I set up my wife’s Kindle on my account, our only Amazon account at that time, the one linked to my email address. This was what my wife saw in her mind when she opened her Kindle every day. In a couple of years, she accumulated a collection of Kindle books that brought her laughter and tears and created memories that came back every time she opened the Kindle and looked down the list of titles – exactly the same feeling that a book lover feels staring at books lined up on a shelf. I bought a Kindle for my wife – a loving, thoughtful gift that she deeply appreciated, so much that it quickly became her preferred way to read books. You can transfer a Kindle to someone else any time, but you cannot transfer your books. The books that you purchase for your Kindle are locked to your Amazon account – your email address.You can switch the Kindle from one account to another readily, at any time, either from the Kindle or from the Amazon page set up to manage your Kindle.

A Kindle is associated with an Amazon account.

They can be linked together to share an Amazon Prime subscription, but each person can separately keep a shopping cart, a wish list, etc.

Each person in your family can have a separate Amazon account.

Amazon has set up a “ Media Library” where you can review all of the purchases you’ve made over the years. Your Amazon purchases are associated with your email address.

Amazon is setting up an ecosystem built around your purchases of books, ebooks, music, movies, and all the other things it sells.

Follow along and you’ll understand my wife’s Amazing Vanishing Library trick. I didn’t understand the consequences of that when I bought a Kindle for my wife a couple of years ago.

Be careful when you set up accounts and make purchases! These are turning into long-term relationships that need to be right.Ī concrete example: buy Kindle ebooks from Amazon using the email address of the person who will read them. Our online purchases and subscriptions and services are associated with accounts linked to an email address.

Amazon kindle account