How to Use Kindle Unlimited: A Guide to Make the Most of Your KU Subscription
Kindle Unlimited is a reader’s dream. You have heaps of books available to you with a single click—and you pay a single, flat fee per month. But all that reading material at your fingertips can be a bit overwhelming, too. How does Kindle Unlimited even work? How many books can you borrow? How do you find the best titles?
Don’t stress! You’re in the right place. Maybe you’re new to Kindle Unlimited, or maybe you’ve had a subscription for a while but you just aren’t sure you’re using your subscription to its full potential. No matter what, this guide will give you everything you need to know so you’re a Kindle Unlimited pro.
Kindle Unlimited—often abbreviated to KU—gives readers access to millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines for a single monthly fee. But KU also has a few quirks to the service, and knowing them can make a big difference in your reading experience. So in this guide, I want to clarify exactly how to use Kindle Unlimited—from borrowing and returning books to finding indie hidden gems to maximizing the value from your KU subscription. Book lovers, if you’ve been wondering how to make the most of Kindle Unlimited, then this is for you!
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What Is Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is a monthly subscription service offered exclusively through Amazon. With your KU subscription, you can click to “Read Now” on countless ebooks, magazines, comics, and audiobooks. Anything that has the Kindle Unlimited badge is included! You won’t have any waitlists, so you can read these titles instantly, and you can return them whenever you want. As long as you have an active membership, you don’t have any due-date restrictions. As of right now, the Kindle Unlimited price for membership is less than a new paperback from the bookstore at $11.99/month in the United States.
As a reader, I love being able to explore the amazing selection of romance books on Kindle Unlimited. As an indie author, offering my books on KU means that I can reach readers who wouldn’t otherwise have heard about me. Readers literally have nothing to lose by checking out my book and reading a few chapters to see if I could be their next favorite author. Like many indie authors, I have a complicated relationship with Amazon. I wish the payment structure were more sustainable, but Kindle Unlimited has allowed me to reach readers all over the world who otherwise might never have discovered my books.
FYI Amazon also has Prime Reading, but this is not to be confused with Kindle Unlimited. The difference between Prime Reading and KU is that Prime Reading is an included perk with a Prime membership, but the number of books you have access to is much smaller—just around a few thousand.
And something else that’s cool about KU is that you actually don’t need a Kindle to use the service, despite the name. You can read a KU book on a phone, tablet, or computer, so long as you download the (free) Kindle reading app. I’ve even connected my Kindle account to my Peloton bike, so I can read KU books while I bike!
How Kindle Unlimited Works
If you want to know how to borrow books on Kindle Unlimited, it’s pretty simple: once you activate your KU membership, you can scour Amazon.com for books with the Kindle Unlimited badge. They will say “Read Now” and specify that it’s included with your Kindle Unlimited membership. By clicking “Read Now,” you borrow the book and it gets sent to your Kindle account. Read, enjoy, and return on your own time!
You don’t even need a Kindle device to use KU; instead, you just need the Kindle app to read. You can read on the app on various devices, and your latest page read will sync up. Most KU titles max out at 5 or 6 devices total—so as long as you are reading on fewer devices than that, then you should be able to see all of your borrowed titles. I typically read on my Kindle, but I’ve used my phone from time to time as well, and it’s really handy how KU remembers your last location in a book.
Readers often ask how authors get paid with Kindle Unlimited, and we’re paid per page read. The amount per page varies each month by a little, but it is a fraction of a cent—which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it does add up to be a couple dollars for a full-length novel. For my romance books on KU, that means roughly $2.50 for a full read-through. Authors only get paid for new pages read by the KU user, meaning if you ever re-read a KU book, the author doesn’t get paid again. So my personal tip as an indie romance author: if you really love a book you found on KU, the best thing you can do is also purchase an ebook copy of it. It gives the author a little extra love and means that you will always have access to a fave book.
If you eventually decide to cancel your KU membership, all the KU books you have on your device(s) will disappear. Any purchased books will remain, though!
