Got Amazon Prime and a Kindle? Now you can borrow one book a month for free

Making its ecosystem just that much sweeter, Amazon today announced that Kindle owners subscribed to its premium Amazon Prime service will be able to borrow one e-book a month for free.

Dubbed the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, it will give Prime members access to a library of thousands of titles, including over 100 former New York Times Bestsellers.

The service, first rumored back in September, is yet another perk for Amazon Prime members, who for $79-a-year also receive free two-day shipping and unlimited video streaming. It’s also another feature that Amazon offers with the Kindle that other e-reader competitors, like Barnes & Nobles’ Nook, don’t have.

Amazon says there won’t be any due dates, although you will only be able to borrow one book at a time. Titles available include Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” trilogy, “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain, and Michael Lewis’ “Moneyball.”

Amazon says that the publishing deals for titles in the Lending Library differ from publisher to publisher:

For the vast majority of titles, Amazon has reached agreement with publishers to include titles for a fixed fee. In some cases, Amazon is purchasing a title each time it is borrowed by a reader under standard wholesale terms as a no-risk trial to demonstrate to publishers the incremental growth and revenue opportunity that this new service presents.

Given how much publishers have fought with Amazon over issues like pricing, I’m sure they’re being very cautious about how they’re approaching the Lending Library. If it proves successful, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon eventually raises its borrowing limits.