Free books? Heck ya!
* Update to this post. Amazon has closed their free downloads for 2022. The good thing about World Book Day is that it comes again every year, so April 2023 keep your eyes peeled for more great downloads!
Back in 2017, I stumbled across a little-known freebie that I look forward to every year. In April, to celebrate World Book Day, Amazon Crossing gives away ten novels in an initiative called Read the World. These books are selected from various authors from around the globe and their works are translated and made available in Kindle format. These ten works are special stories because they are chosen for their wondrous portray of the author’s place, language, and cultural identity.
Launching this unique initiative on Amazon’s platform called Amazon Crossing gets more translated works to readers. Amazon hosts a week long giveaway to encourage reading, promote global literacy, and celebrate our connection through story. And so much good has come from the annual campaign like large donations to UNESCO, authors from remote places being recognized, and programs forming to encourage young readers. Your ten little presents are actually more than just nine new Kindle books; these downloads unfold into awareness, donations, and literacy sponsored by large corporations.
What I love most though, is that the Read the World Event is more like a celebration than a free stuff nab. The digital files are often enhanced with colorful front covers, dazzling images, and unique fonts. One book from 2019, The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Portzch, is embedded with moving illustrations and sounds.
When I was gifted my first set of nine, I was delighted as anyone might be getting free stuff. My excitement for the digital loot turned into genuine gratitude after finishing the first title, A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa, about an resilient escapee from North Korea. These books are spectacular and powerful! Books that many English readers might not ever be exposed due to limited publications from geography or lackluster publishing resources in the book’s native countries.
Living in the United States we have access to millions of stories all the time. There are some 470,000 plus published titles a year in America. With so much material to choose from we do not always realize the fallout of selectively reading English writers. The publishing firm refers to it as the 2% problem. According to research, highlighted in an article by the BBC, 2-3% of English language publications set for sale each year are foreign language translations. When publishers are asked about this, they simply shrug and say, “Why bother with translations when I can pull from a mountain of breathtaking English stories on my desk?”
An international author is facing a mountain trying to march into our market of highly advanced, expert book sellers. Yet stories from other places enrich our lives, unquestionably. Translated works slow a book gobbler down. Foreign fiction provides insight and points for inquiry simultaneously. International novels offer more perspective than a vacation might to another country. Books are long conversations with the authors, allowing us to open ears and hearts, befriend the author, and listen to their story.
To be a better reader, one must read variety. One of the wisest tips I learned from the writing community was to branch out from my preferred genre. Season yourself with new literature. And a great way to do that, with minimal cost to you, is to download these free nine books and give them a try.
Amazon’s tradition of finding and releasing great titles for one week out of the year happens every April. To download your free books during the week they are available, all you need is an Amazon account (free), a Kindle app (free), and the purchase link for the novels (also free).
Even if you are not traditionally an eReader user, are you really going to turn down the gift of a free book?
Happy International Book Week!
Some of my favorite translated and or international titles I have read thus far are just a click away. These ones are not free but pretty darn close and absolutely worth the buy!