How to Find Kindle Unlimited Books
One of the best Kindle Unlimited tips I can give you is how to actually find books to read on KU. Because there are literal millions available to you, it can honestly be tough to narrow it down sometimes. Here are my favorite ways to uncover great Kindle Unlimited books.
Search Directly on Amazon
Start off by typing what you’re searching for. Put in the genre, some tropes, and/or a destination or time period, if applicable. Then check the Kindle Unlimited box to see only KU books. You can further refine the search by checking the box next to the category or genre you’d like to home in on.
Browse the Amazon Lists
Amazon has bestseller lists, category-specific recommendations, personalized suggestions based on your reading history, top 20 Kindle Unlimited books, “Customers Also Read” recommendations, and even suggestions based on your Goodreads shelves. Spend a little time browsing to search Kindle Unlimited books—you really never know what hidden gem you’ll stumble across.
If you primarily read one genre, browse Amazon’s dedicated Kindle Unlimited pages for Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, Thrillers, Historical Fiction, and more. These pages often feature new releases, editor’s picks, and trending books within that category.
Follow Your Favorite Authors
If you’ve found an author you like, follow that author’s Amazon Author page so you never miss a new release. You can also join their newsletter and/or follow them on social media. You’ll know what books they have available, when upcoming books will be published (and if they’re on KU), and you’ll also hear if/when a book will be removed from KU and the author announces it. This is also one of the best ways to support indie authors. Following an author means you’ll know when their next Kindle Unlimited release is available, and you won’t accidentally miss a book in a series.
Use Book Communities
Social media is an excellent way to find the best Kindle Unlimited books romance readers love. Search hashtags like #KindleUnlimited, #KUBooks, or your favorite genre on Bookstagram, TikTok, or BookTube. Reddit has a great community of avid readers who love discussing books on the daily, and Goodreads has very thorough lists that you can scour through and find your next Kindle Unlimited book. I also recommend checking out Fable and the lists that creators make there—it’s a wonderful discovery tool. Facebook groups are an excellent place to ask for book recs—you can literally post mentioning what vibe you’re looking for and that you want it to be on KU, and fellow book lovers will help you out!
Check the “Also By This Author” Page
If an author has one book on KU, they very likely have others on there as well! So if you have read and enjoyed one book by an author, you can check out what other books might be in their backlist.
Poke Around on Stuff Your Kindle Days
Many authors participate in Stuff Your Kindle Days (SYKD) in hopes to reach new readers. These are not always, but are often indie authors who may also have their books on KU, so it’s worth seeing if there are any books or authors that stand out to you. I also have some further tips if you want to learn more about how to stuff your Kindle any day of the year! While Stuff Your Kindle Days focus on free ebooks rather than Kindle Unlimited, they’re still a fantastic way to discover indie authors. If you enjoy one of their free books, there’s a good chance the rest of their catalog is also available through Kindle Unlimited.
Search Using Your Favorite Book’s Tropes and Premise
Did you love a small town Irish romance book? Search for “small town Ireland romance” and toggle on the KU filter, and see what else you might find! Searching the same tropes and setups as some of your favorites might just lead you to other new favorites. Searching by trope is going to be really useful, especially if you’re looking for a new-to-you author. It’s quite common these days to include tropes in the subtitle of a book (my own books have this in their Amazon listings!), so it can help you narrow in on what you’re looking for.
9 Tips to Get the Most Out of Kindle Unlimited
Build a TBR/Wishlist of KU books - If you’re an avid reader, 20 books may not seem like enough to borrow at any given time. This is where it’s helpful to have a dedicated KU TBR. You can create this separately on your favorite book reading tracker app, like Goodreads, StoryGraph, or, my personal favorite, Fable—or you can also create an Amazon wishlist for your future KU reads.
DNF if you’re not feeling it - Look, it’s a bummer to start reading a book and realize that you’re just not feeling it. But the beauty of KU is that you can read with a lower commitment than if you paid for the book full-price. So if you’re really not enjoying it, DNF and move along to your next Kindle Unlimited read.
Return books if they’ve been sitting in your bookshelf unread - If you checked out a book months ago and just haven’t felt the desire to actually read it, my recommendation is to go ahead and purge your KU library from time to time. You can always come back to it some other time, and it declutters your device so you can have books you’re most excited about at the ready.
