Amazon.com has announced the immediate availability of Kindle Unlimited, a new service that allows subscribers to read as many books as they like for a fee of $9.99 per month. Amazon said, in a press release, that some 600,000 titles are available as of the launch. The service also offers Audible audiobooks.
According to the press release, Kindle Unlimited subscribers need only to locate the Kindle Unlimited logo and click “Read for Free” alongside any eligible title on Amazon.com or a Kindle-enabled device in order to gain access to a Kindle Unlimited book. The list includes fiction and non-fiction best-sellers, children’s and young adult titles, travel guides and many other genres.
Subscribers receive a complimentary three-month Audible membership with access to the full selection of Audible titles, the Amazon release stated.
Kindle Unlimited is available from Kindle devices or with Amazon’s free Kindle reading apps for iOS, Android and other platforms. Free 30-day trials can be requested here: KU Free Trial.
According to an article in Publishers Lunch, however, “The announcement does not specify which publishers have opted in by specific agreement (as opposed to having Amazon include some of their books without direct consent,” and goes on to note, “Self-published authors must join KDP [Kindle Direct Publishing] Select to participate, and they will be paid the same way they are compensated for Kindle Owners Lending Library ‘borrows’: Everyone gets a pro-rated share of a monthly pool of cash, set at Amazon’s sole discretion.”
For further details, visit Kindle Unlimited.
