How many use Kindle Unlimited?

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Just a quick question: Those of you who have Kindles, do you use Kindle Unlimited or prefer to buy the books? Pros or cons?
Trying to make sense of the Amazon underworld ...

Karin

Comments

I am a miser with my money so

I am a miser with my money so I rarely buy books, I have bought only four in the past year one of which was out of respect for the author, two for the full story as the first was smartly not for borrowing, and two because I needed a quick distraction and didn't have anything good borrowed at the time.

I think it's simply that people are using the KU subscription more than buying books which raises your share of the amount they give you for enrolling in the program. My own share was five to ten times as much money as direct sales gave me.

I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime

Kindle Unlimited

I use it but I still buy a few books as well. The latest purchase was your 'Day in the Sun' which took me a while to finish because of it's length but I enjoyed it greatly.

With Kindle Unlimited I can try books I wouldn't normally buy (of all genres not only TG etc) without considering the cost. I read quite a lot so KU is good value for me. I have no idea how it works for writers, though. I've edited a couple of Amazon books but I haven't published any of my own.

Robi

No KU

Mostly because I find enough to read for free. Lots of BC, free paperback exchanges, and Amazon freebies. When I buy a book it is more likely to be non-fiction.

I read primarily with my Nook (Samsung Galaxy Tab Four)

Patricia Marie Allen's picture

But I do have a Kindle app on it. Kindle Unlimited is an expense whether I use it or not. So I prefer to buy what I read from Amazon rather than borrow. I prefer pay-per-view on my movies rather than subscribe to a movie channel, so I guess it's just a personality quirk in me.

Hugs
Patricia

Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt

I use kindle unlimited i have

I use kindle unlimited i have read most of your books 3-4 times alone. I read way to much to buy books reading 100-200 books every couple months will do that

Not a member of Kindle unlimited

I buy the books I want. At $9.99/month, I don't think I buy enough books to justify moving to the subscription model.
Also, Some of the books I read are available as e-books through my public library. So that competes as well.

--Brandon Young

I took advantage when they offered two years of KU for $150

It allows me to read lots of stories under 100 pages that are being sold for $2.99/ I generally buy all my favorite authors from here though perhaps not every book. I even buy books when I have the complete version from FM or here already on my Kindle. I also buy books that I borrowed and really enjoyed. The best thing is if I use Kindle Unlimited to read a book I intend to buy the author actually makes more money than if I just bought it outright.

Commentator
Visit my Caption Blog: Dawn's Girly Site

Visit my Amazon Page: D R Jehs

I do but buy also

I will buy books from certain author, that I want to help support, along with using my Kindle Unlimited.

The same as I do with my prime membership and with Twitch. I change my twitch sub each month to a different creative sub for the most part.

I Buy a Few Books & Borrow from local Library

My city library system is excellent. Besides regular books, they also have a pretty good ebook selection using Overdrive and Hoopla and are good at buying books that I recommend as long as they think there will be more demand than just me. I don't think that unlimited would pay for me.

Books Are An Investment.....

Beverly Colleen's picture

For me Books, which I read on my Kindle nowadays, are something of an investment towards my entertainment, my further understanding of things I may not know or simple a good sleep aid when one is need depending on the story being read. :)

As such I have found a wealth of material within the supportive online amateur fiction websites that host a vast number prolific authors that have stretched their talents over the years and fine tuned them into shape to self publish. It is those efforts that I that find are worth the best investments of my money.

Hence me having bought most of the publish authors books who have posted to this site and made available on Kindle. As far as KU is concerned, well if I need to know what a book is about, i'll just read the sample and the comments:)

P.S. Yes Karin. I bought ALL of your kindle books. all the way back to "On The Road Again" Quadrology

**********
I am a leaf on the wind, but someone turned the fan off.

I much prefer to buy.......

D. Eden's picture

I would rather own my books so that I can read them whenever I want, and as many times as I want.

