Kindle 2 Wireless Electronic Reader
67From time to time I go to Amazon.com and check the sales rank of my books. The last time I did that I noticed that The Book of Mules is now available for Kindle. What is Kindle? Well, I knew the answer to that because two were sold through my Amazon affiliate link not long ago, earning me a nice percentage. I took a look on Amazon’s Kindle page to learn more about this interesting way to read.
While Checking the Sales Rank of My Books I found This One is Available for Kindle
|
The Book of Mules: Selecting, Breeding, and Caring for Equine Hybrids
Price: $12.90
List Price: $22.95 |
What is a Kindle?
So, what is a Kindle 2? It is the new and improved Kindle, a wireless reading device marketed by Amazon Digital Services. The neat thing about it is its lightweight (10.2 oz) and easy to carry around. According to the description on Amazon it reads like real paper and will hold over 1500 books. That sure will make packing books to carry on vacation a lot easier.
You download Ebooks directly from your 3G wireless Kindle – with a quarter a million books to choose from as well as newspapers and magazines. The Kindle can also read out loud to you with a text-to-speech feature. The battery charge lasts for up to four days according to the Amazon specs.
So, what does this cost, you ask? The Kindle retails for $359. Accessories can add to the cost. A quick look at the Kindle Store shows there are four pages of accessories for the Kindle 2. A leather cover costs $29.99, 2 yr extended warranty $65, power adapter 14.99, charger 19.95 (car or wall) metal stand $27.95, and a colorful variety of Gela Skins Protective Skin at $19.99 each. That was just page one; there were three more pages of stuff to enhance the Kindle experience. Oh, and don’t forget the books which start at $9.99 each.
As a writer I wondered how this would affect my book sales, so I emailed my agent to ask. I knew my contract provided for electronic reproduction. She answered me immediately – she is good that way – that at present time Ebooks only account for 1% of book sales and royalties. I guess there isn’t much to worry about yet. And on a positive note we writers’ books will be less likely to disappear into the remaindered world. Once an Ebook it will likely always be available.
For those of us who think a electronic reading device sounds downright “cold” we’ll still be curling up on the sofa, or next to the pool on a chaise lounge, with our paper books. But for the geeks and travelers, or the sight impaired, the Kindle 2 will be a new and improved door to the literary world. However, I am worried about the future of bookcase builders.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Aboslutely, I see the value for the blind or sight impaired. And I think traveling it will be handy. I also suppose it will be come less expensive over time.
Wow. They can be pricey, especially when you start adding on accessories. When I heard of this thing I was thinking of all the heavy books I used to lug around in college... plus the cost of all of them. This could be a very cool thing for a student. The only thing I would worry about is having some sort of malfunction wiping out all of my textbooks.
Well, I guess you can always re-download them - for the price.
As a diehard fan of 'paper' books I've always wondered if I'd take to such devices...have to admit they sound really tempting!
I admit it, after taking a look at a friend's Kindle I bought one. But before I did, some research was in order. I Googled 'free books for Kindle' and discovered a number of sites that claim their offerings would work - haven't tried yet. Another interesting offering from Amazon is the ability to convert a word document into Kindle format. This can be downloaded to your PC and then easily moved to your Kindle for free. Or, you can have your work sent right to your Kindle for ten cents. A word of caution though, I am having some problems with formatting, especially page breaks and paragraph indentation. Another feature on the Kindle is the ability to add notes. I haven't tried that either and don't know if there is any way to move these notes to your PC. All of this, of course, in unnecessary if you have a notebook computer, but it is a nice capability. I also found plenty of free books (or very cheep ones) on the Amazon web site. With regard to the future, I have a question, how much does an author get for each sale of his book on Kindle? Another issue is that there are a few other 'digital book readers' on the market. However it appears that each has its own Format making offerings not interchangeable. This problem will most likely go away if and when this form of reading takes hold. With regard to the device itself - it's a pleasure to use. The non glare screen makes reading outdoors easy and although the screen is a bit small, 6" diagonal, I found the page turning fast enough to make reading easy. The on board dictionary is also a nice feature. I've read that the wireless connection does not necessarily work outside the US, but you can arrange to download a purchase to a PC with a regular internet connection and then move it to the Kindle. My conclusion is that if you can afford the price the Kindle is a nice addition especially if you travel a lot or read anyplace a lot and hate dragging an extra suitcase full of books.
Thank you, Ken, for adding your personal experience. Good info!
I think Kindle2 is expensive. I use Palm Centro to read ebooks, but it can do more than book reading and has 100s of applications like the iPhone.
marisuewrites says:
9 months ago
'Twer me, I'd be screamin' everytime one more book was sold....congrats!
interesting info!!! When someone reads to me, god forbid the mechanical voice, I fall asleep....something from childhood I suppose or poor listening skills, but I did come to love books on "tape" (cd,now) I don't know about the kindle thing, but for avid readers of which I am one, I might be able to cover more reads that way, as the eyes do get tired....I don't know, but I'm bettin' I could get used to it.
Love print, tho' yet of course my blind mother listened to records of books in the 60's and now my almost blind step-mother gets books on tape for the blind...so tech has it's place...yes?
super info here!!