Presence

(Make that four...although I never really considered actually doing this...)

Netflix for Books: Booksfree.com.

What I love about these services (Netflix included) is the ability to structure your consumption. I do this with Netflix all the time; place three or four movies that are conceptually linked in some way (same director/remakes/inspirations/sequels) together, so I get not only the film itself, but some sort of context to contemplate it in. Going to Blockbuster or the library is becoming too haphazard. Why go to Blockbuster, where they basically carry only new releases, when I can get anything under the sun in a few days from Netflix?

Booksfree, however, is going to have to come down in price a bit (their most affordable plan is two books at a time for $7.99 a month), since they are competing with the library system. They need to make a years-worth subscription cost about what the average person pays in late fees to the library, plus a little. I would say that's about $40. They might also consider doing like Netflix does; in addition to limiting the number of books you can have out at one time, limit the number of books per month.

The big advantage of these services is in the selection. It's practically impossible to find anything worth listening to in the Books-on-Tape section of my library, not to mention the atrocious selection of Books-on-CD. This service looks to have a wide selection, which could be a big plus. And they are selling their used inventory at discounted prices. Smart move. This could be a keeper.