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Loan of kindle Books


muggle not

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If this subject exists elsewhere, please move this thread. :)

 

Amazon has made it possible where you can now loan a kindle ebook to another person that owns a kindle. They have added a "loan" addition to the list of actions on the "manage your kindle site". I just was on my wife's list of kindle books and sent one of her books to my kindle which I can have for 14 days.

Edited by muggle not
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I think this is an excellent idea! I don't know if it's available for me in the Netherlands (I have to use Amazon.com), but it sounds like a great idea to do.

 

I also read in the news that Amazon made a kind of subscription service where you pay a certain amount per month and then you can borrow Kindle books. I can't remember if this is something they're going to do or whether Amazon.com is already doing that for US customers.

 

EDIT: Virginia has made a thread about the subscription service so we'd better discuss that there if you wish to.

Edited by Athena
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I think the loan option has been around for a while, and as Chrissy says, it is only available in the US, but not in the UK (not sure about other territories) - it was certainly discussed in the press back last year some time, and again the US was cited as the testing place for Amazon and it hasn't been made available to other countries, just like the "Gift This Book" option, at least not yet. The "Gift This Book" option not being available is very frustrating. :irked:

Edited by chesilbeach
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I think the loan option has been around for a while, and as Chrissy says, it is only available in the US, but not in the UK (not sure about other territories) - it was certainly discussed in the press back last year some time, and again the US was cited as the testing place for Amazon and it hasn't been made available to other countries, just like the "Gift This Book" option, at least not yet. The "Gift This Book" option not being available is very frustrating. :irked:

Well, I am certainly happy that it is available in the U.S. :) The function makes it easy to loan a book to friends to read. Example; my wife bought and read The Book Thief a year or so ago and she recently sent it to my email as a loan for me to read. I intend on sending her a book which I highly recommend, Don't Let Me Go, so that she can read it on her kindle. The loan function is great and I hope they implement it in other Countries.

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I can't remember what the book was, but when I investigated the loan process for it to give one to my husband, it wasn't available for that particular book.  So, it is not a universal feature.

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I can't remember what the book was, but when I investigated the loan process for it to give one to my husband, it wasn't available for that particular book.  So, it is not a universal feature.

Neither is the "Gift" option always available- and not on new releases.  I've missed out on some books from my dad because of that- grrrr.   At least this program is free!  I just couldn't justify Prime or their Audiobook package.  I can't WAIT to get into my dad's collection!

Muggle- I hope your wife likes Don't Let Me Go  (Hard not too!).  On here, I think Poppy is reading it.  Did you like The Book Thief?  So great you both don't have to buy the same book or switch Kindles!

Edited by Anna Begins
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And I for one hope that it doesn't become that way. I know that I am probably saying something that maybe people do not want to hear, and I have said it many times before, and I also know that many do not have a high income and cannot afford every book that they want - it's a tough old world, but if you really love reading then you should support authors by paying for their work. I know that I would not work for free, and so I would not expect an author to do this either, by effectively giving not only their time for free but also the fruits of their labour. If this service is free, then that probably means that unlike with Prime, authors will not be paid -  not one single cent, which I think is plain wrong - but of course I might also be wrong, and maybe they have come to some sort of arrangement. I know though that as an author myself this is not something I would sign up for.   

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I can understand where you come from, Talisman. Though I do think a wife and a husband (or any other married couple) should be able to lend books to each other, just like you can do with paperbooks (I mean, it'd be weird if you had to buy the same book for both people, twice, in order to read it). I wouldn't like it if people just loaned stuff willy-nilly (if that's the correct expression) but in a family situation I believe it should be possible (of course you can't say you can lend to person X but not Y..).

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At the moment, if OH and I both want to read a book, we'll buy the paperback rather than the Kindle version, so I agree that I think everyone in the same household should be able to lend each other books - I'd NEVER lend him my Kindle! :D

 

I'm sure I read that for the subscription service (I know this is on a different thread, but it ties in with this discussion), independent authors can sign up to get their books included, and they get a certain percentage based on if someone borrows the book and reads more than the first 10 or 100 pages (I can't remember exactly which it was), and since the loaning of books seems limited based on Kate's experience, then I guess that publishers and authors have had to sign up for allowing the loan of their books between Amazon customers too, so I imagine they do get a fee, albeit a small one.

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And, I'd think that this new program could well be a spring board for new buyers as well.  Word of mouth.  Not everyone wants to borrow a good book.  /waving my arms! me, me!/  :D

 

Advertise, advertise, advertise!

