By Jordan Rosenfeld
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Good Accessibility
Perhaps the biggest pro for KU, according to Tech Radar, is that the Kindle app works on a variety of different platforms and devices. You don’t have to own a Kindle to read their books — the Kindle app is free and works just as well on a mobile phone as it does on a desktop or tablet.
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Moreover, when you open the app between devices, the book you’re reading will sync to the last page read.
Limited Titles
Additionally, there is a large number of magazines and some history books, so depending upon your interests, you may find KU worth your money and time.
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Restricted Library
Browsing Challenges
Tech Radar also found browsing on KU to be “frustrating.” The site suggests that rather than trying to navigate the “favorites” or “recommended” sections via an e-reader or mobile device, which will show only 20 titles each, you should navigate via “Browse the Catalogue” on a desktop browser so you can see more titles displayed.
Is the Price Really Low?
At face value, $9.99 per month for unlimited reads is an excellent value. However, Make Use Of notes that most self-published books sell for between $1 and $3, and many are free as a way for self-published authors to promote their work. Thus, to make that $9.99 worth your while, you’d need to read more than a few books in a month.
A Note About KU Authors
Though this may not be important to all readers, it’s worth noting that in traditional publishing, an author is paid a royalty for every book a consumer purchases. Kindle Unlimited authors, on the other hand, are paid for each page that subscribers read, a few cents per page, according to Review Geek. Low royalties are another reason why major publishers aren’t interested in putting their authors into the KU system.
The Verdict
If you are a voracious and/or adventurous reader who doesn’t care about the variety of the titles, and are willing to take your chances on quality, KU may be right for you.
If you are a slow-to-average reader, prefer to read contemporary books by known publishers or have access to a wider variety of titles, skip KU and take advantage of Prime Reading. Or, look into other apps like Scribd and Libby, which are free through your local library.
