A Worrisome Change on Amazon Book Pages...

[Dan]

Hi, everyone,

Amazon seems to be refashioning its book pages, at least those for printed books. There's a new "Look Inside" triangle graphic on the cover image of the new pages, and underneath a link to add to a collection (like Amazon's answer to Pinterest).

Front and center is a list of the various editions of the book, and if there's a Kindle version it's listed. But here's what's worrisome to me: I used to be able to look to the right of the Amazon page and instantly see if the book has a Kindle edition. Now, though, the "start reading ... on your Kindle" box comes after "frequently bought together" and "customers who bought this item also bought..."

On my big screen, I have to scroll down to see the right-hand Kindle box. Yes, as I said the Kindle version is indicated at the top center, but now it's almost as if Amazon doesn't want you to see the Kindle box with its graphic, at least before scrolling.

Have you run into this? It's worrisome, frankly, because the visual cue (the graphic and link) that there's a Kindle edition seems to be more or less removed from the top of the browser page.

What do you make of this? Tempest in a teapot?

Dan

[Tom]

With Chrome, it looks the same as ever. With Firefox or Safari, I see the redesign you are talking about but I honestly don't have a problem with it. I'm generally browsing Kindle Books listings to begin with, and where I'm looking at a print book listing it is a simple click on the 'Kindle Edition' link to take me to the Kindle book listing (the same as if you clicked on 'start reading on kindle' link. The layout is cleaner and the buttons a little bigger and easier to click on. I suspect these are refinements that make it look better with tablet browsers.

[Dan]

Tom wrote: "With Chrome, it looks the same as ever. With Firefox or Safari, I see the redesign you are talking about but I honestly don't have a problem with it."

Hi, Tom,

Thanks for the reassurance. I hadn't thought about the new layout as more tablet-friendly. I was concerned (well, worried) that without the "read on a Kindle" link prominently displayed (above the fold) that Kindle discoverability might suffer.

I've spent so much on Kindle editions that Customer Service knows me by my first name! (Oh, wait--they know everyone by their first name... But, still....)

Cheerily,

Dan