Last week Amazon announced it was launching an eBook lending program for its Amazon Prime subscribers. The program is called the Kindle Owner's Lending Library.

Under the program, subscribers who own a Kindle device can borrow one eBook a month from a limited set of titles, and they keep the book for as long as they want (but they can't get another without giving up the one they have).

It's worth noting that the program doesn't work for people who have the Kindle app on iOS or Android, only on the actual Kindle eReader or Kindle Fire tablet. These are not recent books, but they are books that have been popular in the past such as Money Ball, Water for Elephants and the Hunger Games Trilogy.

According to PaidContent.org, the program has generated some controversy over permissions and participation. The article states that publishers receive a lump sum payment under the program, regardless of how many times the book is borrowed. What's not clear is how authors are compensated. The lump sum idea is also getting criticized with some believing the fee should be based on the number of times borrowed.

This sounds like an argument publishers might have been making in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with advent of free book lending libraries. The libraries buy a book once and lend it many times. If it's popular, the library doesn't pay more. I'm not sure why some publishers feel it should work differently with electronic books.

Amazon Prime members pay $85 a year to belong and also get free 2-day shipping and access to Amazon's TV and movie library.

For more information:
- see the Amazon press release

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