Learn how to access the Amazon Prime Reading library and borrow up to ten titles FREE with your Prime account. This tutorial offers the best books to read now.
I have been promising this tutorial for years and am finally creating a monthly destination to browse the best Prime books available each month.
I am always surprised by how few people know about all the books that are available to them to check out with their Prime membership.
Today’s tutorial, I hope, will help you understand your member benefits better AND I share my top ten book recommendations for this month.
The Best Prime Reading Guide (10 Free Books)
What is Prime Reading?
Prime Reading is a benefit offered to Amazon Prime members that provides access to a rotating selection of ebooks, magazines, comics, and other digital content.
How Does Prime Reading Work?
To browse the Prime catalog, head to this landing page.
Be sure to scroll down to see the best books available now.
The items in the catalog are available to Prime members to borrow and read various titles at no additional cost.
The concept is just like your digital lending from your local library.
Just like acquiring the books through your Libby app, you can download these items for free directly from the Prime library.
Is Prime Reading Free?
If the book is in the Prime Reading catalog you should see “Read For Free.” It should state that this is included with your membership. If you are not seeing this prompt, make sure you are signed into your account.
You can now choose ten items to borrow for free through the Prime library if you have a Prime membership.
Basically, once you hit your limit of ten borrowed items, you will receive a prompt that looks like this that will alert you.
To borrow another book, you must return a book.
How Do I Return a Prime Library Book?
To return Prime Reading books on Amazon, follow these steps:
Go to Amazon Website: Visit the Amazon website and make sure you are logged in to your Amazon account.
Access Your Content and Devices: Hover over the “Account & Lists” option at the top right corner of the page. From the drop-down menu, click on “Content & Devices.”
Select Your Books: In the “Content & Devices” section, click on the “Content” tab if it’s not already selected. This will display a list of all the books and content you have purchased or borrowed.
Find the Book: Scroll through the list to find the Prime Reading book you want to return.
Actions Menu: On the right side of the book title, you’ll see a button with three dots (ellipsis). Click on it to open the actions menu for that book.
Return This Book: Select “Return this book from the actions menu.” A confirmation pop-up might appear asking if you are sure you want to return the book.
Confirm Return: Confirm that you want to return the book.
Once confirmed, the book will be removed from your device and returned to the Prime Reading catalog.
Remember, once you return it you may not have access to it again. This catalog rotates often.
If you have hit your limit with borrowing, you will receive a prompt to return an item, and Amazon will pull up all the items for you on one page.
Select the item you want to trade out; it will automatically return and check out your new selection.
What is the Due Date on Prime Books?
Unlike your local library, there is no due date for Prime books. You can keep that book as long as you want and return it whenever you finish.
I have held books on my account for years! They do not expire.
For most users, the limit of ten books is what leads to returning their books before they finish them.
As all the books made available are only available for a limited time, you do want to cash in if you find a book in the catalog you do want to read.
It might not be there when you return!
Can I Share Prime Reading With My Family?
You can share Prime benefits at no extra cost through their Amazon Household feature.
This feature allows members of the same family or household to share certain Amazon Prime benefits and digital content while maintaining separate Amazon accounts.
Here are some shared bookish benefits:
Shared Prime Benefits: Prime members within the same household can share benefits like free two-day shipping, Prime Video streaming, Prime Reading, and more.
Family Library: Family members can share ebooks, audiobooks, apps, and games purchased from the Amazon Appstore and Kindle Store.
It’s important to note that Amazon Household has specific eligibility criteria, and not all Prime benefits are shareable.
For example, benefits such as your Kindle Owners’ Lending Library are unavailable for sharing.
Additionally, there are limitations on the number of adults and children that can be included in an Amazon Household.
The current criteria are two adults and up to four teens, and four child profiles may link in a Household.
What is the Difference Between Prime Reading vs Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is a separate subscription service that offers a much more extensive selection of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more.
Check to see if you are eligible for a free Kindle Unlimited trial before paying.
It provides access to over a million titles, including a mix of popular and independent authors and various genres.
Prime Reading offers a rotating limited catalog that changes periodically. It’s a curated collection, and you can borrow ten titles at a time.
These two catalogs DO overlap at times, and I think that is why there is confusion between these two services.
For many readers, having access to the Prime catalog is enough.
What is the Difference Between Prime Reading vs Kindle First Reads?
The Kindle First Reads program allows you to access and purchase new books a month before they are officially released to the public. This benefit is available to all Prime members!
Each month, Amazon editors select a handful of new, not-yet-released books across various genres, and Prime members can choose one of these books for free or at a significantly discounted price.
You can read my Amazon First Reads tutorial, and you can shop for your Amazon First Reads free book here.
Does Your Amazon Prime First Reads Book Count Against Your Borrowed Titles?
No, your Amazon First Reads is an additional reading benefit you can access monthly. Typically, you are offered one book per month, but there are exceptions where they offer TWO!
That means every month, as a Prime member benefit, you have one book for your permanent library and ten books to borrow from the Prime library.
You never have to return your Amazon Prime First Reads book. It is yours forever.
What Subscriptions and Services Do You Recommend for Reading?
I ALWAYS cash in on my Kindle First Reads and always have ten books checked out from the Prime library.
I do not use Kindle Unlimited because the Scribd app offers more reading benefits at an affordable price. That link should also take you to an incredible tutorial on how to use the platform and get every dollar out of the experience.
Here are the BEST Prime Reading Books for this month!
Can I help you read better this year? Here are some tutorials I recommend checking out!
Learn how to use The Storygraph App for tracking your reading goals!
Learn how to use the Libby App with the help desk from the Libby team!
Listen to the Book Gang podcast to learn how to read better this year.
Stream episodes wherever you get podcasts or head to the episodes page.
TELL ME: What book would you pick from this month’s list?