Well I handed over my $50 and was given a username and password, then I logged into the site and was told to click on a button to access the books… and was taken to this website right here: Feedbooks.

You can click on that link. It’s a free website. And it does have lots of free Kindle books, but not the bestsellers that you’d find on Amazon. It has hundreds of free Classics and some self-published books.

Realising that the Novel Network was just a scam I emailed them to ask for a refund and set out to find some legitimate places online where we can find free Kindle downloads, books and games.

You’d be surprised at the sheer number of free Kindle books there are available, from Classics to new releases. You just need to know where to look!

1. Free Kindle books at Amazon – for fans of the Classics

Just one of thousands of free Kindle books

The first place to go for free Kindle downloads is Amazon themselves! They actually have a whole page dedicated to Free Kindle Collections and on that page you can access thousands of free Classic books like Dracula, Little Women and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

If you are a fan of the Classics then you should definitely invest in a Kindle because so many of the books are free, especially if they were published pre-1923 as they are now out of copyright. While the paperback version of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities will set you back about $3.50 the Kindle version is completely free!

2. Limited time offers from Amazon – if you like your books a little more recent

The great news is that Amazon also has a large number of free Kindle books from more recent times. Here’s the link to the Limited Time Offers page. New free books are added to the store every week so it’s a good idea to bookmark the page so you can check in regularly to see what’s new.

3. Top free Kindle downloads from Amazon

The “bestsellers” list for free Kindle downloads is updated hourly and is another great place to find those free Kindle books. Click here to see the current Top Free Kindle Downloads.

4. Free self-published Kindle books

If you want to discover some new authors then step away from the mainstream and click here to download some great free Kindle books that have been self-published. You never know you might discover the next Stephenie Meyer!

5. through 14. Even more places to find free Kindle books and downloads

We haven’t even scratched the surface yet! Here are some more sites where you can download free Kindle books legitimately:

• ManyBooks
• Free Books from Project Gutenberg
• The Internet Archive – a HUGE library of internet sites
• Free eBooks from Fictionwise
• Free eBooks section of MobiPocket
• Free EBooks from Wowio
• Kindle Classics – Marilyn blogs about her favourite classics and links you up to the free Kindle versions (UK & US)
• ireader Review – the owner of this blog publishes links to free Kindle books as and when they find them
• Bookyards – apparently they have  a total of 17,090 books, 41,784 external web links, 4,198 news & blogs links, 384 videos, 32,963 Ebook links and access to hundreds of online libraries (800,000 Ebooks) for your online pleasure.
• Free Tech Books – want to know how to build an iPad app or just learn about software development? This is a great place to start.
• Google eBook store - Google has a whole stack of free ebooks for you to download and then transfer to your Kindle. The books are in PDF and ePUB format and the Kindle doesn’t support ePUB which means you’ll need to convert them. It’s not too tricky – and here are some instructions for you to follow.
• Pixel of Ink – brings you free and bargain priced Kindle books on a regular basis – subscribe to their feed so you don’t miss any. If you’re in the UK they have you covered too.
• ereader IQ – brings you the latest free Kindle books and you can access the site from within your Kindle too. This is one of very few sites that cater for readers outside of the US too, just select your region from the drop down and the content will update.
• Baen – if you are looking for free sci-fi and Fantasy books then there is a great collection at the Baen library.

15. Free Kindle comics and graphic novels

If you are looking for free Kindle comics and graphic novels then head over to Wowio. It’s free to join and you’ll get access to some great free Kindle downloads.

16. Free Kindle games

You can even play games on your Kindle

Did you know you can play games on your Kindle? Yep, if you’re a little tired of reading then you can play games like Shuffled Row and Every Word – check them out at Amazon.

17. and 18. Free Kindle audio books

If you’re not in the mood for reading books on your Kindle 3G then you can just plug in your headphones and listen to an audio book instead. You can even get this content for free online if you know where to look.

1. You can download free audio versions of Public Domain books which are read out by Volunteers over at LibriVox- They have over 1000 full length audio books to choose from and volunteers are producing 60-70 books a month. Why not try Jane Austen’s Emma or even Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
2. The other site you should visit for free Kindle audio downloads is called Wired for Books – they have a wide range of interviews other great audio content. They have interviews with Margaret Atwood and John Updike. You can even listen to Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol in audio. A dramatic audio performance by the Wired for Books Players.

19. Free Kindle wallpapers

It is also possible to download free Kindle wallpapers if you’d like to add to those already displayed on your Kindle 3G. There are some great ones on this website, however be aware that apparently changing your wallpaper can void your Kindle warranty!

20. More free Kindle content and hacks

Megan Jones has pulled together a resource list of more than 100 ways to hack your Kindle in order to read better and learn faster. From how to use your Kindle to read Manga comics to keyboard shortcuts, calendars and even reading your gmails – there’s something in this list for everyone!

And there you have it. You don’t need to spend money on scam sites like the Novel Network to get free Kindle books or downloads, you just need to head to any of the sites on this page!