, deal emails, your library and web serials: where to read indie fiction without paying.

Facts last checked 28 September 2026. https://bervet.com/guides/free-indie-books

Indie authors give away a lot of reading, on purpose. A free chapter or a free book is how a new reader finds them, and a reader who loves the free one often buys the next. Here's where to find it, all of it legal, with the authors' blessing.

### First chapters and advance copies on Bervet

On Bervet, authors list their own books and can put the first chapter up to read free. You read it in a clean reader in your browser, with no sign-up needed for the chapter itself. If you like it, the author's store links are at the end.

Authors also give out [free advance copies](/arcs): the whole book, before it's out, read in your browser. You ask for a place (or come in on the author's own link), read it, and tell the author what you think as you go. A review once it's out is welcome, never required. See [how to become an ARC reader](/guides/become-an-arc-reader).

Both are free, and you can talk to the authors in the forum while you're at it.

### Free days on Kindle

Indie ebooks in Kindle Unlimited can go free for a few days at a time. Amazon lets authors in KDP Select "offer your Kindle eBook for free for up to 5 days out of each 90-day KDP Select enrollment period." Authors use those days to find new readers, so a book you've had your eye on may be free for a day or two.

The catch is timing: the free days are short and set by the author. Following authors you like is the easiest way to hear about them. On Bervet, following an author gets you an email when they list a new book or open an advance copy.

### Deal emails

**BookBub** describes itself as "a free service that helps millions of readers discover books they'll love". When you sign up, it says, "you tell us what you like to read", and each day you get a selection of limited-time deals, "with books up to 95% off and many completely free."

On Bervet, the weekly email (if you switch it on) leads with free and discounted books in your genres and from authors you follow, and any deal on a book on your want-to-read list.

### Your library

With a library card, apps like Libby let you borrow ebooks and audiobooks free. Libby's help pages say its content is "free to borrow with a valid library card", with "no subscription costs, no in-app purchases, and no late fees." Whether a particular indie book is there depends on whether its author made it available to libraries, so it's worth searching for the ones you want.

### Web serials

**Royal Road** calls itself "the home of web novels and fan fictions", where you can read stories online for free. You'll find plenty of progression fantasy and LitRPG, posted chapter by chapter. Some serial authors publish the finished books later.

### Keeping it fair

Free is how indie authors find readers, but it isn't how they pay rent. If you loved a free book:

- **Buy the next one**, or the one you read if you can.
- **Leave an honest review.** It costs nothing, and it helps the next reader decide.
- **Tell a friend**, or say so in the book's thread in the forum.
- **Stay away from pirate sites.** A "free" download of a book that isn't free is money taken from someone who wrote it.

### Sources

- https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201298240 (KDP Select free book promotions)
- https://www.bookbub.com/about (BookBub)
- https://www.bookbub.com/overview (BookBub: how it works)
- https://help.libbyapp.com/en-us/6144.htm (What is Libby?)
- https://help.libbyapp.com/en-us/6193.htm (Libby: do I need a library card?)
- https://www.royalroad.com/home (Royal Road)

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From Bervet (bervet.com), indie books straight from the people who wrote them. Page: https://bervet.com/guides/free-indie-books
Site guide for AI assistants: https://bervet.com/llms.txt