Who wouldn’t want to get ebooks for free (and legally)? Sure, Gutenberg.org and other services have books that have entered public domain because the authors’ copyright periods have run out, but what about current fiction and non-fiction books? This is what Bookgrabbr is trying to achieve: get a free book, but share your good fortune with your social media followers.

First, you sign up for Bookgrabbr with your Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin credentials. Then, you can read a book from Bookgrabbr’s selection on your computer, tablet or smartphone. On a PC, you access the book in your browser, but if you like to read on a mobile device, you can download the Bookgrabbr app (or read in a browser as well).

Well, the service worked as advertised. I could read a book for free in exchange for sharing the happy news to my followers on Twitter. The book selection on Bookgrabbr, however, is very limited. Apart from a few public domain books, there is not much to read. Obviously, people behind the service intend to grow the selection in the future.

What’s the catch? For a reader, who wants to get free ebooks, the catch is marketing. Bookgrabbr gets readers’ social media contact information and can later send them messages concerning the author’s other books or similar books that are on sale on the store. For publishers, Bookgrabbr could be a channel to market backlist titles.