Designed exclusively for Amazon Prime subscribers who own a Kindle (sorry, iPad users – the Kindle App alone will not suffice), the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library allows consumers to borrow one book per month without any due dates. Amazon can only offer this option because the books are digital; the company isn’t loaning consumers much more than a small e-book file, which will be deleted the moment you choose a new book to borrow.

These restrictions – only one book per month, and only one book at a time – is a great way to prevent readers from abusing the system. But it also raises some questions as to what the future of book publishing might look like.Will Amazon’s Lending Library Help or Hurt Novelists and Book Publishers? – Forbes.