Kindle Unlimited Launches in the UK

[tubemonkey]

The US version included a free three-month Audible membership. I don't see it for the UK version. Aren't they going to offer it?

[Yolina]

I've so far waded through about 300 pages of books available through KU in the UK - came across 12 books I've already read and a grand total of 4 that I wouldn't mind reading. I'm obviously excluding from that any out-of-copyright classics which are free to "buy" anyway. I can't even be bothered to use the free trial for 4 books I'll just pass on the whole thing... There's bound to be more books I'd like to read available through KU, but I don't really want to spend a whole week going through everything just to find a handful

[Dreamnine]

I signed up but believe I will cancel before the free 30-day-trial is up.

[Mike L]

Having read the posts in this thread, and having thought about it more carefully, I decided not to sign up.

On a pure cost basis, I would probably break even. But, as others have said, it's nice to have a permanent copy of the book - one that you can refer to any time, and which you can go back and read when the mood takes you. I know you can always re-borrow a book you have borrowed before, but somehow that doesn't feel the same as actually having the file on your Kindle or backup disk.

Mike

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Mike L

I know you can always re-borrow a book you have borrowed before, but somehow that doesn't feel the same as actually having the file on your Kindle or backup disk.

I agree. But I also recognise that it's not really rational. How many of the (checks) 2651 ebooks I've bought will I actually ever re-read? But I do still like to know they're there.

But I'm certainly not tempted by Kindle Unlimited until more publishers sign up with the vast majority of their catalogue. (For instance, some of the Brother Cadfael series are available in Kindle Unlimited, but not all of them. If I sign up, I don't expect to find myself having to buy later books in a series from the same publisher!)

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

If I sign up, I don't expect to find myself having to buy later books in a series from the same publisher!)

Note that Amazon is promoting KU as a discovery tool to readers and a marketting tool to authors. An author putting all their books (even in one series, when they have more than one) in KU is not a given. Certainly not in these early days of subscriptions when nobody knows how the economics of it are going to shake down.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Note that Amazon is promoting KU as a discovery tool to readers and a marketting tool to authors. An author putting all their books (even in one series, when they have more than one) in KU is not a given. Certainly not in these early days of subscriptions when nobody knows how the economics of it are going to shake down.

It isn't a given that an author will put all the books in a series in there -- or leave them in there. I have never put more than one book in the Kindle select program at a time. And there are already readers on one of the forums I'm on complaining that an entire series isn't on there so they have to spend the 9 dollars for the monthly charge and then buy books 3 and 4.

Plus authors go in and out of the program all the time. So you may or may not be able to "reborrow" a book. Even on SCRIBD where there are larger publishers and more of them participating, they are making only certain books available to the program and there is no guarantee they will leave those books in the program. It makes more sense for a publisher or author to cycle books for visibility and to test different audiences.

That said, I think these programs are probably having an initial effect on sales of books for these past couple of months. It could just be me...but I think several people are at least trying out a free month of KU and that means they are going to focus on reading books in the program.

[fjtorres]

Visibility, visibility, visibility.
I suspect the paucity of BPH titles is going to be a strength of the service over the long haul.

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Note that Amazon is promoting KU as a discovery tool to readers.

All I discovered when I went-a-browsing through KU was stuff I didn't want to read...
The price of some books that are on my (looooooooong) "really want to read" list have dropped, so I've bought these instead

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Visibility, visibility, visibility.
I suspect the paucity of BPH titles is going to be a strength of the service over the long haul.

And for the first few months, I think authors do get that visibility because Amazon markets the program and the books...after a few months to a year...not so much. At least that is what happened when they allowed indies to go free for five days and the prime lending program and such.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

And for the first few months, I think authors do get that visibility because Amazon markets the program and the books...after a few months to a year...not so much. At least that is what happened when they allowed indies to go free for five days and the prime lending program and such.

Well, once the way subscriptions work is better understood, strategies will evolve, no?
Survival of the fittest isn't necessarily about the fastest or the smartest but about the most adaptable.

The ebook business is nowhere near settling down so all anybody can do is experiment and adjust. With KU it may be that it evolves into a rotational system...

[Fbone]

Hopefully, Amazon will keep the KOLL/KU royalty payments each month at a level that encourages authors to remain enrolled in KU. Watching titles disappear from KU's inventory that you planned to read would be frustrating. There one minute, gone the next.

Similar to what I am experiencing with Netflix streaming. A TV series I'm watching suddenly disappears without warning.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Hopefully, Amazon will keep the KOLL/KU royalty payments each month at a level that encourages authors to remain enrolled in KU. Watching titles disappear from KU's inventory that you planned to read would be frustrating. There one minute, gone the next.

Similar to what I am experiencing with Netflix streaming. A TV series I'm watching suddenly disappears without warning.

It isn't just royalty payments though--it's the fact you give up sales at other retailers and cause yourself problems with fans. I understand why authors go exclusive, but it still annoys me when I go to use a Kobo coupon on a book I've been watching and it's gone...

[BookAdmin]

I can't wait to get this service, if it arrive in France !

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The US version included a free three-month Audible membership. I don't see it for the UK version. Aren't they going to offer it?

I wrote an article about that few days ago, I think there's only 1 month membership for UK unfortunately...

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I've only just started finding books worth borrowing on the Prime Kindle Lending Library, which seems to have largely evaporated. I won't be best pleased if, in October, I can't borrow volume 2 of the series I've just borrowed volume 1 of.

Well, I was still able to borrow the book I wanted today under the old Prime Lending Library, which is a bit of a relief.