Amazon launches Kindle Unlimited in the UK

Amazon has today (24th September) launched its Kindle Unlimited subscription service in the UK.

For £7.99 a month, customers will have unlimited access to more than 650,000 Kindle books and thousands of Audible audiobooks.

Titles from all the independents in the Independent Alliance are available, as are those from Bloomsbury, and the Harry Potter series from Pottermore. Also among the titles on offer are Kindle Singles from authors such as Stephen King and Susan Hill, and Kindle exclusives. However none of the UK’s major publishers is believed to have signed up directly with Kindle Unlimited.

Jorrit Van der Meulen, vice president at Kindle EU, said: “With Kindle Unlimited, you never have to think twice about what book you want to read or listen to.

“With unlimited access to hundreds of thousands of titles, Kindle Unlimited offers by far the simplest and most cost-effective way to explore and discover e-books and audiobooks together, and you can even switch from reading to listening without losing your place. Our US customers have shown us how much they love the opportunity to discover new authors and genres, and now we’re delighted to offer the same freedom to our customers in the UK.”

Kindle Unlimited launched in the US in July, with independently published authors raising doubts shortly after launch.

Concern was raised about how the service could dilute author earnings, while other authors questioned why Amazon is paying participating publishers a wholesale fee for the read of each title, while indie writers are offered a percentage of a pool of money.

Kindle Unlimited, which includes features such as Whispersync, is available on all Kindle devices and free Kindle reading apps.

Amazon is offering a 30-day free trial of Kindle Unlimited.