Kindle Unlimited is for books what Netflix is for movies and T.V. shows. You pay a monthly fee of $9.99 and in return you get access to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited Library, which gives you access to over a million books (including comics and graphic novels), thousands of audiobooks, and dozens of magazines. You can only have 10 items borrowed at a time, but once you are finished and you find something else you want to read you can swap out one of the 10 for something new with the click of a couple buttons.
Should you get Kindle Unlimited?
To make sure you will get all the bang you can for your buck check out the Kindle Unlimited Library and see if the genre that you like to read has a selection that you would be interested in going after.
For this example I use books but it applies to everything offered through the program: Ask yourself if you will read enough of those books to justify the $9.99 price. How many books are you going to read in a month? Currently a digital book from Amazon will cost you anywhere from, $.99-9.99, so let’s do some math. To save some money using any of these subscriptions you’ll need to read:
- At least one $9.99 book a month
- At least two $4.99 books a month
- Three or more $2.99 books per month
- Ten or more $0.99 books a month
The numbers above are just the number of books you would need to read to equal your monthly subscriptions. And if you are simply reading enough books to only equal the monthly subscription, wouldn’t you simply buy the books so you always have a copy of them instead?
Another option is to wait for Cyber Monday where you can find various subscriptions times on sale for up to 40% off. The service might not be worth it at $9.99 but might make sense at half that.
Personally, I am an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction and have read thousands of books, which leaves me always jonesing for my next fix of escapism. Kindle Unlimited is a go to for me, as I can read the new releases from the traditional publishers through the Library, or spending a weekend at Barnes and Noble, and then browse through the Unlimited Library for the newest self-published gem.
Kindle Unlimited vs. Scribd
Most of the books available to read via Kindle Unlimited are self-published, with most of the big publishers opting out of the program, while the opposite is true for Scribd, another book subscription site. While it might have the latest New York Times bestseller, on Scribd you will find books from publishers like HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan, as well as an assortment of comics, newspapers and audiobooks. Currently, the libraries of both services are comparable as is the monthly subscription fee, with both also having apps that allow you to read the books from your Apple and Android smart phone, tablet, and e-reader. In deciding which subscription to go for you just need to dig and see which one is offering the books you are most interested in reading and if you read enough of those books to justify the subscription price, rather than buying them outright. Another easy way to evaluate both services is to try the Kindle Unlimited or Scribd one-month free trial subscription plan which I would recommend doing.
For an avid reader going with a subscription service could be the answer that lets you stop bleeding money, while also fulfilling that need to read. Evaluate these services, look at what you want to read and how many books you read, and then choose the service that best fits you. As for me and my house though, we are Kindle Unlimited all the way.
Try out a free 30 day trial for Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans