• July 9, 2010

Borders says it will offer five top-selling e-books to readers for free -- a $40 value -- if they download its Borders app to an iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, Android or or desktop.

The promotion, which runs until July 14, includes such titles as Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, One Shot by Lee Child, The Alchemyst by Michael Scott, Julia Child's Julia's Kitchen Wisdom and Master your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels.

The company is also trying to entice eBook fans with exclusive content, including a chapter of Danielle Steel's upcoming Legacy, which goes on sale Sept. 28. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based retailer has already launched its eBook store, as well as Borders' BlackBerry, Android, iPad and iPhone eReading applications.