Amazon Launches its own Kindle Lending Library

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) just announced a new service for Amazon Prime members called Kindle Owners Lending Library.  It is a Netflix for books of sorts.  As a voracious reader, I am really excited to have all of these book lending opportunities at my fingertips: Kindle Library Lending, lending through friends and peers, an the new Kindle Owners’ Lending program.

The catch is that you have to be an Amazon Prime member.  There is a free month long trial that gives you the time to decide whether you want to fork over $79 annually.  For me, it is worth it because I do a lot of my shopping on Amazon, and it is really nice not to have to wait on super saver shipping.  There is also the new instant streaming service to consider as well.  I also saw that some of the movies and TV shows that I have been wanting to see are on the new Instant Streaming list.

The lending program contains over 5000 titles, and I’m sure that will grow by leaps and bounds as it catches on.  Over 100 titles include New York Times bestsellers of the past and present.  A few examples include the Hunger Games series as well as Michael Lewis’s The Big Short.  Two of my favorite books, Water for Elephants and The Last Lecture are available for borrowing as well.

You can only borrow one book a month, but you can have the book for as long as you need it.  So, it is better than the Kindle library lending program in that respect.  It also eliminates the added step of having to go through the library’s website and their digital library site in order to get the Kindle book.

I took a look at the procedures for downloading a book via the Kindle Owner’s Lending program and right now, it looks like you can only download it from your Kindle device itself, and not from Amazon’s page.  The program’s official page and the Help section can provide more detailed instructions on how to borrow and return the books.

Kindle book prices vary widely, and can get pretty expensive if they’re on the bestseller list.  Look for some to be on the lending program list.  Sometimes though, you just have to be patient and wait for prices to drop or for the book to appear on the list.

E-books are the way of the present and future.  Amazon has definitely been busy with a lot of awesome new opportunities this year!