Actually you can read popular books for free without breaking the law!
openlibrary.org is perfectly legal and is basically a free online library. You may have to wait a while to get the book you want but I've read a lot of great books on it. Check it out!
I actually started a project on Steem to help expand OpenLibrary by donating books. You can check it out at @steemitbooks (if you scroll down in its blog there is a list of legal free downloads and one, Warbreaker, is an awesome fantasy book)
I wouldn't publish anything for free unless I were getting massive donations. I'd have to spend a month writing and proofreading. Then I'd have to hire designers and editors and that would cost me more than 2000 USD. This is even for digital copies.
That's unless I did a cheap mediocre job and used some free templates, I but then my month dedicated to writing would be in vain as the end result wouldn't look up to par to the time invested.
I'm really all for free stuff but I'm not confident to get a return without investing money into looks and marketing.
If I’m reading your comment right you’re saying that free stuff is normally low quality. That’s so true and why I recommend OpenLibrary over other sites. OpenLibrary scans each book that it loans out. So you can read books that were originally sold like Ready Player One or Mistborn: The Final Empire (one of my favorite books) on OpenLibrary for free.
The list of free books (now that I'm on my computer here's a link) are almost all public domain books that weren't originally free and are now classics. The book Warbreaker that I mentioned was written by Brandon Sanderson who is a bestselling fantasy author. He just wanted to release a book into the CC. It's a very well written book! (download link)
Also, look up the web serial Worm by Wildbow if you like superhero stories. It's one of the VERY few web serials worth reading.
Trust me, I know that most free stuff isn't good quality :P I'm just listing some of the stuff I've enjoyed while I was in the same situation.
Oh, I now see what you're talking about. I had misinterpreted you before. And I will check out some of those then. Right now I pirated another one called Pines, by Blake Crouch, but as soon as I'm done with it (or bored of it), I'll peek into Warbreaker.
I actually read a couple arcs (maybe 3 or 4) from Worm but I was very bored from the flatness and predictability of the plot, but I do get where the lovers come from, since it has many neat characters and some attractive superpowers and narration resources.
Nowadays I try to read philosophical sci-fi more than anything else. I'm into robotics, cryptography, bio-engineering and a lot of philosophy. I'm also a bit into fantasy but I'm more into writing it than reading it, since I've already spent years reading hundreds of books in the genre.
Thanks for the suggestions, Carn. I'll make sure to keep an eye on OpenLibrary.
yes!! hero to the rescue, i knew there had to be because my mother uses some of these free websites.