LIFE'S A PEARL

I recently finished up a 6 month subscription with Kindle Unlimited. Over my 10+ years of being a Kindle user, I’ve tried KU in it’s various forms a few times but it never stuck.

Last year I started reading more romance and began seeing authors I was curious about featured on KU. When I was offered a 6 month membership at half price, I jumped at the chance to incorporate it into my reading life again.

So after 6 months of Kindle Unlimited, do I think the service is worth it?

Well that depends on a few factors. Below I share the benefits and drawbacks I found in the service, how it affected my reading life, and how to decide if it’s the right reading subscription for you.

What is Kindle Unlimited?

Kindle Unlimited is a monthly subscription service available through Amazon. For $9.99 a month you are given access to a huge library of ebooks – over 1 million titles – across all genres.

You can check out up to 10 books at a time. The service offers unlimited access. To check out another book, you just have to return one from your list.

Some new features include current issues of certain magazines like People, Real Simple, and Better Homes and Gardens. You can select up to 3 subscriptions. Some ebook titles even have an audio version offered as a reading option too through Audible narration. These are categorized as Listen for Free.

It’s not necessary to own a Kindle Ereader to access books. There’s a free Kindle app available for smartphones and tablets.

 

Try it out first!

If you are interested in Kindle Unlimited, you can try it yourself before you commit. Amazon offers a free one month trial when you sign up. Occasionally there is a 3 month deal available as well. I’ve seen it offered for free a few times and most commonly for 99 cents a month.

 

Benefits of Kindle Unlimited:

• unlimited access
• over 1 million titles
• an easy way to try out new authors
• lots of romance books
• a few very popular titles and series have been consistently featured – like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games
• the catalog is always changing so there are always new titles to explore

 

Drawbacks of Kindle Unlimited:

• not a lot of current titles
• limited options for popular titles or well known authors
• the catalog isn’t very user friendly
• the nonfiction titles require a lot of weeding through to find quality books
• the catalog is always changing – books you wanted to read may no longer be available
• may not be a great system for authors

 

How Did It Work Out For My Reading Life?

For the first couple of months I was using my Kindle Unlimited subscription a lot. I discovered new to me authors Elle Kennedy and Helena Hunting and devoured the titles they had available on the service.

I enjoyed finding different romance blogs to see what KU books they recommended. My 10 titles were picked out and ready to go.

And then they sat there unopened. A few of them sat there for the 6 months and I just never got around to them. I think having an “unlimited” time to read them made me lazy about it.

I’m a huge library reader and when I tracked my reading life for the first quarter of 2021 that’s where the vast majority of my books come from – whether physically or through Libby. I have more than I can read already from that source.

As a budget minded consumer, I felt pressure to read my monthly allowance worth of books from the subscription. That extra stress takes away from the fun of reading. I also found myself endlessly searching the catalog for the right book or just different options. It was one more way to look at books and procrastinate actually reading.

I didn’t find the catalog setup or search process to be user friendly. The nonfiction subjects were especially discouraging to sort through. It seemed saturated with low quality books and difficult to filter for relevant titles.

So for me personally, Kindle Unlimited isn’t a good fit right now. I can definitely see where the service would be a benefit to another type of reader or consumer. I am keeping a list of books and authors I’d like to check out though who are part of KU. If that list gets long enough, I might sign up again in the future.

 

What Type of Reader is It Great For?

Kindle Unlimited is perfect for people who read a lot or don’t mind reading from one source. Depending on what you usually pay for ebooks, the math breaks down to reading about 3 books a month from KU to make the cost of the service worth it.

This service is also great for readers who are willing to try a bunch of new authors. It’s a great way to take a chance on an unknown author and find out if their writing style is for you.

If you enjoy the constant search through a catalog for something to read or don’t find it to be a distraction from the time you have to actually read then this could be right for you.

There are all different types of consumers and some people don’t feel the same pressure by spending money. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind paying for a subscription you may not use every month but enjoy the convenience of having it or believe the months will balance out, this could be a great option for you.

 

Kindle Unlimited Book Recommendations and Articles:

Kindle Unlimited Romance Recommendations by trope from HEA Novel Thoughts

How to Find Listen for Free Audiobooks within KU – When I started incorporating audiobooks into my reading life again, I wanted to use the listen for free feature of Kindle Unlimited. This article from Lovely Audiobooks is helpful and her link to searching the catalog was extremely useful!

How Authors Get Paid in Kindle Unlimited – This article was informative when I wondered how authors get paid for their work in the KU catalog and whether or not it’s a good deal for them.

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Have you tried Kindle Unlimited? What are your thoughts on subscription services for books and reading?