KindleRomance

I've always hoped this concept would play out, and I'm excited to finally see it in action. I like the idea of renting a book provided the author is getting paid for it. I don't think this is for everybody, but for people who read a lot and across different genres, there are quite a few books to choose from. I added over 30 books to my wishlist that qualify. Everything from m/m romance to Microsoft and Evernote guides. If the selection doesn't grow, then this will probably be one of those plans where I join for a few months, read like crazy, and then drop out for a year until the backlog grows again.

I signed up last night, and I've already read two books through it. I would not have bought these books without making sure the reviews were amazing first. But with the chance to start reading, stop if I didn't like it, and not feel like it was costing me any more money, it was a no-brainer to grab them.  I'll still continue to buy books because I like owning them and reading at my convenience. The selection is also pretty small for the authors that I love. 

I think this could turn into a game changer based on other pieces of information I've read about how the pricing affects what the author is getting paid. It will be interesting to see if authors have their books read by more people through this platform. 

I've seen other places doing this, like Oyster and Scribd, but I haven't been convinced that the authors were getting paid properly. If they aren't getting paid, they aren't going to keep writing. None of these plans will work if authors aren't making a living. Since Amazon seems to be spelling out exactly how the author will be paid, and authors have generally stated that they trust the accuracy of the royalty checks that they get, it appears this is all legit.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is a win-win for everybody.