This week, I thought I’d share some of the places I find the budget books that feed my reading habit. Some of these may be familiar, but hopefully at least one or two will be new!

Obviously, it’s a good idea to follow your favorite authors on social media, so you know when their books go on sale. Unfortunately, given the ever-changing world of social media, their posts might not always turn up on your timeline. It’s a good idea to have more options at the ready.

And what about new authors? Sure, everyone’s favorites put out a book a month or so, so you could subsist on a diet of those books alone. I’m sure many (many!) readers do just that. If they’re happy, then more power to them! I could never be happy doing that. For me, reading needs to have some surprises—even in Romance, where you know how it will end—I love it when the journey surprises me. Something about the story or the way it’s told, even in M/M Romance where tropes are king, has to be unexpected, or I might as well just re-read the same book over and over. And I do that sometimes—I’m a big re-reader. That strategy has the added bonus of being much cheaper than buying new books—even sale books!

Even with re-reading and following my favorites, I check out the resources below on the regular so I won’t miss out.

1.      Facebook Groups

If there’s a sub-genre, there’s a Facebook Group to talk about it & promote it! Find them using hashtags, by following your favorite authors (which will then lead you to new authors also posting in those groups), and letting Facebook recommend them to you. A good place to start is my group Rainbow Snippets. Many authors post from their books and WIPs, and you might get a recommendation to a new-to-you Facebook group when you visit! At the very least you’ll be able to read a few bite-sized snips of queer fiction–or maybe a few dozen, it’s different every week!

2.     Amazon Top 100 Lists

The next time you’re browsing on Amazon, check out the categories of the books you’re interested in. If you click on one of those, you’ll find two lists of Top 100 books—paid and free. I usually find something interesting on the free list, which leads me to new authors and their catalogs.

3.     Twitter hashtags

Search on sub-genre or trope or any part of the book you’re looking for! Someday I’ll put together a list of the hashtags I use. If you have any suggestions please drop them in the comments!

4.     Prolific Works

Check out their Group Giveaways on the landing page and also by genre. I have a ton of books I’ve claimed and it’s fun going through them. You never know what gems you’ll find! 😀

5.     Book Riot

Sign up for their newsletter and get deals in your inbox as often as you’d like! These are sales, usually not free books, but you’ll find any genre & sub-genre under the sun. It’s a great newsletter if you’re in the mood to break out of your comfort zone!

Speaking of newsletters! If you like angsty MM Romance, you might like my work. Subscribe to my newsletter and get a free ebook so you can decide for yourself! Click here to subscribe.

For more budget book recs, click here.