Amazon stops selling magazines and newspapers through Kindle Newsstand

Amazon is no longer selling magazine and newspaper subscriptions through Kindle Newsstand and will stop delivering current Kindle Newsstand subscriptions in September, according to an announcement from last week. Kindle Newsstand let people read Kindle-specific versions of publications right on their device, and the change will likely come as a disappointment for people who were used to getting their subscriptions that way.

But Amazon isn’t just stopping subscriptions on Kindle Newsstand; the company has also halted sales of print magazines and newspaper subscriptions. Here’s the timeline for how things will be phased out:

• On March 9th, Amazon stopped selling the subscriptions.
• After June 5th, you won’t be able to manage print subscriptions through Amazon. Instead, you’ll need to work directly with any publishers of subscriptions you might have.
• Monthly Kindle Newsstand subscriptions will be delivered through September 4th. Annual subscriptions will be delivered through September 4th or, if the subscription ends before then, through that earlier date.
• If you have any issues remaining in a Kindle Newsstand subscription after September 4th, you’ll get a pro-rated refund.

Amazon shared more information about the shutdown in an email to publishers obtained by Good e-Reader. “As part of our annual operating planning review process, we always look at each of our businesses and what we believe we should change,” Amazon wrote. “Following an assessment of our magazine and newspaper subscription offerings via Newsstand, we have decided to discontinue the individual subscription programs for both print and Kindle, including Kindle single issues.”

In its March 9th announcement, Amazon notes that select digital publications will be available through its own Kindle Unlimited subscription. But the changes largely represent a retreat from offering periodicals and mirror other shutdowns of special versions of periodicals like Google’s “print replicas” of magazines and the iPad-only newspaper The Daily. (Apple, however, is happy to offer access to hundreds of publications through Apple News Plus.)

Amazon’s changes are part of other cost-cutting measures at the company, which have also included massive layoffs affecting about 18,000 employees.