Amazon Prime First Reads: How to Claim Your Free Book

If you pay for Prime for the deliveries, there’s a free Kindle book waiting for you every month that a lot of people never claim.

It’s called Amazon First Reads. Here’s how it works, how to claim your book, and how it differs from Prime Reading.

The short version

Every month, Prime members can choose one free Kindle book from a short list of upcoming releases.
You get it about a month before it’s officially published.
The picks change on the 1st of the month, so claim yours before they rotate.
Once the book is in your library, it doesn’t expire.
You don’t need Kindle+ (Kindle Unlimited), just Prime.

What First Reads is

Each month, Amazon’s editors choose a selection of upcoming books from Amazon Publishing, its own publishing arm, and Prime members can pick one to add to their Kindle library for free. There are usually about six to choose from. Each pick comes with an editor’s note to help you decide, and there’s often a bonus short read too.

Because the books come from Amazon’s own imprints, it’s a good way to try authors you might not pick up otherwise. Don’t expect the latest releases from the big-name publishers, though.

How to claim your free book

Sign in to Amazon with the account that has your Prime membership.
Go to the Amazon First Reads page.
Browse the month’s picks and read the editor’s notes.
Choose one and claim it for £0.00. If there’s a bonus short read, you can claim that too.
It then appears in your Kindle library, ready to read.

You can read it on a Kindle, a Fire tablet, or in the free Kindle app on a phone, tablet or computer.

Not got Prime?

At the time of writing (November 2026), Amazon’s First Reads page shows that non-Prime members can buy this month’s pick, and the bonus short read, for 99p each. That can change from month to month, so check the page. Kindle+ members can also read most previous First Reads picks at no extra cost.

If you’d like to try Prime, Amazon offers a free trial to people who qualify: see Amazon’s Prime page.

First Reads vs Prime Reading

They sound similar, but they’re different. First Reads is the one new book a month that you choose and keep in your library. Prime Reading is a rotating selection of thousands of books, magazines, comics, short reads and audiobooks that Prime members can read at no extra cost. You’ll need to be signed in to see it. Because it rotates, titles come and go, so read the ones you want sooner rather than later.

How to make the most of it

Check on the 1st. That’s when the picks change, and it’s also when I check the 99p Kindle deals.
Read the editor’s note and the sample before you choose.
Try a genre you wouldn’t normally buy. It’s free, so there’s nothing to lose.
Skip it if nothing appeals. You haven’t lost anything.

There are more of my tricks in how I fill my Kindle without spending a fortune.

Do you claim your First Reads book every month? What’s the best one you’ve had? Let me know.