Prime is Amazon’s multi-benefit subscription program with a growing number of users and features.
For a yearly fee of $99 subscribers get an access to over 20 different services – at no or much-reduced cost.
The full list of features is placed at the end of this article. Enough to say that Prime members enjoy a free two-day shipping of millions of items, free access to Prime music and videos. They also enjoy Prime-exclusive promotions, and have an early access to Gold Box deals.
In this post, however, we will focus on Prime features that will be much adored by those who like reading:
- not only books but also newspapers and magazines,
- not only in print but also in digital format.
The most recognizable book-related service offered withing Prime membership is Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Recently a couple of new services have been added. You’ll find them described below.
5 Amazon Prime benefits for book lovers
1. Borrow books from Kindle Owners’ Lending Library
Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is a special catalog inside the Kindle Store that lists Prime-eligible Kindle ebooks.
Currently, there are over 1.3 million titles listed in KOLL. It’s approximately one-fourth of the Kindle Store. Prime members can borrow a Kindle book just like they borrow a book from a public library.
There are two limitations, though. First one is that you can borrow only one book per month. So, even if you finish reading it earlier, you won’t be able to borrow another book until the end of the 30-day period. On the other side, there is no due date, so you can keep one title as long as you want.
The other limitation is that in order to use KOLL you’ll need to own an Amazon device – either the Kindle e-reader or Fire tablet. There is no way to access Kindle Owners’ Lending Library from a Kindle app for iOS (iPad, iPhone) or Android.
Make sure to explore ebooks included in Kindle Owners’ Lending Library to check out how many of them are on your book wishlist. Most of these books were released withing Amazon publishing ecosystem, so don’t expect too many bestsellers from major publishers.
2. Get free access to Prime Reading
Prime Reading is a special service developed especially for Amazon Prime members who like to read.
What is Prime Reading, exactly? It’s a selection of popular Kindle books, magazines, and comics. There are over 1,000 items on the list, and the selection is being frequently refreshed with new titles.
Subscribers can read for free the top-selling Kindle books and comic books. At launch Prime Reading included Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Hobbit, or The Complete Peanuts Vol. 1, as well as Kindle Singles from top authors (Stephen King, Norman Mailer, Kurt Vonnegut, among others), and Kindle Singles Classics.
What’s even more exciting is free access to premium magazines, from National Geographic, to People, to Sports Illustrated.
Interested to learn which Kindle books are included? Check out the list of Prime Reading eligible titles. You’ll find here over 1,000 Kindle ebooks, plus 180 Kindle Singles, and over 100 Kindle Short Reads. By default, the list is sorted by “Featured” and most of the books on the top were released by Amazon imprints.
3. Get the print book shipped for free
One of the most attractive features of Prime is a free two-day shipping of millions of items from Amazon online store.
Without Prime membership, you’ll have to order at least $35 of eligible items to get them shipped for free within four business days.
How does that relate to books. There are over 14.5 million Prime-eligible books in Amazon store. Obviously, some of the books are available only in Kindle format, but you can also get:
The free two-day shipping is one of several shipping benefits offered by Prime. For instance, the free same-day delivery is possible on qualifying orders in certain cities.
Prime members can get the Prime-eligible book delivered the same day, even if they live outside specific areas, at a preferential fee starting at $2.99.
Learn more about Amazon Prime shipping benefits on this help page.
4. Get one Kindle First ebook a month, at no extra cost
Kindle First is one of Kindle Store’s special features. Each month Amazon editors select a couple of books that are exclusively published for Kindle. The list is being refreshed at the beginning of each month.
What’s special about Kindle First is that the featured books are available ahead of their official release dates.
Regular Amazon customers can pick up one of the offered books for just $1.99. If you are a Prime subscriber, however, you can get the book for free.
5. Get free access to Audible Channels
Introduced in early 2016, Audible Channels is a carefully curated selection of original programs, lectures, and audio editions of articles and news from most popular and opinion-forming sources.
Top Audible Channels sources are, among others:
- The Wall Street Journal,
- The New York Times,
- Harvard Business Review,
- McSweeney’s.
On top of that, Audible Channels service also showcases 20 playlists hand-selected by Audible editors, from essential stories of the day, short comedy pieces to compilations on history, technology, and science.
The regular subscription fee for Audible Channels is $4.95 a month. If you are a Prime member, you have unlimited access – at no extra cost.
You can listen to Audible Channels programs using the Audible applications for iOS, Android, or Windows 10.
