Amazon leak reveals plan to launch Kindle book subscription service

Amazon is due to launch a new book subscription service called Kindle Unlimited, according to a leaked Amazon site.

The Kindle Unlimited section of the Amazon US site was briefly available online before being removed, but is still available via Google’s web cache, and is being described as a “Netflix for books”.

The service, which may only be available in the US, will cost $9.99 a month and give readers access to over 600,000 ebooks as well as thousands of audiobooks sourced from Amazon-owned audiobook service Audible.

'Unlimited reading and unlimited listening on any device'

“Kindle Unlimited gives you the freedom to explore over 600,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks in the palm of your hand,” said the narrator of a promotional video discovered by technology site GigaOM. “Enjoy unlimited reading and unlimited listening on any device for $9.99 a month.”

The service will be available on Amazon’s Kindle e-readers, tablets and phone, as well as via the Kindle app on Android smartphones and tablets and Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

Amazon did not respond immediately for request for comment.

Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Lord of the Rings

An Amazon book subscription service has been expected for months, expanding on its Amazon Prime Lending Library, which offers loans of one book a month from about 600,000 books in the US and 350,000 books in the UK as part of an Amazon Prime subscription.

The Lending Library includes the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling as well as books from selected publishers and Amazon’s own publishing service.

It is unclear whether the library of ebooks available under the new Kindle Unlimited service will be different from the Prime Lending Library, although the Harry Potter, Hunger Games and the Lord of the Rings series are featured in the leaked promotion video and adverts.

Amazon is not the first company to launch an ebook subscription service. Both Oyster and Scribd operate similar services costing about $9 a month and offering access to 500,000 and 400,000 books respectively, but featuring books from two of the big five publishers, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster.

Amazon’s subscription services have all launched exclusively in the US before expanding to the UK and other markets often years later. It is likely that Kindle Unlimited will only be available in the US initially.