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

I read fast... like, very

thliwent's picture

I read fast... like, very fast. ~1000wpm or so.

I also can't aford to purchase many books at the moment, so KU is very useful in allowing me ot read while still being fairly low-cost.

But I do try to buy what books I can from authors I support.

Wow

1000 wpm is fast. I can't write that many words in an hour. So the average story here, at two to 5,000 words only takes you a few minutes to read?

Dawn

Higher reading speed

Is one of the reasons I wait for a serial to be done. A 2500 word chapter is 5 minutes reading and disappointing when there's nothing more. I love authors like Clancy, Jordan and Martin because I could read for hours.

Commentator
Visit my Caption Blog: Dawn's Girly Site

Visit my Amazon Page: D R Jehs

Basically.

thliwent's picture

Basically.

I read fast enough that I willingly read bad fanfics if they can keep me interested enough.

I have excellent memory of what I read, yet I still reread things many times over years just to read more. (Just about finished with my Fresh Start/Coeds series reread I started like Friday night.)

This may explain why I love fantasy/scifi novels, tend to be huge or come in series. Big fan of Wheel of Time, Dune, Song of Ice and Fire, etc.

I buy a number of Kindle books

3 or 4 times a year. I don't have a kindle any more after some [redacted] stole my Kindle Fire from my bag while it was in the overhead locker on an AA flight from Chicago to London so I use the Kindle app on my iPad mini.
I've just finished reading your 'Reclamation' story (well about a week ago). 5* btw.

I have gone off recurring subscriptions in the past few years. Amazon Prime, Kindle U, Sky etc etc, are nothing more than open ended commitments that you pay for even if you don't use them. Then you feel guilty about not using them and at least with Prime, you end up buying more that you wanted to just to make you feel good about paying for the subscription . Naturally, that is why Amazon do it.[other e-tailers are available for the time being]
Recently though, I've found amazon to be less price competitive than other places so I use them less than before which makes Prime less attractive. Swings and roundabouts.
Samantha

I use the Lending Library

Frank's picture

Which is good for a free book to borrow each month for Prime members. Otherwise I buy books. I don't read fast enough to get value from the Unlimited option.

Hugs

Frank

Kindle ?

I use Kindle for book length stories. I just wouldn't bother with writing that is less than 100,000 words. Mostly I use it on my PC or my 10.1 tablet. Not sure what Kindle unlimited is.

mixed bag. . .

tigger's picture

I have KU, and I read a great deal, so I use it for a couple purposes.

1. An author unknown to me. Can't trust 'em to all be great so,if I can, I'll try a interesting sounding story on KU before making a long-term commitment. Similarly with authors who have some stuff I've liked, but also have worked with genre or themes that don't work for me.

2. If a book is available on KU, and I don't feel like it will be a happily reread for years story, but I want to read it (like Heinlein's "funny once" jokes), I'll use KU to read it.

3. If a story sounds familiar and the author doesn't? If possible I will KU it to see if someone is being ripped off. Twice those stories were mine! >"< {growl!}

4. If I'm just looking for momentary distraction - kinda like reading 4 year old people magazines in the Dr's waiting room. I don't wanna keep it; I just want to keep my mind momentarily occupied by something other than intrusive probes and sharp pointy things aimed at me.

If a story is a keeper or if the author falls into my "about damn time she/he gave me something new to read" category, I pay the full shot, although I will check here to see if I can link to the story from here and thus squeeze a few more pennies Erin's way.

That is about it. Mostly, I use it as a pay for lending library because of the volume of stuff I'm willing to wade through looking for muddy diamonds.

Warm furry hugs!

tmp_15382-tigtree1258422384.jpg

Tiggs

Day in the Sun

I use unlimited.

I just spent two days reading a terrific book about Hollywood in the 1930s.

Congratulations. You work is amazing. I was starting to see the scenes in black and white.

The premise was so very interesting. Hard to understand how things were then.

Shalimar . . . intoxicating.

THANK YOU.

