Glossary
Kindle Unlimited
Also called KU, Kindle+
Kindle Unlimited, renamed Kindle+ in October 2026, is Amazon's reading subscription, and authors can only put their ebooks in it by making the ebook exclusive to Amazon through KDP Select.
What it means
Kindle Unlimited is a monthly subscription. Readers pay Amazon and borrow as many eligible ebooks as they like. In October 2026 Amazon renamed it Kindle+ and added more audiobooks, but authors and readers still call it KU, and it works the same way for authors.
Authors get into it through KDP Select. While a book is enrolled, its ebook is in the subscription and the author is paid from a shared fund, based on pages read. In return, the ebook must be exclusive to Amazon.
KU is strongest for fiction readers who read a lot: romance, fantasy, thrillers, mystery. A romance author releasing a book a month may earn most of their income from page reads. A nonfiction author with a reference book that readers dip into may earn less from page reads and prefer to sell everywhere.
Why it matters when you sell direct
If an ebook is in KDP Select, Amazon’s terms say you cannot sell or give away that digital edition anywhere else, including on your own website. So you cannot sell an enrolled ebook direct.
You can still sell the paperback, the hardcover and special editions direct. Many KU authors do exactly that. Others keep some books in KU and take others wide.
How Lanternbee handles it
Lanternbee lets you sell any edition you choose, so you can leave a KU ebook off your store and still sell its paperback and hardcover. Check your KDP Select terms before you list an ebook that is enrolled.