Amazon has launched its subscription e-book service. Named Kindle Unlimited, the service operates as a form of “Netflix for e-books,” providing all-you-can-eat access to over 600,000 Kindle books and thousands of Audible audiobooks via Kindle devices or the Kindle apps on smartphones and tablets for $9.99 per month. Just as leaked, it appears that the service does offer some big-name titles, including the Hunger Games and Harry Potter series, but items from some of the larger publishers are still notably absent. Even so, the 600,000 e-book catalog outweighs the similar Oyster and Scribd services, with 500,000 and 400,000 respectively, as well as a number of Kindle-exclusive titles. The thousands of Audible audiobooks being offered is also supplemented by a free three-month Audible membership for subscribers, providing access to more than 150,000 titles.