Explore indie authors - As an indie author myself, Kindle Unlimited is one of my favorite ways to connect with readers who may never have discovered my books otherwise. And as a reader, it’s my favorite way to discover talented authors I’d probably not see in a traditional bookstore.
Try new genres risk-free - In the same vein, you can not only try new authors, but also new genres! You really don’t have anything to lose. If a book sounds interesting but isn’t your usual genre, you can give it a try without feeling like you’ve wasted any more.
Read samples before borrowing if you’re unsure - Amazon offers sneak previews of the first few pages/chapters of many of their books. Think of it like flipping through the first few pages of a book at the bookstore. It should give you a good idea if that is a book you want to check out with your Kindle Unlimited membership.
Download books before traveling - If you want to check out a book with KU and have it added to your library, you need an internet connection. Make sure you download your books before hopping on a plane or going anywhere you might have poor internet connection. I’ve been known to use my hotspot on my phone to do some last-minute downloads before a flight!
Box sets count as one book - If you are interested in reading a series but don’t want to eat too much into your 20 book loan max, look for box sets. They will only count as one book and mean you can have even more books checked out with Kindle Unlimited.
KU offers deals - I don’t know the rhyme or reason to when or how Amazon decides to offer KU deals. It’s not a guarantee, but some readers have reported receiving offers for a few months at a reduced price when they go to cancel their subscription. They also occasionally run deals for Prime Days or Black Friday, although you will want to check the fine print to make sure you’re eligible, since sometimes these are just for new users.
Is Kindle Unlimited Worth It?
There are some people who will find that Kindle Unlimited just makes sense. Genre-wise, people who read romance, mystery/thrillers, or fantasy will especially love KU. There are other genres on the site, of course, but these three have no shortage of options for readers. People who are ravenous readers and going through multiple books a week will also love having a KU subscription—no matter how quickly someone reads, they will always have something for their next read. Also, since there are so many indie books on Kindle Unlimited, people who like to read indie will enjoy a KU membership quite a lot.
KU isn’t for everyone, though, and there are definitely situations where I would say your money might be better spent elsewhere. If you typically only read a few books per year and most often pick up bestsellers, a KU subscription will probably be more expensive than just purchasing the books you want to read individually. Also, if you’re the type of person who likes to reread your faves, you may also not find KU to be the most economical option.
Last, you might be totally content with what books you can check out (for free!) through your local library instead. If your library, Libby, and Overdrive have been keeping you busy with ebooks from the library, then KU may just not be necessary. I personally have both, though, because I love the indie author options and immediacy of checking out a KU book.
Common Kindle Unlimited Mistakes
I’ve had my Kindle Unlimited subscription for years, and while I absolutely love the service, I’ve also learned a few lessons along the way. Here are some of the most common mistakes I see readers make…and yes, I’ve been guilty of a few of these myself!
Assuming Every Book is on KU - Kindle Unlimited has so many books, but not all books are on there. It’s always worth looking on KU to see, but if it’s a bestseller, a new release by a popular author, or an indie author who prefers to publish wide vs. solely in the Amazon ecosystem, then you may have some books not included in Kindle Unlimited that you’d otherwise like to read. In that case, you can look for them at the library or at your local bookstore.
Forgetting About the 20 Book Limit - I’ve only hit this limit once, and at that point, I knew it was time to go through and clean up my library a little. If you reach the limit, you will first have to return something before you can check anything more out. Then you’re spending time, refining the books in your library instead of getting to read…it’s just not fun. Make sure to check your KU checked out books from time to time and to return them when you’re done reading.
Not Experimenting with Genres - I’ve dabbled in sci-fi romance and monster romance since getting KU, which I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise. Kindle Unlimited is such a great way to branch out and discover books you wouldn’t have even thought you’d love.
Ignoring Indie Authors - If you’re only reading traditionally published authors on KU, you’re really missing out! Trust me, there are so many incredible, creative, and talented authors who rely on KU to reach new readers. As an indie author, it really means so much when I see page reads go up, and every reader really makes a difference.
