Amazon is testing “Kindle Unlimited,” an ebook subscription service for $9.99/month

[John F]

Is the Kindle Lending Library being phased out? The only mentions I see to it now is in help.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by John F

Is the Kindle Lending Library being phased out? The only mentions I see to it now is in help.

It should still be available. In the author section, we still have the blurbs for earning money via the prime lending and the new lending. The instructions mention that the money pot is paid from the same pot (2 million this month shared across all borrows regardless of the program).

So if books are enrolled and you have prime, you should still be able to find books.

[John F]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

...

So if books are enrolled and you have prime, you should still be able to find books.

On the web site, I used to see the price crossed out and some text about available free for Prime members. And I also recall links on the Amazon site. Now, I don't see that any mention/link on the Amazon website other than help. Again, this is on a PC using a browser.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by John F

On the web site, I used to see the price crossed out and some text about available free for Prime members. And I also recall links on the Amazon site. Now, I don't see that any mention/link on the Amazon website other than help. Again, this is on a PC using a browser.

I see what you are saying--but the instructions on my dashboard specifically say that prime users can still borrow and we'll still get paid like we were before as soon as a book is downloaded

KDP Select books will also continue to be enrolled in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library (KOLL) available to Amazon Prime customers in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France and Japan where authors will continue to earn a share of the KDP Select global fund when their book is borrowed. KOLL borrows will continue to be counted when a book is initially downloaded.

...blah, blah. Now, here is a book that I know is in the exclusive program:

http://www.amazon.com/All-Paths-Shad...s=frank+tuttle

Instead of saying zero next to the kindle price, it says "prime" -- I don't HAVE prime so I can't tell if that means it would be borrowable at zero or ... what.

Where the prime freebie line used to be, it now encourages people to sign up for a free trial/lending library. If you have prime, maybe you can tell if you can borrow the book?

[vxf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Perhaps I've misunderstood your post (and apologies if I have), but I really hope that people don't use KU to download books and strip the DRM from them. That's just piracy, plain and simple, and certainly not what the developers of Alf's tools wrote them for.

Unfortunately, this seems the weak point of Amazon's plan. Relying on people being honest is not a great business plan. You know some people will just sign up for the trial, mass-download, strip, cancel. I love what Amazon is doing here, so I really hope I am wrong... but...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by vxf

Unfortunately, this seems the weak point of Amazon's plan. Relying on people being honest is not a great business plan. You know some people will just sign up for the trial, mass-download, strip, cancel. I love what Amazon is doing here, so I really hope I am wrong... but...

Yes, I fear that you're right, and the result could be a locking-down of Amazon's DRM mechanisms.

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by vxf

Unfortunately, this seems the weak point of Amazon's plan. Relying on people being honest is not a great business plan. You know some people will just sign up for the trial, mass-download, strip, cancel. I love what Amazon is doing here, so I really hope I am wrong... but...

I don't think it will happen that way. The books in my Kindle Library are all still there years later and I suspect that books you borrowed using KU will still be there a few months later too: you'll still have to return them first before you can borrow more.

I do love this KU idea but I've been spoiled by the bigger, higher resolution Aura HD screen and its ability to customize the page to make reading much better. I still use my KPW1 to read Kindle Singles but it's not a comfortable experience and I don't want to try to read book-length text on it anymore.

But who knows, Amazon might update the Kindle to state-of-the-art and then I'll have to decide: buy a new Kindle? Just to use KU?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

According to the article "any device" includes audiobooks. I think I'd cancel my Audible subscription for this, and with Whispersync support, I'd probably buy the Kindle edition of my current audiobook as well.

Win-win for both me and Amazon.

I'm pretty sure the audible formats are only included for the first 3 months, after that you have to pay more if you want audio books included.

Hmm... I just re-read it. It seems to imply that "Unlimited Listening" is included. IF that is the case, it is will worth it. I only read about 1 book a month, so I'm only spending about 9.99 a month. But, then again, I'm already spending 9.99 a month, and with the addition of audio I could "read" a lot more books.

The biggest question is... will every or most ever book I want be included.

Also,I assume this applies to multiple devices. Since my whole families kindles are registered to my amazon account it could be well worth it.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

That article also mentioned that audiobooks meant "7,351 Whispersync for Voice" titles. That's not very many. I'm not sure Amazon wants to compete with Audible on this.

You know amazon owns Audible, right?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You know amazon owns Audible, right?

Right; which is why I don't think they'll offer very many audiobooks in Kindle Unlimited. It would compete directly with Audible's subscription service with the chance that people will abandon Audible's 1 book $15 monthly plan in favor of Kindle's unlimited books $10 monthly plan.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Right; which is why I don't think they'll offer very many audiobooks in Kindle Unlimited. It would compete directly with Audible's subscription service with the chance that people will abandon Audible's 1 book $15 monthly plan in favor of Kindle's unlimited books $10 monthly plan.

Well, not necessarily because a lot of audible books now have a reduced price if you ever bought it in print or Kindle or something like that. Authors are heavily encouraged to do an audible version of their kindle books (well, not quite as much as at first, but still encouraged). So it might just be another avenue.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Well, not necessarily because a lot of audible books now have a reduced price if you ever bought it in print or Kindle or something like that. Authors are heavily encouraged to do an audible version of their kindle books (well, not quite as much as at first, but still encouraged). So it might just be another avenue.

For a reduced price, but not free. Of the approximately 7,300 WfV audiobooks in KU, only about 2,300 of them are free. The other 5,000 require a purchase.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Be careful if you clicked on the video discussing the service--in fine print below it says if you click, you are signing up!!! You'll get the free trial that turns into a paid sub and might not figure that out for a while...

No, I watched the video, and it didn't sign me up. You have to click the Sign up button.

Anyway, just to be sure I looked in my account and there is no mention of me ordered KU or a place to cancel it. So watching the video didn't sign me up.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

For a reduced price, but not free. Of the approximately 7,300 WfV audiobooks in KU, only about 2,300 of them are free. The other 5,000 require a purchase.

Yes, I know, but since many of the qualifying audio is likely done as a direct upload by small publishers or indies, Amazon isn't paying big commissions to a third-party publisher. In effect, there's less of a middle man than when a publisher hires an audio team or separate deal to do audio, etc. Trad published audio is very expensive and Amazon can only reduce those costs so much because they have a high amount to be paid to the publisher. With the direct audio program, I think they may have an easier time making a profit and so can include those books in these programs. Just a guess. I'm not in audio, but I know to do it via Audible, it's a lot cheaper than going the old fashioned route!

[John F]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I see what you are saying--but the instructions on my dashboard specifically say that prime users can still borrow and we'll still get paid like we were before as soon as a book is downloaded

...blah, blah. Now, here is a book that I know is in the exclusive program:

http://www.amazon.com/All-Paths-Shad...s=frank+tuttle

Instead of saying zero next to the kindle price, it says "prime" -- I don't HAVE prime so I can't tell if that means it would be borrowable at zero or ... what.

Where the prime freebie line used to be, it now encourages people to sign up for a free trial/lending library. If you have prime, maybe you can tell if you can borrow the book?

I missed the Prime symbol. I do have prime, but I don't have a kindle. I was just curious, thanks.