[Free eBook] Palace of Books by Roger Grenier [Literature & Authorship Essays]

Palace of Books by the late French author Roger Grenier, an award-winning journalist and novelist who was well-connected with the French literary establishment, is themed collection of essays exploring literature and authors, free for a limited time courtesy of the University of Chicago Press.

This is their featured Free Book of the Month for April and was originally published in 2011 by Gallimard as Le palais des livres, now translated by Yale University professor Alice Kaplan.

This collection contains essays exploring various aspects of literature and authorship and their influences and effects, with musings upon why and how writers write and observations upon classic works from around the world, as well as anecdotes from Grenier’s decades of work as an author and editor and personal friend to many of the great writers of mid-20th century French literature.

Offered worldwide through April, available directly from the university’s website.

[Free eBook] Apparitions by Noel Scanlon [Supernatural Horror]

Apparitions by Irish author Noel Scanlon is a standalone supernatural horror thriller novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This was originally published in 1984 by Robert Hale.

The story is set on a deserted Irish island once inhabited by long-vanished druids, where the followers of a modern spiritual movement have now set up a retreat, only to encounter misfortunes which may be the signs of an re-awakening ancient evil.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Sell Your Story to Hollywood: Writer’s Pocket Guide to the Business of Show Business by Kenneth Atchity [Professional Advice]

Sell Your Story to Hollywood: Writer’s Pocket Guide to the Business of Show Business by Kenneth Atchity, a former professor of comparative literature and classics who later became a film producer, is an industry overview and professional advice guide for aspiring authors, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Story Merchant Books.

This was written from the author’s decades-long personal experience as a university professor successfully turned screenwriter and filmmaker, observing the business from both sides. It contains practical advice for authors hoping to see their works adapted to small or big screens, giving an overview of the Hollywood entertainment industry and the various available story markets within it and what to expect and how to pitch, as well as tips on presenting and marketing your work to make it appealing.

Offered DRM-free worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] The Accidental Honeymoon by Portia MacIntosh [Romantic Comedy]

The Accidental Honeymoon by Portia MacIntosh is a standalone f/m contemporary romantic comedy novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher HarperCollins UK’s HQ Digital imprint.

This was the featured Free Book of the Week in the iTunes UK store and should still be available throughout the rest of today.

The story stars a woman who wakes up to find herself unexpectedly married to a handsome stranger while taking a romantic Las Vegas vacation alone after discovering her fiancé’s cheating just before a cousin’s upcoming wedding, and the surprise newlyweds getting to know each other in the course of pretending to be the perfect couple just long enough to make it through the family gathering.

Offered in the UK only, available at multiple retailers.

[Free Audiobooks UPDATE] 6 audiobooks from Libro.fm [Fiction, Non-Fiction, & Young Adult]

UPDATE: Libro.fm has extended part of the offer through May 1st, for Brain Rulesfor Aging Well and the two audio samplers.

As part of a special promotion to celebrate the annual Independent Bookstore Day on April 28th this year, audiobook retailer Libro.fm is offering six full-length audiobooks and two samplers from publishers Macmillan and Penguin Random House, mostly available worldwide in DRM-free MP3 format (requires account signup with billing address but no payment info). If you like, you can also get extra copies for your friends, if you enter a valid email address to send the gift link to.

The six books being offered are a mix of fiction and non-fiction, from children to adult:

• The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole, an educational children’s adventure novel in the popular franchise.
• Strange the Dreamer by National Book Award-winning author Laini Taylor, a YA epic fantasy novel
• Tangerine by Christine Mangan, a literary fiction novel which has been optioned for film
• The Paris Secret by Karen Swan, a literary drama novel starring a fine-art agent tracking down the history behind an enigmatic painting. Geo-restricted to certain countries.
• Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free: Laws for the Internet Age by Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, and Amanda Palmer, a non-fiction book explaining copyright issues for creators and users.
• Brain Rules for Aging Well: 10 Principles for Staying Vital, Happy, and Sharp by John Medina, a self-help book.

There are also two freebie audio samplers, exclusive for Bookstore Day:

• Macmillan Audio Sampler with essays and short stories by Luvvie Ayaji, bestselling thriller authors Jeffrey Archer and Lisa Scottoline, literary fiction author Jeffrey Eugenides, Francesca Serritella, and Lara Williams
• Penguin Random House Audio Story Sampler with excerpts from popular works from their bestselling and classic authors.

