E-book subscription services function like Netflix for readers, providing a library of reading material for a set monthly fee. There are a number of eBook subscription services available, and understanding the benefits and costs of each may help you determine where to align your eBooks.
Oyster
Free trial: 14 days
Cost: $9.95 per month
Features: Read on any device through the Oyster app. Access to over a million titles and partnerships with Macmillan, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster.
Kindle Unlimited
Free trial: 30 days
Cost: $9.99 per month
Features: Access to more than 800,000 titles, but no partnerships with major publishers. In fact, the system has come under fire for being the anti-thesis of user-friendly.
Scribd
Free trial: One month
Cost: $8.99 per month
Features: Over one million titles, including comic books (Marvel) and audio books. Scribd recently announced a partnership with Penguin Books.
Whether you’re an indie author or publisher representing several indie authors, aligning yourself with a subscription service may prove to be beneficial over the long term, as these services are not only growing in popularity but offer every new author the potential exposure to a growing readership.
Have you tried any of these popular eBook subscription services? Which one do you like?
