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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.