Did you know that you can share Kindle books with your friends or family? If someone wants to check out a book you recommended, you can simply lend it to them from Amazon.com.
The process of sharing a Kindle book to someone else takes just a minute but has a few limitations as noted below:
- You can only share books from Amazon.com. You cannot share them from the Kindle app or from e-ink devices.
- Not all Kindle books can be loaned out. Only those that are marked as eligible for lending can be shared with others.
- Sharing a Kindle book to someone else means that you will not be able to read it for as long as that person has the book. In other words, only one person at a time can access the shared Kindle book.
- Kindle books can only be shared for a maximum of 14 days before it will be returned to you automatically.
- Each of your eligible Kindle books can only be loaned once. This means that after lending a book to one person, you will not be able to loan it to them or anybody else again.
How to loan a Kindle book
- From your PC, phone or Kindle fire open your web browser and go to Amazon.com and sign in to your account.
- Navigate to the Kindle Store and search for the title you’d like to share.
- Click on the book to access the book’s detail page.
- If the book is eligible for lending, you will see a box at the top of the page like this:
- Click the “Loan this book” link. If you don’t see this option, it means the book is unavailable for sharing.
- Fill in the recipient’s email address and an optional message, if you’d like.
- Click “Send now.”
Your friend will have 7 days to accept the loan and 14 days to read the book. If they do not accept the loan within 7 days, the Kindle book will be automatically returned to your account.
If you need more Kindle books to add to your newfound sharing hobby, head over to the free Kindle books page to access thousands of free titles. Whether you love non-fiction, romance novels, or historical fiction, you’re sure to find plenty of options at JustKindleBooks.
FAQs
Can I lend a book to someone who doesn’t own a Kindle device?
Yes, they just need the free Kindle app on their phone, tablet, or computer. When you send the lending email, they can accept the book and read it on any device where they’ve signed in with their Amazon account.
Is there a limit to how many times I can lend out the same book?
Most publishers only allow a book to be lent one time in its entire history. Once you’ve shared that specific title with a friend and they return it, you won’t be able to lend that same book again to anyone else.
What happens to the book on my device while my friend is reading it?
While the book is being borrowed, it will still show up in your library, but you won’t be able to open or read it. It’s essentially “checked out,” just like a physical book, until the 14-day period ends or the friend returns it.
Can I stop a loan early if I decide I want to read the book?
You can’t “force” a return once your friend has accepted the book. You’ll have to wait for the 14-day timer to run out or ask your friend to click the “Return this book” button in their own Amazon account settings.
Is it possible to lend books to friends who live in different countries?
Usually, no. Lending is typically restricted to users in the same country. For example, if you bought a book on Amazon.com (US), you generally can only lend it to someone else who also uses a US-based Amazon account.
Does every book on the Kindle store have the lending option?
Actually, it’s up to the publisher or author. You can check if a book is “Lending: Enabled” by looking at the product details page on Amazon. Many big-name publishers have disabled this feature, so it’s more common with independent authors.
Can I lend books that I’m currently reading through Kindle Unlimited?
No, you can only lend books that you have purchased and own. Since Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading titles are technically borrowed from Amazon, you don’t have the right to lend them to a third party.
Will my friend see all my personal highlights and notes?
Nope. When your friend receives the book, it’s a “clean” copy. They won’t be able to see your private notes, bookmarks, or where you left off, and you won’t be able to see theirs when the book comes back.
What if my friend forgets to check their email and never accepts the loan?
If the loan isn’t accepted within 7 days, it simply expires. The book will automatically become “active” in your library again, and it won’t count as your one-time-only loan, so you can try sending it to someone else.
Can I lend a book that was originally a free download?
Yes, as long as the publisher enabled lending for that title. It doesn’t matter if you paid $10 or $0.00; the lending rules are based on the book’s settings, not the price you paid.
