Amazon’s logo for First Reads, the program formerly known as Kindle First
Amazon Prime members in the US and UK might be happy to learn about one of the hidden benefits or Prime membership: First Reads (formerly known as Kindle First). First Reads gives Prime users special access to a select group of newly released books before they’re available to the general public. From this selection, readers can choose one book per month to download free of charge. The selection changes at the beginning of each month. Not a Prime member? Your can still get access to these books, but you’ll pay $1.99 for your selected title.
Let’s take a closer look at the finer points of First Reads and how it can enrich your reading experience.
The Early Bird Catches the (Book)worm
Advance access to participating books is the hallmark feature of First Reads. The books available on First Reads are properties of Amazon’s own book publishing unit, named rather unimaginatively, Amazon Publishing. The First Reads program is a sort of win-win situation. Reader get a free, top-quality book each month, while Amazon Publishing gets a marketing and rankings boost for its own new releases. The books it gives away are similar in merit and editorial quality as those published by the major New York publishers. While we don’t know the inner workings of the program, it will likely only ever feature Amazon Publishing titles. The established New York publishers would likely find it difficult to give away books on Amazon due to contracts they have with other e-book platforms and retailers.
The Selection
You can find the current selection of First Reads online here First Reads on Amazon.com.
To find the selection on a Fire tablet: Tap Books, tap Store, tap More to Explore, and then tap Amazon First Reads.
To find the selection on a Kindle e-reader: Select Shop in Kindle Store, and then select Amazon First Reads.
The selection typically contains 5-10 books per month and it refreshes on the 1st of each month. Given that Amazon has about 2 million books on offer, it’s a bit refreshing to get some laser focus from First Reads when you’re choosing what you want to read next. Amazon highlights “minimizing research time” as a good reason for users to give First Reads a shot.
Letters from The Editor
Each title includes an gushing note of praise from the Editor at Amazon Publishing who selected the title for publication. The editor details why she/he choose the books, what they love about it, and what you can expect if you decide to crack it open.
First and Beyond
Along with Prime Reading and Kindle Owners Lending Library, First Reads represents another of the reader-first benefits of Amazon Prime. So even if its monthly picks aren’t quite right for you (or you live outside the US and UK, the only places where First Reads is available so far), there’s still plenty other free books available to Prime subscribers.
Avid readers will also want to take a look around JustKindleBooks.com on a regular basis to keep apprised of all the free and bargain e-books that they curate from Amazon’s selection each day. It’s not always easy to find the Kindle books on sale or being given away at no cost, so JustKindleBooks is an essential tool for your one-stop bargain-hunting needs.
