How Many Kindle Books Can Be Shared?

By Jason Boog 

How many books in your Kindle library can be shared with Amazon’s new lending program? So far, Macmillan and Scholastic seem to lead the field.

This GalleyCat editor did a quick search of his own Kindle library (pictured, click to enlarge), discovering that out of ten randomly chosen titles, only two books could be shared. Both sharable titles were published by Macmillan: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier.

Titles published by Random House, Penguin, Hachette, Pantheon, and Bellevue Literary Press can’t be shared at this time. We also checked Just Kids by Patti Smith, a HarperCollins title that can’t be shared. The complete list follows below, listing title, author, and the publisher behind the title.

1. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Random House): Can’t share.
2. Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier (Macmillan): CAN SHARE!
3. I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron (Random House): Can’t share.
4. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell (Pantheon): Can’t share.
5. Killing Floor by Lee Child (Penguin): Can’t share.
6. Room by Emma Donoghue (Hachette): Can’t share.
7. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (Macmillan) CAN SHARE!
8. Tinkers by Paul Harding (Bellevue Literary Press) Can’t share.
9. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart (Random House): Can’t share.
10. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Random House): Can’t share.