Lust, Money & Murder and The Mysterious Disappearance of Kurt Kramer Both Featured on Apple's iBooks BREAKOUT BOOKS Section

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How to Download & Read Free Ebooks on Your Smartphone, Tablet, PC or Mac

You don't need a dedicated ereading device like a Kindle or a Nook to read ebooks.  You can read them on smartphones and tablets, as well as desktop PCs or Macs.  All the companies that sell ebooks make this very easy and convenient as follows:

If you have an iPhone (also applies to iPads and iPods):

If you have an iPhone or iPad or iPod, the simpliest way to read ebooks is to download them to your device directly from the Apple iBookstore (via iTunes).  You can search for books and download them onto your phone with one click.  One of my thrillers, Lust, Money & Murder, Book 1, is currently a free iBook (if you are reading this on your Apple device right now you can just click on the links in the previous sentence).  Once you have the book you can read it with iBooks (also free).  

You can also read ebooks on Apple devices using a number of free ereading apps.  There are good apps from Amazon (Kindle books), B&N (Nook books), Kobo, and other ebook retailers.  However, doing it this way requires having another account in addition to your iTunes account.

If you have an Android Phone or Windows Phone (also applies to iPhones and iPads): 

On your smartphone, go to the store where you download apps and get a free ebook reader app, such as free Kindle for Android app. You do this the same way you would download any other app.  Once you have the app on your device, all you need to do is go to the Amazon store (it's usually easier with a computer) and then "buy" the book. Of course you must have an account at the store from where you downloaded the free ereader app to do this.  Non USA/UK readers tell me that Kobo is a good place to get ebooks for non-Apple devices, as in addition to credit cards, they accept PayPal.

If the book you want is currently free on Amazon (or Kobo), like my thriller (Lust, Money & Murder, Book 1) the price will be listed as 0.00.  When you "purchase" the book, it will automatically be downloaded to your smartphone, tablet or whatever device you select at that moment. 

For tablets and smartphones, it's that simple.  I have an iPhone, and I often prefer reading ebooks on it over my dedicated Kindle reading device.  I always have my phone with me, and sometimes in tight places (for example on the London Tube at rush hour!) there is very little elbow room, even for a Kindle. The iPhone is handy and quick to pull out of my pocket and start reading.

For Your Desktop PC or Mac:

Many people are suprised to find that they enjoy reading ebooks on desktop PCs or Macs...after they have installed a good ereading app.  This is because such apps provide an attractive, comfortable reading space on your screen, and many also include many useful features, such being able to click on a word to immediately see its definition.  Most of the major companies that sell dedicated ereading devices (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc.) also provide free ereading apps for PCs & Macs.  Simply search the web for "free ereading app for (your preferred store)" and you'll find the links.

Also, Smashwords, an ebook reseller and distributor, has a good onscreen reader that allows you to read any book you buy right on your screen.  They also accept PayPal, which is convenient for non-USA/UK customers.

Once you're set up to read ebooks on whatever device you have, there are thousands of free ebooks you can download to your device, including many of the classics.

Enjoy!

Why I Give Away Free Books

Since I started offering Wild Child and Lust, Money & Murder (Book 1) as free downloads, I frequently receive questions from people asking me why I'm doing it.  "Don't you lose money?"  "Doesn't it bother you to give whole books away free?"  I thought I would take out a moment to explain why.

First, all of us love to get free stuff.  I know I do!  The offer of a free product has universal appeal.   A more common method writers use to promote their books is to offer sample chapters.  But somehow, offering free sample chapters doesn't sound nearly as enticing as offering entire books for free.  To me, "sample chapters" conjures up images of a ragged sheaf of papers held together with a paper clip, not a nice, neat finished polished product wrapped in a pretty package.

But there's a second and more important reason I give books away free.  If you are a reader who does not yet know me, asking you to fork over your hard-earned money on the blind faith that I will provide you with an awesome reading experience...well, that’s asking too much.  Your time is just as valuable as mine, and that’s what I’m asking you to invest—your time.  I’m taking the gamble that if you like my free book, you will reach into your pocketbook (or, more realistically, "click" on a Buy This Book button on Amazon or your preferred online retailer) and purchase one of my other novels. 

In reality, the amount of time that I ask you to invest is relatively small.  My philosophy is simple:  if you’re not immediately drawn into my story and reading forward because you want to, then put the book aside and read something else.  There’s no reason to push yourself through a novel, not in today’s world, where there are so many other pleasurable distractions available.  Reading fiction should be a fun, entertaining experience.  The last thing it should be is work!  Work, and the pressures of our daily lives, are precisely what most of us are trying to escape from when we sit down to read a good novel.

So, in summary, what I ask new readers to do is invest a little of their time—usually not more than five minutes—to download and start reading one of my free books.  In return, they (hopefully) discover a new author who can give them many, many hours of reading pleasure.

Is that a good deal, or what?

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