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Every time I turn around there's [another][1] [Netflix][2] [clone][3] of some sort popping up. [Booksfree.com][4] which has actually been around for some time, takes the basic Netflix model and applies it to books.
For those that have never used Netflix or a similar site, the set up is thus: Pick a list of books you'd like to read, sign up for a rental plan and wait for your first title to arrive.
Booksfree offers free shipping both ways, no late fees and lists over 88,000 titles. Plans range from $8.95 a month, which gets you two books at a time, to $34.99 a month, which allows you to have up to 12 books at a time.
If you're more the audiobook type, Booksfree also offers a wide range of titles, but curiously the pricing is separate and somewhat more expensive than the book rates, which means if you want to rent both you'll have to pony up for two rate plans. Even more awkward, Booksfree actually requires you to maintain two separate accounts -- one for books and one for audiobooks.
If you're like me and you want to keep the books you like, it is possible to buy books from Booksfree. Just head into your account page and select the titles you'd like to keep. Unfortunately Booksfree doesn't let you buy books published prior to 1995 due to their "limited availability." For those older books I guess you'll have to head over to Amazon or the like.
So why would you pay for a service you can get for free from your local library? Well unless you live in a major metropolitan area, Booksfree probably has a better selection than your local library and of course there's no late fees.
Combine that with the ability to keep the titles you like and Booksfree could be a library killer, but luckily for your local library, Booksfree isn't quite there yet.
The Booksfree website is too simplistic and has some glaring omissions in its feature set, most notably there doesn't seem to be a way for users to review books. There is a star rating system just like the Netflix rating system, but come on Booksfree, user-generated content convinced Time to make the people Person of the Year, how are we going to live up to that if we can't post reviews?
There is a "my recommendations" feature which, like similar sites, attempts to recommend books you'll like based on those you've already enjoyed, but why not tap the users for the information?
The search features on Booksfree are good, but browsing is awkward, especially if you're trying to find a specific author. It's far easier to search than it is to browse by author, the later requires you to click through by letter, then sub-letter categories, then author name lists before you finally get what you want.
Perhaps the strangest quirk of Booksfree is that you must return two books at a time, which means if you go for the cheapest plan (two books at a time), you'll have to return both before you get your new books. I presume this has something to do with shipping costs, but it seems like raising the price of the plan would be a better way to cover costs. As it is Booksfree doesn't give you the revolving door circulation of titles that makes Netflix so appealing.
Booksfree is a nice idea, but the service shoots itself in the foot with strange, quirky rental requirements and lack of user generated content. Hopefully the site will improve as time goes on.
[1]: http://www.gamefly.com/ "Gamefly- video game rentals"
[2]: http://www.netflix.com/ "Netflix"
[3]: http://www.lala.com/ "Lala - online cd trading"
[4]: http://www.booksfree.com/ "Booksfree.com"
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