Never Looking Beyond the Bestsellers - There’s a reason those bestseller lists exist! They can be a fantastic place to start, but if you only ever read books at the top of the charts, you’re depriving yourself of one of the greatest benefits of Kindle Unlimited: discovery. Some of my favorite KU reads have come from digging a little deeper. Browse the “Customers Also Read” recommendations, search by your favorite tropes or settings, or take a chance on a book with fewer reviews that catches your eye. Kindle Unlimited makes it so simple and easy to try something new, and it’s one of the greatest benefits of a KU membership.
Paying for Books that are in KU - I almost did this the other day! There was a book I wanted to buy and I even found it for a decent price…but then saw that it was a romance book included in my Kindle Unlimited subscription. Before I buy a book, I like to check KU first, just to see. I might make exceptions—especially for books I think I’ll enjoy or if I’m purchasing directly from a romance indie bookstore—but I try to be economical and not double-up on purchases.
Kindle Unlimited FAQ
Is Kindle Unlimited free with Amazon Prime?
No, KU is separate from Amazon Prime.
Do I need a Kindle to use Kindle Unlimited?
Nope! I love my Kindle, but I also read KU books on my phone sometimes, too. You just need to download the Kindle reading app to your device, such as your phone, computer, or laptop.
How many books can I borrow at once?
KU allows you to borrow up to 20 Kindle Unlimited books at once. If you end up buying the book and it becomes a part of your permanent library, then it no longer counts as a KU book on your device and you can check out something else.
Can I keep Kindle Unlimited books forever?
As long as the book is enrolled in KU and you are an active KU member, you can have the book on your device. Authors and publishers do sometimes remove books from Kindle Unlimited, so if you’re genuinely interested in reading it, I always recommend to read it vs. waiting on it. You just never know what an author or a publisher has planned.
Can I read Kindle Unlimited books offline?
Yup! Once you’ve downloaded a Kindle Unlimited book to your Kindle or the Kindle app, you can read it without an internet connection. Once you reconnect to internet, authors will get paid for your pages read, and you can then return the book to KU. Always make sure you download your books before traveling or heading somewhere with spotty service.
Can I share Kindle Unlimited with my family?
Not really. Kindle Unlimited memberships are tied to a single Amazon account and aren’t like streaming services where passwords can easily be shared. If your household uses an Amazon Household account, some Kindle content may be eligible to share, but not every Kindle Unlimited title can be shared.
Are audiobooks included with Kindle Unlimited?
Some are! While Kindle Unlimited is primarily an ebook subscription—and that’s what I typically use it for—select titles also include the audiobook at no additional cost. If an audiobook is included, you’ll see it listed on the book’s Amazon page before you borrow it.
Are new releases available on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, it just depends on the author. Many indie authors release their new books directly into Kindle Unlimited on launch day (myself included), but many traditionally published books are not included in the program at all—or if they are, it won’t happen until much later after release. But if there’s a new release you’re excited about, it’s always worth at least checking to see if it's available on KU first before figuring out where else you might get a copy.
Is Kindle Unlimited worth it for casual readers?
It depends on what you describe as casual. If you only read a few books per year, I’d probably say it isn’t. But if you read at least one or two books a month—or especially if you love discovering new romance authors—Kindle Unlimited can easily pay for itself. Because you can borrow books instead of purchasing them individually, it's also a great way to try new authors and genres without any extra risk. I will always promote and be a fan of the library, but if you constantly find yourself wanting to immediately check out a book you’re interested in, no wait time, and that book is on KU, then Kindle Unlimited is certainly something to consider.
At the end of the day, Kindle Unlimited is a lot of fun for any book lover, but it really rewards curious readers. The more you’re willing to try new authors, explore different genres, and borrow freely, the more value you’ll get from your subscription. So whether you’re brand new to KU or you've been a subscriber for years, I hope these tips help you discover your next favorite read. Happy reading—and don’t be afraid to venture beyond the bestseller lists. Some of the very best Kindle Unlimited books are the ones you haven’t even heard of yet.