Amazon is reportedly working on a new Netflix-like service for eBooks that would let customers rent eBooks for a subscription fee.
We have more details at eBookNewser: “The service would likely be offered as an Amazon Prime feature, as movie streaming already is. This service, which includes free two-day shipping on all Amazon products, costs $79 a year. The news comes as Amazon is getting ready to release a new tablet this fall.”
Should publishers embrace this kind of model? The Wall Street Journal reports: “It is unclear whether any publishers have signed on. Publishing executives would rather have people buy their books, and they are concerned that participating in the program could create the impression among consumers that books have little inherent real value. ‘What it would do is downgrade the value of the book business,’ said one publishing executive.”
