Did you know that it is possible to share books between Kindles?  This update was quietly released in December, and once I heard about it, I decided to look into it and share with you just how it works.  After all, I have noticed many friends got Kindles for Christmas and Hanukah!

How does it work?  Go to Amazon’s website and click on “Manage Your Kindle.”  Next, click on “Your Orders,” which can be found at the bottom of the page or to the right within the yellow box.  This will show the list of e-books you have purchased.  Click on the + sign for each book, which will expand the field.  If the book can be loaned, there will be a button – “Loan this Book” – for you to click on.  If this button does not exist, you cannot loan the book.

Once you click on “Loan this Book,” you get to choose which friend to loan it to.  Enter the information requested on the page, and your friend will receive an email with instructions.

If you have not yet purchased a book on your Kindle but would like to know if it can be loaned, go to the ASIN code for the book where there is a label called “Lending.”  If a book is loanable, it will be marked “Enabled.”

Before you get too excited, know that there are caveats.  The good news is that once the popularity of this “exchange” increases, things will change in the consumers’ favor.

The caveats are as follows: all books can be shared on the Kindle, where the publisher is the deciding factor.  Below I will share with you how to determine if it can be shared. 

If your friends don’t have Kindles but you do and don’t want to keep paying $9.99 for your e-book, I recommend going to your local library.  Many, if not all, have e-books that can be loaned.  The downside is that if you are looking for a popular or newly released book, you will have to wait.

Happy reading!