Get three free Stephen King e-books from Fictionwise

Get 'The Shining' in e-book form free (after rebate) from Fictionwise.

(Credit: Fictionwise)

As a longtime fan of e-books (I used to read them on my PDA; now I read 'em on my smartphone), I've been waiting for a good deal so I could spread the word. Fictionwise answered the call: The Web-based e-bookstore is offering three complete Stephen King novels for free. Yes, there's a catch, but it's not hard to swallow.

Here's how it works: First, you create a Micropay account, which is basically a debit account into which you deposit funds from your credit card or PayPal. Next, you buy Carrie, Night Shift, and/or The Shining (King classics, all). All three titles include a 100% Micropay rebate, meaning Fictionwise will immediately refund the full purchase price into your account. You'll have to spend the money on other e-books, but you get three freebies out of the deal. And Fictionwise frequently offers Micropay rebates on other titles, so you can really stretch your book-buying dollar.

The King books are available in eReader, Mobipocket, and Microsoft Reader formats, meaning you can read them on just about any PDA or smartphone. I know many people are reluctant to read books on small electronic screens, but trust me when I say you quickly get used to it. And nothing beats having a good book at your side when you're stuck in line someplace.

Any other e-book fans out there? Wish Apple would get off its rear and offer e-books for iPhones? (Rumor has it Fictionwise will be supporting the platform soon--woo!) Hit the Comments and discuss your favorite e-books and e-book readers.

[Zen-Masta]

Geeze their pricing is the same as buying a real book. Once manufacturing costs are out the window there's only publisher and royalty. I don't understand buying ebooks at costs the same or higher than the real deal.

[rickbroida]

I agree 100% that e-book prices should be significantly lower than their print counterparts. After all, there's no printing, binding, shipping, storage, etc. That said, Fictionwise does discount most titles, and the Micropay rebates help you get more bang for the book buck.

[benjaminstraight]

How do people read a novel online?

[rickbroida]

You don't read the books online. You download them to your PC and/or PDA or smartphone.

[Shaun822]

I don't pay 15 to 20 dollars to buy an album on itunes and I am not paying full retail for ebooks when there is no manufacturing costs to be considered. Especially, when the free books are 20+ years old as are many of the other books they offer.

[wende1167]

I love Fictionwise and have been a Buywise member for years, I like the portablilty of having over a thousand novels and short stories on my treo memory card :-), and it's a lot lighter to carry than the pile of printed material would be, I also don't have to worry about losing the material by accidently leaving it somewhere. (it's on my pc and my pda) There are always sales, rebates, deals, etc on the site. Even coupon offers to use when you leave items on your wishlist or in your cart for awhile. I do tend to limit the amount I'm willing to spend on a single book but that applies to traditional as well as ebooks and audiobooks.

[wende1167]

Also....the rebate for these books goes into the micropay account so that you can use the funds to purchase other ebooks from the site, which in a lot of cases will be less expensive. I like the Secure Mobipocket format, Mike Resnick, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Mercedes Lackey, Mary Janice Davidson, Patricia Briggs, Kage Baker, Simon Wood, Christine Feehan, Tim Dorsey....