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What’s afoot at Amazon, and what’s the future of Kindle? While the ebook giant may
The most recent change is one authors and publishers have been begging for: updating the return policy
Previously, Amazon allowed users to return any ebook within seven days of purchase, no questions asked
Users would purchase a book, read it within the seven day window, and return it as an
Authors, especially self-published authors, were quick to point out that this “life hack” was anything but harmless
On Twitter, authors pointed out that Amazon deducts royalties for returned books from author payments
In some cases, Amazon requests money already paid out to authors be returned, leading to negative royalty
When you read and return a book it COSTS the author… It's June 1st and I owe
Authors begged Amazon to fix this problem, pointing out that Amazon had the tools at hand to
org petition about the return policy gained over 75,000 signatures
On September 23, Amazon responded by announcing they will change their Kindle return policy for accidental purchases
Otherwise, users will need to contact a customer service agent in order to process ebook returns
This is a positive move for authors whose books were essentially being pirated through the ebook return
For readers, while it may limit their ability to freely read and return ebooks, it’s a
Presumably, readers will realize they’ve “accidentally” purchased a book within the first 10% of the text, and
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Kindle will support EPUB files for the first time since its creation
EPUB is an open standard format widely supported by other ereaders and devices
Until now, all Kindle books had to be in MOBI or a proprietary Amazon format, limiting where
Users can send EPUB files through their Kindle email address
MOBI files previously downloaded to Kindles will still be accessible, but all new ebooks will need to
Overall, this is a positive move, making it easier to purchase and download ebooks from sources other
Now for a little bad news: Amazon has silently ended lending of ebooks between Kindle users
Someone who purchased a lendable book could send it to a friend’s Amazon account
At the end of two weeks, the ebook was automatically returned to its owner
No official Amazon announcement is available, but it appears this feature has now disappeared from all Kindle
This reader was utilizing a post I wrote for Book Riot in 2018 explaining how to lend Kindle
As this was previously a benefit to purchasing ebooks through Amazon, it’s disappointing to lose this
The previously popular Kindle Lending Library was ended in August 2020 after almost a decade
This lending program allowed users to borrow one free ebook per month and re-download that book at
Users were instead directed to Prime Reading or Kindle Unlimited
The new Kindle looks closer to the current Paperwhite editions, with a 6-inch high resolution, glare-free, front
Amazon is also releasing a version aimed at children, Kindle Kids, for $119
At the same time, five older models of Kindles will lose their access to the Kindle Store
Instead, books can be purchased through Amazon’s website and downloaded to older Kindle devices
But those changes come at the expense of popular features like lending between users
But here at Book Riot, we’ll continue monitoring ereading trends and keeping you updated on what