PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

PCMag UK

Report: Amazon Testing eBook Subscription Service

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

How would you like Amazon Prime, but for eBooks? It's reportedly on its way.

As first reported by GigaOm, Amazon appears to be testing a new ebook and audiobook subscription service, dubbed "Kindle Unlimited," which will let you read to your heart's content for $9.99 a month. The retail giant hasn't yet announced Kindle Unlimited, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but users spotted promotional pages for the service on the company's website.

"Enjoy unlimited access to over 600,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks on any device for just $9.99 a month," the page reads.

A look at the leaked page reveals that major publishers may not be down with Amazon's new ebook subscription approach. According to GigaOm, one page shows 638,416 available titles, including favorites like the The Hunger Games and Harry Potter series, but nothing from top publishers like Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins.

Participating publishers include: Algonquin (Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen); Bloomsbury; Harvard University Press (Capital by Thomas Piketty); Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (The Giver by Lois Lowry and Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin); Open Road Media; W.W. Norton (Flash Boys by Michael Lewis); and Workman (Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams).

Amazon's new offering will compete with other ebook subscription services like Scribd and Oyster. Scribd in January launched on the Kindle Fire, offering unlimited access to more than 400,000 books from over 900 publishers for $8.99 a month.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read the latest from Angela Moscaritolo

Read full bio