A new lending service is making headway in the ebook market and it is not your local library. Called eBook Fling, this free service lets users share their Kindle and Nook ebooks with each other. My good friend, Missy, the blogger behind ebookreadergeek.com, recently did an interview with eBook Fling and it piqued my curiosity.
The idea behind eBook Fling is one that ereader owners have been shouting for since the devices first hit the market – the ability to freely share ebooks with friends and family. This handy service makes it possible for you to lend your Twilight books to your best friend, your mom, and even people you do not know.
The “Flinging” Process
It is a pretty straightforward service. For $2.99, you can buy credits. The credits are used toward the “borrowing” of an ebook. Even better, you can earn free credits for “flinging” (lending) your own ebooks to other users. The service has a solid set of rules and procedures for the “flinging” process and adheres to Amazon and B&N’s strict rule about only lending an ebook one time.
In short, users list their available titles for “flinging”. When you request a book, the last three people to list that title are contacted. Whoever decides to “fling” their title your direction earns a free credit. Users never have to worry about unreturned ebooks because the service will automatically delete a title from a borrower’s device after 14 days and return it to the owner’s ereader. Kinda like an automatic library!
Choices Galore (and legal, too!)
eBook Fling is free to join and you do not have to worry about having only a selection of junk titles. You can find everything from the latest best sellers to technical manuals on the site. Pretty much any title you want is bound to be listed by someone. If you cannot find a title, just add it to your Wish List – when it becomes available, eBook Fling will contact you.
This service does NOT endorse the piracy of ebooks – only titles that owners have purchased through Amazon or Barnes & Noble are eligible for “flinging”. You never have to worry about the law dogs knocking on your door for the illegal downloading of ebooks. Amazon and B&N are already on the lending boat, so as long as the ebook publisher says the book can be “flung”, you can read and “fling” to your heart’s desire.