Offered DRM-free worldwide (mostly) through April 28th, probably just through Eastern Time, and you can read more about the offer on its main page @ Libro.fm.

[Free eBook] The Best of Cordwainer Smith by Cordwainer Smith [Vintage Science Fiction]

The Best of Cordwainer Smith by the late Cordwainer Smith, the sfnal writing pseudonym of scholar Paul Linebarger, edited by J. J. Pierce, is a collection of vintage science fiction stories, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Phoenix Pick Press.

This is their featured Free Ebook of the Month offer for April and was originally published in 1975 by Ballantine Books as part of their Ballantine’s Classic Library of Science Fiction line.

The collection contains a selection of Smith’s short stories and novelettes from the 1950s and 1960s in his Instrumentality of Mankind future setting where humanity has colonized a number of other planets, plus two essays by editor Pierce about the author and the Instrumentality universe. Several stories have been much-translated, and one of the novelettes was nominated for the Retro Hugo Award which recognizes early sfnal work from before the awards’ creation.

Offered DRM-free worldwide through April, available directly from the publisher.

[Free Audiobook] Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman [Classic Poetry]

Leaves of Grass by the late Walt Whitman is a vintage 19th century poetry collection, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Tantor Audio.

This is their featured Free Audiobook of the Month offer for April, which is National Poetry Month, and is read by actor Mel Foster.

Leaves of Grass was originally published in 1855, though Whitman continued to revise the poems throughout his lifetime. It was considered controversial at the time due to its sensual imagery, and has become an influential and enduring classic. Several lines from the poems have inspired other authors, such as science fiction author Ray Bradbury’s short story I Sing the Body Electric, titled after Whitman’s eponymous poem, which was adapted into a The Twilight Zone episode.

Offered worldwide through April, available as a DRM-free MP3 download directly from the publisher.

[Free eBook REPEAT] Taxi Rojo by Erik Orrantia [Latino & LGBT Literary Fiction]

Taxi Rojo by Erik Orrantia, a Lambda Literary Award winner, is his contemporary literary fiction novel, free again for a limited time courtesy of LGBT specialty publisher publisher Lethe Press.

This is a literary fiction novel with themes of Latino and LGBT identity exploration, centred around the aftermath of a local disaster in Tijuana, Mexico. The story tells how an unlikely group of individuals who are affected by it—a mix of characters from various genders, orientations, and walks of life—find their lives changing and intertwining in various surprising ways, narratively examining their relationships to each other and their surrounding communities and culture.

Offered DRM-free, available worldwide at Amazon.

[Free Audiobook] The Heist by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg [Action Thriller with Romantic Comedy]

The Heist by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg is is the 1st novel in the Fox & O’Hare series of humorous action/crime thriller novels with strong f/m romantic comedy elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Penguin Random House Audio.

This is their featured Free Audiobook of the Month offer for April and is an unabridged recording, read by award-winning voice actor Scott Brick.

The series stars an FBI special agent teaming up with the international crook she’s chased for years, as he convinces to offer him a job chasing down even bigger crooks. This story sets up the beginning of their shared professional and romantic partnership, as they pursue a corrupt investment banker hiding away overseas.

Offered worldwide until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on April 27th, available as a DRM-free MP4 download directly from the publisher and in their app.

[Free eBook] Timberjak by Don DeBrandt [Folklore-Based Science Fiction]

Timberjak by Canadian author Don DeBrandt is a self-contained novel in the Cyberfolk grouping of folkloric cyberpunk science fiction, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This was originally published in 1999 by Ace Books. The novels in the series, which is apparently a thematically linked sequence rather than interconnected tales, mingle folk mythology with cyberpunk ideas.

The story explores themes of corporate exploitation and ecoterrorism in a galactic setting, recasting the frontier woodcutter Paul Bunyan as the head of an interstellar logging team consisting of cyborgs, artificial intelligences, and an ox-like blue alien, harvesting a distant forest whose wood has extraordinary properties even as a mad scientist determined to stop them may wind up annihilating the planet in his efforts to save the trees.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.