The Amazon e-commerce site offers "Prime Reading", a program that brings you lots of free ebooks to download every month.
Prime Reading is a service reserved exclusively for Amazon Prime subscribers: see Prime Reading here on Amazon.com.
How does Prime Reading work?
So, if you're like us, you can already access this new selection of books directly from your Kindle e-reader, Fire tablet or Kindle reading app.
Then there's a new section featuring a selection of books you can borrow for free.
The selection isn't necessarily great, but there are plenty of bestsellers and books:
- Unlimited access to a rotating catalog of ebooks and audiobooks
- 1 free pre-release ebook every month from editors' picks
- Magazines and comic books also included
For my part, I've already spotted a couple of things to read. I think that if you have a Prime subscription ($14.99/month), it's worth looking to see if there's anything that might interest you.
How do I download a Prime Reading ebook onto my e-reader?
Downloading an eligible ebook is very simple.
Simply go to the relevant category on your e-reader (tested on a latest-generation Kindle Paperwhite e-reader) and then press "Borrow".
The book is then automatically downloaded free of charge and appears in your e-reader's library.
When you've finished reading the book, you'll need to return it to Prime Reading. To do this, press the book cover for a few seconds to display the menu. Then select "Return to Prime Reading".
You can then download a new book (but you can borrow more than one book at a time).
How to read Prime Reading ebooks
You can also read Prime Reading ebooks on iPhone and iPad.
If you prefer to read your Prime Reading ebooks on a Kindle e-reader, you can also use the following software:
- Kindle Android application
- Kindle iOS application (for iPhone and iPad)
- Kindle PC and Mac application
After installing the software and logging in to your Amazon account, you'll be able to find the book you've borrowed in the application's library.
Which e-readers are compatible with Prime Reading?
All Kindle e-readers are compatible with Amazon Prime Reading: Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Oasis and Kindle Scribe.
Kindle
6" e-reader - 1448 x 1072 pixels e ink screen - Ebook formats supported: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, EPUB, MOBI, PRC; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP
Kindle Paperwhite
6.8" e-reader - 1680 x 1264 pixels e ink screen - Ebook formats supported: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, EPUB (converted), MOBI, PRC; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP
Kindle Oasis
7" e-reader - 1680 x 1264 pixels e ink screen - Ebook formats supported: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, MOBI unprotected, PRC ; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP converti, EPUB (converted)
Kindle Scribe
10.2" e-reader - 1860 x 2480 pixels e ink screen - Ebook formats supported: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, MOBI unprotected, PRC ; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, EPUB (converted)
Older Kindle readers purchased a few years ago are also compatible. So you don't need to buy a new e-reader to take advantage of this service.
Conclusion: a great deal for Amazon customers!
There are thousands of digital books available. So Prime Reading is a great way to read for less.
However, it in no way replaces Amazon's $9.99-a-month unlimited reading subscription, which offers a much wider selection of books.
This Prime Reading is therefore a welcome addition to Amazon's offer, and above all a further argument for subscribing to Prime to take advantage of the many associated services (Video on Demand, photo storage, free delivery, etc.).
Click here to find out more about Prime Reading and see the Amazon Prime program on Amazon.com.
