As a retail and consumer industry expert who‘s spent over a decade studying Amazon‘s ever-expanding ecosystem of products and services, I‘ve watched Prime evolve from a niche free shipping program into an absolute juggernaut. The latest figures speak for themselves:
- Over 200 million people worldwide now have an Amazon Prime membership (source: Statista)
- In the U.S. alone, Prime memberships grew by 30 million in 2020, the program‘s largest annual increase ever (source: Consumer Intelligence Research Partners)
- The average Prime member spends $1,400 per year on Amazon, compared to $600 by non-Prime customers (source: Business Insider)
Clearly, Prime has become a dominant force in retail and a lifestyle staple for millions. But beyond the free shipping and Prime Video streaming that the service is best known for, Prime has also quietly become a significant player in the world of books and digital reading.
Prime Reading Unlocks a Diverse Library of Over 3,000 Titles
Introduced in 2016, Prime Reading is one of the newer benefits of a Prime membership but also one of the most intriguing for avid readers. The program grants unlimited access to a private lending library of over 3,000 rotating e-books, comics, magazines, and more.
Some key features of Prime Reading include:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Bookworm-friendly selection | Thoughtfully curated mix of bestsellers, classics, niche favorites, and hidden gems |
| All-ages content | Robust children‘s section plus titles for teens and adults |
| Popular magazines | Rotating selection from top publishers like Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and People |
| Comics and graphic novels | Critically acclaimed titles from DC, Image, Valiant, and more |
| Audible narration on some titles | Option to seamlessly switch between reading and listening |
In the Prime Reading catalog, you‘ll find everything from chart-topping page-turners to guilty pleasure beach reads to literary masterpieces. A few notable examples across categories:
- Blockbuster fiction like The Hunger Games, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl
- Riveting memoirs such as Educated by Tara Westover and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
- Seminal non-fiction works like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and A Brief History of Time
- Prestige comics including The Walking Dead, Locke & Key, and Umbrella Academy
- Kid-favorite series from Harry Potter to Pete the Cat to The Baby-Sitters Club
No matter your age or interests, Prime Reading likely has a title to hook you. The selection is constantly refreshed too, giving members a reason to regularly check in on the catalog to see what‘s new.
How Prime Stacks Up to Other Reading Subscription Services
Of course, Amazon is far from the only player in the booming e-book subscription market. Scribd, Bookmate, and Kobo Plus, among others, all offer similar "Netflix for books" models providing unlimited reading for a flat monthly fee.
So how does Prime Reading compare? While the Prime Reading library is admittedly smaller than some competing services, I actually prefer its more curated approach. Quality matters much more than quantity to me as a reader.
Consider Scribd, which boasts a catalog of over 1 million titles for $9.99/month. That‘s an impressive number, but the vast majority are public domain works, unofficial user uploads, and niche documents like academic papers and court filings. The number of high-quality, acclaimed books is actually much more limited.
In contrast, just about every book in Prime Reading has been carefully vetted and selected by Amazon editors. You may not find as many titles overall, but you can trust that each one has earned its spot. Plus, Prime Reading‘s offering looks even better when you consider the other benefits unlocked by a Prime membership.
Bookmate ($9.99/month) and Kobo Plus ($9.99/month) are a bit more evenly matched with Prime Reading, each providing a relatively selective catalog heavy on bestsellers and popular classics. But they also lack some of Prime Reading‘s distinct advantages such as rotating magazines, free Audible narration on select titles, and of course, the many non-book benefits of a Prime subscription.
Maximizing Your Prime Membership as a Book Lover
As a Prime member for over a decade and an avid reader who‘s borrowed hundreds of books through the program, here are my top tips for getting the most bang for your buck:
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Check in on the catalog regularly. Prime Reading titles change monthly, so pop in every few weeks to see the new additions. I like to keep a "to read" list and grab titles as soon as I see them to avoid missing out.
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Don‘t sleep on the Kindle Owners‘ Lending Library. Separate from Prime Reading, this lets you borrow one book per month from a wider catalogue of over 800,000 titles. The catch? You have to own a Kindle device.
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Take advantage of First Reads. Another Prime perk, this gives you one free pre-release Kindle book per month, chosen from a small selection of editors‘ picks. It‘s a great way to discover new authors and build your permanent library.
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Use the Kindle app for more than just Prime books. Use it as your unified reading hub across your devices. You can easily sync your progress across all your books, including ones from Prime, ones purchased through Amazon, and even ones from your local library via OverDrive.
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Set up parental controls for your kids. If you share your Prime benefits with youngsters, take advantage of Kindle‘s parental controls to create child-friendly profiles that limit access to only age-appropriate books.
To put the value of Prime Reading in context, let‘s crunch some numbers. The average cost of a brand-new Kindle release from one of the major publishers is around $13. Even just borrowing one Prime Reading title per month would save you $156 per year, more than the $119 annual cost of Prime.
In my household, my two kids and I typically read at least 4-5 Prime books each month. That‘s nearly $800 in potential savings each year—and that‘s not even factoring in the value we get from the magazines, Kindle Owners‘ Lending Library, First Reads, and of course, all of Prime‘s other benefits.
Considering you can share your Prime book benefits with another adult in your Amazon Household, the potential savings multiply even further. It‘s really an unbeatable value for families of readers.
The Bookish Bottom Line
When I first signed up for Prime over a decade ago, I was drawn in by the promise of free 2-day shipping. But as the program has expanded its benefits over the years, it‘s the book perks that have proven the most indispensable to me.
Between Prime Reading, the Kindle Owners‘ Lending Library, and First Reads, I have access to an unrivaled, ever-growing library of books across genres—all free with my membership. Prime has simply become an integral part of my reading life.
It‘s worth noting that books are just one small piece of the larger Prime puzzle. With a membership, you also unlock a vast digital entertainment library (Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Gaming), unlimited photo storage, exclusive discounts at Whole Foods and Amazon.com, and so much more. It‘s really an all-in-one lifestyle subscription.
But for me, it‘s the book benefits that make Prime a total no-brainer. If you‘re a reader of any level, I wholeheartedly recommend giving Prime a shot. With a free 30-day trial, you can take the reading perks for a test drive and see the value for yourself.
Happy reading!
