Kindle Unlimited: Find Out What It Is And How It Works
What is Amazon's Kindle Unlimited?
Basically it's the Netflix of books; Amazon's Kindle Unlimited offers unlimited access to piles of books in return for a relatively small monthly fee ($9.99 in the U.S. and £7.99 in the UK).
If you're a lover of books, Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited is probably the best way to get your hands as many books as possible for the lowest price possible, including my Joe Beck thrillers.
But that's not all. Amazon Kindle Unlimited offers access to a practically unlimited number of titles from a catalogue of more than 1 million ebooks and audiobooks for just $9.99 a month in the U.S. and £7.99 a month in the UK– just like Netflix does with videos, except Kindle Unlimited is for reading.
For the monthly fee, you're given access to a vast selection of titles and audiobooks, and you can read or listen to as many as you'd like, as many times as you'd like to – although you can only have ten titles saved to a device at any given time.
The books act the same as any Kindle ebook: they have the same syncing features, can be read across multiple devices, and be read on the same readers, tablets and app as standard Kindle books.
There is also Amazon First Reads, formerly known as Kindle First, which offers customers – including Kindle Unlimited subscribers – early access to new books across Amazon Publishing. Under Amazon First Reads, customers can choose one of the Kindle books selected by Amazon's editors for 99c in the U.S. and 99p in the UK (or it's free for Prime members). They can also buy print editions, up to 10 copies of each title.
Amazon First Reads Kindle books can be read on any Kindle device or free Kindle reading app and become part of customers’ permanent libraries and joining is free.
How do you get Kindle Unlimited?
Signing up for a free trial is easy. Simply head to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited page and click the 30-day trial button.
You’ll be asked to log in, and then be able to access the Kindle Unlimited library. You’ll need to have a valid payment card on file for the free trial to work and have one-click payments enabled.
To find books, select the Kindle Unlimited search bar on the left of where you enter text. If the title you want isn’t available, Amazon shows ways to buy it or a list of related books.
Try it out. Search for 'Joe Beck,' and you'll see my titles there.
Amazon also shows if the book is available under Kindle Unlimited if you search for it via the standard Kindle Store, so you won’t accidentally buy a book that you could read for free. It features the Kindle Unlimited logo alongside the $0.00 / £0.00 price above the 'buy it now' price, so you won't miss it.
To download a book, simply click the orange "Read for £0.00" button in the U.S. and "Read for £0.00" button in the UK. It's in the same spot of the page as the normal buy now button. You can then select which device you'd like the book delivered to.
What devices can use Kindle Unlimited?
Any device that supports Kindle books also works with Kindle Unlimited. That naturally includes Kindle ebook readers, but also any device that supports the Kindle App, including Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Windows 10 and iOS smartphones and tablets. Amazon also offers a PC-based "Cloud Reader" if you'd inexplicably rather read on your desktop or laptop.
As with any other Kindle book, you can read it across multiple devices, anytime you like, picking up from the spot you left off on your other device.
Can you keep Kindle Unlimited books?
You can keep up to ten Kindle Unlimited books in your account at a time, for as long as you'd like. If you want more books, you'll need to remove ones you've read. When you do hit the ten-book limit, Amazon will ask you to return a book to continue your download, and suggest one to remove. If you're happy to remove that book, you can do so in a single click before continuing your download, or you can remove a different one by going into your settings.
How do you return books on Kindle Unlimited?
To return books on Kindle Unlimited, go to Amazon.com/mycd, and click Your Content. Here, you can sort books and other content by how you got it; to see those borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, either select Kindle Unlimited in the first drop-down box or select "borrows" in the second box.
Now, you can manage your Kindle Unlimited collection. Select the box under "Actions" next to a book and you'll be able to deliver it to a new device, reset the furthest read page, or return it.
If you do return a book, it's removed from your devices but your notes and furthest read page are saved in case you borrow it again.
How can you cancel Kindle Unlimited?
If you're on the 30-day trial or have been paying for the service, but have decided it's not worth the cost, cancelling is easy.
Simply go to Amazon.co.uk/mycd and click Settings. Scroll down to Kindle Unlimited Settings, and click the Cancel Kindle Unlimited button. Here, you can also check when your next monthly service payment is due.
Keep in mind that Amazon will automatically start charging your card if you don't cancel before the end of the free trial.
What publishers are signed up to Kindle Unlimited?
As mentioned, my Joe Beck thrillers are on there. So, that's the best place to start. But once you've read them, where do you go next?
With Kindle Unlimited, the options are almost endless. With a catalogue of over 1 million titles, you'll find everything from crime thrillers to mystery, and police procedural to all-out action and adventure. There are even titles from the romance and erotica genres. If you're a fan of reading, Kindle Unlimited is likely for you – there's a whole lot of everything on the service, including classic short stories, giving you access to some fantastic quick reads you can really power through.
So, is Kindle Unlimited worth it?
If you churn through several books a month or if you're planning on setting some time aside in the next 30 days to read a few titles, then absolutely. Sign up for a free 30-day trial to get started today.