Amazon's Kindle Unlimited

[left-of-center2012]

I would like your opinion on “Amazon's Kindle Unlimited” where you pay $9.99 a month and can download to your kindle device (for me it’d be ‘kindle’ on my laptop) a number of ‘kindle books’ ten at a time?
Have you tried it?

I know not all publishers and authors are in the 'kindle unlimited’ listing;
and not all books by a particular author are included.

I buy a lot of used books online and am considering giving it a try. Because I buy the used books at the cheapest shipping rate it can take 2 to 3 weeks for delivery.

Thanks

“Enjoy unlimited access to over 1 million titles & thousands of audiobooks on any device.
Try your first month free."

[CrispyQ]

1. You can cancel at any time, so try it for a month.

For me, I don't like reading on my device or computer enough to make it worthwhile. That said, I think that magazines were included with the offer (?) & I loved looking through those on my device.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. While I read a great deal,

about 10 books each month, I get most of them from the library, so for me $9.99 is not a bargain.

I suppose I could try it for a month, download hundreds of books, then cancel.

While I have a kindle, I barely use it, since I vastly prefer real books.

[left-of-center2012]

3. I think there's a limit on downloads

After downloading "X" number of books, I think you have to 'return'
some to get more.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Someone recently gave me a list of sites

that put up free downloads each day. The freebies only last a couple of days or so. I haven't had a chance to look into them.

Again, I read more than most people, and am not totally impressed when someone tells me they have 800 books on their kindle.

I do keep a book list, and in recent years have taken up writing a synopsis or a comment on each book I finish. Last year I read 108 books.

[left-of-center2012]

5. Can you share the list for free kindle books?

I am aware of one:

http://www.dailyfreebooks.com

Typically the free book is the first chapter, or book in a series,
and additional ones cost about $2.99 each.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Okay, here they are.

Keep in mind I haven't actually gone to any of these sites as yet.

kindlebuffet.com
bookbub.com
bookbarbarian.com
bookadrenaline.com
ebookdaily.com
freebooks4.com
ereadernewstoday.com

I got the list from someone at a recent science-fiction thing in Colorado Springs. She took the time to show me one or two of the sites and talked a bit about some of the tricks of navigating them on a smart phone. Since I don't have a smart phone it didn't seem to matter, as apparently they'd be easier on the computer.

[left-of-center2012]

7. Thank you. I'll check them out

When I find a book I think I'll like on "DailyFreeBooks"
I'll check out the related site on Amazon and often beneath that info are other eBooks
some of which are also free.

By doing this, so far, I have avoided signing onto Kindle unlimited.

Again, thanks.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Taking a look at DailyFreeBooks

is not at all encouraging.

I'm guessing that virtually all of them are self-published, and I've grown EXTREMELY wary and unwilling to bother with self-published. There's usually a huge lack of editing, plotting, believable dialogue, or characters.

Oh, well. I'll slog through a few more pages. But even if I see nothing I want on that site or any of the others, I will never lack for books to read.

[getting old in mke]

9. My wife has this

We also have linked our accounts through Amazon Household, so they are available to me, too.

It is limited to 10 at a time--you do need to release books when you're done with them. The selection of books available is eclectic, though extensive. Both good and bad self-published things, but also a variety of standard publishing house items. For example, as of this summer, all of Barry Eisner's John Rain books were available on unlimited.

As for whether it's worth it, your situation will decide. My wife doesn't get out of the house much, so for her it is: she reads about five books a week. I use the library and read less (only a couple of books a week), so it wouldn't be worth it for me if she didn't have it.

[left-of-center2012]

10. Thanks

At this point I am exhausting sources for free kindle books without paying for Kindle unlimited.

I was buying used books from Amazon at around $2.99 with free shipping,
and some of my favorite authors are not on the Kindle unlimited list.