Kindle Lending is Now Available!

Kindle lending has just been announced by Amazon! This is a great new program that allows Kindle users to let other people share books that they bought through Amazon’s Kindle bookstore. It is a simple and great idea that brings one of the advantages of regular books to the ebook world! Here is a little more about how it works –

For eBook Owners

Owners of Kindle books simply have to log into their Kindle account, and the books that are available for lending will have an option to lend the book to someone.

Not all books are available currently. For those books that are shared, the book owner will not have access to the book during the time the book is lent out.

For eBook Recipients

Kindle lending is not just for owners of the eBook reading device. Books can be shared with anyone who has an e-mail address. All the borrower has to do is log in to their Amazon account (or set one up) by clicking on the e-mail they get when a book is shared with them.

If the recipient already has a Kindle account, they can download the book on their Kindle, or they can read it on any Kindle app. If they don’t have a Kindle account, they can create one and download a Kindle app for any type of gadget they use, since it is available just about everywhere.

Drawbacks

There are a few drawbacks to the program. As mentioned above, the eBook lending program only allows for the recipient to use the book for 14 days. Also, during that time, the book owner does not have access to the book.

In addition, the number of books available is very low right now. However, it is a new program, and I expect that the number of books will grow as the program sees success.

Some have criticized these restrictions on the program, but I see it as simply doing business. Kindle book have to make money for Amazon; otherwise the program is not worth it, and I want Amazon to do well with this program, because I love my Kindle!

Conclusion

Overall, I think this is a great step for eBooks and for the Kindle, and gives it an even better competitive stance against other eBook readers on the market. While the program does have its drawbacks and restrictions, Kindle lending definitely an overall positive for the device!