Ebooks are a convenient way to read on the go. You only need one device to hold multiple titles without you having to log around a heavy, book laden bag. The only thing I miss is being able to share a book I love with my friends and family after I have read it. But did you know that you can share books on Kindle? It’s a pretty straightforward process if you know where to loo.
This article takes a look at how you can share your Kindle books with your family and friends.
Can I send a book to someone else’s Kindle? Only if You do these Things
The short answer is: Yes. If you know how it can be done.
To explain this in more detail, not all books are shareable. In fact, to be honest, the majority are not. You will have to first check the product details before purchase or on your content devices page to find our if you can share the book. You will find a “loan this title” or “loan this book” link if it can be shared.
Once you know that the book can definitely be shared, there are only two ways in which you can:
- Family Library – an Amazon household feature
- Directly to a recipient’s Kindle App
How do you share books on Kindle?
Creating a Family Library
A lot of people do not know about the Family Library feature in Kindle, mostly because it’s not that easy to find. Basically, the feature allows you to connect and share Amazon benefits with others. Two adults and up to four teens and four child profiles may link in a Household.
The members of the Amazon household can share all or some of their Kindle books, apps, and audiobooks with one another. The great thing about this is, members can read the same book at the same time without interrupting each other!
Let’s take a quick look at how to set it up.
- First, go to the Manage Your Content and Devices section of your Amazon account.
- Under the Preferences tab, click the Households and Family Library section, and click Learn More about Households. From there, click the Add Adult/Add a Child/Add a Teen button.
- To add an account, you just need to enter the person’s name and email and click on Sign up together on this device. You also have the option to invite someone if you do not directly add them to your account.
- Click Yes to allow both your account and the other adult’s/child’s account to share payment methods.
- Click Finish.
Now that you’ve set up your household, it’s time to create your Family Library to be able to share content.
- Go to the Manage Your Content and Devices section of your Amazon account.
- Select the Show Family Library link from the Your Content tab.
- Select the books you would like to share with a family member, and then click Add to Library.
- Choose a family member, and then click OK.
And that is it! Your Kindle books are ready to be shared with members of your household. There are no limits on what books you can share or time frames for lending, and, as I mentioned earlier, you can both read a book simultaneously!
Just a friendly reminder, though, because you share payment methods, both adults will be able to view and use the payment information. So save this method for someone you trust.
Directly sharing books with someone without using the Family Library
This method of lending books on Kindle is pretty straightforward, and all you need is the email address associated with the recipient’s Amazon account. Your friend will have to have the Kindle app downloaded on their device to access the book, no Kindle needed!
Once the recipient receives the book and accepts it, they have 14 days to read it (no pressure!). Unfortunately, the first downside to this option is that once you loan them the book, you do not have access to it for 14 days. So, make sure you are done with the book before sharing it! If the recipient does not accept the book within seven days, it will be returned to your library automatically.
The second downside is that a Kindle book can only be loaned one time. Once you lend a title once, there’s no sharing it again — it’s locked to your library. So you’re going to have to carefully choose who you want to share your books with.
How to Manage Family Library
Sharing ebooks on Kindle with family, friends, and other Kindle users is now possible with the “Amazon Kindle Family Library” feature. Do you want to know the how-tos on the “manage family library” feature?
You can set up a family library where family members can access your purchased Kindle books from your Amazon account. You can do this with two adults and four children at once.
You only need to create a family library folder to share e-books. We will discuss it shortly. Every Kindle book you share in the family library is available on your Kindle library.
It doesn’t go away because you share books with family from your library. Plus, you can share as many Kindle e-books as possible in the family library.
Understand that this is different from a group reading kind of scenario here. Other members of the family library can have access to and read any e-book at their own pace. Also, they can have the e-books as long as they want on their Kindle library.
Amazon has a “Household feature” and a “Manage family library” feature if you want to share Kindle books. So, the first thing is to set up the Amazon Household on your Amazon account before doing other things.
