Amazon is rumored to be starting a new “ Netflix ” type book rental service which will allow users to pay a monthly fee to access a library of books.
According to the WSJ Amazon is willing to pay participating book publishers a substantial fee for getting involved in the project.
If the program is successful it won’t be because it’s a first of it’s kind, booksfree.com and bookswim have allowed users to rent books for a while, however they are primarily offline paperback and hardback services. Another service 24symbols has also recently launched however their books are all in the public domain and they currently offer no premium bestseller options.
At this time details surrounding the service and who is likely to take part are still not known, hopefully the service offers premium selections people want to read instead of the third rate type of material Netflix throws at users for $7.99 a month with their streaming movie service.
No release date or pricing for the new Amazon book rental service has been announced.
I can see this service working well for readers who don’t want to wait for a limited number of copies to be returned to their local library, however anyone willing to wait can pick up the same books in paperback or hardcover form for free at their local library.
Are you willing to pay a monthly fee to access books instead of owning them outright?
