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How to Get Books [and More] Free from the Internet

Both copies of White RavenAs an LibraryThing early reviewer, I’m not new to the idea of getting something (books) in exchange for my honest option. In fact I have received about 20 books this way. Not all of them have been winners, but overall I have been very happy with the quality of the books.

One of my favorite stories as an early reviewer is that of White Raven. This fantasy novel was translated from Russian and most of us reviewers commented on how much potential the story had, but that the translation was very rough. The publisher listened to us and had the book re-translated! Then they reached out to us a second time and offered us a copy of the corrected text.

Based on the feedback of Early Reviewers like you, we have worked on cleaning up the translation of the book and now have a much smoother read. If you think you’d be interested in updated your review, we’d be happy to send you a final copy when it’s available. There would be no obligation, of course. Simply email me at and I’ll add you to our list.

It was a great experience and I treasure the fact that I have the two copies of the book. (I did read it a second time and reviewed the updated book.)

Recently, I received my first Vox Box* from Influester. Influenster is a social review site. It works somewhat like Klout meets Amazon. You connect your social media accounts and get a influence score. Then you review products on the site, answer questions and make lists of your favorite products. One other thing you can do is answer quick surveys called snaps. These snaps plus your influence score and activity on the site can qualify you for boxes of goodies, or virtual bonuses (like coupons.)

After nearly a year on the site I qualified for my first box* from them (called a voxbox.) Check out my unboxing video below.

So how do you get these books and other goodies? I’ll list 3 steps below, but really it all boils down to one thing; put in the time. You don’t actually get something for nothing. Companies are willing to give you their products because they feel like it will help them create buzz. If you aren’t reviewing products or talking about them on social media you may not be someone who creates enough buzz to be worthy of free stuff.

3 Steps to Getting Free Stuff From The Internet

  1. Find a site the reflects your interests. My husband uses RF Generation, where he can concentrate on his video game collection. I prefer Influenster, because it’s geared toward women like me who shop and look for reviews online. We both enjoy LibraryThing because we love to read. Find a site that is specific to what you already enjoy doing. Beside giving you a better chance at earning (or winning) the goods you’ll get to be involved with a community of like minded people.
  2. Get involved. Take a good look around, kick the tires and take a test drive. If it seems like a good fit start posting reviews and engaging with comments, pictures or posts. Build up your credibility by making good use of the site, and don’t forget to connect your social accounts (if available.)
  3. Bide your time. New comers are not usually the first to get the freebies. Just be patient, keep being active on the site and keep your eyes out for opportunities. One things that helps is to see what kinds of giveaways they’ve had in the past and work on reviewing products that are similar. Another idea, while you’re waiting, is to create a niche;  fantasy books, or children’s games, or make-up, or whatever. Find a niche where you can begin to build yourself up as an expert and you may find more opportunities come your way for that kind of item.

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

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