Step 1: Go to your Amazon account page and scroll to the “Amazon Household” category.
Step 2: On the Amazon Kindle household page, you can add the family member of your choice. Click on “Add Adult” or Add a Child. Here you can only add up to two adults and up to four children.
Step 3: For adults, input the recipient’s details, such as their name and recipient’s email address, in the blank spaces and click continue.
Step 4: For children, you are required to input the recipient’s details, such as the name of the child and their date of birth. Select the avatar to be applied, and click on “Save.”
Note that Amazon Kindle requires you to fill in the date of birth for the child section to confirm that it is minor. It doesn’t matter the date of birth you choose to enter as long as it is 12 years or below.
Here you can also add up to four teens. Note that there is no such thing as children opening an account with a username and password on Kindle. You must open an Amazon account and set up a “Child profile.” You can also set up a password on the account for parental control.
Step 5: The next page is for you to agree that you are okay with Amazon Household members accessing books you shared from your library and are willing to share payment methods with them.
Anyone you add to the family library can not only share books with you but also use your debit and credit card on your Amazon account. So whether they are children or teen accounts, you should ensure it is one of your close family members or a trusted friend. Once you are sure you want to proceed, click on Agree, save, and continue.
Step 6: Once done, the next page is to select the Kindle books to share with your family members in the family library on the next screen. After choosing the e-book, click on continue.
You can skip sharing your e-book on the screen on the next page because sharing from here will send your entire Kindle to the family library. Also, from your library settings, you can change the sharing option anytime. It is allowed in Amazon’s Household feature.
Step 7: After selecting that you want to loan this title from your Kindle library, click the send invite button and send. The family member will be notified on their personal email account that they need to accept your invite on Amazon Kindle.
If the recipient already has an Amazon account, they can log in and accept the invite or create a new Kindle account if they don’t have an existing account. The Amazon Kindle invite expires in 14 days, so they must accept it within that period.
On Amazon Household, it doesn’t mean you would be the only one to share Kindle e-books from your library. Anyone in the family library can also share their Kindle ebooks with you. It’s a family-sharing arrangement.
Best Kindle E-Books
Time and time again, certain books have inspired readers on Amazon Kindle. We will list the top five selections that make this list, and you should try reading these giant literary gems.
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Again, By Gabrielle Zevin: The book tells it all about human relationships and how to savor friendship. It will teach you how to have the best human connection you have ever had on Amazon Kindle.
>> Click here to learn more about the book on Amazon <<
- Solito By Javier Zamora: It is a memoir that evokes empathy and concern for others. It describes a nine-year-old boy’s journey to find his family in the US.
>> Click here to learn more about the book on Amazon <<
- Stolen Focus (Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again) by Johann Hari: In this mesmerizing book, Johann points out why we have such a short attention span. This is a must-read for everyone. The thoughts are mind-blowing, leaving you wanting to know more.
>> Click here to learn more about the book on Amazon <<
- Fairy Tale by Stephen King: A book about adventure, fantasy, dangerous secrets, good and evil, friendships, and intrigue.
>> Click here to learn more about the book on Amazon <<
- Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins-Reid: Soto is a tennis champion that shows she is a strong woman despite the opposition trying to pull her down. You wouldn’t want to drop this Kindle book as soon as you have it.
>> Click here to learn more about the book on Amazon <<
Frequently Asked Questions on Can You Share Books on Kindle
How many devices can share a Kindle book?
Sharing e-books on Amazon Kindle is an excellent way of allowing your family and friends to have your Kindle books in your library. It enables you to share the same book with more than one person. You can choose an adult and up to four children or even add a second adult. Remember, you can only do this through the Amazon Household section. So, all you need is to set up a family library account setting.
How many times can you share a Kindle book?
You can only share a Kindle book once. The recipient has a 14-day period to accept your invitation sent to their email address by Amazon Kindle. After 14 days, the e-book will be returned to your library. After that, you are done sharing the Kindle e-book with any other family member.
