Is Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited Worth It for readers, bookworms, and the average reader?
The answer is: Maybe. It really depends on how much and what you read in a month and if you already have a Kindle or e-reader.
If you are unfamiliar with Kindle Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited is a service that allows you to read as much as you want on your e-reader, and you can choose from over 3 million titles. You can have up to 20 books “taken out” at a time to download on your device, but you can read and take as many books out as you want a month.
Kindle Unlimited is great if you DNF-Do Not Finish- books often. I love KU because if I’m not feeling a book, I can just stop and move on to the next one. I have zero guilt because I spent zero dollars on buying the book, and I can return it and pick another one.
Kindle Unlimited is a great way to discover so many different books as well as so many different authors!
If you read often, Kindle Unlimited is awesome. It is $10/month and you can very easily cancel your subscription whenever you want. They usually offer a free monthly trial to see if you like it first, and you can easily cancel. Amazon will often have deals so you may even pay less than $10 a month.
Kindle Unlimited is not included in a prime membership, however, if you do have a prime account you will get some free books with prime reading but the selection is much more limited.
I find that Kindle Unlimited is worth the $5-10/month, pay on membership because I read several books, and one book in itself could be $10 depending on what it is. I figure if I read two or three books a month through KU, it pays for itself.
However, if you don’t read as much, I’d start with the library books that you can easily download to your kindle. All you need is a library card, and you can start downloading books on Overdrive, Libby, Hoopla, or whatever your library uses. Also, you may be able to sign up for a card online instead of going to the actual library!
Certain Books Are Only Available On Kindle Unlimited
However, if there are certain books that you are looking to read and they are offered through KU to read for free, your best bet is to sign up for a Kindle Unlimited membership whether it’s a free trial or paid membership.
That is because if an author is using Kindle Unlimited for their books to read for free, they are exclusive to KU– at least at the moment. You won’t be able to borrow it from your library or another online source. You can only find some author books only through Kindle Unlimited.
Keep in mind, you may be able to find a printed book at the library, but KU will be the only place where you can read the book online for free. You could always buy the e-book, but the $5 you spend on the book, could be put towards a membership, especially if it’s a series with multiple books to read.
Kindle Unlimited members can also cancel their membership at any time, so it’s easy to pay for the month’s trial, read all the books, then cancel. (I do this often because it’s easy to cancel and then I get caught up with other books and then go back.)
Keep in mind that an author can always take a book off Kindle Unlimited at any time, so if there’s a book you want to read, you may want to claim it and read it soon but you’ll find that other books will be there for years! It kind of depends on the author and publisher. Some authors are known for only offering some of their selection on KU or just briefly and others really use KU as their main source of income.
I really enjoy having a Kindle Unlimited membership because I read a lot of books and some of my favorite authors are exclusively on KU.
I also mostly read the romance genre so I find that there are A LOT of romance books on Kindle Unlimited with a wide variety of options! I’m not sure about other genres though and can only speak for the romance genre!
However, if you do not read a lot of books in a month or if you find all the books you need through Libby and the library, Kindle Unlimited may not be for you! Also, if you love a physical book and don’t use or have an e-reader, KU is not for you!
Do you have a Kindle Unlimited membership? Do you find that it is worth it or not? What are your favorite books offered through Kindle Unlimited?
Leave a Reply