“Netflix for books” was the nickname given to Kindle Unlimited, service launched by Amazon in which by paying a monthly subscription, you can read many e-books you want. Announced two weeks ago, the novelty of the online commerce giant handled the publishing market, which assesses the impact of the model for authors, publishers and readers.
Not yet available in Brazil, Kindle Unlimited snake just under $ 10 (£ 22) per month and allows the user to read an unlimited number of books within a catalog of 600,000 titles. The system works more like a library than as bookstore: the reader “rents” the works, but do not own them; if the subscription is canceled, the book is taken from the e-reader. Selling ebooks by monthly subscription are new trend in the U.S. 
service can extend the already enormous influence Amazon in publishing and e-books, the company helped strengthen with the launch of the Kindle in 2007. Today, only digital books for adults turnover of U.S. $ 1.3 billion (£ 2.9 billion) in the United States, according to data from the Association of American Publishers concerning 2013.
Between the Kindle and its competitors like Apple iBooks and Kobo, 79 million Americans will use e-readers in 2014, nearly 9% more than last year, according to research from eMarketer.
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The Amazon is the first major company to invest in the book market by subscription, but the service is already offered by smaller U.S. companies as Oyster and Scribd. For similar to the Kindle Unlimited tuition, they offer unlimited access to 500 000 and 400 000 titles, respectively.
The three companies are betting on the idea that the consumption of digital media subscription, which has worked for services like Netflix and Spotify, here to stay. But it is unclear whether the system has the same appeal when applied to literature:. Anyway, most people read less books per month than watching movies or listening to musicSome of the books available on Kindle Unlimited
class=” “There is a difference consumption of the product and the habit of the reader. Film I watch in an hour and a half. If a book can take two weeks or more, “said Breno Lerner, superintendent of the publisher Improvements, in an interview with iG .
Two weeks is just:. Data released in January by the Pew Research Center indicate that average Americans read 5 books in 2013 For these consumers, the Kindle Unlimited sign may be less interesting than buying e-books individually. Amazon Prime, the company itself may be a more favorable option, since, for the cheapest price, offers video content, advantages in delivering products and the “loan” of a free e-book per month. Amazonx publishers
For more voracious readers (2% of users Scribd read more than 10 articles per month, according to the “New York Times”), the that will make a difference will be the acquis. Like Netflix, none of the subscription services of books offers very recent releases and the number of titles available is relatively small: the complete catalog of the Amazon, for example, exceeds 2.5 million e-books
Stephen King is one of 900 authors who signed the letter against Hachette Amazon
The absence was not officially commented, but for months Amazon catches a dispute with Hachette. The company was accused of using aggressive tactics – including the late delivery of works from the publisher – to secure advantage in price negotiations and be able to increase their income by selling e-books.
The arrival of the Kindle should Unlimited complicate the already difficult negotiations between publishers and the company regarding the payment. You can, for example, that the service runs pulling a drop in prices does not apply to publishers.
“There is a concern in that the subscription service can devalue the books to make them ‘free industry , ‘”said Mark Coker, Creator of Smashword of self-publishing and distribution platform for e-books.The site Coker is the largest provider of securities Oyster and Scribd, with over 250,000 titles available at each service. But he does not do business with Amazon, as the company only gives space to independent authors who sell him exclusivity, ie, withdraw his work from all competing systems.
New authorsNegotiation is delicate: on the one hand, the author takes advantage of the structure and scope of the Amazon; on the other, submits to a system of uncertain payment. Oyster and Scribd, the amount paid for each book is previously defined in the contract. Unlimited on Kindle, varies each month, with the division of a fund of all works “borrowed” setting the unit price.
“The Oyster and Scridb, our authors earn 60% of the sale price “says Coker. “The Kindle Unlimited pay under the same terms, which means that the authors of most expensive books will earn less in signatures than conventional sales.”Nook from Barnes and Noble, Amazon’s Kindle competitor
Author of digital “Game of color Papeletes” and “The Center of the Universe”, the writer Paul Santoro thinks Unlimited arriving on Kindle is more attractive in the U.S. market, given the significant market share from Amazon.
“If the new service take revenge, the book will offer a huge window of exposure, suggesting it worth changing the percentage of sales at online bookstores diminuito payment each streaming of the book,” he says. “In Brazil, operated volume does not indicate that it could be worth at first.”
tasting freeOne of the advantages of the Kindle and Unlimited other services by subscription books is to encourage users to take a chance the work of authors who do not know – and risk test, after all, does not cost anything. “Readers will no longer have the burden of having to decide whether the book is worth the investment,” said Coker.
The stimulus is also viewed favorably by James Ferro, partner at Brazilian publisher of digital books and -galaxy. “But this will vary according to the catalog available. If too full, the novice author will have to fight the established names. If incomplete, readers will not feel attracted to the product. Question is which way will the balance.”Iron finds it difficult to opine on whether the Kindle Unlimited revenge in Brazil, where e-books are on high: even if the market share is small, 2.3%, sales rose from R $ 3 , 8 million in 2012 to R $ 12.7 million in 2013, according to data released last week by the Brazilian Book Chamber.
“I would not know to evaluate a product before its arrival,” said Ferro. “It depends on the business model with authors and publishers, as will the catalog, ease of access and the price for the reader.”
The superintendent Improvement agrees and adds that, as of now, does not see the new service from Amazon as a threat. “I am content provider. Media who will ask for is the consumer,” he says. “If you want to e-book, I will do. CD If you want, I do. If you want clay tablet, I’ll figure out how to do.”
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