Edited by pontalba
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And, I'd think that this new program could well be a spring board for new buyers as well.  Word of mouth.  Not everyone wants to borrow a good book.  /waving my arms! me, me!/  :D

 

Advertise, advertise, advertise!

As if free samples aren't good enough!  Hopefully they won't start charging for that too!  Oops- they could be lurking. :P  

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And I for one hope that it doesn't become that way. I know that I am probably saying something that maybe people do not want to hear, and I have said it many times before, and I also know that many do not have a high income and cannot afford every book that they want - it's a tough old world, but if you really love reading then you should support authors by paying for their work. I know that I would not work for free, and so I would not expect an author to do this either, by effectively giving not only their time for free but also the fruits of their labour. If this service is free, then that probably means that unlike with Prime, authors will not be paid -  not one single cent, which I think is plain wrong - but of course I might also be wrong, and maybe they have come to some sort of arrangement. I know though that as an author myself this is not something I would sign up for.   

Are you also against libraries. I totally agree with chesilbeach.

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No, I am not against libraries (and I have said this many times too), because when you borrow a book from a library the author is paid, even if it just a few pence. And for the record, Coran and I often buy separate copies of the same book, and don't baulk at it. Coran is soon to be author too, and so shares my views.

 

Chesil is right about the subscription service that authors do indeed get paid, but they have to sign an agreement with Amazon that states they will not sell their books anywhere else - not even their own website. That is the reason why choice is so limited, as what author in their right mind would agree to this? I know I wouldn't.

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Chesil is right about the subscription service that authors do indeed get paid, but they have to sign an agreement with Amazon that states they will not sell their books anywhere else - not even their own website. That is the reason why choice is so limited, as what author in their right mind would agree to this? I know I wouldn't.

Is this why JK Rowling went with Barnes and Noble (Nook) not Amazon (Kindle)?

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Chesil is right about the subscription service that authors do indeed get paid, but they have to sign an agreement with Amazon that states they will not sell their books anywhere else - not even their own website. That is the reason why choice is so limited, as what author in their right mind would agree to this? I know I wouldn't.

I agree with this, I think it's stupid and don't see why Amazon sees the need to enforce it other than greed and economics.

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Neither is the "Gift" option always available- and not on new releases.  I've missed out on some books from my dad because of that- grrrr.   At least this program is free!  I just couldn't justify Prime or their Audiobook package.  I can't WAIT to get into my dad's collection!

Muggle- I hope your wife likes Don't Let Me Go  (Hard not too!).  On here, I think Poppy is reading it.  Did you like The Book Thief?  So great you both don't have to buy the same book or switch Kindles!

Wife hasn't started Don't Let me Go yet. She is in the middle of another book currently. I just started Book Thief so can't comment yet.

We would find it difficult to switch kindles so the loan function is great for us. I don't think that poppy has started Don't Let Me Go yet. It is such a good book.

 

The book that I just finished, Wayfaring Stranger, is the best book written by JLB, according to JLB. :)

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Is this why JK Rowling went with Barnes and Noble (Nook) not Amazon (Kindle)?

 

I couldn't say categorically, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if this had something to do with it. Of course it might also be because Amazon uses a format for their e-books which is exclusive to them only so that if you buy from them you effectively have to have a Kindle as well as the books are not compatible with other e-readers.    

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I don't think she has - certainly over here the HP books were some of the ones quotes as being included in the 600,000 books available for subscribers.

Ya but you can't buy them from Amazon, just rent through the 600,000 library.  You can buy them through Pottermore through Amazon.  Unless I'm mistaken, but that is all it says when I click on Sorcerers Stone.  I believe she has always sold them through B&N though.

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Ah, I see.  Thanks Anna, I wasn't aware of that.  I've still just got all my hardback copies and the audiobook version read by Stephen Fry, so I've never bothered with the ebook version! :D

I am just beginning audio books.  Are the HP ones easy to "read"/ understand if you haven't already read the books?  Amazon doesn't even have the audiobook, but I think my library does.

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I would have thought so, Anna.  The only thing I find with any audiobooks, is that if i haven't already read the book and know the story, I have to concentrate on it, so I can't listen while doing anything that requires brainpower, e.g. driving, but it's fine for walking.

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I would have thought so, Anna.  The only thing I find with any audiobooks, is that if i haven't already read the book and know the story, I have to concentrate on it, so I can't listen while doing anything that requires brainpower, e.g. driving, but it's fine for walking.

Thanks- I'm still getting used to listening to/ using them.

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