Amazon launches Kindle Unlimited, the 'Netflix for books'


On Friday, Amazon unveiled Kindle Unlimited — an e-book and audiobook subscription service that has been widely described as a "Netflix for books."
For $9.99 per month, Amazon promises "unlimited access to over 600,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks." The books will be available on Kindle devices, phones, tablets, and computers, and Amazon is offering a free 30-day trial right now. Similar services are already available from Scribd ($8.99 per month) and Oyster ($9.95 per month), both of which also offer free 30-day trials — so between the three of them, you should be able to cover the rest of your summer beach reading.
Of course, anyone who doesn't have a e-reader can get free, unlimited access to thousands of books at their local library.
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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
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