What Is Kindle Unlimited? Features And Prices

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What Is Kindle Unlimited?

Kindle Unlimited (KU) is Amazon’s platform that lets users access as many as 600,000 ebooks and audiobooks for a $9.99 monthly subscription fee. People often refer to it as the Netflix of books. Check Kindle Unlimited offer here.

Users can access Kindle Unlimited reading app on various devices running iOS or Android for phones and windows and Macs OS for computers. Unfortunately, for Linux and Chrome OS users, the Kindle app isn’t available. However, they can access Kindle Unlimited using the web-based Kindle cloud reader.

At the moment, Kindle Unlimited is only available to people living in the US, though Amazon plans to make it available outside the country.

How to Get Kindle Unlimited

There are several things you need to get the Kindle Unlimited service checklist. This is important, especially if it’s your first time using the service. They include;

  • You must have an Amazon account.
  • You must update the Amazon account with a valid payment method.

Once you make sure your amazon account is okay, you can access the Kindle Unlimited website to sign up. 

Once you sign in, you are given a 30-day free trial among the options to try out the Kindle Unlimited ebook service.

When the 30-day free trial ends, you will have to pay for a subscription. And with this subscription, you get to enjoy titles of interesting ebooks wherever you are provided you have the Kindle Unlimited app installed on your device or are using a Kindle device.

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How Does Kindle Unlimited Work?

Kindle Unlimited works pretty much like a library. However, unlike a library, think of it as a library where you can borrow books without a due date.

In addition, Amazon can change the titles in the Kindle Unlimited catalog at any time. Despite this, you can still find popular books and authors like J K Rowling, Anant Pai, and Sundari Venkatraman, as well as self-published books. They are available to read or listen to either as ebooks or audiobooks.

With the Kindle Unlimited service, you will have unlimited access to the titles on the platform. However, there is still a limitation to the number of books you can borrow at once. You can borrow up to 20 books at a time, and when you are done with them, return them through the Kindle platform and borrow more. 

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Kindle Store

The Kindle store is where you access ebooks ranging from novels to magazines to comic books to children’s playbooks.

Amazon users can purchase and download books on their Kindle Fire tablets or Kindle mobile apps. Currently, there are over six million titles of ebooks ready for sale on the platform for users.

There are also books you can get if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, and they are usually displayed with a badge to distinguish them from other titles.

With the Kindle store, Amazon recommends users titles to purchase based on their purchase and browning history of ebooks.

Do You Have to Pay for Books if You Have Kindle Unlimited?

No. once you pay the Kindle Unlimited subscription fee, you don’t have to pay for every single book you want to read on the platform. You’re free to interact with as many books as you want on the platform.

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Are All Books Available on Kindle Unlimited

Unfortunately, the Kindle Unlimited platform doesn’t have all books. For example, out of the big five North American publishers, only two (HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster) offer their titles through KU. This can make it particularly hard to access some of your favorite titles, well-known authors, or the latest bestseller.

Kindle Unlimited tends to focus on lesser-known authors and titles or indie authors. And if you do happen to come across a well-known author, chances are that it isn’t their newest release.

Kindle Unlimited is a way that Amazon provides upcoming writers with a platform to gain popularity. The Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon KDP) service provides most books on the platform.

Despite these limitations in titles, Kindle Unlimited still offers a decent amount of books to read, among them classics like Harry Potter and even picture books for your child.

How Much Is Kindle Unlimited per Month?

Kindle Unlimited offers a monthly subscription of $9.99. Unlike Prime Reading, there is no yearly plan available. However, Amazon provides extended subscription packages through their gift-a-friend or family subscription option.

Kindle Unlimited 12-Month Subscription

Kindle doesn’t offer a 12-month subscription from its options. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t get that yearly subscription. There is a way to get it.

You can gift your friends and family a six-month, 12-month, or 24-month subscription through the Kindle Unlimited membership. So if you wish to get yourself a Kindle Unlimited 12-month subscription, you can do so by gifting yourself through the account of your friend or family.

The advantage of getting the 12-month subscription with a gift option is that it usually comes at a discounted price to what you would pay if you buy a monthly subscription for 12 months. For example, a 12-month subscription usually costs you $119.88, while if you subscribe using the gift option, you pay $80.30, saving $39.58.

Another advantage of the gifting option is that it is available throughout the year.

How to Cancel Kindle Unlimited

If you wish to cancel your Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can do so only through your Amazon account on a web browser. Cancellation of Kindle unlimited through the Kindle app isn’t possible. To do so, use the following steps.

  1. Sign into your Amazon account here. Key in your login credentials.
  2. On the next page, under your account, locate Kindle Unlimited.
  3. Under the manage membership section below the payment settings, locate the cancel Kindle Unlimited Membership.
  4. Click on Cancel Kindle Unlimited Membership.
  5. On the next page, you will get a confirmation page that asks, ‘are you sure you want to end your membership?’ On this page, you will also see a list of all the borrowed books.
  6. Click the ‘cancel membership’ button on the page to confirm your cancellation of the subscription. 

After following these steps, there are vital things to note with the cancelation of your subscription. They include;

  • No refunds are given for unused months or duration.
  • Your membership remains for the duration of time that your subscription has left.
  • On your next billing date, your Kindle Unlimited subscription won’t renew.
  • You will also lose access to any content you had checked out or were currently reading.
  • You don’t lose the books that you had previously purchased. These remain in your Kindle library.

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What’s the Difference Between Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited?

Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading are both ebook services offered by Amazon. In addition, you can access both services on a range of devices by downloading the Kindle app. So what differentiates the two platforms?

  1. Titles – Prime Reading limits you to 10 titles at a time, while Kindle Unlimited limits you to 20.
  2. Number of Titles – Prime Reading has fewer titles compared to Kindle Unlimited. Prime Reading has 3,000 titles compared to KU’s 600,000+ title selection.
  3. Package – Prime Reading is a part of a range of services offered in the Amazon Prime package. It is provided with other services like Prime Video, Prime Music, and priority shipping. Kindle Unlimited, on the other hand, is a stand-alone subscription service and isn’t connected to other Amazon products or services.
  4. Price – To access Prime Reading, you must subscribe to Amazon Prime membership at $14.99 per month or $139 per year. For Kindle Unlimited, you will have to pay $9.99 per month.

Is Kindle Unlimited Free for Prime Members?

No, it isn’t free. Kindle Unlimited, through an Amazon service, is usually a stand-alone service unrelated to Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime members also enjoy an ebook service, Amazon Prime Reading, that they get among other Prime services.

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Is Kindle Unlimited Worth It

When deciding whether the Kindle Unlimited service is worth it, you’ll have to consider the pros you get with the service as well as the cons.

Advantages you get with the service include;

  • It is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface
  • You don’t necessarily need a Kindle device to access Kindle Unlimited.
  • You can easily swap between devices, provided you have a running subscription. The KU service will save your last page so you can pick it up from where you left.
  • You get to access multiple books at a time.
  • Kindle Unlimited has exclusive titles that aren’t available elsewhere
  • You get to read titles that you wouldn’t usually buy. In this way, you interact with fresh content from new authors.

Disadvantages you get with the service include;

  • Limitation in the variety of books on the platform, especially from well-known or top-selling authors.
  • Lack of a one-year subscription option that most people would prefer.
  • Sometimes the Self-published books on the platform may differ in quality as they are often published without an editor. 

With the Pros of Kindle Unlimited superseding the cons, it is a worthwhile subscription for any book lover.

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