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In an effort to lure more Amazon customers to its paid Prime membership program, Amazon has launched a book lending library for Amazon Prime subscribers.
The service costs $79 per year (with discounted rates for students and moms) and entitles users to free 2-day shipping as well as an overnight option for $3.99 per item. Earlier this year, Amazon added instant video streaming with a growing stable of titles for Prime subscribers, and now users with a subscription and a Prime membership will be offered one free book rental every month.
The service is restricted to Kindle owners only, so those who access e-books on the Kindle platform through iPhones, iPads, BlackBerrys or Droids will not be able to access the monthly freebie. In a press release, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said:
“Owning a Kindle just got even better. Today, we’re introducing a new Prime benefit built for Kindle: The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Prime Members now have exclusive access to a huge library of books to read on any Kindle device at no additional cost and with no due dates.”
The release indicates that the impetus behind the move is two-fold- in addition to presenting added value for Kindle owners who consider a Prime subscription, the company says the initiative is intended to serve “as a no-risk trial to demonstrate to publishers the incremental growth and revenue opportunity that this new service presents.”
