Amazon Launches Kindle Unlimited, A Netflix For Books With Access To 600K Titles

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has launched its Kindle Unlimited subscription service, giving customers access to a pool of at least 600,000 books for a monthly fee of $10.

That massive selection of e-books includes popular titles like the Harry Potter series, the Hunger Games series, “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain, and Michael Lewis’ new book, “Flash boys,” but the number 600,000 selection is somewhat misleading. A number of the top publishing houses – Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Hachete, among them – haven’t included their full selections, so customers may find themselves slightly limited at times.

The reduced selection comes as a result of Amazon’s years-long battle with publishers, Hachette in particular, over the pricing of Hachette’s physical and digital books.

The good news is that, along with the e-book titles, there are more than 2,000 audiobooks available, as well. Audiobooks have become incredibly popular over the past five-or-so years, and Amazon is further tempting customers to sign up by including a three-month subscription to Audible (which Amazon owns). Titles available on Kindle Unlimited also come equipped with Whispersync technology, which allows listeners to enjoy an audiobook as they do the dishes or exercise then pick up where they left of later that day on the Kindle.

Kindle Unlimited is available with a 30-day free trial, a strategy the company previously employed to compel customers to sign up for Amazon Prime. The announcement was made in a video found by clicking here.