Is It Possible to share Kindle books with other Kindle users?
Yes, So long as they are Kindle users and use the Kindle app and find your book interesting, they can loan this title. Members of prime subscription can enjoy such excellent benefits too.
Once they accept the invitation, they can read the Kindle book. Your friend or family member has 14 days to read the book and seven days to accept the invitation. Note that during those two-week periods, you won’t be able to read the loaned book.
How to Loan Kindle Books That Are Not Lendable?
Kindle Books that are not lendable cannot be loaned out. If you discover you cannot loan this title, the author did not enable the lending feature. Hence you don’t have permission to lend it. However, there are other ways to loan these non-lendable e-books, such as using the Kindle family library that lets you share books with households and families.
Can I share my Kindle books with someone else?
Yes, anyone who wants to share their Kindle ebooks with another person can do so on Amazon Kindle. It’s similar to when you want to share Prime video. So long as you have an account on Kindle, you can. If you find an interesting title you want your friend to see, Amazon Kindle allows you to reach the Kindle book to them. Alternatively, send them a personal message to tell them.
Can I lend a Kindle book to a friend?
Yes, friends can lend and share a Kindle book on Amazon Kindle, provided the author permits you to loan this title. First, you must purchase the book, and it’s downloaded in your library. The period for lending books is usually 14 days when your friend must read the book. After that, Amazon will return the Kindle book to you.
How do I send an eBook to someone else?
If you want to share a Kindle book with someone, it is easy. Go to your account, scroll to “Accounts and Lists,” and click ” Manage Your Content and Devices” to manage your content.
On the page, select the ebook you want to share, check the box close to it, and click on “Select.” The next pop-up is the Actions menu in the upper right-hand corner. Click ” Actions menu” and select Loan this title from the dropdown menu.
Enter the recipient’s email address and name you wish to share on the Kindle book and send it. The person who wants to loan this title will receive your book loan notification.
How do I share my Kindle Unlimited books with my family?
You can send the Kindle Unlimited titles to family members added to your Amazon household list. Proceed with your create a household list and select the Kindle book you want to share from the Amazon Household feature and the person you intend to share ebooks with.
You can also enable automatic sharing. Once you purchase or borrow any book, they will have a pop-up message in their e-mail address notifying them of a new book.
Can more than one person read a Kindle book at the same time?
This is the fantastic thing about Kindle books. Different people can read the same book simultaneously on Kindle. You won’t have this kind of experience with a paperback which makes e-books a delight. Your household and family or a new person interested in your book can share from your library collections.
How Do I find and download shared Kindle books?
Like books you purchased on Kindle, you can also find e-books a family member shared and downloaded in their library. Go to “Manage Your Content and Devices” to manage your content, then click on the
Bonus: What about you?
What if you want to borrow a book but no one you know has it in their libraries? There are other Kindle users out there who are willing to share too! Lending communities offer platforms that when you sign up, you can share a list of Kindle books you own that are eligible to lend. The more you lend, the more you can borrow from other users.
In conclusion, sharing a Kindle book is quite possible if you know how to do it and what is involved. It’s convenient and you do not have to worry about your friend losing your book or returning it in a less than desirable condition!
However, if you are still not sure about Kindle and want to know more? Check out our full review here.
Final Thoughts on Can You Share Books on Kindle
The Amazon Kindle has become a popular e-reading platform with many digital books in its collection from various authors. All Kindle books are in electronic format, which readers can comfortably download from the Kindle store and read offline anytime in their library. You can share e-books of different genres in your library, from fiction, non-fiction, academic books, motivational books, religious, etc.
Kindle books give the convenience of having a collection of e-books on a small device that you can select your favorite title option and read anytime on your Kindle app instead of carrying a physical book. If you are ready to start sharing books with family and friends, Amazon Kindle is where you should start