I just started Dress Code and will work my way through all of your books.

Jill

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

You are in for an awesome treat Angela

WillowD's picture

I have read many of Karin's books a number of times. While I absolutely adore many of her books and merely love the rest, I have never been disappointed with any of her stories. Come to think of it, I can say the same thing about Angela Rasch stories, although unlike Karin, I haven't read all of your stories yet.

Karin, I have used Kindle Unlimited extensively for two years now. It is awesome for reading new-to-me books. I usually read enough books that it represents a huge savings for me over buying. And as I've mostly had a cash-negative budget in most months in recent years, this is important to me. Although I did buy "Day in the Sun" instead of borrowing it. It was awesome.

About 3/4 of my reading lately has been on BCTS, with a few stories from other sites because the author doesn't have quite all of his or her stories here. I'm planning to read the rest of Angela Rasch's stories on Hatbox "real soon now". Despite all of this reading, I have still probably borrowed enough in the past two months to make it worth it.

"Awesome Treat"

Dress Code was extremely well done. I'm now reading "Desperate Measures". . ..

Jill

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

I keep meaning to

But I never do...

I'd rather use my money to persuade an author I like to write more.

If I *did* use unlimited, I'd only use it to test a book and then if I liked it, I'd buy it.

Given I've bought all your books, I'd never use kindle unlimited for your books because I don't think that's right. You have given me lots of reading pleasure and I wouldn't feel right abusing that.

No KU

Apostasy's picture

I don't use KU at all, I just buy all the books I want to read on my Kindle.

no kindle

dawnfyre's picture

the portable readers do not respond to me. ( touch screens ignore my touch )
and why would I bother with the app for linux when you lose to download and read offline functionality with it.
( kindle app for linux is cloud hosted with no download functionality and no ability to use offline, like when traveling and no internet available )

so, hard copy is my only option for reading, other than being able to save print preview pages from here.


Stupidity is a capital offense. A summary not indictable.

I downloaded Kindle...

... To my computer a few months ago and I've bought several stories from Amazon that were links from postings here.

So far, I have 45 stories on my Kindle that I can read whenever I want, stories that are no longer available here.

I haven't used Kindle Unlimited myself, but I tend to want to keep stories, much like my physical books, to read when I'm in the mood.

To be blunt, I'm working my way through the author's list on the site here, name by name, reading any stories I find. It's a slow process, but I can go through forty or fifty postings on a good night. I may catch up at some point, maybe not, but I'm having fun trying. LOL

Yeah, guilty as charged

Alice-s's picture

I read a lot. I can get through three or four books per week. As such the Kindle, or even the Kindle download on my Android make unlimited a viable and cheaper option. The thing is, if I like a book I can always download it again. The authors I like get more money, since they get paid for pages read and I get to borrow the book when I feel like it. I have read a few of yours multiple times (Fool Moon, A Necessary Fiction, Fashion Class and On the Road Again).

Before Kindle I used to buy loads of book. This would involve hitting second hand book shops, markets and the occasional full price. You sar to run out of room. Then, with my Fantasy Sci Fi books I discovered Jim Baen and his free online library. Once I had started to read on my PC it was a natural progression to move onto kindle. Yes, I buy the occasional book (A walk in the Sun when it first came out, although I have done the same with other authors whose unlimited stories I have liked (Tanya Allens The Hard way), I tend to go with the cheaper unlimited option where possible.

I also like story sites and forum u.s.w as you can get a lot of free stories. You have to wade through a lot of average authors before you get to the good ones. Anyway, hope this helps.

Alice

kindle Unlimited.

ChasingSerenity's picture

I use it quite a bit.

Preview technical books prior to purchase. Find new and interesting authors.
Once I find book I like I then buy them.
~CS

Kindle Unlimited

I always buy your books because I know that I will read them again. There are about 10 authors I generally buy the book.

There are some books that I will not buy because they are too short, too unbelievable, or way overpriced.