That’s what the buzz is this morning, thanks to the Wall Street Journal’s story that Amazon is thinking about starting an e-book rental service. You know, like a library. But you pay.
Amazon looks into all kinds of things so I wouldn’t go assuming that this is going to happen necessarily. The company is currently in discussions with a bunch of publishers on exactly how it would work but it looks like it would be part of your Amazon Prime subscription, the same super user status that gets you free shipping and a bunch of streaming movies and TV for an annual fee.
But will publishers go along with this? Would more book rentals replace book sales? Do you really need to read about that girl kicking the hornet’s nest a second time? Especially if you can’t lend it to anyone? So if people can get the book through the rental deal, won’t that hurt profit? Then again, libraries also exist.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
