Amazon has launched a new service for Kindle users called Kindle First.
The platform will give readers using a Kindle device or the Kindle app early access to new e-book releases from Amazon Publishing.
The launch is hot on the heels of Kindle Unlimited, a Netflix-style subscription service which provides unlimited e-books and audio books for £7.99 a month.
Read Amazon launches Netflix-style e-book service for more on this.
How Kindle First works
Each month Amazon Publishing editors will pick four new e-book titles to make available ahead of their official publication date.
Kindle users will be able to choose one from the selection to download onto their device or Kindle app for 99p. Amazon Prime members will get their pick for free.
Those interested in the service can sign up to be alerted through emails or check the website for each month’s selection.
October’s picks include From the Cradle by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards, The Glassblower by Petra Durst-Benning, The Fallow Season of Hugo Hunter by Craig Lancaster and My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni.
These titles cost £3.99 to pre-order and go on general release on 1st November, but using Kindle First you can get one for less and start reading from today.
All Kindle First books you download will become part of your permanent Kindle library and can be read on any Kindle device or Kindle reading apps.
Amazon vs Hachette
The introduction of Kindle First is a clear sign Amazon wants to encourage readers to go for titles produced by its publishing arm, Amazon Publishing.
Dominic Myers, Director at Amazon Publishing EU, said at the launch of Kindle First: “Not only is this another great service for our customers, it’s also a brilliant showcase for the amazing work being done by Amazon Publishing authors, who will have their books discovered and enjoyed by an even wider audience.”
The new marketing strategy for Amazon's own authors will no doubt add further pressure to its ongoing dispute with Hachette.
The two are currently locked into a disagreement on the pricing of e-books, which has led to Amazon refusing to promote Hachette's titles.
Ultimately though the success of Kindle First is pegged to whether any of Amazon Publishing's titles are any good.
What do you think of Kindle First? Will you be giving it a try? Let us know in the Comments box below.
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