The title of this article says it all: Is Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited worth it in 2021? If you’re wondering whether or not to purchase Kindle Unlimited, look no further. This Kindle Unlimited review has you covered. We’ll go through all the pro’s and con’s about subscribing to Amazon’s on-demand free eBooks.
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I’m approaching this from my own perspective as a librarian. As a Master of Library and Information Science grad student, I took a fair bit of courses on digital library topics, so I feel qualified to assess Kindle Unlimited, which is, after all, a digital library subscription service, to high standards.
Let’s get started!
First: The Basics of Kindle Unlimited
Kindle Unlimited is a paid monthly subscription that gives you access to an extensive catalog in Amazon’s Kindle library.
For $9.99 a month, all Kindle Unlimited books are free to you (your location might charge sales tax).
You can borrow up to 10 Kindle Unlimited books at a time.
Once you have 10 out and are looking to borrow another one, Amazon lets you choose which book or multiple books to return.
You can cancel your subscription at any time through Amazon.
You can enjoy books, audiobooks, and magazines enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
You cam read wherever you want:
- On a Kindle
- In your web browser
- In the Kindle app on a digital device, and so on.
Your settings are synched across devices so you never lose your place.
So you don’t have to own a Kindle or Amazon device in order to enjoy the benefits of Kindle Unlimited.
Now let’s explore the pro’s of Kindle Unlimited.
Pro’s of Kindle Unlimited
There are plenty of pro’s about signing up for Kindle Unlimited. Let’s go over a few of them:
1) Huge catalog of books to read or listen to for free
Kindle Unlimited boasts over a million books and counting in its catalog, far more than anyone can actually read in a lifetime.
But if you’re up for the challenge, go right ahead… you’ll have plenty to pick from across every genre you wish to read.
2) More major publishers adding books to Kindle Unlimited
It used to be the case that very few “traditionally” published books were available in Kindle Unlimited. Sure, the Kindle Unlimited catalog had books like the Harry Potter series that you could read for free, but early on KU got the reputation of just being a collection of mediocre books no one wanted to read.
I’m so glad to tell you how much things have changed. More of the Big 5 publishers are now joining Kindle Unlimited. For instance, HarperCollins has recently added more titles to Kindle Unlimited.
3) You can binge through a book series
Ever get frustrated about having to buy each individual book in a series? I do! I’m on a very limited budget, which makes me reluctant to start a book series that I know I might get hooked on and feel obligated to buy each and every installment. That can get expensive real fast.
Enter Kindle Unlimited.
Kindle Unlimited means you get to marathon read your way through a book series without paying for each individual book separately. That’s a great way to save money and an even better way to experience reading, with the next book ready to go in just a few clicks.
4 – You’ll be supporting indie authors
Many indie authors—like myself—offer their books for free through Kindle Unlimited. How exactly does that work, you might be asking. Well, for each page read on Kindle Unlimited, the author gets a commission. For many indie authors, Kindle Unlimited reads bring in more of a profit than selling their books just as paperbacks or Kindle eBooks.
Personally, I have published my books in the Kindle Unlimited program because it lowers the barrier to access Brave Brain: 365 Quotes about Hope and Healing for Mental Health Recovery available in Kindle Unlimited at various times—like during Mental Health Awareness Month—because it’s a helpful resource for people going through mental illness. That is so important to me because it offers a free way for people to read the book without a big cost. My goal in life as a writer is to help other people, and enrolling Brave Brain in Kindle Unlimited is one way to do it. You can bet that other indie authors have a similar stance… that Kindle Unlimited gives readers a chance to access their books without financial barriers.
That’s just one reason why a Kindle Unlimited subscription is worth it: helping indie authors.
5) You can cancel anytime
I’m definitely not a fan of subscription services that are overly complicated to cancel or renew. I hate getting tied up with a subscription that I can’t cancel because I’m locked into some multi-month package. Like anyone, my finances fluctuate, and I expect my subscription service to adaptable to changes.
So, say you’re unhappy with Kindle Unlimited… it should be super hard and complicated to cancel the subscription, right?
Wrong! If you just want to take a month or two off, you can handle that all manually by deactivating your subscription and then reactivating it when and if you come back.
Amazon cuts out the middleman and lets you handle these tasks yourself. Though, of course, you can always reach out to customer service for more help.
Con’s of Kindle Unlimited
1) Designed for people who read digitally
I read primarily physical books. I’m just more used to it, though I’m slowly reading more eBooks and audiobooks. If you read on paper almost exclusively, then Kindle Unlimited might not be a good fit for you since its offerings are all digital: audiobooks, books, and magazines.
2) The catalog changes a lot
As an indie author whose books are available in Kindle Unlimited, I know from experience that a writer or a publishing house might pull a book from KU.
That is a bit different from traditional publishing: it’s not like a publisher or author could just withdraw their book from a library without warning.
This setup gives more power to writers and publishers, but what if you’re in the middle of a series and suddenly the final books leave Kindle Unlimited and you have to pay for them? That could be pretty inconvenient.
3) It can be hard to find what you’re looking for
One thing I love about Amazon’s book coverage is the Best Books of the Month feature that comes out every month. I usually go right down the line and pre-order or request books of interest from the library.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Kindle Unlimited. There’s no original content being created by Amazon to show you the Best Kindle Unlimited Books of the Month or “Best Kindle Unlimited Contemporary Romance” and so on. Instead, you have to do a fair bit of searching because Amazon relies on an algorithm of your past purchases and views to “curate” what KU books you might like. That can be pretty daunting. And if you can’t easily find what you’re searching for, what’s the point of paying for it?
4) You can get free eBooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines from most libraries
Kindle Unlimited isn’t the only way to access free digital book and magazine content. Many libraries now offer free eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines at no cost to you. These services, like OverDrive and Libby, also boast wide selections. So why spend money on a subscription service? If you’re tech-savvy and your library has these services, Kindle Unlimited might not be worth it.
Ultimate Verdict: Should You Sign up for Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is a great way to expand your access to books, audiobooks, and magazines. If you’re on a tight budget, committing to $9.99 a month could help save you money the more you take advantage of what Kindle Unlimited has to offer. For instance, rather than purchasing two $9.99 or up books a month, you could subscribe to Kindle Unlimited and cut that total spending in half.
Additionally, new titles are added all the time, including books by Big 5 (major) publishing houses, you’d support indie authors by joining.
You can easily cancel if subscribing to Kindle Unlimited isn’t right for you.
If you don’t plan to read a lot from the Kindle Unlimited library, then it probably doesn’t make sense to sign up for the service.
Kindle Unlimited is also ideal for people who read digitally; in other words, if you don’t read on a Kindle or device, you might not enjoy Kindle Unlimited because it does not include physical books.
Also, you can get eBooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines for free from many libraries.
Still, given that the first month is free, there’s a low risk to trying Kindle Unlimited and explore what the catalog does and does not have to offer.
How to Sign Up for Kindle Unlimited
Signing up for Kindle Unlimited is easy and takes no time at all. Plus, you get your first month free when you sign up here.
It can’t hurt to try this subscription service on for free and see how you like it. So give it a go and see if unlimited reading is something you’ll enjoy.
And that’s the Freelance Librarian’s verdict!
