6/30 - Where Can I Find Poetry Books: Eight Websites for Affordable or Free Poetry E-Books

Hello Write Queeners and Poetry Lovers,

Whether you are an avid reader or a writer obsessed with their craft, it seems as though you can never find enough books of poetry. I know that nearly every two weeks, I'm buying another poetry book. How does one support such a bad habit? Barely, but I do in a couple of ways.

In another post, I will talk about bookstores and events that I've been to that have great poetry selections. Right now, I want to tell you about how I support my habit electronically. 

That's right, e-books of poetry. They are not as easy to find like many fiction and non-fiction works, but it's not impossible. You may be able to find them with sites or apps you already use.

1. Amazon: If you are an Amazon Prime user and have a Kindle, you are very lucky. A perk of being a Prime member is being able to borrow and read books for free. Finding poetry e-books that fall under Prime is not easy, but it is possible. If you don't have a Prime membership, there is a wonderful and growing collection of poetry e-books as mainstream publishers and small presses start to see the value of e-books even for poetry. They are usually cheaper than their physical counterparts. 
2. Wattpad: Wattpad is one of the largest communities for writers and readers to come together. You can put out your latest work in parts, letting readers rate and comment on your writing as you go. They have an impressive amount of poetry books in the making.
3. Oyster: This one is one of my new favorites. For $9.95 a month, you have access to hundreds of books. Think about how much you spend on buying a few poetry books in a month. Now think about if you only spent ten bucks a month and have access to poetry, novels, memoirs and more! It's been called the NetFlix of Books. I adore this service and the fact that they acknowledge National Poetry Month with a section of books. If you want to try it out, Oprah has teamed up with Oyster for people to sign up for a two month free trial. Just click the link!
4. NetGalley: For the professional reader who reviews and recommends books, publishers on NetGalley request or invite you to read digital (some physical too) advanced copies. The catch here is that you have to have a blog, be an educator, a reviewer, journalist, etc. in order to receive books. Their poetry section is small, but there are interesting reads. If you have a Kindle, you can have it delivered straight to your device. Or you can download a PDF copy.
5. EBooks.com: Which device do you have? A Kindle, an iPad, a Nook? At Ebooks.com, it doesn't matter because they sell e-books for most devices. They have a wonderful collection of the latest contemporary poetry e-books and more.
6. Free-Ebooks.net: Free books galore with user submitted books. Good way to study the work of other poets.
7. BookRix: BookRix is another self-publishing book site community. BookRix promises to help you self-publish your work and distribute it to all the major book sellers. It is also a community where you can either read from the site or download books to read on the go. With over 200 pages of books, there is a lot to explore.
8. PoetrySoup: PoetrySoup is a poetry community instead of a book site. And all they really do is categorize the links to Poetry books on Project Gutenburg. But hey, if you are looking for classic poetry by category, PoetrySoup saves you the trouble. Plus you can join the community and read their users poetry. It's a win-win for everyone.
   

A shot from Oyster and their selection for National Poetry Month!

There is a growing amount of places where you can find poetry e-books. Know any? Leave your recommendations in the comments!

Till next time, 

Christina