4 ms·

I wish there were a Netflix like model for books. I think Amazon has a service like that, but without very much content (last time I checked). If the selection

I wish there were a Netflix like model for books. I think Amazon has a service like that, but without very much content (last time I checked). If the selection was good I would be happy to pay monthly for what is effectively a library card (which is basically how you do that today with ebooks but for free. Much worse user experience than piracy unfortunately) I too love ebooks by the way. Between that and audiobooks I now consume more books than any other kind of content. It has been pretty amazing, highly recommend it.

toast0 5y ago
Amazon has two services like that with different content; they used to have three! For kids, there's Amazon Freetime Unlimited, which has a catalog of younger people stuff. This one needs a newer kindle --- if you've got a Kindle Keyboard or similar, no go. For adults, there's the more expensive Kindle Unlimited? or Prime something which has more older people stuff, costs more, and may have the first book of a kids series, but not all of them. The Kindle Owners' Lending Library is now gone. It was a lot smaller catalog. A lot of libraries offer ebooks at no cost to patrons, so maybe check your local library to see if that's an option for you. It does come at a cost to the library (which is worthy of its own discussion, but probably not in this thread), so consider a donation if you can.
- Jtsummers 5y ago
  It's Prime Reading which is like a light version of Kindle Unlimited. It's, as best I can tell, meant to entice you into the higher cost subscription. Particularly since it usually only offers the first book in a series, you either pay for the rest individually or get goaded into paying for Kindle Unlimited. Or go to your local library.
UncleOxidant 5y ago
> If the selection was good I would be happy to pay monthly for what is effectively a library card Libraries offer this service for free. Our local library has a huge and increasing number of ebooks available.
- lapetitejort 5y ago
  Also keep in mind that your local library may be in a larger system. My local library can borrow books from almost the entire state (minus from the largest city in the state, for some reason). If you're willing to wait a week or more, you can put books on hold and get an email when they arrive to your local branch.
- sandyarmstrong 5y ago
  They do, yes. However, libraries typically have a very small number of "copies" of ebooks available to loan, which means there can be quite a queue. Add to this that there is literally no incentive for the person who checked it out to "return" it when finished, which means ebooks are always kept out for their maximum borrowing time. As a result, it can be months before a popular book is available to borrow. It's a very frustrating situation for an artificially-constrained supply. Putting physical books on hold at the library is a much faster experience. You can still initiate it online, but you get your copy much faster. And you naturally return the book when finished because this lines up with when you go in to get your next book. I use Overdrive for both ebooks and audio books, and I really appreciate the service, but it's really not a "Netflix for books". This is like saying Visual Source Safe, which prevented you from editing files a coworker had "checked out", is just as good as git. :-)
  - valarauko 5y ago
    > However, libraries typically have a very small number of "copies" of ebooks available to loan, which means there can be quite a queue. Add to this that there is literally no incentive for the person who checked it out to "return" it when finished, which means ebooks are always kept out for their maximum borrowing time. As a result, it can be months before a popular book is available to borrow. My public library network has reduced the number of holds & checkouts of ebooks since the onset of the pandemic - 3, down from 10. I personally return audiobooks & ebooks immediately once I'm done since it frees up my slots. My holds get delivered semi-chaotically, so I checkout requested books as soon as I can. So holding on to digital books I don't need anymore comes with a tangible downside for me. If I had 10 digital slots I might never deliberately return books either.
wintermutestwin 5y ago
Amazon's service IS a "Netflix like model" - like you note about Amazon's model, neither are a comprehensive solution. The model I want (and presumably you would as well) is a Spotify/Apple Music model, where the vast majority of all books are available for a single subscription. Audiobooks are even worse! Audible's consumer hating model still treats digital media as something you purchase one at a time (or rather two a month).

toast0 5y ago

Amazon has two services like that with different content; they used to have three! For kids, there's Amazon Freetime Unlimited, which has a catalog of younger people stuff. This one needs a newer kindle --- if you've got a Kindle Keyboard or similar, no go. For adults, there's the more expensive Kindle Unlimited? or Prime something which has more older people stuff, costs more, and may have the first book of a kids series, but not all of them. The Kindle Owners' Lending Library is now gone. It was a lot smaller catalog. A lot of libraries offer ebooks at no cost to patrons, so maybe check your local library to see if that's an option for you. It does come at a cost to the library (which is worthy of its own discussion, but probably not in this thread), so consider a donation if you can.

Jtsummers 5y ago
It's Prime Reading which is like a light version of Kindle Unlimited. It's, as best I can tell, meant to entice you into the higher cost subscription. Particularly since it usually only offers the first book in a series, you either pay for the rest individually or get goaded into paying for Kindle Unlimited. Or go to your local library.

UncleOxidant 5y ago

> If the selection was good I would be happy to pay monthly for what is effectively a library card Libraries offer this service for free. Our local library has a huge and increasing number of ebooks available.

lapetitejort 5y ago
Also keep in mind that your local library may be in a larger system. My local library can borrow books from almost the entire state (minus from the largest city in the state, for some reason). If you're willing to wait a week or more, you can put books on hold and get an email when they arrive to your local branch.
sandyarmstrong 5y ago
They do, yes. However, libraries typically have a very small number of "copies" of ebooks available to loan, which means there can be quite a queue. Add to this that there is literally no incentive for the person who checked it out to "return" it when finished, which means ebooks are always kept out for their maximum borrowing time. As a result, it can be months before a popular book is available to borrow. It's a very frustrating situation for an artificially-constrained supply. Putting physical books on hold at the library is a much faster experience. You can still initiate it online, but you get your copy much faster. And you naturally return the book when finished because this lines up with when you go in to get your next book. I use Overdrive for both ebooks and audio books, and I really appreciate the service, but it's really not a "Netflix for books". This is like saying Visual Source Safe, which prevented you from editing files a coworker had "checked out", is just as good as git. :-)
- valarauko 5y ago
  > However, libraries typically have a very small number of "copies" of ebooks available to loan, which means there can be quite a queue. Add to this that there is literally no incentive for the person who checked it out to "return" it when finished, which means ebooks are always kept out for their maximum borrowing time. As a result, it can be months before a popular book is available to borrow. My public library network has reduced the number of holds & checkouts of ebooks since the onset of the pandemic - 3, down from 10. I personally return audiobooks & ebooks immediately once I'm done since it frees up my slots. My holds get delivered semi-chaotically, so I checkout requested books as soon as I can. So holding on to digital books I don't need anymore comes with a tangible downside for me. If I had 10 digital slots I might never deliberately return books either.

wintermutestwin 5y ago

Amazon's service IS a "Netflix like model" - like you note about Amazon's model, neither are a comprehensive solution. The model I want (and presumably you would as well) is a Spotify/Apple Music model, where the vast majority of all books are available for a single subscription. Audiobooks are even worse! Audible's consumer hating model still treats digital media as something you purchase one at a time (or rather two a month).